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Summer Reading List for Those Registering for AP World History 2018-9
Welcome to the course and to your first assignment, which is due (depending on the format you choose) the first day of classes in August. The importance of this assignment, beyond the information you will gain from reading the book, is that it will start you on improving your reading speed. In addition to this I suggest you try to read one newspaper article a day on topics that you are not always familiar with to develop your reading prowess. In AP World History we will be covering world history, broken into the following time periods:
- Period 1 - 8000 BCE to 600 BCE
- Period 2 - 600 BCE to 600 CE
- Period 3 - 600 CE –1450 CE
- Period 4 - 1450 CE –1750 CE
- Period 5 - 1750 CE –1900 CE Period 6 - 1900 to present
However we will start with Period 6, so that is why books from Period 6 will be permitted for the first semester reading assignment.
In AP World History we will be emphasizing the following themes:
- Interaction between humans and the environment (e.g. demography, disease, migrations, patterns of settlement, and technology)
- Development and interaction of cultures (e.g. belief systems, religions, philosophies, science, technology, arts and architecture)
- State-building, expansion, and conflict (e.g. governments, empires, nations, revolutions, etc.).
- Creation, expansion, and interaction of economic systems (e.g. agriculture, trade, labor, industrialization, capitalism, etc.)
- Development and transformation of social structures (e.g. gender roles and relations, families and kinship, ethnicity, social and economic classes).
You should spread your reading around, geographically, chronologically, and thematically. If you are familiar with medieval Europe, I suggest not reading a book about that topic, but rather trying to expand your horizons and knowledge--you need to gather as much information as you can to prepare for the AP test! I have not included many books whose sole focus is United States history and few on just Europe as I assume some of your coursework has already covered that material.
I know that this will be your summer vacation, so do not force yourself to suffer through a hard or tedious read. There are many enjoyable books on this list, both fiction and non-fiction, and even some that may be characterized as “popcorn” or “beach” reads, but will still provide you with valuable information. That said, it might be easier to get through some of the longer texts in the summer than during the school year and these will probably be more beneficial for the exam. Also, you might choose to start your second semester books during the summer, too.
PLEASE NOTE: COLLABORATION (VERBALLY OR OTHERWISE) WITH ANOTHER STUDENT (or website) ON THIS ASSIGNMENT WILL BE CONSTRUED AS CHEATING. THIS IS AN INDEPENDENT ASSIGNMENT. IN ADDITION TO SUBMITTING THE WRITTEN REPORT, YOU WILL ALSO BE SUBMITTING YOUR IT ELECTRONICALLY TO ME TO SUBMIT TO TURNITIN.COM (you will get the sign in information once the semester begins)
An approved reading list is attached. If you want to read something not on this list, you will need my permission first, received via email (mrsbondlamberty@gmail.com). Failure to read a book from the correct period will result in a “0” for that grade.
For class you will need to read a total of 4 books, 2 due on the day of classes and the other 2 for second semester (dates to be determined later but one will be in February and the other in March). For the summer assignment you need to read two books:
- one fiction any book from F-6, F-1, F-2 or F-3,
- one non-fiction any book from NF-6, NF-1, NF-2, NF-3, NF-7, or NF-8)
AND complete an assignment on each.
For second semester assignment you need to read two books, they can both be either fiction or non-fiction, or one of each:
- any fiction (1, 2 or none) book from F-4, or F-5,
- any nonfiction book (1, 2 or none) from NF-4, NF-5, F-7 or F-8
AND complete an assignment on each.
ASSIGNMENTS: You are required to do an assignment for each of the four books (2 for first semester and 2 for second). These assignments are intended to serve two purposes:
1. To show that you have indeed read the book and understood its message.
2. To evaluate your analytical skills. I will be grading the summer assignment more leniently than I will the 2nd semester assignments.
Students should be ready to inform the readers about the general contents of the work: subject matter, including its time period, general organization of the material, structure of the argument, and so forth. Options for assessment include:
- In-class written assessment – writing answers to questions about the book which will require some specifics (though not names or dates);
- In-class mini-presentation/answering of questions about the book in class on the day we are discussing the topic (Period 6 books come up fast)
- Group discussion (outside of class) – discussing main historical points of the book(s) – not available with people that have read the same book.
- One on one discussion (outside of the class) – on the main historical points of the book(s)
- Reassessment options include bringing in information to support discussion taking place in class (throughout the semester on different dates depending on the book).
Possible Questions for written assessment in-class (without notes, but can have book) will include: Fiction:
- What are some interesting/significant historical things you learned from this book?
- What are some interesting/significant cultural things you learned from this book? (things such as the themes mentioned above: social structures, gender roles, political organization, interactions with the environment, demography, art and religion, technology, economy, etc.).
- Book-inspired questions:
- What historical questions (NOTE: Plural means more than one) were raised for you about this topic? You need to come up with some questions. Not having questions is not an option.
- What in the book inspired these questions?
- General questions:
- How did you like the book overall?
- Would you recommend this book for next year’s summer reading list? Why or why not? Be specific. Saying you did not like the book will not negatively affect your grade, however not explaining why it is not a good book for the assignment will.
Nonfiction
- What question is the author(s) trying to answer? (Why are they writing this book?)
- Why do they think this question is important? (Why is it worth researching and writing a book about?)
- What is the author’s thesis (that is, the answer to their question)?
- What kind of evidence do they provide in trying to answer the question? Summarize as much as possible, but do not omit important evidence. [This should be the major part of this paper]
- How convincing do you think they are in defending their thesis? Why do you think so?
- Did the author have a specific audience (either stated or inferred) in mind when writing? If so, did this affect their presentation?
- What opinion(s) does the author hold towards this subject? Is it helpful or harmful to his or her purpose?
- Are there other questions that you wish the author had answered? If so, what are they? Not having questions is not an option.
- Are there questions that were raised by this reading that you would like answered in the course? If so, what are they? What in the book inspired these questions? You need to come up with at least two questions. Not having questions is not an option.
- How did you like the book overall? Would you recommend it for next year’s summer reading list? Why or why not? Be specific. Saying you did not like the book will not negatively affect your grade, but must explain why or why not. [The answers to some of these questions are often in the introduction or preface of the book.]
Other Points for the Rubric:
- Do not collaborate (talk, Skype, email, Facebook, etc.) about your assignment. This is meant to be an individual assignment. Any similarities in someone else’s assignment could result in both parties receiving a “0” or failing the course. You will submit an electronic copy of your paper to submit to turnitin.com. I will give you the login information once the school year begins.
- To do this assignment well you only need to use your head and have read the book in its entirety. Other information is not necessary to complete this assignment (including excerpts from amazon.com or other reviews), so do not feel the need to do research. However, if you do get ideas from somewhere else, give credit to the source.
- Other pet peeves: non-fiction texts are not novels, do not refer to them as such. Know the difference between defiantly and definitely. Also be clear on the use of apostrophes – they are used to indicate contractions or possession, not plural. Finally, watch out for homophones that are spelled differently!
To: Good Books but not good enough for the Summer Reading List
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