Welcome to AP Literature and Composition!
Dear Senior:
Congratulations on reaching your final year of high school! If you are receiving this letter, you are currently
enrolled in AP Literature and Composition for the 2015 – 2016 school year. In preparation for this course, there
are two books you will need to read over the summer. Due to limited resources, I am asking that you purchase
these books or check them out from your local library. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. My email
address is Erika.Shartrand@browardschools.com.
How to Read Literature Like a Professor, by Thomas C. Foster (ISBN 978-0-06-000942-7) is the
first of the two reading assignments you will be reading over the summer. This book will provide
an overview of the types of details you should focus on when closely reading a piece of literature
for the purpose of analysis.
The second novel you are being assigned to read over the summer is Kite Runner, by Khaled
Hosseini (ISBN 1-59448-000-1). This novel is both an entertaining read as well as one with in
depth themes and powerful symbols that we will explore together.
Additionally, as you read these two books over the summer, please take handwritten notes in the form of a
dialectical journal in either a composition or spiral notebook. Every ten pages or so, copy down a passage you feel
supports a theme or that contains symbolism, imagery, or figurative language such as metaphors or irony. Indicate
the page number where the passage was found and why you found this passage particularly meaningful. You will
need 28 entries for How to Read Literature Like a Professor and 37 entries for Kite Runner. Please be prepared
with your journals and be ready for a comprehension quiz, class discussion, and writing assignment regarding your
summer reading by Tuesday, August 25th 2015.
Finally, you will need to join the AP Lit Edmodo group by visiting the following link: https://edmo.do/j/gs5t45. This
website is where I’ll be posting due dates for assignments, answering questions, and sharing important documents
such as details for completing your dialectical journals.
I’m hoping to help you make your senior year at Monarch meaningful and memorable, and am sincerely excited
to see all of your happy faces in the fall! Again, please email me if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Ms. Shartrand