AP Language and Composition Summer Reading 2009

The AP Language and Composition test has three essays: argumentation, rhetorical analysis, and synthesis. To prepare for these, we have a required reading assignment students must complete by the first day of class.

Required:

Read a memoir from the following list.

An American Childhood by Annie Dillard

A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers

The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion

NOTE: A memoir is a story written by an author about his or her own life; it is NOT an autobiography. Instead, a memoir reads more like a novel, focusing in on one specific slice of life for that author or one theme from that life. Literary merit implies complexity of ideas and notable writing styles.

Assignment: Practice active reading by underlining memorable quotes and writing notes in the margins as you go. An in-class essay and objective test will be based on these readings on the first week of school. Be prepared.

Highly recommended:

Have an opinion. Read the news, letters to the editor, and editorials or other nonfiction articles about an interest of yours or some current world event. Try to determine the bias of the author toward the subject. You could even take notes, using evidence or examples to support your position. Practice arguing for what you want over summer, and tell your parents it is required for AP Language.

Suggested Activity:

Read anything that amuses you, because English is fun.

AP Literature and Composition Summer Reading

The AP Literature and Composition test has three essays: poetry, a prose passage, and an open-ended question about a novel of choice. To prepare for these, we have a required assignment and some suggested assignments for the summer.

Required:

Read a novel or play of literary merit by an author that you have read before in class. Literary merit implies complexity of ideas and notable writing styles. Practice active reading by underlining memorable quotes and writing notes in the margins. An in-class essay will be based on these readings on the first week of school.

For instance, if you have read Of Mice and Men, you might read Grapes of Wrath or East of Eden by Steinbeck, or Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway could be paired with For Whom the Bell Tolls. The Crucible could lead to Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. The possibilities are limitless. Here are some more pairings: Hawthorne’s Scarlet Letter and House of the Seven Gables, Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Orwell’s Animal Farm and 1984, Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise, and Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Song of Solomon. Some books have sequels that work well, for example, Knowles’ Separate Peace and Peace Breaks Out, or Potok’s The Chosen and The Promise.

Highly recommended:

Read whatever fiction, short stories, poetry, and nonfiction catch your attention. The reading required for this class is extensive, so it would be useful to have a reading habit before you begin class.

Suggested Activity:

Reading the Bible, mythology, and Shakespeare will help you recognize allusions in the texts we read during class.