AP Language and Composition Grade 11 Summer Reading and Assignments In addition to the school-wide read and quote analysis assignment, you will be required to complete the following, all due on the first day of class. Please feel free to email me with any questions during the summer! 1) Writing a Book Review The Autobiography of Malcolm X From Purdue Owl (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/704/01/) Book reviews typically evaluate recently-written works. They offer a brief description of the text s key points and often provide a short appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the work. Book reviews are most often a college assignment, but they also appear in many professional works: magazines, newspapers, and academic journals. They typically range from 500-750 words, but may be longer. A book review gives readers a sneak peek at what a book is like, whether or not the reviewer enjoyed it, and details on purchasing the book. Before You Read Before you begin to read, consider the elements you will need to be included in your review. The following items may help: Author: Who is the author? What else has s/he written? Has this author won any awards? What is the author s typical style? Genre: What type of book is this: fiction, nonfiction, romance, poetry, youth fiction, etc.? Who is the intended audience for this work? What is the purpose of the work? Title: Where does the title fit in? How is it applied in the work? Does it adequately encapsulate the message of the text? Is it interesting? Uninteresting? Preface/Introduction/Table of Contents: Does the author provide any revealing information about the text in the preface/introduction? Does a guest author provide the introduction? What judgments or preconceptions do the author and/or guest author provide? How is the book arranged: sections, chapters? Book Jacket/Cover/Printing: Book jackets are like mini-reviews. Does the book jacket provide any interesting details or spark your interest in some way? Are there pictures, maps, or graphs? Do the binding, page cut, or typescript contribute or take away from the work? As You Read As you read, determine how you will structure the summary portion or background structure of your review. Be ready to take notes on the book s key points, characters, and/or themes. Characters: Are there characters in the work? Who are the principal characters? How do they affect the story? Do you empathize with them? Themes/Motifs/Style: What themes or motifs stand out? How do they contribute to the work? Are they effective or not? How would you describe this author s particular style? Is it accessible to all readers or just some? Argument: How is the work s argument set up? What support does the author give for her/findings? Does the work fulfill its purpose/support its argument? Key Ideas: What is the main idea of the work? What makes it good, different, or groundbreaking?
Quotes: What quotes stand out? How can you demonstrate the author s talent or the feel of the book through a quote? When You Are Ready to Write Begin with a short summary or background of the work, but do not give too much away. Many reviews limit themselves only to the first couple of chapters or lead the reader up to the rising action of the work. Reviewers of nonfiction texts will provide the basic idea of the book s argument without too much detailed. The final portion of your review will detail your opinion of the work. You must use many pieces of textual evidence throughout the entirety of the book to support your claims and discussion topics. When you are ready to begin your review, consider the following: Establish a Background, Remember your Audience: Remember that your audience has not read the work; with this in mind, be sure to introduce characters and principals carefully and deliberately. What kind of summary can you provide of the main points or main characters that will help your readers gauge their interest? Does the author s text adequately reach the intended audience? Will some readers be lost or find the text too easy? Minor principals/characters: Deal only with the most pressing issues in the book. You will not be able to cover every character or idea. What principals/characters did you agree or disagree with? What other things might the author have researched or considered? Organize: The purpose of the review is to critically evaluate the text, not just inform the readers about it. Leave plenty room for your evaluation by ensuring that your summary is brief. Determine what kind of balance to strike between your summary information and your evaluation. If you are writing your review for a class, ask your instructor. Often the ratio is half and half. Your Evaluation: Choose one or a few points to discuss about the book. What worked well for you? How does this work compare with others by the same author or other books in the same genre? What major themes, motifs, or terms does the book introduce, and how effective are they? Did the book appeal to you on an emotional or logical way? Revising When making the final touches to your review, carefully verify the following: Double-check the spelling of the author name(s), character names, special terms, and publisher. Try to read from the vantage point of your audience. Is there too much/enough summary? Does your argument about the text make sense? Did you use direct quotes from the reading? Do they help support your arguments? Double-check your quotes for accuracy.
