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AP Language and Composition Mandatory Summer Preparatory Work—Summer 2017

Required Summer Reading Assignment You are to purchase/acquire It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences by ​ ​ June Casagrande. ​ You are to do the following: ● read this book ● have a two sided study or cheat sheet that fits on one single sheet of paper. ○ It must contain all of the grammatical and syntactical rules that will help you in understanding how to make stylized, grammatical sentences. ○ This “cheat sheet” should be a document you can use throughout the year to craft your essays.

Required Summer Columnist Assignment

Purpose: ​ This assignment is intended to prepare you for the rigors of our course and to begin developing your close and critical reading skills. Additionally, we want you to begin working on becoming a world citizen; knowing what is going on in the world around you is critical to making informed decisions and having intelligent conversations. (This is referred to in the classroom as “experience.”)

Introduction: ​ Some of the best writers in America today are columnists and journalists whose writings about our world are syndicated by major American newspapers. What you will notice about these men and women is that they have voice, a unique and personal style that reveals their control of language. What they have to say about the world is just as important as how they say it.

Assignment: ​ Select one columnist to follow and study by finding, reading and annotating eight (8) published ​ ​ ​ columns on a variety of topics or perspectives, if possible. (This equates to one column per week ​ until school starts.) Suggestions for columnists are listed below. We encourage you to read several different columnists before making your final selection. If you are confused about this assignment in any way, email or track one of us down before the end of school. Requirements: ​ ● All eight (8) columns should be current--published between January 2017-August 2017. ● Copy and paste the text of each separate column neatly into its own Word document. Be ​ sure that the title, author, and date are included for each article. Consider double-spacing ​ so that it is easier to annotate the text. ● After printing each article, literally paste (or tape) each article to a page in a full-sized spiral notebook of some sort. Articles should be arranged chronologically. We will continue to use this notebook all year so be sure that it is neatly organized and used solely for this Columnist Assignment. 2

Guidelines for requirements: ● Annotate each column by doing the following: ● Underline claims in red ● Highlight ethos in yellow ● Highlight logos in blue ● Highlight pathos in pink ● Write in margin: ○ Where the writer defends, challenges, or qualifies his/her argument. ○ Where the writer uses examples, data or facts or personal experience ○ Your opinion, reaction, or response to author thoughts

● On the pages following each pasted article, write a FULL one-page reflection which includes the following: ● What is the author’s central argument/claim? How do you know this? ● Discuss the author’s style—include direct evidence to support your discussion. ● Do you think the author makes an effective argument? Refer to the text in your ● response. ● Do you agree or disagree with the author’s argument? Why? ● Does anything in particular click for you? Why or why not? ● Does anything in particular confuse you? Why or why not?

Due Date and Expectations: ​ This assignment is due THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. Late work will not be accepted. Neatly label your ​ ​ ​ notebook with your name and class period on both the front and inside covers. Suggested Columnists: ​ *Paul Krugman- The New York Times *David Brooks- The New York Times *Gail Collins- The New York Times *Thomas Friedman- The New York Times *Ariel Edwards-Levy- The Huffington Post *Nicholas Kristof- The New York Times *S. Amjad Hussain- The Toledo Blade *Michelle Malkin- Arcamax *David Leonhardt- The New York Times *George Will- The Washington Post *Timothy Egan- The Seattle Times *Arianna Huffington- The Huffington Post *Keith Burris- The Toledo Blade *Kathleen Parker- The Washington Post *Robin Abcarian- The Los Angeles Times *Patt Morrison- The Los Angeles Times *Garrison Keillor- The Baltimore Sun *Leonard Pitts, Jr.- Miami Herald *Charles Krauthammer- The Washington Post *Maureen Dowd- The New York Times NOTE: Start early, preparing one column per week. Some websites will only allow a limited number of articles to ​ be accessed each week, so waiting to begin will likely work against you.

Check out these web pages before making a final decision on your columnist. ● http://blueagle.com/index.html ● http://www.npr.org ● http://www.aldaily.com/#columnists-- a collection from Arts and Letters Daily of writings. (Select newspapers from the menu bar on the left to get links to additional columnists. You may also select a columnist from any other reputable publication.)