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Welcome to AP English Literature & Composition,
You are joining a class dedicated to formal analysis of literature by evidence from texts and composing literary essays that each present a sustainable argument about how the author has made meaning. Also, it is a place where we as readers will make individual responses and share collective responses to fictional texts. For some students this will be the terminus of their formal literary study and for other students this will be a portal to higher level courses in literature and composition. In either case, this course offers an intense and enriching experience, determined largely by the effort you add to the tasks as you learn the key understandings of how literature works and develop your literary analysis and writing skills.
Throughout the year, we will read scores of hours worth of text, write more than a dozen in-class essays and a research paper, and complete weekly AP Literature and Composition Exam practice. In other words, this course is not easy—it is for everyone willing to meet the high expectations of the course. If you are student who is willing to put in the time and effort, you will experience success. We will go step by step, to ensure that you master the content and become the excellent readers, writers, and speakers you’re destined to be.
Summer reading is important. Researchers estimate on average that students who keep reading in the summer advance 1 month in reading ability whereas students who do not read during that time regress 3 months. Reading is like physical exercise: a daily workout for 30 minutes is great; three times a week can keep you fit. So as you complete this assignment, move on to more reading on your own!
Also, summer reading is a way to get started on the same page, beginning your apprenticeship toward becoming a master reader and analysis thinker. Read on! ~ Mrs. Williams
Email Address: williams.cortney@bphawks.org
*NOTE: Be prepared for a test on Cloud Cuckoo Land and an in-class essay on Cloud Cuckoo Land within the first two weeks of class.
Printable Version of English Literature & Composition Summer Reading Letter
LEARNING TARGETS
LEARNING TARGETS
By completion of the AP Summer Reading , you will accomplish the following learning:
select a notebook and begin to use it while doing the following . . .
read How to Read Literature Like a Professor Chapter 4: "Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before" and "Interlude: One Story"
identify examples of the key understandings of literary analysis and practice the Cornell Method of notetaking and sketchnotes for How to Read Literature Like a Professor Chapter 4: "Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before" and "Interlude: One Story" (1 page for each chapter in your notebook)
read Cloud Cuckoo Land, by an award-winning author of the 21st Century
identify examples of the key understandings of literary analysis in the long fiction you read and record these in your Cloud Cuckoo Land booklet
identify examples of the key understandings of literary analysis and practice the Cornell Method of notetaking and sketchnotes for Cloud Cuckoo Land. (3-4 pages in your notebook)
read thirteen poems
practice the Cornell Method of notetaking and sketchnotes for (1) poem (in your notebook)
compose a narrative reflection of yourself as a reader, and include a selfie "caught reading" (in a Google Doc)
*NOTE: Be prepared for a test on Cloud Cuckoo Land and an in-class essay on Cloud Cuckoo Land within the first two weeks of class.
I have a great notebook to capture my thinking
I have used that notebook and filled more than a half dozen pages with Cornell style notes and sketchnotes. See the following.
I read two chapters (Chapter 4 and Interlude) of How to Read Literature Like a Professor.
I read a 21st century work of long fiction-novel Cloud Cuckoo Land.
In my notes, I recorded instances I found of the key understandings of literary analysis at work in the long fiction choice. I filled a booklet of my findings and responses.
I read thirteen poems and analyzed, explicated, and interpreted one of those poems.
I wrote a narrative reflection of myself as a reader, and included a selfie "caught reading" to reflect and share.
ORGANIZING STUDY
ORGANIZING STUDY
✔️ USE THIS PRINTABLE CHECKLIST (click here) TO PLAN AND TICK-OFF THE ASSIGNMENTS
HOW TO TAKE NOTES FOR THIS COURSE
TEXT: Watch guides on YouTube: Focus on Cornell Method and sketchnoting.
