Dear Prospective AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION Student,
Congratulations on successfully completing your sophomore year at AfftonHigh School. Next year you will be entering the rigorous (but hopefully rewarding) Honors English III class. In this college-level course you should expect a great deal of writing, independent work, and a consistent challenge to mature as a strong, well-rounded student. This course requires a substantial amount of internal motivation; in order to succeed you must have the desire to succeed. I should also note that this class is not intended to get you ready to succeed at the collegiate level; the class assumes you already have the discipline and abilities to engage in college level coursework. I should also note that your previous English teachers tell me you are more than ready for this challenge.
We will begin next year with a focus on non-fiction and writing technique, to align closely with the SLU 1818 course for which you can earn credit. To that end, I would like you to read a work of non-fiction written about an American figure or event, write an essay to a specific prompt, and prepare for a presentation on the text at the beginning of the semester. While I will not restrict your choices for this reading, it will behoove you to choose a book of recognized literary merit with a topic that is historically significant. Essays are due at the beginning of class on the day we return from summer break. Presentations will be discussed on this day and you should expect to begin presentations by the end of the first week of class. More details on the essay and the presentation are posted on the homepage of the wikispace:
ahslibraryofbabel.pbworks.com
You may also choose to get a head start on the texts we will cover in class. In the fall we will read several essays and historical documents, a few short stories and poems, and end the semester with Ava’s Man. In the spring we will read Their Eyes Were Watching God, The Crucible, The Things They Carried, and The Great Gatsby. Please email me at at any time during the summer if you have questions.
Sincerely,
Mr. Jennings
Dr. Sue JacksonPhil BeermanJason BuckMary CarpenterDan OliverPrincipal Assistant Principal Assistant Principal Director of Guidance Athletic Director