University Preparatory School

2017 Summer Project

Part I: Read Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Although we have copies of this text in our library, I strongly suggest you purchase your own copy. This is one of those books you will want to be able to mark in and refer to often, even after high school. There will be a reading test on this book when you return in August.

Part II:I also strongly suggest that you purchase Charles Dickens’ classic novel, A Tale of Two Cities or purchase an etext that you can highlight and annotate, although you can download it for free at: As you read, you should highlight and annotate significant passages of the book, as I will be checking your annotations when you return to school in August. Alternatively, you can check the book out at the school library and use sticky notes to “highlight” and “annotate” the text. This is the least effective method, as annotations demonstrate your interaction with the text and enable you to quickly and easily locate information at a later date. If you check out a school copy, it is not possible to literally highlight the text because you are required to return the text to the library unmarked; in this case, you will need to “annotate” and “highlight” with the use of sticky notes. For an example of how to annotate a text, please see:

There will be a discussion board set up at You should enroll in the following course: AP English Literature and Composition. If you have an account from last year, all you need to do is login and add this course. The class ID is: 15441918. The enrollment password is: 2018apeng. If you did not make an account this past school year, simply create a new account. For the message board, click on the tab at the top of the page that says: “Discussion.”

Discussion Boards

Students shouldcontribute meaningful comments on the discussion board for each book of the novel. I encourage you to visit the discussion board several times throughout the reading so that you can dialogue with others regarding your reading experience. Not only does this allow you to ask questions and make replies to others, but it will help you to become more engaged with the reading, and I will occasionally check in to clarify discussion points.

Assessment

When you return to school in August, you will be given a major-grade reading test on the novel. You should expect both objective (multiple choice, etc) and subjective (written response) questions on the exam. You should expect these questions to test your comprehension and understanding of complex events and themes within the book. Reading study aids only will not be sufficient to enable you to have the thorough understanding necessary to pass this test. You must actually read the novel thoroughly and well.

To aid you in this, the following website offers a plethora of readings on the novel and issues related to the novel: Be sure to read some background information on the French Revolution prior to beginning the text. You should have a thorough understanding of the following prior to attempting to read the novel:

Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, the feudal system, the aristocracy, The Three Estates, the bourgeoisie,

Estates General, Versailles, The Tennis Court Oath, The Bastille, The National Assembly, Robespierre, The Reign of Terror, the guillotine