▶️ How I Take Notes ,
▶️ Sketchnote with the Cornell Note-Taking Method, and
▶️ Practice Sketching with Google's QuickDraw
After watching StudyTee’s notes system and Doug Neill's sketchnoting strategies, including the time-honored Cornell Method, I want you to think about how you can benefit from these techniques and practice them this summer and throughout the year. Research has shown that taking notes, pen to paper, can increase our retention of information by 7 X, that of taking notes with computers computers.1 Seven times! I would get excited by doubling my ability to recall ideas, so this is great news. Also, the dual-coding cognition that is required with sketchnotes may improve recall 29%.
▶ Some Sample Pages from AP Lit Scholars
▶ Types of Annotations (with Sticky Notes)
1. Mueller, Pam and Daniel M. Oppenheimer. “The Pen Is Mightier Than the Keyboard: Advantages of Longhand Over Laptop Note Taking.” Psychological Science, vol. 25, no. 6, pp. 1159-68, 2014.
2. The Guardian, 26 Feb 2009. Based on “What Does Doodling Do?” By Jackie Andrade. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2009.
2. The Guardian, 26 Feb 2009. Based on “What Does Doodling Do?” By Jackie Andrade. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 2009.
TEXT: How to Mark a Book
Read Prof. Adler's classic advice on note-taking in a book or reader's journal. Of course, you can't mark your school-provided copy of summer reading. Instead, use sticky notes and your bookmarks and notepaper.
This summer, you may practice Adler's suggestions in with sticky notes.
Assignment #1:
A. WATCH the videos on how to take notes: Cornell & sketchnotes.
B. GET A NOTEBOOK of your choice with the style of paper that you prefer (lined, graph, blank, bullet point, etc.). We will use this notebook to create notes for the major works that we study, so find one that you really like.
C. START USING IT - Assignment #3: Create (1) page of Cornell style notes for How to Read Literature Like a Professor Chapter 4: "Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before" and "Interlude: One Story" (1 page for each chapter), Assignment #4: Create (3-4) pages of Cornell style notes for Cloud Cuckoo Land, and Assignment #5 create (1) page of Cornell style notes for the poetry assignment.
Recommended start and complete Assignment #1 in June. Set yourself up for success with ease.
Why it is important -- The process of learning something often starts out feeling disorganized and unwieldy; the most important aspects are not always salient. So it's key to capture ideas that might not be clearly important at first but will be later on. Also, it may seem easy to recall ideas while working with them, but these may fade as we focus on new material. Capturing ideas for review is vital because review (iterated repetition of looking at something locks it into our memory for instant recall) is what is needed for the time-pressured recall on exams.
This notebook will serve as a means to consolidate what you have learned throughout the year, allowing you to retrieve the significant progress we make. Make it your own. Decorate it if you like or keep it clean and clear, but do practice Cornell Method and sketchnoting.
Photo by Jess Baily @ Unsplash
READING
READING
BLOG POST
TEXT: Leo Babauta's "Why I Read"
Read this blog post (4 minutes read).
Assignment #2:
MY READING, MYSELF
A: WRITE A BRIEF NARRATIVE (1-page) personal narrative composition on yourself as a reader. Complete this in a Google doc. Write a page of notes about your relationship with reading. Share an honest assessment of the role that it plays in your life. Think about how you would conceptualize and categorize your reading’s impact on you. I value honesty. If reading is not your thing, say it. If you love it, then let me know. I'm indifferent to where you are on the reader's spectrum and more interested in the truth and details of your reflection. I want to read about why you feel the way that you do. I want to get to know you as a reader. Approximately 240 words, typed in a Google doc. Due in the first week of school.
For example:
My earliest memories of reading independently are of reading mysteries. I love mysteries. My second grade teacher, Mrs. Fullerton, introduced my class to Encyclopedia Brown books, a series about a grade school detective. I was hooked. I loved the idea that if you followed the clues, you could figure out the answer to the puzzle; however, I was rarely able to figure out the mystery before Encyclopedia Brown. As my second grade days were in a time before Amazon and the young reader section at the bookstore was nearly nonexistent, I waited in anticipation for the newsprint order forms from the Scholastic publishing company that were distributed every few weeks at school. I would beg my parents to allow me to order as many books as possible, and I waited in anticipation for the day when the books that I had ordered arrived in my classroom - those were magical days that seemed even more special than my birthday.
