Thanks for your interest in AP English Language and Composition! Here’s what you’ll need to do over the summer in order to prepare for class….

By September 2nd, read The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green. As you read, write ten responses in a reading journal. 

As you read The Anthropocene Reviewed, you will need to keep a double-entry reading journal. You should write the journal entries by hand in a notebook that you will use for class throughout the year. I suggest purchasing a two subject notebook for class, though it’s also fine if you use a normal one subject notebook and divide the notebook into two sections yourself. (I’ll explain the purposes of the two sections once class begins). 

To create the double entry journal, simply divide the page in half to create a two-column table.  In the left column, copy passages from the book that you consider interesting, surprising, or important. The passages can be anywhere from one sentence to a paragraph. Be sure to include a parenthetical citation identifying the page on which you found the passage. In the right column, write a well-developed paragraph (7+ sentences) about each passage you’ve copied. Be sure that your responses are not simply summaries of the passages. Instead, each journal entry should include the unique, personal thoughts & reactions you had in response to the text. For ideas about what to write, see the “What Should I Write About?” section below.

By the time you finish the book, your double entry journal should include at least ten passage-response pairs. 

How Will the Double Entry Journal Be Graded?

The double entry journal will be a completion grade. We’ll be using The Anthropocene Reviewed throughout the first quarter, so the purpose of the assignment is to simply ensure that you’ve looked at the text ahead of time and that you thought a bit about the text as you read. You’ll be good to go as long as…

(1) you write a minimum of ten responses

(2) you ensure that each response contains at least 7 well-written, grammatically-correct sentences 

(3) you write responses containing analysis and reflection that go beyond simply summarizing the text

What Should I Write About?

Anything! The purpose of a double entry journal is to give you the freedom to respond to the text authentically and organically. Write about whatever you think is interesting or significant. If you’re struggling to come up with ideas, try starting with one of the questions below…

In order to make sure that we are all on the same page when the school year begins, study the concepts and skills listed below before the second week of school.

Some of the concepts and skills are things you should already know and understand. Other concepts and skills will be new to you. But don’t stress; none of these concepts and skills are complex or require a lot of critical thinking to understand. This assignment is really just about memorizing definitions and simple writing skills. And like memorizing anything, memorizing these things simply requires time and repetition.

During the second week of school you will take a test that covers this material. In order to perform well on the test, it is important that you start studying before school resumes in the fall. Click on the links below for more information about each topic.