AP Literature and Composition Summer Reading Assignment

Mrs. Koett / May 2017 Total Points: 375

Welcome to AP Literature & Composition! I am excited that you have chosen to challenge yourself, and I hope that we will have a fantastic year together. The first key to a successful year is to ensure you keep practicing your critical reading and writing skills over the summer. The English Department has carefully considered the needs of incoming AP students in selecting this year’s texts. It is vital that you complete all parts of the summer reading assignments. Do yourself a favor and do not put this off until August. All summer reading assignments are due on the first day of class; there is no exception to this rule, so do not ask! If you have any questions about the summer reading assignment, you should contact me at ckoett@lexca.org. Every student enrolled in the AP English Literature and Composition course is expected to complete the following assignments during the summer. These assignments are my first indication of you as a student. The Advanced Placement/College Board encourages summer reading as it provides a jump-start on the year, improves critical reading abilities, and encourages vocabulary growth. Most AP English instructors require 3-4 texts to be read during the summer.

This assignment is designed to help you prepare for college and the AP exam, where skills developed by avid reading are essential. Only the well-read student can respond intelligently to the open essay question on the AP exam; therefore, summer reading is vital to your success. This summer assignment packet contains directions, assignment descriptions, examples and an essay rubric. Remember to pace yourself accordingly during the summer break. The summer assignment for AP Literature not only indicates your willingness to work hard, but it also measures your commitment to the course. Other reasons for the summer assignment include: time constraints during the school year – there just isn’t enough time to read all the material necessary to adequately prepare for the AP English Literature and Composition Exam, as well as the need for continuous brain exercise during the summer months. NO ONE can afford the cost of having their brain in “stand-by” mode for the summer. Part I: Read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis As you read The Screwtape Letters, you are required to keep a dialectical journal. Dialectics is a method made popular by Plato in ancient times. Essentially, dialectics is a dialogue between two people. So, think of this journal as a dialogue between you and the book wherein you question it, notice good/bad points, etc. It should NOT be a summary of what happened in the book. Attached is a guide that will help you know what sorts of comments to make. You must have 35 total entries, and at least one entry from each letter. This part of the summer reading is worth 75 points. You will NOT receive credit for any summaries. Each entry is worth 2 points. You will receive 5 points for putting assignment in correct journal and writing in blue or black pen. You are required to write in a bound composition book (speckled-type, color not important). I will NOT accept journals that are written in other types of notebooks. You will continue to use this journal throughout the year. I do read your comments. You should not have the same comments as other students. This is cheating and will be treated as such. Please review LCA’s cheating policy if you have any questions. You will complete an additional assignment relating to your reading and understanding of The Screwtape Letters during the first week of school.

Part II: The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare 1. Closely read and annotate (mark up the book) the novel 2. Complete a Major Works Data Sheet for the novel due on the first day of school. DO NOT copy and

paste the information from a website. Your MWDS will be scanned and checked against a plagiarism checker. If you copy and paste the information, you will receive a zero for this assignment.

3. You will take a test on this work during the 2nd week of school. Part III: Short Story Reading and Paper Due Dates:

All Parts of this assignment are due on the first day of school; there are absolutely NO EXCEPTIONS to this

date. You will also submit your paper to turnitin.com by the end of the first day of school; this means 3:20

PM. If you feel you are unable to complete this assignment, you should contact your college counselor about

switching to English 12.

Assignment Components:

1) Short Story Summarizations – 15 points each

2) Annotated Short Stories – You must closely read and annotate your short stories - 25 points

3) Thesis – Must be either underlined or italized and should be the last sentence in your first paragraph.

Follow the format you were taught in AP Lang. with Mr. Small. – 10 points

4) References – completed in proper MLA format – 15 points

5) Outline – you must have an outline of your paper before you begin writing. 25 points

6) Final Draft – paper must be completed in MLA format. You are required to have in-text citations or

you have plagiarized the paper and you will receive a zero (0). – 100 points

7) Submitted to turnitin.com – 10 points

Length:

750 – 1000 words (you have a 25-word grace on either end)

Procedure

Part 1: Closely Reading and Annotating

Students will choose two short stories from the list provided by Mrs. Koett. You are required to closely read

and annotate each short story. It is advised to do a little research on all the stories you are permitted to select

from rather than blindly selecting. This will make your life easier for other assignment parts.

Annotation involves highlighting or preferably underlining key points and circling unknown vocabulary words. Equally important is writing comments in the margin of the text. These comments/labels help you make connections to the reading and provide an excellent short cut for reviewing the key points of the essay in order to compose your own written response or prepare for a test or quiz on the reading.

Annotation steps:

Underline, highlight, or circle main ideas, key points, important vocabulary, important dates and names, etc.

Add your own comments in the margins of the text. These comments may serve any of the following purposes (or you might have ideas of your own)

Label the organization, for example, “Introduction,” First main idea,” and “Background information.” Add your own personal reactions and connections. As you read, you will be reminded of similar

events that have happened in your own life, issues you have read in other classes or things you have seen in the media.”

