If any of the AP Language students for 2010-11 happen by the site, I’d appreciate it if you let other students know about the summer reading assignment. I’m not sure everyone heard about it.
I hope everyone is having a great summer thus far.
As the summer goes along, I will post additional options for summer reading this year on the site. If you have questions about titles or would like to suggest other options, please feel free to ask.
Additional titles:
- The Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond
- The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard
- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
- Columbine by Dave Cullen
- The Shallows by Nicholas Carr
- Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Campbell
The AP Language will consist of the following elements:
- a verbal boast about your achievements this year.
- a three paragraph summary of your writing portfolio and its strengths and weaknesses.
- a brief argument for a substantive way to improve the class next year.
Read two of the following works of non-fiction thoroughly. When you return to school in the fall, you should be able to write intelligently about the ideas, arguments, concepts, and writing style of each work. Pay particular attention to the central argument(s) of each work, and how the author connects with her audience. Some of these works are very challenging; make sure to read carefully and consider finding a partner to read and discuss the text with you. Download the complete list of books here. I have one copy of each book available for checkout. Once you’ve decided on a book, feel free to come check it out.
Also, please select one of the blogs listed here or an editorial columnist and follow his/her work during the summer.
A final suggestion would be to read as many articles from quality magazines like The Atlantic, The New Yorker, and/or Harper’s Magazine during the summer.
Students entering AP Literature in the fall should read The Odyssey and one additional text from the list located on this page. Read each text thoroughly, paying close attention to how the author constructs meaning and demonstrates style.
Students entering AP Language in the fall should read The New Kings of Non-Fiction and one other title from the list available on this page. Read each text thoroughly, with particular attention paid to style and argumentation.
Students entering AP Language would also benefit greatly from becoming more familiar with current events and social issues. Periodicals like The New Yorker, Harper’s, and The Atlantic Monthly would be great sources.
The Sanders revisions will be available in this folder by Tuesday morning (oops, of course I meant night). If you’d like to revise them for extra credit, they are due by Friday evening.