KAUFMAN HIGH SCHOOL
3205 S. Houston Street
Kaufman, Texas 75142
972 932-2811
Amy Keith
Principal
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To all AP English IV Students:
I’d like to welcome you all to English IV AP! I find that one’s junior and senior year tend to be some of the toughest academically, so hopefully, the information in this letter can help you to be proactive so that you may prepare for the course ahead of time alleviating some of your senior year stresses.
This summer you will read Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. You will annotate this work. I have included a handout on HOW to annotate if you have never done so before. Hi-lites aloneare not acceptable. Write notes in the margins as to why you are hi-liting. I personally like to annotate using different colored inks. If you use an electronic device such as a Kindle or Ipad, please plan to meet with me before/after school the first week of school to review your digital annotations/highlights/notes.
You do not have to complete dialectical journals over the summer, but I thought that you might want to get ahead of the game (one per chapter from Tale of Two Cities)will be due after we analyze the text in class. Again, only begin this assignment if you want to work ahead. I’ve included instructions for dialectical journals as well as I might have you complete these in a different format from what you are accustomed. Dialectical journals are not due upon immediate return, but I am proving this information simply for those of you wishing to get a jump on the assignments. Additionally, AP Book reviews will be completed for all works we read, including the summer reading, and you will test over the novel in a comprehensive test immediately upon the start of the school year. Remember that our goal is to prepare you to for the AP test. As such, you need to have a great repertoire of literature “under your belt” if you will so that you may be successful on the AP test.
We will also be readingCandideby Voltaire this year, so if you want to shop ahead for a used copy, feel free to do so. Just make sure that any used book that you purchase is free from any previous owner’s notes; you would not want to commit plagiarism.
The Advanced Placement classes are fast paced and unlike “normal” English IV courses, so you must manage your education and prepare ahead of time. Summer reading represents one of the facets of this mature journey. I truly love working with these classes (you will be surprised that I find so much joy in many of the texts), and I hope that I can instill some of my passion for literature in you! Please make sure that you read your novel and annotate it so that we can hit the year running!
Enjoy your summer, soak up some sun, relax, read and come to school in the fall ready to learn!
Sincerely,
Amanda Jouett
UIL Current Issues and Events Coach
TVCC Dual Credit Instructor
Dialectical Journals
Format – two sheets folded vertically (hotdog fold) = four columns when opened like a book. I encourage students to make everything line up across the page (so they will have to skip down lines). If you model this with students, AND walk around the room when kids first make a dialectical journal, it will save you grading time later (and it’s easier for kids to see). The pages should always turn like a book. It is helpful if kids have a dictionary or vocabulary list of the terms and definitions that you want them to know, or to use for analysis in advance. EVERY journal should include theme.
Front: Title of story,novel, play, etc., author, heading
Inside: Column I : Quote from story (pg. number is required) – knowledge, comprehension, application
Column II : What is going on where the quote is found? - comprehension
Column III: What literary elements are present? What makes this quote significant? -
application
Column IV: So what? Why does this matter? What is the significance of the comparison made?
This column is the MOST important – usually takes up the most paper – analysis,
synthesis, and possibly evaluation
-As early as kindergarten TEKs ask kids to infer and comprehend texts
-By third grade kids should be connecting theme
-By third grade kids have to be able to identify text evidence
-By 4th grade kids must know idioms, and they must produce analogies
-By 5th grade kids have to compare themes
-By 6th kids need to be able to derive the implicit theme
-By 5th grade there is a deep understanding of characterization that must occur
-In 3rd/4th kids identify p.o.v., and by 5th they must explain the differences
Kyle Penn Stuart Andrus Hope Smith
Associate PrincipalAssistant Principal Assistant Principal