AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION, GRADE 11 Orange County School of the Arts Students taking AP English Language and Composition (AP Lang) at Orange County School of the Arts are required to complete the following assignments. This work is due the student’s first class meeting.
Dear AP Lang Scholar: This summer assignment offers students lots of choice and the ability to pace the work over time; know that the AP Lang Team has deeply considered all of the reasons why a summer assignment should be part of this AP course, and that we understand, as well, the value of down time that we all need. The skills we are asking you to use for this assignment are important to the course, and the tasks will enable us to launch into the year with a good measure of steam. You will notice that we have not asked you to write an essay—another aspect of the summer assignment that we have carefully considered. Student writing will be assessed the first week of school with an in-class essay. This document was carefully constructed to be self-explanatory, and part of the task is the ability to follow clearly defined instructions. However, should questions arise, you may contact Pamela Smith at [email protected]. See you in August! -The AP Lang Team
Summer Reading and Writing Assignment Two-Part Assignment SUMMER MEMOIR STUDY THREE COLUMNISTS: NINE RHETORICAL PRECIS ------ASSIGNMENT ONE: SUMMER MEMOIR STUDY
The memoir is a genre of nonfiction in which a writer composes a narrative from personal experience. Choose ONE memoir from the list below, and finish Content - WHAT is reading your selection prior to the start of the school year. In the first weeks of communicated AP Lang, you will complete a written assignment based on this memoir. This assignment will require you to discuss not only the content of your selected Form - HOW this memoir, but also its form. As you read this summer, use annotation strategies information is that will enhance your comprehension and analysis of the text. communicated
List of Memoir Options:
Colored People, Henry Louis Gates West with the Night, Beryl Markham The Woman Warrior, Maxine Hong Kingston Growing Up, Russell Baker This Boy’s Life, Tobias Wolff Hunger of Memory, Richard Rodriguez The Duke of Deception, Geoffrey Wolff Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt In Patagonia, Bruce Chatwin A Monk Swimming, Malachy McCourt Out of Africa, Isaak Dinesen The Road From Coorain, Jill Ker An American Childhood, Annie Dillard Conway Hand To Mouth: A Chronicle of Early Failure, Paul The Color of Water, James McBride Auster The Autobiography of Malcolm X The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Speak, Memory, Vladimir Nabokov Fadiman Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi Naked, David Sedaris Life on the Mississippi, Mark Twain A Hope in the Unseen, Ron Suskind
ASSIGNMENT TWO: Syndicated Columnist Assignment
This part of the summer reading assignment provides students with a measure of choice, and is intended to allow them to spread the work over the course of a few weeks, although this assignment may also be completed in less time by using archived material. Students are to select three columnists from the list below and read three articles by the same columnist, writing a rhetorical précis (pronounced “pray-see”) for each article using the guide provided. A brief biography of each columnist is provided (most are quoted or paraphrased from the corresponding newspaper site); students may wish to read one sample article from several writers listed below before settling on the two columnists who will be central to completing this assignment. A diverse selection of columnists has been provided; additional suggestions are welcomed.
ASSIGNMENT OVERVIEW Your Nine Precis: (1) Select three syndicated columnists from the list provided (2) Read three articles from each of the three columnists (3) Compose a four sentence rhetorical précis (see directions below) for each of the nine articles (4) A printed copy of your nine precis are due the first day of class
Favorite Article and Works Cited Component: (5) Select your favorite article from among the nine you read (6) Using your favorite article, produce a works cited page for that single article (7) Print a copy of your favorite article and your works cited: include it with your nine precis (8) The first day of class, students will receive enrollment information for Turnitin.com; they will then upload their completed rhetorical précis assignment to that site
This is an individual assignment: Each rhetorical precis must be the authentic work of the student. You will be submitting this assignment to Turnitin.com. Academic honesty and integrity are an expectation of this course.
List of Syndicated Columnists
Charles Blow Visual Op-Ed columnist who won first John Gould An American humorist, essayist, and New York Times two best in show awards from the Christian columnist who wrote a column for the Saturday Malofiej International Infographics Science Monitor Christian Science Monitor for over sixty Summit for work that included deceased; check years from a farm in Lisbon Falls, coverage of the Iraq war. archives Maine. He is known for his role as a mentor to novelist Stephen King.
