Welcome to AP Literature and Composition! This Course Follows the Guidelines of the College

June 1, 2016

Welcome to AP Literature and composition! This course follows the guidelines of the College Board and is specifically designed so that students will be successful when they take the College Board AP English exam in the spring. The cost of the exam is roughly $90, and, if this is a hardship, it can be addressed with Guidance Counselor Laura Geis or with me. It is a school policy that students who take the AP class will also take the AP exam.

One of our primary goals will be developing the ability to read and interpret prose and poetry. In order to achieve this goal, we will be reading critically acclaimed works of English literature and of world writers in translation.

Along with the ability to read critically, students will work on enhancing their writing abilities. I am asking students to purchase Writing about Literature (Eleventh Edition – ISBN 0-13-154057- 2) by Edgar V. Roberts and published by Prentice Hall. If this book is ordered from the publisher, it is very expensive – nearly $60.00. However, if the book is purchased online, the price is much lower. I suggest that you purchase the book for your student from either amazon.com or campusbooks.com where new and used copies can be bought for a fraction of the list price. If you are uncomfortable ordering online, the book can be ordered through a bookstore such as the Bookshelf in Batesville. It is also possible that your student may be able to buy a used copy from a former student. Please make sure your student has the book when school starts. It is also most helpful if you have the correct edition (the 11th).

With the correct tools and a sincere willingness on the part of students to explore literature through discussion and writing, I believe we will have a very successful year in AP Literature and Composition.

Sincerely,

Mary Gehring AP Literature and Composition Oldenburg Academy of the Immaculate Conception [email protected] – not yet set up  Twitter -- @gehringreads 812-934-4440 Summer Reading **Please note: this assignment is in addition to the all-school assignment.

Welcome to AP Lit! Our year actually begins with summer reading. Please bring the same commitment to this part of the course that you will bring to the class in the fall.

I have selected material that can be read without detailed class instruction and that is contemporary. These are not, however, “beach books” to be read merely for plot. Read critically and thoughtfully.

1. Read two books from the list. Do not use Cliff Notes (or anything similar) and do not substitute the movie version for the text. 2. If possible, buy copies of the books and highlight and write marginal notes. Do not use a book that someone else has already highlighted and annotated (a sibling, for example).

Dialectical journals may be substituted for the highlighting annotation if the student chooses or if library copies are used. Use the following format if you decide to do the journals. A minimum of twelve journals is required for each novel. Write them as you read.  Fold page in half lengthwise.  Left hand side – copy quotations that express character, development, a theme of the work or an archetype (your choice – use a variety for each work). Be sure to use quotation marks and a page number for each.  Right hand side – describe the character, theme, or archetype as you interpret it.

3. For each work as a whole, write three discussion questions. We’ll be using them in our discussions of the summer reading, so make them interesting.

4. For each work, choose one of your discussion questions and write a response of approximately 300 words. These responses are not essays; do not write overly generalized introductions and conclusions. However, do make sure there is a specific focus, adequate development of that focus, and a beginning, a middle, and an end.

5. Please email the three discussion questions and the 300-word response to me by 8:30 a.m. on Aug. 11.

Important: . Be aware that the books do contain adult content/situations. . Assume that your reader has read the work; do not summarize the plot. . Do not use secondary sources. You will be given a “0” and disciplined for plagiarism if you use a source like Sparks Notes or Cliff Notes, or if you go to the Web for your entries.

Titles A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving Song of Solomon – Toni Morrison The Road – Cormac McCarthy The Things They Carried – Tim O’Brien A Lesson Before Dying – Ernest J. Gaines Their Eyes Were Watching God – Nora Zeale Hurston

I’m sure that you are all confirmed readers and will be reading additional books of your own choosing throughout the summer. Please keep a list to share. You should also do the reading required for all OA students. You may, however, use the above novels for the novel section of that assignment.

This assignment is due August 11, 2016. No late work will be accepted.