Advanced Placement U.S. History, Grade 11
Introductory Reading Activity
Selection: 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America by Steven M. Gillon
Rationale: The summer assignment in AP U.S. History is designed to help you understand some of the pivotal days that transformed our nation, and assist you in developing engaging accessible background knowledge for your college-level AP U.S. History course, and help you meet your goals for success on the AP exam.
While it might be tempting to wait and do the reading and assignments the first few weeks of school, that would be a mistake as you will be receiving challenging work to be completed from the beginning of the class. Doing this over the summer allows you the ability to gain some advance knowledge of important concepts we will be covering in the course at your own pace, and should assist you in reaching your goals for the College Board AP U.S. History exam next May. Spread it out to improve your own understanding, time-management, and keep the stress levels low. The book has been a top-seller, and we hope you find it to be an engaging read “about the great democratic ideals upon which our country was built.”
Reading Assignment:
Read the following from 10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America:
1. Introduction
2. 2 of the first 4 chapters (your choice)
3. 3 of the last 6 chapters (your choice)
4. Total of 5 chapters required with 2 of them from the first 4 chapters and 3 of them from the last 6 chapters, but we encourage you to read more if your time permits.
5. Epilogue.
(The total required reading for the entire book is only about 130 pages.)
Writing Assignment
1. Write one to two paragraphs summarizing the key ideas of the introduction. Gillon introduces major themes for the book in this section. Please be sure to include these themes in the summary.
2. Write one to two paragraphs summarizing the key ideas of the epilogue after reading the chapters. Some of the themes Gillon discusses in the introduction and develops in the chapters are returned to in the epilogue. Be sure to look for any discussion about conflicts between ideals and actions.
3. For each of your selected 5 (per above) chapters summarize the key events of the day (1-2 paragraphs) and explain why that day was so significant in our nation’s history (2-3 paragraphs). Look for the event/events it triggered or the pattern of future behavior it set in place as discussed by the author, Gillon. Be sure to read the entire chapter as often the cause and effect with significance is discussed in the last part of the chapter. For example in Chapter 1, “Massacre at Mystic”, pages 7-18 describe the events, and then Gillon discusses the significance of the events in pages 19-28 with particular emphasis on significance in pages 25-28.
Specific Instructions for written assignment:
· MLA formatting
· Formal and academic voice
· Upload to turnitin.com (as one document, upon return and registration in your new class)
Assessment: Written summaries of the events and written analysis of the significance of the events.
As in all individual assignments for Hamilton High School, you must do your own work, and you should do your best quality work. You do not want to just quote sections of the book. Use your own skills and understanding to do the assignment. Just a note of advice, you may want to save to a source in addition to your hard drive to prevent computer issues.
A range (90-100%) – Written summaries of the events and written analysis of the significance of the events indicate critical and close reading, thoughtful engagement and sophisticated understanding of the difference between summarizing an event and understanding its impact. with clear analysis. Very few if any grammatical or formatting errors are present. Academic voice. All directions are followed.
B range (80-89%) – Written summaries of the events and written analysis of the significance of the events indicate predominantly critical and close reading, and mostly thoughtful engagement and analysis. Some, although few, grammatical or formatting errors may be present. Academic voice. All directions are followed.
C range (70-79%) – Written summaries of the events and written analysis of the significance of the events answers indicate some critical and close reading and analysis, although understanding of the text may be superficial. Very few if any grammatical or formatting errors are present. Academic voice. All directions are followed. .
D or F – (0-69%) These responses are not acceptable for AP-level work. It is unclear whether the book was read, or understood. Multiple errors in grammar, voice and formatting may be present.
Due Dates:
· Completed, turned in, and uploaded to turnitin.com by August 3rd: earn 5% extra credit.
· Completed, turned in, and uploaded to turnitin.com by August 10th: assignments due with no penalty
· Completed, turned in, and uploaded to turnitin.com by August 17th: last date for acceptance – 25% penalty applied.
This assignment will be the equivalent of a major unit test for point value.
Connections:
Ongoing reference and instruction will be tied to this book throughout the year.
IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT THAT YOU READ YOUR CHOSEN ASSIGNMENTS.
Note:
You are responsible for procuring a copy of the book. If you cannot buy one, it is available for check out from the public library. You may want to take advantage of used books available through on-line sources at very reasonable prices. The Hamilton library is ordering multiple copies, but as always if you are using the library, don’t wait until the last minute. Please contact your instructor if this is an issue. We recommend you buy a copy if possible, as annotating is a helpful reading tool. You might also use small post-it notes for annotating.
A copy of this assignment will be available on-line at the Hamilton website: http://ww2.chandler.k12.az.us/hhs.
Questions? (Please put “summer reading” in the subject line of your email)
We don’t anticipate this will be an assignment you will need help on, but if you are having trouble understanding any portion of the assignment or reading, you may contact either Mrs. Burgess or Ms. Pollnow at our school or home e-mail addresses. We will be checking them periodically over the summer, and will respond as quickly as possible.
We hope you enjoy your reading. We know you will learn important information that will help you in the class. We are looking forward to a great year with you in APUSH next year.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Burgess Mrs. Pollnow.
(School) (School)
(Home) (Home)