Do not accept not knowing what is knowable. When you encounter an unfamiliar word in your reading, LOOK IT UP! 2 of 8
David Brooks He has been a senior editor at The Bob Herbert Prior to joining The New York Times, New York Times Weekly Standard, a contributing editor New York Times Mr. Herbert was a national Tuesday & Friday at Newsweek and the Atlantic Tuesday & correspondent for NBC from 1991 to Monthly, and he is currently a Saturday 1993, reporting regularly on "The commentator on "The Newshour with Today Show" and "NBC Nightly Jim Lehrer." He is also a frequent News." He had worked as a reporter and analyst on NPR’s "All Things editor at The Daily News from 1976 Considered" and the "Diane Rehm until 1985, when he became a columnist Show." His articles have appeared in and member of its editorial board. The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, the Washington Post, the TLS, Commentary, The Public Interest and many other magazines.
Art Buchwald A humorist and satirist, Buchwald Arianna Co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Washington Post poked fun at much of what was going Huffington Huffington Post, a nationally syndicated deceased; check around him in his illustrious career The Huffington columnist, and author of twelve books. archives that spanned more than five decades. Post She is also co-host of “Left, Right & Center,” public radio’s popular political roundtable program. In 2006, she was named to the Time 100, Time Magazine's list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
Gail Collins Gail Collins joined the New York S. Amjad S. Amjad Hussain is a columnist on the New York Times Times in 1995 as a member of the Hussain op-ed pages of the daily Toledo Blade Thursday & editorial board and later as an op-ed Toledo Blade and a professor of surgery at the Saturday columnist. In 2001 she became the Medical College of Ohio. He is a first woman ever appointed editor of clinical professor of surgery at the the Times editorial page. She Medical College of Ohio and the published the book "America's president of the Islamic Center of Women: 400 Years of Dolls, Drudges, Greater Toledo. Helpmates and Heroines."
Maureen Dowd Winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Molly Ivins Ivins concentrated on politics and social New York Times distinguished commentary, Dowd … Fort Worth Star justice issues. She was a columnist for Wednesday & has covered four presidential Telegram numerous newspapers including the Sunday campaigns and served as White House deceased; check New York Times, but most recently for correspondent. archives the Fort Worth Star Telegram.
Ellen Goodman Pulitzer prize winning columnist, Charles Krauthammer writes on foreign and Boston Globe author, speaker [who] has long been a Krauthammer domestic policy and politics. Winner of Friday chronicler of social change in Washington Post the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished America, especially the women’s Friday commentary, the 1984 National movement and its effects on our public Magazine Award for essays and the and private lives. 2004 Bradley Prize.
Do not accept not knowing what is knowable. When you encounter an unfamiliar word in your reading, LOOK IT UP! 3 of 8 Verlyn His work has appeared in many Kathleen Kathleen Parker never took a journalism Kinkenborg magazines, including The New Parker class in college, but … has worked at a New York Times Yorker, Harper's, Esquire, National Washington Post variety of large and small newspapers, not scheduled Geographic, The New Republic, Thursday & covering anything from California Smithsonian, Audubon, GQ, Gourmet, Sunday cuisine to bass fishing contests in the Martha Stewart Living, Sports Afield rural South. Now, she serves on the and The New York Times Magazine. USA Today's Board of Contributors and He has taught literature and creative her twice-weekly column is published in writing at Fordham University, St. 350 different newspapers. Olaf College, Bennington College and Harvard University and is a recipient of the 1991 Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Writer's Award and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Many of his columns deal with rural life.
Charles Krauthammer writes on foreign and Leonard Pitts, Pitts writes about pop culture, social Krauthammer domestic policy and politics. Winner Jr. issues and family life. Pitts is a five- Washington Post of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for Miami Herald time recipient of the National Friday distinguished commentary, the 1984 Sunday Headliners Award and was awarded the National Magazine Award for essays 2004 Pulitzer Prize for commentary and the 2004 Bradley Prize. among many other accolades.
