AP English Literature Summer Assignment 2008
(FOR CLASS OF 2009 ONLY!)
Texts:
How to Read Literature Like a Professor – Thomas C. Foster
Snow Falling on Cedars – David Guterson
You will need to purchase the Foster book, please. We recommend that you purchase Snow Falling as well but you may borrow it from the public library; however, you will need to bring it with you for the first two weeks of school.
Each assignment is worth one test/essay grade. Combined (the college essay, the outline, and the test on the first day of school), they will comprise 30-40% of your first quarter grade.
Part One – Due July 18 by 2:00 pm to Ms. Price’s mailbox at Bowie High OR postmarked through US mail (15200 Annapolis Rd., Bowie, MD20715) by July 18. We cannot, for any reason, accept any late essays, even those only a minute late. Submit early to avoid problems! The Bowie High front office closes at 2:00 pm every day during the summer.
Directions:
Write one college application essay. You know how to write essays (or ECR’s), so this needs to be your very best effort. We will give your essay back to you, with suggestions and feedback, on the first day of school. Note: We want to give you feedback on style, content, effect, etc. We are not your proofreaders, and it is not fair or wise to expect us to correct minor careless errors like spelling and capitalization. Instead we want to try to help you create an original and interesting essay that truly reflects the kind of person you are.
Obviously you should use an essay topic from an application for the schools you are applying to in the fall. We know most of you aren’t 100% yet, but you should be sure about at least one! If you are not sure of even one, then now is the time to get busy. (Use the Common Application essay topics () or those on College Park’s application if you are going to community college or truly don’t know where you are applying yet. These essays are still a valid writing exercise for you, and you’ll need to do them eventually.)
This essay should be typed, double-spaced, and pretty close to perfection. Follow the directions for length – we generally don’t want anything shorter than two typed pages – 500 words. We want an essay, not the short answers many applications also require.
Use the following website for help. It’s good stuff. If you follow the directions and advice on this site, your grade on this essay should be pretty high. This assignment is worth one test/essay grade (10%-15% of your first quarter grade).
- Click “For Students”
- Click “College Essays” in the “Apply to College” box
- Explore this page and follow the advice and directions, especially:
a)the main article “College Essay Writing Tips”
b)“Essay Skills” link on left of page
c)“Related Articles” box on right
Part Two: Due the first day of school
1)Actively and aggressively read How to Read Literature Like a Professor.
We will use the ideas in this book throughout the year as a basis for approaching texts analytically.
2) Outline each chapter from How to Readin a journal that you will use every day for English (either a spiral or a small binder). Be thorough and specific, and be sure your work is your own. The purpose of outlining this book is so that you may use it as a reference all year long. If you don’t know how to outline, please look it up on the Web. This assignment is worth one test grade (approximately 10-15% of first quarter grade).
3) Using the ideas from How to Read Literature Like a Professor, actively read Snow Falling on Cedars. Consider the ideas in Foster as you readSnow Falling, especially those noted below. Interact with the book, and be ready to write essays when you get back to school on how the following chapters from Foster apply to Guterson’s novel. We may or not grade any notes you take on Snow Falling, but you WILL write essays on the following topics on the first day of school. We would be happy with a just a well-annotated novel OR notes that you take and add to your Foster outline.
a) Chapter 10 (“It’s More than Just Rain or Snow”)
b) Chapter 11 (“Violence”)
c) Chapter 12 (“Is That a Symbol?”)
d) Chapter 13 (“It’s All Political”
c) Chapter 16,17 (“Sex”)
d) Chapter 19, 20 (“Geography Matters” and “Season”)
e) Chapter 21, 22, and 24 (“Marked for Greatness,” “Disease,” and “Illness”)
Please be prepared, on the first day of school, to write in-class essays applying the above Foster concepts to Guterson’s novel. You will also have a selected response (multiple choice)test on Snow Falling on Cedars on this first day.
Note: You are entering Advanced Placement English Literature with a level of mastery of these works. Reading these works merely “to get them done,” or otherwise superficially or perfunctorily, will not do. We expect you to interact with these texts in preparation to thoughtfully, maturely, and critically converse and write about these texts.
We are very happy you are taking this course with us. We truly hope and believe you will enjoy these books. How to Read is immensely helpful and Snow Falling a joy to read – it has everything: It is a war story, a love story, a courtroom drama, and a murder mystery. Plus the prose is stunning, lush and lyrical – like poetry.
If you have questions, call or e-mail us ( or ). If we don’t get back to you through e-mail within three days, just call Ms. Price’s cell (410.279.7164). She doesn’t mind if you call! (Price will be unavailable by cell or e-mail June 16-26.)
HAVE A GREAT SUMMER AND HAPPY READING!!!!!!!! We will see you on the first day of school with your Foster outlines and with your copy of Snow Falling on Cedars.