Required Summer
Reading
English I (General) English III (General)
Gentle Hands (M. E. Kerr) Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson)
We All Fall Down (Robert Cormier)
English
I – (Enriched)
Gentle Hands (M.E. Kerr) English III (Enriched)
The Giver (Lowery) Cold Sassy Tree (Burns)
The
Crucible (Miller)
English II (General)
And Then There Were None (Christie) English IV (General)
Murder on the Orient Express
English II (Enriched) (Christie)
Great Expectations (Dickens)
Silas Marner (Eliot) English IV (Enriched)
The Count of Monte Cristo (Dumas)
Choice from supplied list
GIFTED AND
TALENTED:
English I—
Choose any two of the seven parts of Edith Hamilton’s Mythology AND
Choose any two books from the following list (one must be fiction and one must be nonfiction):
Fiction To Kill a
Mockingbird—Harper Lee April Morning—Howard
Fast The Hobbit—J.R.R.
Tolkien Great Expectations
or Oliver Twist— Charles
Dickens A Separate Peace—John
Knowles Watership Down—Richard
Adams Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde— Robert Louis
Stevenson Fahrenheit 451—Ray
Bradbury Nonfiction 7 Habits of Highly
Effective Teens— Sean Covey All Creatures
Great and Small— James Herriot I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings— Maya
Angelou The Diary of a
Young Girl—Anne Frank Profiles in
Courage—John F. Kennedy The Black Like Me—John
Howard Griffin
English II—
Choose any three books from the following list (one must be fiction and one must be nonfiction):
Fiction Kidnapped—Robert
Louis Stevenson April Morning—Howard
Fast The Sea Wolf—Jack
London Watership Down—Richard
Adams Pride and Prejudice,
or Emma, or Sense and
Sensibility—Jane Austen Great Expectations
or Oliver Twist— Charles
Dickens The Mark of Zorro— McCulley Lord of the Flies—William
Golding The Metamorphosis—Franz Kafka Adv. Of
Huckleberry Finn or Prince and the Pauper—Mark Twain Nonfiction A Child Called
“It”—Dave Pelzer Farewell to
Manzanar— J. W. Houston & J. D. Houston I Know Why the
Caged Bird Sings— Maya
Angelou The Diary of a
Young Girl—Anne Frank Profiles in
Courage—John F. Kennedy The Prince—Machiavelli Into the Wild—Jon Krakauer All The King's Men— Robert Penn The In These
Girls, Hope is a Muscle— Madeline Blais
English III & IV (AP English Language and Composition)
The AP English Language and
Composition course emphasizes a mix of politics, history, social sciences,
current events, and non-fiction prose.
There is just a little bit of literary fiction. This class is different from most English
classes you have taken before; it will ask you to analyze argument as well as
look more closely at the power and beauty language possesses. You have had plenty of experiences with
quality fiction, but you may not have read too much non-fiction. The summer reading list offers you a chance
to create a database for yourself that you will use throughout the school year.
Part I—throughout the
summer
To begin to create a foundation of examples and ideas to
support the arguments you will be asked to make, you need to read a reputable
newsmagazine throughout the summer. (Time, Newsweek or US News and World Report
are fairly reputable.) If you can read The New York Times, its “Week in Review”
section on Sundays provides a great look at the main events and arguments of
the week and is available online—with subscription.
Due on the first day of school, a minimum of 10
articles. This assignment should be completed WEEKLY! You may not turn in 10 articles from the same
source and date. Students should be
finding at least one article per week for this project.
ü
A collection of
op-ed pieces from The New York Times
or other major newspapers and newsmagazines need to be collected. You need to write a paragraph response to
each of the articles. (Minimum- 5 articles)
ü
A collection of
news and feature articles from a variety of reputable newsmagazines need to be
read. You need to write a paragraph
response to each of the articles. (Minimum- 5 articles)
ü
Students will
also be asked to write an essay during the first week of school, incorporating
the knowledge gained through the summer op-ed reading.
ü
Students must
bring all articles and responses to the first day of class.
PART II – due by Tuesday, August 19
AP Language &
Composition covers a broad range of writing and the categories below just begin
to offer you a sampling of the many different genres we will be exploring and
analyzing throughout the year.
You will be reading one pair of books (two books).
• You need to pick one pair of books from the list below
to read over the first half of summer.
• For each work you should pick two short quotations
that are somehow significant and that you feel are connected to something in
the paired work. Include why you selected these particular quotations.
• FOR FULL CREDIT: You must make thoughtful and
insightful connections between the works that extend beyond obvious and trite
commentary.
• All entries must be typed and double-spaced in order
to receive credit.
• You will need to write a 2-page response to the pair
of books chosen. You are looking to show a connection between the books.
Responses should not be a summary of the reading.
Choices:
I.
Politics/Current Events
We wish to inform you that tomorrow…. by Philip Gourevich
AND
Longitudes
and Latitudes: Exploring the World After September 11 by Thomas Friedman
II.
Philosophy/Crime
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
AND
Ethics by Aristotle
III.
Science/Description
Double Helix by James D. Watson
AND
A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman
IV.
Education/ Society
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
AND
Savage Inequalities by Jonathan Kozol
PART 3 – Due the first full week of school
For the end of the summer everyone will be reading the same book: An American Childhood by Annie Dillard. Student will need to complete a Major Works Data Sheet for this book by the first full week of school. Data Sheets will be distributed to students the last week of school, or they may be downloaded from my TeacherWeb website.
There will also be copies of selected essays for students to read over the summer and to write responses to. These copies will be distributed to students the last week of school, and they will be available on my TeacherWeb website.