Nicholas Kristof Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner. Kristof Frank Rich Before joining The New York Times, New York Times has lived on four continents, reported on New York Times Mr. Rich was a film and television critic Sunday & six, and traveled to more than 140 Sunday at Time Magazine. Earlier, he had been Thursday countries, plus all 50 states, every Chinese film critic for The New York Post and province and every main Japanese island. film critic and senior editor of New Mr. Kristof has taken a special interest in Web journalism and was the first blogger Times Magazine. His latest book, The on The New York Times Web site; he also Greatest Story Ever Sold: The Decline twitters and has a Facebook fan page and a and Fall of Truth From 9/11 to Katrina, channel on YouTube. A documentary was published by Penguin Press in 2006 about him, "Reporter," premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and will be shown on HBO.
Paul Krugman Winner of the Nobel Prize in Anna Quindlen Writes “The Last Word” column in New York Times Economics, Krugman is professor of Newsweek Newsweek; was a columnist at the New Monday & Friday Economics and International Affairs at weekly York Times from 1981-1994. Author of Princeton University. He has taught at numerous fiction and non-fiction books. Yale, MIT and Stanford.
Michelle Malkin Michelle Malkin has appeared on "The Brent Staples Editorial writer for The New York San Diego Source O'Reilly Factor," "Hannity and New York Times Times. He holds a PhD in psychology Wednesday Colmes," "The McLaughlin Group" not scheduled from The University of Chicago. His and "20/20," and is currently a Fox memoir, Parallel Time: Growing up in News commentator. Today, Michelle Black and White, was the winner of the Malkin's syndicated column appears in Anisfield Wolff. over 100 papers nationwide.
Do not accept not knowing what is knowable. When you encounter an unfamiliar word in your reading, LOOK IT UP! 4 of 8 Peggy Noonan Her essays have appeared in Forbes, Time, William Safire A speechwriter for President Richard M. Wall Street Newsweek, the Washington Post, the New New York Times Nixon and a Pulitzer Prize-winning Journal York Times and other publications. deceased; check political columnist for The New York weekend editions Noonan was a producer at CBS News in archives Times from 1979 until his death. He New York, where she wrote and produced wrote "On Language," a New York Dan Rather’s daily radio commentary. She also wrote television news specials for Times Magazine column that explored CBS News. As editorial and public affairs written and oral trends, plumbed the director at WEEI-AM, the CBS owned origins and meanings of words and station in Boston, she won the Tom phrases, and drew a devoted following. Phillips Award for broadcast commentary. In 1978 and 1979 she was an adjunct professor of journalism at New York University.
George Will Until becoming a columnist for Also consider choosing a columnist from the Newsweek Newsweek, Will was Washington editor of comprehensive list at this site, Arts and Letters Washington Post the National Review, a leading conservative journal of ideas and political Daily, a service of The Chronicle of Higher commentary. Five collections of his Education: Newsweek and newspaper columns have been published: "The Pursuit of Happiness http://www.aldaily.com/#columnists and Other Sobering Thoughts" (Harper & Row, 1978); "The Pursuit of Virtue and Other Tory Notions" (Simon & Schuster, 1982); "The Morning After: American Successes and Excesses 1981-1986" (Macmillan, 1986); "Suddenly: The American Idea Abroad and at Home 1986- 1990" (The Free Press, 1990); "The Leveling Wind: Politics, the Culture & Other News 1990-1994" (Viking, 1994).
The Rhetorical Précis In 1988, Margaret Woodworth reported on a reading/writing method that demonstrated significant success with her students at various levels, particularly in their reading comprehension and preparation for using source materials in their own academic writing. That method, which Woodworth calls “the rhetorical précis,” will be used to complete this Syndicated Columnist Assignment.
In a four sentence format, the rhetorical précis offers a short account of an article, essay, or resource that does more than summarize its content.
Sentence 1: Name of author, [optional: a phrase describing the author], the genre and title of the work, date in parentheses, a rhetorically accurate verb (such as “asserts,” “argues,” “suggests,” “implies,” “claims,” etc.) and a THAT clause containing the major assertion (thesis statement) of the article or essay.
Sentence 2: An explanation of how the author develops and/or supports the thesis, usually in chronological order.
Sentence 3: A statement of the author’s apparent purpose, followed by an “in order” phrase indicating the change the author wants to effect in the audience.
Sentence 4: A description of the intended audience and the relationship the author establishes with the audience.