I spent most of my elementary, middle, and high school years with my head in a book. One of my favorite feelings is to be so engrossed in a book that when I have to stop reading for a while, the book is all that I seem to think about as I move about my day. It is for this reason that I tend to "inhale" books; I often remind myself not to be in such a hurry to find out how a book ends, so that I slow down and enjoy the experience of the book - the characters, the plot, the description, and the unique turns of phrase.
When I was in high school, my English teachers, Mrs. Nogar, Miss Carey, and Mrs. Unrath, exposed me to books that I would not have gravitated toward on my own - Animal Farm, 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, The Sound and Fury, Great Expectations, Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Pride and Prejudice. These books, and so many more, that I read during high school, college, and graduate school helped me to realize that traveling outside of my typical reading interests gave me new perspectives, new ideas, and new understandings that I would not have experienced if I had not read those books. I completely admit that, like everyone else, I did not love every book that I have ever read, and there are some books that I have no desire to read again, but I still carry the experience of reading those books and mentally engaging with those books with me. I have come to understand that the varied experiences that books can provide us is part of the magic of books; they exist not only to entertain us, but they also exist to educate and enlighten us as well.
While many years have passed since my Encyclopedia Brown days, my love of a good puzzle still tends to lead me in the direction of the mystery section in the bookstore; however, I have learned that many of my most rewarding reading experiences have occurred when I traveled off the well-worn path of my favorite book genre. I guess it really is no mystery after all that when we challenge ourselves to seek out new experiences in the books that we choose to read, we have the opportunity to encounter new characters, stories, ideas, experiences, and perspectives that we will carry with us and will continue to enrich our lives.
B. TAKE A SELFIE (or have someone else take a photo) of you reading Cloud Cuckoo Land or other summer reading. Submit with your narrative; i.e. insert the photo on your document.
Assignment #2 is due in the first week of school, but you can compose it at anytime during the summer.
Why it is important -- This is the first step in me getting to know you as a reader. And it's important for you to consider yourself as a reader and how that can help you flourish. It's also important as we come together as a class, as a group of readers, to see "who's in the space" and what sort of readers we are collectively.
SCHOLARLY TEXT
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster
(Read two chapters) Chapter 4: “Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before” (p. 21-31) & “Interlude: One Story” (p. 193-200)
Assignment #3:
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster
A. Read: Chapter 4: “Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before” (p. 21-31) and “Interlude: One Story” (p. 193-200)
C. Take Notes: Practice sketchnotes and Cornell notes by creating a page of notes for each chapter. These notes should be taken in the same notebook as you found in Assignment #1, and you will use the notebook for Assignment #4, Cloud Cuckoo Land notes, and Assignment #5, your explicative response to one of the poems provided in this summer reading assignment.
*See the AP Lit Understandings & Skills page for what you might consider noteworthy as well as your personal reader-response.
Assignment #3 will be due in the first week of school.
Why it is important --These chapters are the beginning of our work to hone the ability to recognize patterns in texts. Developing this skill is important both in our work in the course and for success on the AP Literature and Composition Exam. In his book, Professor Foster helps us to identify, understand, and interpret intertextuality and to to identify, understand, and interpret the impact of these patterns in poetic and literary works.
LONG FICTION
TEXT: Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
TEXT: AP Lit & Comp Understandings & Skills (The Elements)
Click this link for a handout that shares the key understandings and basic skills of literary analysis as defined by The College Board. For a print-friendly version, click here: AP Lit & Comp Understandings & Skills
Assignment #4:
LONG FICTION: READING & NOTES
A. Read Cloud Cuckoo Land
Make a reading plan and start in early, like late June-early July. Pace yourself based on your reading speed and style.