Ask questions about issues you do not understand in the text or new questions that occur to you. These questions provide ideas for research.

Argue if you do not agree with the writer or the essay. You might write, “No! Not my experience, or “Author has never had a blue collar job—he doesn’t know!” These arguments may provide a springboard for your own writing.

Part 2: Short Story Summaries

For each story, students will complete a summarization assignment. DO NOT copy this from the internet or

you will receive a zero (0). You should provide a brief summary of the story including but not limited to:

plot, characters, major themes, symbols, literary and figurative devices, and stylistic elements.

Part 3: Thesis Development

After you have read your stories, you will develop a topic of research, which you will turn into a thesis

statement. The thesis should be an arguable statement that passes the “So What?” questions. Statements of

fact are NOT thesis statements.

Suggested avenues of research include: gender, race, and class concerns, issues, and relations within an

author’s body of work; critical and societal reaction to an author; frequently used themes, motifs, and

imagery within an author’s body of work; lasting impact of an author’s body of work and its influence on

literature. What are the similarities and differences between the two stories you selected to read. Are there

common themes? Literary devices?

Topics should be weighty enough to support a 750-1000 word analysis.

Part 4: Research

Students will also research the short story; each student will be expected to utilize three (3) outside sources

of academic merit (if unsure about academic merit, clear any outside readings with your instructor).

Shmoop, sparknotes, Wikipedia and such are NOT credible sources. Use the databases you have access to as

a student or Google Scholar. The library is also a great place to find academic sources! You WILL NOT receive

credit for sources that are deemed non-academic.

Part 5: Developing Your Outline

Prior to writing your paper, you will develop an outline. You will submit your outline for a grade. Use the

outlining worksheet provided to you at the end of this assignment. Your outline MUST BE typed with proper

MLA heading.

Part 6: Writing Your Paper

Papers must follow the MLA style guide and must use quotations from both the novels and supplementary

materials, all cited according to MLA guidelines. Use your thesis as a guide for your paper. You should have

topic sentences in all paragraphs. Check for spelling and grammar mistakes. A level of sophistication in

vocabulary and sentence variety is expected at this level. You should have a variety of sentence types (simple,

compound, and compound-complex). No passive voice or first person. You should not use contractions in

your writing.

Dialectical Journal (for The Screwtape Letters) The function of your "Dialectical Journal" is not to have you summarize your books, but instead to facilitate and/or record your thoughts, questions, confusions, frustrations and enlightenments resulting from your reading. Credit will NOT be given for simple summary! There is to be NO collaboration with other students. Any assistance from the Internet, movies, or secondary sources such as Sparknotes or Cliff Notes will be viewed as cheating. If you have questions about format, e-mail me! The format of a dialectical journal has two distinct sections: the left side is the page number and quote or summary of an issue in the text; the opposite side discusses your thoughts on the issue or quote. Consider the following for reflection in your journal (as well as other thoughts you will have). You may use any or none of the following ideas – You might write about: 1. Any passage or item that puzzles you 2. Any item that intrigues you and why 3. Things you agree with and why 4. Things that you don't agree with and why 5. How something makes you feel and why 6. What you think will happen next and why 7. New concepts and your ideas about them 8. How this reading relates to your life 9. Things this reading has in common with ___________ 10. What you think the author is/was like and why 11. Why you think _____ acts as s/he does 12. What you think it would be like to live in _____ and why 13. Your reaction to _____ and why 14. Things you would like the class to discuss and why 15. Ideas on causes/effects and why 16. What you would do if you were _________ and why 17. Something the reading reminds you of and why 18. Why _____ is important 19. What you think of a particular cultural element and why 20. Anything that causes you to say "Ah Ha!" and why While there is no required length for each entry, it should be clear that you are employing higher-level thinking skills. In other words, you would be writing more than 1 sentence!

SAMPLE ENTRY: Page # Passage Response 82 “Death wrapped itself around me till I

was stifled. It stuck to me. I felt that I could touch it. The idea of dying, of no longer being, began to fascinate me. Not to exist any longer”

This is a sad moment for Elie. He has fought to survive, but cannot fight any longer. I can’t imagine being fourteen and wanting to die. I can’t imagine being fourteen and loosing my family, my dignity, my soul. What a tragedy. Wiesel personifies death to show the control it has over those who are suffering in the camps. This is important because we see that Elie has reached a breaking point. Death has come for him so many times but has failed. This time, however, Elie is too tired to run, too tired to fight. He has had enough. Death is offering a gift—an escape from this hellish existence.

AP English Literature and Composition Name _______________________________________

Major Works Data Sheet: Do not cut/paste from a website, which is a form of plagiarism.

