Dunbar High School Senior AP English Literature Summer Reading 2017

These titles can be found at the public library, local bookstore, or using online booksellers. Readings and assignments will be due on the second day that class meets (either the third or fourth day of school). Students should be prepared to write an in-class essay on their novels on that day also. Email us if you have any questions (Eddie Mullins – [email protected] or Cynthia Jones – [email protected])

Read TWO of the following novels:  At Night We Walk in Circles – Daniel Alarcon  The Art of Fielding – Chad Harbach  The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay  Homecoming – Yaa Gyasi – Michael Chabon  The Orphan Master’s Son – Adam Johnson  The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao –  The Lowland – Jhumpa Lahiri Junot Diaz  Everything I Never Told You – Celeste Ng  All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony  Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel Doerr  The Underground Railroad – Colson  The Round House – Louise Erdrich Whitehead  The Turner House – Angela Flournoy  The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt

1. Annotate BOTH Books as You Read. Annotation encourages close reading and keeps students engaged in a text by having them record their thoughts during the reading process. To annotate a text, write meaningful questions, comments, and observations in the margins of the book. Annotations MUST include comments to show evidence of your thinking. Highlighting, circling, underlining, etc. is fine, but these things will not count as annotations. (If you cannot write in your book or just prefer not to, see other options at the end of these instructions.

Be sure to spread your annotations out evenly across the book. Perhaps the simplest way to distribute your annotations is to divide the pages in your book by 80 (80 = the minimum expected number of annotations to receive full credit); the result is how many pages between annotations. (Example: 400 page book/80 annotations = one annotation every 5 pages)

As you read your text, consider all of the ways that you can connect with what you are reading. Don’t overuse the same type of annotation. Instead, use a variety of approaches to record your reactions to your book. Some personal reactions/opinions are fine, but at least half your annotations should be literary/rhetorical annotations. Here are some suggestions that will help you with your annotations:

 Offer an analysis or interpretation of what is happening in the text.  Point out and discuss literary techniques the author is using.  Explain the effects of syntax, method, figurative language and other techniques on the text.  Ask specific questions about what you don’t understand.  Make connections to other parts of the book.  Make connections to other texts you have read or to things you have seen, including movies, comic books/graphic novels, news events, other books, stories, plays, songs, or poems  Paraphrase or summarize a particularly difficult or meaningful passage or moment from the text.  Make connections to your own life experiences.  Describe a new perspective you may have now.  Explain the historical context or traditions/social customs that are used in the passage.

If you prefer not to write in your books, you can:

A. Record your annotations on Post-It Notes and stick them inside your book. (If you have to return your book before school starts, then choose option B.) B. Record your annotations on the Annotation Sheet which can be downloaded from the Dunbar website under the Summer Reading section. You can handwrite or type your annotations on this sheet. Just be sure to include the page number and the text being referenced in the annotation.

2. Complete a Major Works Data Sheet for EACH novel. Complete a MWDS for each of your two novels. This assignment must be typed. An electronic version can be downloaded from the Dunbar website (under the Students tab), so that you don’t need to recreate the template.

Specific Requirements: Write 4-5 sentences for the historical information about the time period of the setting (if science fiction or fantasy, comment on social issues relevant at the time the book was written that are addressed in the novel), biographical information about the author, and characteristics of the genre. Write 8-12 sentences for the plot summary. Write 2-3 sentences for the author’s style, and the example of the author’s style should be a direct quote from the novel (with page number). List five important quotes from the novel (with page numbers), and discuss the significance with relevance to the themes. There isn’t a set number of characters to include, but be sure to list all important ones. For setting, explain its relevance to the storyline. Write 3-4 sentences for both the opening and closing scenes. Describe the significance of at least three symbols and include 3 themes of the novel.

Make sure that you keep an electronic version of both Major Works Data Sheets. You will be given instructions on how to submit them to Turnitin.com on the first day of school.