2) This I Believe Essay 1. Go to http://thisibelieve.org/ and become familiar with the website. 2. Click Explore and the Featured Essays. Listen to a handful of essays on a variety of topics that interest you. Choose the 1 that you enjoy the best. Write a reflective paragraph explaining what you enjoyed most of the piece and the personal connections you can make. Be sure to cite specific evidence and identify the name and author of the piece. 3. Next, click Explore and the 1950 s essays. Listen to a handful of essays on a variety of topics. Choose 1 that interests you. Write a reflective paragraph comparing and contrasting the beliefs in the essay to modern day society and use relevant, real-world examples. Be sure to cite specific evidence and identify the name and author of the piece. 4. Next, write your own essay using the website s guidelines listed below: Essay Writing Guidelines: We invite you to contribute to this project by writing and submitting your own statement of personal belief. We understand how challenging this is it requires such intimacy that no one else can do it for you. To guide you through this process, we offer these suggestions: Tell a story: Be specific. Take your belief out of the ether and ground it in the events of your life. Consider moments when belief was formed or tested or changed. Think of your own experience, work, and family, and tell of the things you know that no one else does. Your story need not be heart-warming or gutwrenching it can even be funny but it should be real. Make sure your story ties to the essence of your daily life philosophy and the shaping of your beliefs. Be brief: Your statement should be between 350 and 500 words. That s about three minutes when read aloud at your natural pace. Name your belief: If you can t name it in a sentence or two, your essay might not be about belief. Also, rather than writing a list, consider focusing on one core belief, because three minutes is a very short time. Be positive: Please avoid preaching or editorializing. Tell us what you do believe, not what you don t believe. Avoid speaking in the editorial we. Make your essay about you; speak in the first person. Be personal: Write in words and phrases that are comfortable for you to speak. We recommend you read your essay aloud to yourself several times, and each time edit it and simplify it until you find the words, tone, and story that truly echo your belief and the way you speak. For this project, we are also guided by the original This I Believe series and the producers invitation to those who wrote essays in the 1950s. Their advice holds up well and we are abiding by it. Please consider it carefully in writing your piece. In introducing the original series, host Edward R. Murrow said, Never has the need for personal philosophies of this kind been so urgent. We would argue that the need is as great now as it was 50 years ago. We are eager for your contribution.
3) Letter to the Editor Assignment From October 5, 2011 by Miss Hoffman - http://rahoffm.edublogs.org/2011/10/05/letter-to-theeditor-assignment/ Introduction/Overview: Sometimes, it is very hard to find a forum in which one can express opinions or concerns that he or she may have with a system or organization as a whole. One very effective way for a person to get his or her opinions into the community is via letters to the editor. Therefore, you are going to practice writing letters to the editor so that as an adult, you will have a forum in which to express your concerns in a thoughtful, simple way. Task: You are going to write a onepage, single spaced letter to the editor about a real problem that you see in our educational system or community. It should include an introduction, body, and conclusion. For this assignment, you will have plenty of creative freedom. You can write it as a student, as you are, or you can put yourself in another s shoes. Imagine that you are a parent, a community member, even a grandparent. Whichever view you choose, though, you must make sure to look at the situation as that party would see it. Do not choose to write as a student s grandmother then write possessing teenage values. Make sure that you really take into account what that writer would value or see as a problem. This argument must also be researchbased. I do not want a page of angry ranting. You should provide research as to why your issue is an issue, as well as pose a solution. Materials: Newspapers/sample letters to the editor. Internet access Word processor At least two pieces of research to back up your claim (one supporting why it is a problem, one posing a solution.) Procedure/Instructions: First, read these quick tips on how to write an effective letter to the editor: http://www.ehow.com/how_8921_writelettereditor.html Next, read some sample letters to the editor from your local newspapers. Choose the name of the publication and editor you will write to. Choose a topic (a problem that you see with our education system or community.) Hint: Make sure this topic is important to you. That will make the writing much more genuine (and easy!) Choose the viewpoint from which you will be writing. Find research to support why your topic is an issue.
Pose a solution. Find research to support why your solution would be effective. Construct an outline of your letter. Correct mistakes on outline. Put your letter together in a proper letterwriting form. (Greeting, Body, Salutation) Sign and date your letter Finally, create a Works Cited page in MLA format. Don t mail it! We will be editing in class first and then mailing together! First day of class checklist: 2 Novels Autobiography of Malcolm X and Being Henry David Book Review - Autobiography of Malcolm X Quote Analysis - Being Henry David This I Believe Essay and 2 reflective paragraphs Letter to Editor Outline & Draft A great attitude!