Title __________________________________________

Author ________________________________________

Date of Publication ______________________________

Genre _________________________________________

Setting

Significance of Opening Scene

Plot Summary (100-150 words):

CHARACTERS

NAME ROLE IN STORY SIGNIFICANCE ADJECTIVES

Describe the author’s style (diction, detail, imagery,

syntax, tone, point-of-view)

An example that demonstrates the author’s style:

Memorable Quotes (5-7 quotes)

Quotes Significance

SYMBOLS WHAT THE SYMBOLS REPRESENT

EXPLAIN THE MEANING OF THE TITLE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ENDING/CLOSING SCENE

POSSIBLE THEMES-TOPICS OF DISCUSSION

FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE CONFLICTS

MAJOR WORKS DATA SHEET RUBRIC

TITLE /5 SETTING /5 OPENING SCENE /5 PLOT SUMMARY /10 CHARACTERS /10 STYLE /5 STYLE EXAMPLE /5 QUOTES /10 SYMBOLS AND WHAT THEY REPRESENT

/5

MEANING OF TITLE /10 ENDING /10 THEMES /5 CONFLICTS /5 FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE /10 TOTALS /100

MAJOR WORKS DATA SHEET

A copy of the Major Works Data Sheet should be completed for each of the novels

you read this summer.

Setting--Students should include the time, era, place, location, weather, etc. of the

novels and include any changes.

Significance of Opening Scene--How does the author begin the story (characters

introduced, setting, etc.) and how does that help you understand the remainder of

the storyline. (You may need to read entire novel before answering.)

Plot Summary--Summarize the major events of the story. Prove that you have read

the novel and have not copied a summary from Spark Notes or a similar site.

Characters—Include all major characters throughout the novel and what makes

them important to the plot. Include at least 2-3 adjectives per character.

Author’s Style—Explain how the author uses one of the following styles to create

meaning in the story: diction, detail, imagery, syntax, tone, or point-of-view. Find

an example of this style. Note the page number and include a quoted passage.

Memorable Quotes—Find 5-7 quotes throughout the novel that exemplify the

theme(s) of the novel. Include page numbers for each quote. Explain why each

quote is significant to the theme(s).

Symbols—List 2-3 symbols used throughout the novel. (Example: In The Three

Little Pigs, the straw house symbolizes the weakness and laziness in that pig

whereas the brick house symbolizes the strength and wisdom of the third pig.)

Explain what these symbols represent in the story.

Explain the Meaning of the Title—How is the title representative of the novel?

Explain the Significance of the Ending(closing)—Did the final scene provide

evidence of change in the characters? Were you satisfied with the ending? Explain.

Possible Themes-Topics of Discussion—Find 2-3 themes in the novel. What

lesson(s) can be learned from the events of the story? (Example: In The Three Little

Pigs, one theme could be that hard work and planning pay off in the end.) Keep in

mind that a theme is rarely stated in just one word!

Conflicts—Describe different conflicts (internal and external) that are associated

with the protagonist.

Figurative Language—Find examples of at least three different literary devices (i.e.

metaphor, simile, personification, hyperbole, oxymoron, onomatopoeia,

foreshadowing, or flashback). Quote the example, page number, and type of

figurative language.

Short Stories Summer Reading Assignment

TITLE AUTHOR PAGES

Raymond's Run Bambara, Toni Cade 8

The Affair at Coulter's Notch Bierce, Ambrose 10

The Boarded Window Bierce, Ambrose 6

A Sound of Thunder Bradbury, Ray 14

All Summer in a Day Bradbury, Ray 7

The Last Night of the World Bradbury, Ray 7

The Veldt Bradbury, Ray 14

There Will Come Soft Rains Bradbury, Ray 9

Cathedral Carver, Raymond 19

The Beggar Chekhov, Anton 7

The Bet Chekhov, Anton 8

The Lottery Ticket Chekhov, Anton 6

Marigolds Collier, Eugenia W. 13

The Landlady Dahl, Roald 12

The Child's Story Dickens, Charles 5

A Rose for Emily Faulkner, William 11

The Yellow Wallpaper Gilman, Charlotte Perkins 20

The Birthmark Hawthorne, Nathaniel 17

Young Goodman Brown Hawthorne, Nathaniel 8

After Twenty Years Henry, O 5

Thank You Ma'am Hughes, Langston 5

The Scarlet Ibis Hurst, James 5

The Monkey's Paw Jacobs, W. W. 20

Araby Joyce, James 7

The Hunger Artist Kafka, Franz 11

Miss Brill Mansfield, Katherine 7

The Fly Mansfield, Katherine 6

A Good Man is Hard to Find O'Connor, Flannery 16

Everything that Rises Must Converge O'Connor, Flannery 15

I Stand Here Ironing Olsen, Tillie 9

A Telephone Call Parker, Dorothy 6

The Black Cat Poe, Edgar Allan 14

The Masque of the Red Death Poe, Edgar Allan 9

The Pit and the Pendulum Poe, Edgar Allan 20

The Open Window Saki 5

Three Questions Tolstoy, Leo 5

AP Literature and Composition Summer Reading Checklist

Assignment Point Value Due Date Screwtape Letters Dialectical Journal 75 8/16/17 Major Works Data Sheet for The Taming of the Shrew

100 8/16/17

Short Story Assignment (all 6 parts) 200 8/16/17

TOTAL SUMMER POINTS 375