SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT: incoming 10th graders

Summer Reading Assignment
AP English Language and Composition
DUE: The Second Day of School
(August 11, 2009)

Incoming Sophomores:
Welcome to AP Language! We are very eager to introduce you to the world of rhetoric, and we hope that you are equally enthusiastic about your future exploration of this unique perspective on the English language. AP English Language and Composition is not your typical English class, since it focuses primarily on nonfiction (although we will read a fair share of fiction as well).
The following summer assignments have been designed both to offer you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with this type of study AND to gauge the prior knowledge and skills that you will bring to our classes.
We are looking forward to a terrific year and you are a talented group. Thus, we can’t lose! Remember, this course offers rewards far beyond the ordinary class so please don't be daunted by the work. Have fun completing the summer readings and assignments! See you in August for the beginning of our great adventure!

Purpose: The AP examination in English Language and Composition requires extensive preparation and reading. Your summer reading is an important part of that preparation to help you grow as a reader and thinker. As AP scholars, you should consider that students who read more, score significantly higher on standardized tests such as AP Exams, ACTs, and SATs. In addition, reading helps to develop your vocabulary and your ability to connect ideas. Finally, reading will help to avoid the summer “mush” that our brains tend to become when we do not exercise them.

Assignment #1: Read and annotate The Elements of Style by William J. Strunk and E.B. White
Read this important little book that will help guide your understanding of what is good writing. Mark it up: highlight, underline, circle, doodle – I want to see that you have interacted with the book and made it your own reference guide. During the first week of class, you will be asked to make a list of at least 15 important stylistic principles you found personally valuable or important, but you will not be allowed to use the book! (Pay special attention to the first two chapters: “The Elementary Rules of Usage” and “The Elementary Principles of Composition”.)
TOTAL: 20 points

Assignment #2: Read, annotate, and write a response paragraph for each of the following 5 essays:
“Of Studies,” Francis Bacon; “Living Like Weasels,” Annie Dillard; “No Man Is an Island,” John Donne; “Arriving at Perfection,” Benjamin Franklin; “The Din in the Head,” by Cynthia Ozick
The essays include some modern and some classic essays, covering the same time-period of our focus in class (namely, from the 1600s to the present). All of these essayists are well-known and well-admired for their clarity, their depth of thought, and their skillful use of the language to convey their ideas.
Each of your response paragraphs should be on a separate sheet of paper. Do not be frightened by this assignment. Demonstrate simply that you have read the essay, and that you have tried to make sense of how it is organized, and that you have made some effort to notice particular words or phrases that contribute strongly to shaping the content or tone of each.
Of course I do want you to write as clearly as you can, but you are not expected to do this assignment flawlessly. Reading what you do write will help me to understand the skills you have as we begin the year together, so that we can set specific goals for improving your writing and reading.
TOTAL: 50 points

Assignment #3: Read and keep a Reader’s Journal for the autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas by Frederick Douglas
This book is being assigned in correlation with AP US History, and deals with an important historical time-period. You will be quizzed on its content, as well as be asked to write in-class essays that demonstrate you have read the book carefully.
Your Reader’s Journal should be a record of your thoughts, opinions, and responses to what you read. Write an entry for every three chapters, plus one for the last two; this is a total of FOUR entries. Each entry should be at least 150 words long, and written on a separate sheet of paper.
TOTAL: 20 points


Do the math – and realize that this entire Summer Assignment makes up for 90 points of your first semester in AP English Language and Composition! Do not take this lightly.
Although this may seem like an overwhelming and daunting task, don’t forget you have the entire summer to spend working on this – and you’ll have plenty of time to relax as well. Just consider that you are at an important stage in your high school career, and there just may be a few more things more important than sleeping all day and playing video games all night! ☺
For extra credit, you are welcomed to join the Summer Reading Challenge, which means reading an additional 10 books (of high school level), for a total of 30 points. If you have any questions or comments, or if you need help finding the novel, or if you are stuck in writing a response, or if you just want to tell me about your summer, e-mail me at sistersalma@gmail.com.
Good Luck!
Sr. Salma