E12 Regents Prep Class PHS Summer Reading Assignment

Welcome to senior year, your last year at PHS! This class is specifically designed to help students who have not yet passed the English Regents. You will be taking the English Regents again in January 2018. If you pass, you will choose another senior English elective to take during spring semester. The summer assignment for this class is comprised of two parts. Part 1 is a Text Analysis Response. Part 2 is an Argumentative Essay based on articles you choose on a suggested topic or one of your choice. See below for directions and guidelines for each of the two parts.

Part I: Text Analysis Response

Choose one of the excerpts below (click on the appropriate link).

Dracula: http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/vampires/classicstory/dracula_p1.shtml Their Eyes Were Watching God: http://xroads.virginia.edu/~drbr/hurston_god.html Walden: https://ase.tufts.edu/gdae/CS/Walden.pdf “A Psalm of Life”: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/44644

Directions: Closely read the text, and write a well-developed, text-based response of two to three paragraphs. In your response, identify a central idea in the text and analyze how the author’s use of one writing strategy (literary element or literary technique or rhetorical device) develops this central idea. Use strong and thorough evidence from the text to support your analysis. Do not simply summarize the text.

Recommended step: Complete a Text Analysis Response Outline (in Google Classroom) prior to completing final response.

Guidelines: Be sure to:

• Identify a central idea in the text

• Analyze how the author’s use of one writing strategy (literary element or literary technique or rhetorical device) develops this central idea. Examples include: characterization, conflict, denotation/connotation, metaphor, simile, irony, language use, point-of-view, setting, structure, symbolism, theme, tone, etc.

• Use strong and thorough evidence from the text to support your analysis, and organize your ideas in a cohesive and coherent manner

• Maintain a formal style of writing and follow the conventions of standard written English Part 2: Writing from Sources Choose ONE of the topics below to track over the course of this summer.

Topic #1: Donald Trump’s Presidency Topic Question: How should Americans respond to the presidency of Donald Trump?

Topic #2: The War on Terrorism Topic Question: How should the United States address global terrorism? Is the United States winning the War on Terrorism?

Topic # 3: You decide! Topic Question: Use the procon.org website to find a topic of your choice. Identify a clear question and then read the viewpoints provided.

Read at least FOUR non-fiction articles, following the topic of your choice. When finding the articles, use any of the following sources: EBSCO Host (school site); time.com; cnn.com; newsweek.com; bbc.com; foxnews.com; nytimes.com; npr.com; or any other scholarly (credible and reliable) source not on this list. Print out, label, and number each source [For example: Text 1 (Newsweek Article), etc.].

Recommended step: Complete a Writing from Sources Outline (in Google Classroom) prior to completing final response.

Next, write a well-developed, evidence-based “Argumentative: Writing from Sources” essay in response to your topic question. Clearly establish your claim, distinguish your claim from alternate or opposing claims, and use specific and relevant evidence from at least three of the articles to develop your argument. Do NOT simply summarize each article.

When writing the final essay, be sure to: ● Clearly establish your claim in response to your topic question ● Distinguish your claim from alternate or opposing claims ● Use specific, relevant, and sufficient evidence from at least three of the articles to develop your argument ● Label and number each article, and identify the article that you reference by Text number and Line Number(s). For example: Text 4, line 28; Text 2, line 3. ● Organize your ideas in a formal style of writing ● Follow the conventions of standard written English

CCLS: RI. 11-12. 1-4, 10; W. 11-12. 1, 4, 9; L. 11-12, 1-6