English III AP 2017 Summer Reading Assignment

Future AP English III Students,

I look forward to welcoming my new students into AP English Language & Composition. I am confident that the skills learned in Pre-AP have prepared students for the first few weeks in AP Language, yet much of our instruction the first few weeks will be a review of the skills needed to be successful in the AP program. I must emphasize that the AP Language course is a rigorous college-level course that emphasizes reading, analysis, and the opportunity to earn college credit by scoring a 3 or above on the AP Language & Composition test in the spring. The curriculum has been approved by the College Board, the entity that releases the AP exams. Our primary focus will be onnonfiction, such as memoirs, essays, editorials, and speeches; however, we will supplement our curriculum by readingshort stories, novels, music, and poetry. We will practice analyzing the techniques and strategies used by writers to influence the audience, but more importantly, we will focus on developing stylistic elements in our own writing. I will answer questions via email during the summer, and the assignment will also be posted online with copies available at the front office. Enjoy your summer, butplease do not wait until the end of the summer to begin your reading!

Shiela Parker, English AP Teacher

Novel: I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Peace Prize Winner

AP novels are carefully selected to encourage a higher level of discourse. I encourage parents to read the book. If a concern arises, the parent should e-mail early in the summer with concerns and an alternate novel will be made available; however, this request should be made in a timely manner rather than the last few weeks before the assignment is due.

Students will need to purchase their own copy of the novel. The WISD English department has a limited number of copies, so if you prefer to borrow the book, please check it out as soon as possible. The public library may also have the novel available for check out or purchase at a lower price. Please do not purchase an abridged or the simplified Young Adult version.

Annotations are due the first week of schooland count as a .5 test grade. Expect an essay test over the novel during the first week of school.

Assignment:Read the novel and annotate in a College Ruled Composition book, in the form of a dialectical journal, or double sided entry. I have divided the book into four sections to make annotating the novel a bit less tedious.

Chapter Divisions-

1-6, Malala’s Youth

7-11, Education

12-19,Changes in Afghanistan

20-Epilogue, Who is Malala?

  • Tag the Text-I recommend that you place Post-It notes with headings as you readchapter sections and then go back through the chapters to write your notes so that annotating will not interrupt the flow of your reading.
  • Focus on elements of rhetoric/language: Since we are annotating nonfiction, the literary annotations you may have completed in the past are not as appropriate for this text. Instead, focus in the following:

Subject/Occasion- Notes on the subject offer information or background into the topics and situations discussed in the text. Notes on occasion offer context/time/place and note the importance of “why” the author writes the text.

Audience- Notes on the audience offer a greater understanding of the intended audience and answers “who” the author is hoping will be influenced by his or her message.

Purpose- Notes on purpose reveal “why” the author writes the text and “what” the author’s intention is in writing the text (Purpose statements begin with “to + verb”). Sometimes the purpose is stated, but most often it’s implied.

Speaker- Notes about the speaker should help the audience understand the narrator’s personaand perspective in the text.

Tone- Tone is one of the most important elements of rhetoric. Identify the author’s attitude towards the subject and the audience.

Appeals- Logos (logical arguments), Pathos (emotional appeal), Ethos (lends credibility to the speaker or audience)

Theme/Overall Message- If the author was successful, he or she should have delivered an overall message and successfully led the audience to reflect, respond, or react to the overall message.

●Annotation Format: In your composition book, create two columns on each page and clearly note the following in the LEFT-HAND column: Label the type of note and provide a “Quote”/Context; RIGHT-HAND column: 3-5 sentences of commentary + insight on how the rhetoric contributes to the overall narrative/text.

Students should have a total of 32 annotations to turn in on the first day of school. I prefer quality over quantity, so please don’t rush, give a plot summaries of the text, or online summary responses.