Cloud Cuckoo Land: If you are not an avid reader, start early and realize this novel consists of several plot lines; it takes about 120 pages to meet all the characters. Consider the audiobook takes 15 hours of reading time (or 3 hours per week for 5 weeks, 5 hours per week for 3 weeks, or 2 hours for 7-1/2 weeks). Silent reading will take less time, but the point is to not wait until August to start.
"READ" means the action of your eyes moving over words on a page to make meaning. You may listen to an audio book while you read; but, please do not only listen. It is not the same cognitive skill, nor does it have the same result. While e-books may be convenient and less expensive, research suggests that in-print books beat e-readers as well in terms of focus, lessening distraction, and retention of what's read.
Speaking of audiobooks, you might find a copy at a local library or bookstore or Audible.com. The suggestion here is to listen as you READ. You get the best of both worlds.
B. Cloud Cuckoo Land: Compile some notes in your booklet. Quotes of lines that you find remarkable for their meaning or style, character notes, your personal vocabulary list, and a overall reader-response (some aspect of the book that connects with your experience). NOTE: It is a good practice to make some marginal notes or to briefly summarize chapters as you go with sticky notes (since you cannot not write in the school copy.) Using sticky notes can help you to better remember the events in the novel. ▶ Types of Annotations (with Sticky Notes)
C. Cloud Cuckoo Land: Practice sketchnotes and Cornell notes by creating a few pages of notes about the book as you go (3-4 pages minimum). These notes are in the same notebook as you found in Assignment #1 and you will use in Assignment #4 your explicative response to one of the poems provided in this summer reading assignment.
*See the AP Lit Understandings & Skills page for what you might consider noteworthy as well as your personal reader-response.
Assignment #4 will be due in the first week of school. Your Cloud Cuckoo Land booklet will be collected and reviewed for your original, individual composition of notes, vocabulary, and response and your Cloud Cuckoo Land notes will be assessed for their adherence to the Cornell style of notes.
*NOTE: Be prepared for a test on Cloud Cuckoo Land and an in-class essay on Cloud Cuckoo Land within the first two weeks of class.
Why it is important -- A mature thinker considers how a text functions (how an author uses elements of character, structure, etc.) and then evaluate the quality of texts against his or her own experience and response to a work. I respect your ability to review the Understandings and Skills document and make connections to your text, as well as other texts, ideas, cultural perspectives, eras, and personal experiences and when you have control over how you do that, you often exceed my expectations. And finally, the College Board plans to comprise 25% of the exam with 21st century fiction.
Photo by Ben White Photography @ UnsplashPOETRY EXPLICATION
TEXT: Read a Dozen Poems,
Scroll down in the document to the second page and click on the links for the poems.
Assignment #5:
POEM NOTES: Make notes on 1 poem from the assigned poems and practice analysis, explication, and interpretation (as shown in the model). Read the collection of assigned poems.
A. Read all of the poems linked on the assignment. You might notice they relate to ideas in Cloud Cuckoo Land.
B. Choose a poem from this list and create notes. The notes should focus on analysis, explication, and interpretation of the poem. Analysis means to observe its parts and how it works. Explication literally means to "unfold," so you see how the parts are functioning to develop meaning. Interpretation means that you consider the text, all its parts together, and infer an overall meaning. Look for parts that are interrelated. Find the individual aspects of the poem that give it meaning. Explain how this is so.
Examples: Here is information on explicating poems and an example on Wordsworth's poem "Composed on Westminster Bridge." A more sophisticated analysis of an e.e. cummings poem "[i carry your heart with me(i carry it in]" can be found here.
Finally, see what connections you might make related to Cloud Cuckoo Land.
Assignment #5 is to be completed in your notebook (that you acquire in Assignment #1). Assignment #5 will be checked for completion in the first week of school and show evidence of your original, individual thinking about the poem.