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Sample: Sheridan Baker, in his essay “Attitudes” (1966), asserts that writers’ attitudes toward their subjects, their audiences, and themselves determine to a large extent the quality of their prose. Baker supports this assertion by showing examples of how inappropriate attitudes can make writing unclear, pompous, or boring, concluding that a good writer “will be respectful toward his audience, considerate toward his readers, and somehow amiable toward human failings” (58). His purpose is to make his readers aware of the dangers of negative attitudes in order to help them become better writers. He establishes an informal relationship with his audience of college students who are interested in learning to write “with conviction” (55).
Notice that Woodworth’s example follows her pattern exactly. The first sentence identifies the author (Baker), the genre (essay), the title and date, and uses an active verb (asserts) and the relative pronoun that to explain what exactly Baker asserts. The second sentence explains the first sentence by offering chronological examples from Baker’s essay, while the third sentence suggests the author’s purpose and WHY (in order to) he has set out that purpose (or seems to have set out that purpose—not all essays are explicit about this information and readers have to put the pieces together). The final sentence identifies the primary audience of the essay (college students) and suggests how this audience is brought into/connected to the essay’s purpose.
The rhetorical précis is useful for students to master as they are often asked to read a great deal of information in college and are expected to retain what articles, essays, book chapters, and books are about. This method makes for an excellent annotation of such texts and helps in memory retention.
Although these writings are short, they are quite challenging to do well. The benefits, as Woodworth points out, are the following:
Reading: 76% found understanding what they read “less difficult,” 76% found that they remembered what they read “much more easily.” Overall 80% rated précis writing as “highly useful” as a means to increasing reading comprehension Thinking: 80% found that précis writing helped “a great deal” in thinking critically about assigned reading in the composition course, 56% about assigned reading in other courses Overall 80% rated précis writing as “highly useful” as a means to becoming more critical thinkers. Writing: 84% found that précis writing helped “a great deal” in writing papers for composition course, 56% in writing papers for other courses, 68% in gaining control over their own writing, 80% in organizing long papers in composition and other courses, 44% in distinguishing between generalization and substantiation, 56% in writing mature sentence structures. Overall 60% rated précis writing as highly useful as a means to improve writing skills
Do not accept not knowing what is knowable. When you encounter an unfamiliar word in your reading, LOOK IT UP! 6 of 8 organizing your assignment Students must type their nine rhetorical précis. Please format the document in the following recommended way:
Use a professional 12 point font Include your name on each page of your assignment. Add a heading with the first columnist’s name, followed by the three précis for that columnist. Add a heading with the second columnist’s name, followed by the three precis for that columnist. Add a heading with the third columnist’s name, followed by the three precis for that columnist. You may number each précis if you wish, but at minimum, skip a space or two between each précis. On a new page that follows the nine précis, include your works cited page Lastly, include the printed copy of your favorite article the works cited page Students are to produce an MLA formatted works cited page for their favorite among the nine articles. The works cited page provides readers with the documentation information of the sources used in the paper. There are many online sources that provide helpful guidelines for how to produce a works cited page, among them the OWL English site from Purdue University. (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/11/).
Works Cited Entry for Article in a Newspaper Collect the following information from your article to produce a works cited entry: -The writer of the article -The title of the article -The title of the newspaper in which the article appeared -The date of publication -The location (page) within the newspaper on which the article appeared -The form of publication, in our case Print (even if you read an electronic version online. Let’s keep it simple)
Example Entry:
Brubaker, Bill. “New Health Center Targets County’s Uninsured
Patients.” Washington Post 24 May 2007: LZ01. Print.
Notice the following: . The author’s name is presented last name first; there is a period after the writer’s name . The title of the article is properly capitalized; the period goes inside the quotation marks . The title of the newspapers omits preceding “the” and appears in italics . The date of publication is formatted in day month year with no commas, followed by a colon . Sections of the newspaper may have letters . Notice the double-spacing as well as the second line, which is tabbed over five spaces. . Attention to detail is required for an accurately constructed works cited page.
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SampleS
1” margins 1” margins
Jefferson 1 Works Cited
Goodman, Ellen. “One Child Indivisible.” Washington Post 19 June 2004: A23. Print.
Clease 1
Works Cited
Krugman, Paul. “Inequality, Dignity and Freedom.” New York Times 13 February
2014. Print.
A FINAL NOTE The articles you access online should be free. Do not pay to purchase copies of articles.
Do not accept not knowing what is knowable. When you encounter an unfamiliar word in your reading, LOOK IT UP! 8 of 8