Advanced Placement Literature Composition

Summer Enrichment Assignments REVISED

Dr. Abeshaus 2007-8

 

Welcome to Advanced Placement Literature and Composition.  The purpose of this class is to prepare you for the AP test in May; however, the greater goal is to develop reading, writing, and analytical skills that will help you in college and beyond.  We will be reading from a variety of eras, authors, and genres.  We will learn how to analyze the methods and devices used in literature and how to write a literary analysis paper.

 

The following activities, which you will complete over the summer, will help you to prepare for the class by looking at some of the characteristics of the literature that you will be reading all year long in AP Literature.  These activities will be due August 20, 2007.

 

Although these assignments are challenging—and you may be attempted to take shortcuts—restrain yourself.  Allow yourself the time needed to do ALL the reading and assignments—you will benefit when it comes time to be tested.  (In other words, DO NOT leave this project until August.)

 

You will need these books (Penguin, Norton or Oxford editions are best, if available):

  • Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
  • The Stranger, Albert Camus
  • The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
  • Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

 

These books are your own, so read with a pen in hand to annotate or underline.  It is a habit you should develop (when it is your own book to write in) to be a more effective and efficient reader in college.

 

Assignment for ALL books:

  1. Read with a pen or pencil in hand to underline important and/or interesting passages and to make notes in the margins.  You may also choose to annotate passages on sticky notes marking important notable pages.

 

Annotating is note-taking as you read, and it is skill that will be invaluable on the AP test and beyond.  You should mark figurative language, imagery, rhetorical techniques (such as repetition or parallelism) or any other specific uses of language that you notice.  Take note of strong or especially effective diction or phrases.  Watch for main ideas and for the way the ideas are organized.  Also, underline any new vocabulary, adding definitions as needed.  You will be graded on your marginalia.

 

  1. For each book, choose a quotation that is particularly meaningful to you.  Type a paragraph of at least 250 words explaining why that quotation stands out in your mind.

 

MANUSCRIPT INSTRUCTIONS: For the typed parts of the following assignments, use  a 12’ point (readable) font, double-spaced, no extra space between paragraphs.  In the upper left corner, type your name, date, AP Lit, and assignment name.

 

 

Your work this summer will just be the beginning of our work on these novels. We will dig deeper once school begins.  Feel free to discuss your ideas with others.  It can be helpful to share ideas and gain different perspectives.  However, the work you hand in is to be your own.

 

Please contact me if you have questions (mabeshaus@northlandprep.org).

 

Estimated Supplies for the 2007-8 School Year

 

  • Binder + paper (no spiral)
  • Dividers (pockets are nice for keeping organized)
  • 3 x 5 Index Card Binder + Index cards (with holes)
  • Pens (black + 5 colors), highlighters
  • 1 box tissues (to share)
  • 1 highlighter (to share)
  • Additional novels (titles to be announced) throughout the year.  Please let me know if this is a problem for you.
  • Recommended but not required: post-it notes, small ruler