Creating Academic, Social, and Ethical Leaders

Creating Academic, Social, and Ethical Leaders

May 2017

Dear Incoming Juniors,

Whether you’re enrolled in American Literature or AP Language & Composition for the fall, I’m excited to embark upon a year of exploring our country’s eclectic and provocative literature with you. You’ll be reading a selection of American novels, stories, poems, and plays, but you’ll also be reading much more nonfiction than in previous years and learning to analyze it with regard to rhetoric, style, tone, and validity of argument. You’ll become better readers, stronger writers, and – I hope – confident, critical thinkers.

One of the first topics we’ll be discussing this year involves the question of what it means to be an “American hero,” as well asnature-writing in the movement known as Transcendentalism. In preparation for this, I’m asking that you allplease read Into the Wildover the summer and complete the accompanying guide (see back page). Into the Wildis the true story of a young man, Chris McCandless, who gives away all his worldly possessions after graduating from college and sets off alone into the Alaskan wilderness. It is also the story of other adventurers and nature lovers, including the author himself, Jon Krakauer, a renowned mountaineer and journalist. As you get up to all your various summer activities (hopefully much safer than this one), I hope you’ll have fun reading it.

Have a fantastic summer. I look forward to seeing you all in August!

Sincerely,

Mr. Finkelstein

American Literature Summer Reading Guide – Into the Wild

If you are entering American Literature next fall, you have two summer reading tasks related to Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Be prepared to turn in the second task on the first day of school (and have me check the first).

1. Actively Read The Text.This means you are reading with a pencil and/or highlighter in hand, underlining crucial passages, writing questions in the margins, and defining words that you don’t know. This process will make going back to the text (which you will be doing as part of our first unit) much easier.

1. Five Key Passages. As you are reading the book, choose five key passages that stand out to you as important. You should find a relevant passage for each of the following criteria:

1. Characterization – One passage that you think really captures Christopher McCandless as an individual: how he acts, how he feels, the way he thinks, what motivates him, who he isat heart.

1. Theme – Two passages that capture an essential theme (or themes) of this book.

1. Point of View – One passage that illustrates the particular point of view (or agenda) of the author, Jon Krakauer. This might be a place in the text where you feel that the author’s personal bias comes across in a strong way.

1. Hook – One passage that you found fascinating simply because of its content. This should be an excerpt that you would be excited to share with friends, family, classmates, or me. 

On a separate sheet of paper that you will turn in, write down the page numbers andpassages that you chose, as well as a brief explanation (1-3 sentences) of why you chose that passage.

2555 Preble creek ParkwayBroomfield, CO 80023

(p) 720.399.0300 (f) 720.545.2163