There are two summer reading assignments. You are responsible for completing BOTH. Later in the year you will write a paper for each reading assignment. For now, you just need to complete the reading and note taking assignments. Paper topics are briefly explained below, and specifics will follow during the year.
While the papers on the readings will not be due until the end of the first quarter for Assignment 1 and the end of the second quarter for Assignment 2, the reading and note taking for BOTH assignments will be due on October 1 as the material covered will be an important part of our work early in the year. NOTE TAKING ASSIGNMENTS MUST BE TYPED AND READY TO SUBMIT TO CLASSROOM ON OCTOBER 1.
ASSIGNMENT 1:
The first quarter of the class is devoted to literary analysis and learning to read closely. The quarter will culminate in a paper applying those skills to the Hemingway and Faulkner novels you read independently for this assignment. Read two novels: The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway and either As I Lay Dying or The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner. Pay particular attention to and take notes on the authors’ unique styles. You should produce about two pages of notes for each novel.
In your notes….(bullet points notes will be fine here–no complete sentences necessary)
- identify at least 3 characteristics of each author’s style.
- include 1-2 quotations illustrating each characteristic.
- Explain how your quotations illustrate the style characteristic you’ve identified.
- include a section comparing / contrasting the styles of the two authors.
The paper you write based on the reading and notes in Assignment 1 will be the end of the first quarter. You will write a paper developing a relationship between the styles of Hemingway and Faulkner using the two summer reading novels to support your thesis.
NOTE: Part of this process will include reflecting on your changing reading practices as you learn to read in the way the AP exam requires. To that end it is important this reading is done over the summer as you will be asked to compare that initial independent reading of the two novels to subsequent more focused readings in preparation for your paper that take place after a quarter of instruction on reading closely. Consequently, you can expect a plot quiz on both assignment 1 readings early in the year to ensure this initial independent reading has taken place.
ASSIGNMENT 2:
In addition to improving our reading skills, we need to become more precise and careful writers this year. We will begin that process with the second summer reading assignment. Read Chapters 2, 3, 4 and 20 from On Writing Well by William Zinsser. Examine the features of effective writing Zinsser identifies and then reflect on your own writing, making an honest and thorough evaluation of the extent to which your writing exhibits those features. As you read, consider the following questions: what are the characteristics of good writing? what do the chapters suggest is the value of writing this way? what are your strengths? how do you need to improve? Take about one page of notes total for this assignment.
In your notes….
- Pick out two quotations from each chapter that you find striking.
- For each quote: (bullet points notes will be fine here–no complete sentences necessary)
- Explain what you think it means
- Explain why you found it striking
- Explain how the quote relates to your own writing
The paper you write based on the reading and notes in Assignment 2 due date will be around the end of the second quarter. In this paper you will apply the writing concepts discussed in these two texts to a full-length work of nonfiction of your choice, analyzing how the author uses these strategies to get her/his meaning across. Although this specific paper will not be due until second quarter, you will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of these characteristics in all of your writing from the first day of class, so it is important they are read over the summer.
- On Writing Well (Chapter 2-4 are here)