AP 11 Summer Reading List and Assignments—Scidmohr & Lee
Reading and Thinking Critically
Students will need to approach all readings in this course as active critical readers. Active, critical readers take more formal and deliberate steps to analyze what they read. Consider the author’s style of writing and the writing techniques the author uses in order to develop his or her thesis. Read for purpose and meaning.
Each student is responsible for choosing and obtaining a book from the attached list. All books must be approved by parents/guardians. No summer work will be accepted without a signed parent permission slip.
- Respond to each question below individually, fully, with examples.
- Number each response and type all work:
- 12 Font, Times New Roman, MLA Style*; NO folders or covers.
- Hard copy of summer work is due on the first day of school.
- Electronic submission to turnitin.com is due before class on the first day of school (see directions below).
- Worth 50 points in Daily Work (20% of weighted grade).
Purpose:
1. What is the author’s purpose for writing this book?
2. What are the beliefs, perspectives, insights or ideas that the author tries to convey?
Identify and explain 3-5 details (examples from the text) that demonstrate the purpose of the writing, citing page number and passages.
Meaning and how it is conveyed:
3. Is the level of diction – word choices - informal or formal?
Informal diction includes dialect, slang, or jargon, as well as everyday, conversational word choices. Formal diction is an elevated use of words – words that are more academic.
4. Where is the author employing abstract and/or concrete details to get his/her meaning across? Explain how the author uses the language to make his/her point.
Abstract details include words and sentences that convey ideas, emotions, conditions, or concepts that are intangible. Abstractions also include universal truths and emotions. Concrete details include words that describe people, places, and objects.
5. How does the author use logical appeals to convey his/her meaning? If statistical, scientific, financial, or other logical evidence is used in the book, give examples and discuss how such appeals enhance the author’s meaning. If
logical appeals are not used in the book, explain why they would or would not enhance the author’s meaning.
6. How does the author use emotional appeals to convey his/her meaning? Give several examples of emotional appeals from your book, and explain how these appeals help make the author’s meaning clear.
Emotional appeals are examples, anecdotes, or ideas that try to convince a reader by appealing to the heart or emotion more than the rational mind.
Your Stance:
7. How do you feel about what the author is trying to convey? What insights did you gain from this reading, and why are these insights important to you as a student?
Compare/contrast reading of fiction vs. nonfiction:
8. What differences or similarities have you noted in reading and preparing work for nonfiction as opposed to fiction? Did you need to approach the reading task differently? What differences or similarities have you noted in the writing of a nonfiction vs. fiction book (writing techniques, organization, etc.)?
Note: Do not summarize the book;
assume the reader of your work is familiar with the book.
Submit your work to turnitin.com before class and bring a hard copy to class. Turnitin.com is a plagiarism check internet cite that you will be using all year.
1. Log on to turnitin.com.
2. Select “New Users” in the upper right hand corner.
3. Select “student”.
4. Enter class ID # 1526805 and password summerwork.
5. Enter an email address that you will remember. You will need it to log back on.
6. Enter a password that you will remember. You will need it to log back on.
7. Follow prompts.
8. To submit your assignment, log on and click on summer work assignment.
9. Click on submit.
10. Enter a title for your work; hit browse to locate your work on your desktop, hard drive, etc.
11. Open your work and submit.
12. Print out your electronic receipt and turn in with the hard copy of your work.