Why it is important -- Poetry is complex and simple at once. It is a universal language and is almost as ancient. Each poem provides an experience, often a journey in which you begin at Point A and end up at Point B. Carefully reading poetry means not only getting there but knowing how the poet got you there. Explication is all about taking note of the surroundings, the details, the sounds, the allusions, and how a poet gets you there. This first notation on a poem for the class will help me know how you travel through a poem and make meaning.
Photo by slon_dot_pics @ Pexels✔️ USE THIS CHECKLIST (click here) TO PLAN AND TICK-OFF THE ASSIGNMENTS
HOW ELSE TO PREPARE FOR THE COURSE
HOW ELSE TO PREPARE FOR THE COURSE
If you are likely to have more time in the summer than during the school year, you may read ahead. It would be advisable to make Cornell style notes for any novels or plays that you read this summer, to help you recall details.
What to read?
There is a a literature-based research paper project. Most students focus on 1-3 novels or plays. This means reading them. So this is a good preparation.
You may also pre-read course texts. Every year varies somewhat but may include such longer works as:
1984 by George Orwell
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
We won't have time to read all of these, but these make a good short list of some classics for your independent reading.
SUMMARY OF THE SUMMER (It's about 18 hours of study across the summer)
SUMMARY OF THE SUMMER (It's about 18 hours of study across the summer)
START BY MID SUMMER (July 1)
❥ ASSIGNMENT 1, 3, 4
-- Watch the videos on taking notes. (1/2 hour)
-- Get a notebook. (time required varies)
-- Read the blog post "Why I Read" (4 minutes)
--Read How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster Chapter 4: “Now, Where Have I Seen Her Before”
(p. 21-31) and “Interlude: One Story” (p. 193-200) & practice the Sketchnotes and Cornell notes techniques by
creating (1) page of notes per chapter (1 hour)
-- Start reading Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (approximately 14 hours) (approximately 4 hours)
-- Take notes in your booklet (Cloud Cuckoo Land) and in your notebook (Cloud Cuckoo Land (3-4) pages; poem explication (1) page related to AP Lit Understandings & Skills )
MID- SUMMER (July 15 -July 31)
❥ ASSIGNMENT 2
-- Take your selfie/portrait of you reading summer reading. (1/4 hour), and add it to the following:
-- Write one-page narrative reflection on yourself as a reader, typed as a Google Doc. (1/2 hour).
LATE SUMMER (August 1 - August 15)
❥ ASSIGNMENT 5-- One-page of notes in your notebook in explication of a poem from the (13) assigned poems. (1 hour)
-----------------------------------------------
-- Assessments on your reading are likely in the first week, which may include a timed-essay on your novels and quiz.
--Click here for 1-page sheet of what's due the first week of school.
✔️ USE THIS PRINTABLE CHECKLIST (click here) TO PLAN AND TICK-OFF THE ASSIGNMENTS
NOTE: Your Cloud Cuckoo Land (booklet) notebook is separate from the booklet assignment. If you need a replacement booklet, you can find one here to print.
English Language Arts Department Texts Selection Policy Statement
Literary texts in the BPHS English Language Arts courses are thoughtfully selected by English faculty and approved by District administrators. English teachers consider the contribution that each work may make to the education of the reader, its aesthetic value, its authenticity, its readability for a particular group of students, and its appeal to adolescents. The approved curriculum includes classic and contemporary texts selected particularly to equip students for their future as citizens in a democratic society and readers in post-secondary study. In acknowledging that all texts may not suit all students alike in style and substance, English teachers respect the right of individuals to be selective in their own reading while opposing efforts of individuals or groups to limit the freedom of choice or to impose their own standards or tastes upon the students at large. Students or parents who find a particular text not suited to their needs are advised to see their teacher and select an alternative text for independent study.
This page available at: tinyurl.com/bphsapsummerread
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