AP Language and Composition
Summer Reading Assignment for Fall 2017
Ms. Lockwood, Ms. Lisowski, Ms. Zubiri, Ms. Walsh - Venice High School
First, let us assure you that this assignment will be graded. If you choose not to complete the summer assignment, or if you choose to copy or plagiarize it, you will be sacrificing about 200 points, enough to bring your grade down, and it is hard to raise a low grade.
Welcome to AP Language and Composition. Most literature courses focus on “What does a work mean?” AP Language, however, is focused on the controlling idea of “How does a work come to mean?” A major component of the AP Language and Composition curriculum is careful and critical analysis of literature, particularly non-fiction. Through close reading, students will deepen their understanding of the way writers use language to create meaning. You (the reader) should be constantly asking yourself questions to analyze language and meaning. Questions to consider as you read:
Why did the author write this work at this time? Who is the reader addressed?
Who is the author and why should I trust him/her?
Why did the author choose this format?
Why did the author choose these particular words and phrases? ...this particular sentence structure? ...this literary device?
Who is the speaker and what is the author’s purpose in writing this text?
What is the tone of the text?
To increase your reading and interpretive skills, you will be expected to complete the following two assignments during the summer break. The reading and assignments should be completed by the first day of school in September.
Assignment #1, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
Actively read this novel by thinking about the questions above as you read as well as by paying particular attention to the universal topics it explores – hypocrisy, societal expectations, the value of nature, parenting, honesty, religion, responsibility of friends. You will be tested on this novel in the first week of the semester.
Select one of the universal topics listed (italicized) above. As you read the novel, find passages that relate to that topic, and mark them with a Post-it note or other means to identify them. Think about what Twain is saying throughout the novel about that topic.
When you return to school, bring your book with you, as you will be able to use it – with marginalia – as you write an essay. You will not be able to use any printed material, such as SparkNotes or other source of work avoidance or interpretation. Read the novel, think about it, discuss it with your friends. Take an active role in your own education.
Assignment #2, Non-fiction Book
Read one of the following non-fiction books. During the fall semester, you will read a second non-fiction book and write a research paper on a contemporary, issue in society, so you might want to choose of topic of interest for which you could read two books. The important thing is, you need to read the entire book, think about the ideas, and complete the written assignment carefully.
Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas Friedman
Friedman explains how global warming, rapidly growing populations, and the expansion of the world’s middle class through globalization have produced a dangerously unstable planet.
The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
America is suffering from a national eating disorder. Pollan examines the profound implications that our food choices have for the health of our species and the future of our planet.
Growing Up Empty, The Hunger Epidemic in America by Loretta Schwartz-Nobel
This is a study of a hidden epidemic that still remains largely unacknowledged at the highest political levels and a call to action to re-energize the debate on the federal government's priorities.
Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, Elizabeth L. Cline
What are we doing with all these cheap clothes we buy and why do we buy them? And more important, what are they doing to us, our society, our environment, and our economic well-being?
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Barbara Ehrenreich
In an attempt to understand the lives of Americans earning near-minimum wages, Ehrenreich works as a waitress in Florida, a cleaning woman in Maine, and a sales clerk in Minnesota.
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, Eric Schlosser
A journalist explores the homogenization of American culture and the impact of the fast food industry on health, economy, politics, popular culture, entertainment, and food production.
You may also choose among the following options:
The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains, Nicholas Carr
Born to Buy, Juliet B. Schor
Broke, USA: How the Working Poor Became Big Business, Gary Rivlin
Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine, John Abramson, M.D.
Boiling Point, Ross Gelbspan
Fatal Choice: Nuclear Weapons, Survival or Sentence, Richard Butler
The Shame of the Nation: The Restoration of Apartheid Schooling in America, Jonathan Kozol
If you have a book you would like to read but it’s not on this list, e-mail Ms. Lockwood to ask for permission. The book must be non-fiction, about a current issue of importance, and may not be about religion or abortion. If you would like further suggestions of books to read, check Ms. Lockwood’s website: www.mslockwood.com.
The assignment for this book will be writing Dialectical Journals; the directions are on the following page. Below is the scoring rubric.
Scoring Rubric
Dialectical Journal / Full CreditChoice of passages (25%)
Cited with page number (MLA format) / Meaningful passages selected. Coverage of text is complete and thorough (passages selected from throughout the book. Number of passages meets or exceeds the assignment (12 entries minimum).
Quality of Response (50%)
/ Thoughtful interpretation and commentary. Avoids clichés. Includes insightful comments about rhetorical devices, arguments, writer’s style, patterns in the text, values, etc. All responses are at least 50 words in length. Words for each response are tallied and noted.
Neatness & Legibility (25%) / Journal is neat, writing is legible, and content is organized according to the directions provided.
AP Language and Composition
Dialectical Journals
A dialectical journal is a written conversation with oneself about a work of literature. It is a practice that nurtures the habit of reflective questioning while reading a challenging, multi-layered text.
For your choice of summer reading, you may either use a double-entry format in a notebook or on lined paper, or you may type your passages/responses in a two-column table. The purpose of these entries is to examine details of the text and synthesize your understanding.
Table Format and Content Guidelines
Create a line down the center of your page. Label the column on the left ‘TEXT’ and the column on the right, ‘RESPONSE.’ Read actively. Avoid merely summarizing or paraphrasing.
On the ‘TEXT’ side, record passages directly from the non-fiction work that correlate with one of the areas defined below….
$ effective use of literary or rhetorical devices
$ lines that reveal or emphasize the writer’s style
$ details that give you an epiphany
$ appeals to pathos, ethos, or logos
$ moments where you recognize a pattern (recurring images, repeating ideas, etc.)
$ a passage that makes you realize something you hadn’t seen before
$ a passage that asserts an argument that you want to analyze further
On the ‘RESPONSE’ side, reflect about what you have copied from the text. Ways to do
this include...
$ an analysis of a literary or rhetorical device
$ an evaluation of the writer’s style
$ a connection to another work or something in your personal history.
$ a clarification of a complex or revealing moment
$ an interpretation of a pattern
$ an argument against the writer’s ideas
$ a prediction about a character’s choice and/or fate
$ a question about the beliefs or values implied in the text
Journals entries must be made independently. Do not work with other students to complete them. Do not rely on websites or other supplemental materials to help you with this assignment. If you do, for any portion, you will earn a zero.
Each ‘TEXT’ entry must include a citation (page #). Each ‘RESPONSE’ entry must be at least 50 words (include word count at the end of each entry.) Make at least 12 entries; spread out your entries over the course of the text, and vary the types of passages you record according to the guidelines above.
MLA format to cite a passage from Thomas L. Friedman’s book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded:
“While our parents’ generation earned the American dream by leveraging their own hard work and education, the Grasshopper Generation tried to secure the American dream with financial leverage – by borrowing more and more money and making bigger and bigger bets with it” (39).
(Notice: there’s no “page,” “pg,” or “p” for MLA format, and the period comes after the page number.)