Kerr AP Language
Summer Reading 2014-2015
Materials Needed:
 Sin and Syntax by Constance Hale
 70+page spiral notebook/college-ruled/8X11 paper
 Access to Turnitin.com
 Access to Grammarly
 Access to the Internet
 Ms. Nys’s phone number: 713-703-4657
 Ms. Nys’s email: Ayntagonist@aol.com
 Use Ayn Nys to find Ms. Nys on Facebook
 Class Code for Turnitin.com:8084998 Password: Shakespeare
 This understanding: We read high-level, primarily nonfiction selections in AP Language. Because such selections reflect real-life, they
may often be controversial. Some selections have profanity in them. Some selections may touch on topics that you and/or your family
have very strong convictions about. When you are faced with this material, please just handle it in a mature, sophisticated manner.
Remember someone else’s choice of words may be different than your own. Someone else’s viewpoint may conflict with yours. No
worries--the point of the class is to help you formulate your own opinions and voice them eloquently with adequate support. Respect
others as they attempt to do the same. Read, listen, analyze. Then, know what your personal convictions are and embrace them.
Sin and Syntax: Spiral Section 1
AP Summer Reading 2014-2015
Narratives: Spiral Section 2
SPIRALS CHECKED THE SECOND DAY OF CLASS
Purchase the book (either print or online is fine but
you MUST have your own copy)
SPIRALS CHECKED THE SECOND DAY OF CLASS
Read each story carefully (you can find the stories
by doing a Google search). Take MADIDLS notes
over each story in your spiral (see directions in this
PAK). Be ready to discuss the stories and analyze
it in a profound way at the beginning of the school
year.
Take thorough Cornell Notes over each chapter of
the book. For each chapter you should have a
MINIMUM of five quotes in the record section
that you think are important. These quotes should
be cited with page numbers or location numbers.
Remember to categorize your notes in the recall
section. Don’t forget to summarize your notes in
the reduce section when you reach the end of a
chapter.
Selections
“Brett, Unbroken” by Steve Friedman
“Killing My Body to Save My Mind” by Lauren
Slater
“If” by Paul Harvey Use this website: http://20thcentury-archive.tripod.com/id15.html
“Old Lady Down the Hall” by David Sedaris
Make sure you understand any new terms you
come across in Sin and Syntax. You will have to
use these terms at the beginning of the school year.
Online Posts: Spiral Section 3
SPIRALS CHECKED THE SECOND DAY OF CLASS
Assignment 1: My Unforgettable Moment
Process a narrative about a memorable moment
from your life. The narrative must be TRUE and in
story-form, but feel free to be creative. You will see
models provided by the teacher as well as more
detailed directions when you go to the turnitin.com
site. Final copy due August 11, 2014. PLEASE
DO NOT GO OVER 1,200 words!
Blog 2: Violence and Video Games Read and take
thorough Cornell Notes over the information on this
site: http://videogames.procon.org/ Then, find an
article that relates to the topic on one of the
approved websites (see list in this PAK). Write an
extensive summary and analysis of the article and
explain how it ties in with the issues (model and
more thorough directions will be posted on
turnitin.com) YOU MAY NOT USE AN
ARTICLE THAT ANOTHER CLASSMATE
HAS ALREADY USED! Original post due
August 15, 2014.
Blog 3: Sports and Drugs Read and take thorough
Cornell Notes over the information on this site:
http://sportsanddrugs.procon.org/
Then, find an article that relates to the topic on one
of the approved websites (see list in this PAK).
Write an extensive summary and analysis of the
article and explain how it ties in with the issue (see
model and more thorough directions on
turnitin.com) YOU MAY NOT USE AN
ARTICLE THAT ANOTHER CLASSMATE
HAS ALREADY USED! Original post due
August 19, 2014
How to Take MADIDLS Notes
1.
2.
3.
Read the selection carefully and on a separate sheet of paper, take notes on the following: modes, appeals, diction, images, details, language, syntax.
You should set up your notes so they go in order of MADIDLS (see number one). Leave about 5-10 line spaces for each section.
For the modes section, remember that all selections have an overall mode. In this case, narrative. But these usually have other modes as well. You can
refer to this website to understand the main rhetorical modes:
http://rschs.rcsnc.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_4792664/File/tgshelton/Eng%20III%20AP/Modes_of_discourse.pdf. When you do the modes, just list
the modes the author utilizes and a quote that reflects the mode.
4. For the appeals sections, find examples of various appeals the author uses. The author may use pathos, ethos, and/or logos. List the appeals you notice
and a quote that reflects the appeal. For more information on appeals, see this: http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples/examples-of-ethos-logosand-pathos.html
5. For the diction section, note words that stand out because they are precise or unfamiliar. Give each word a charge (positive, negative, neutral).
6. For the images section, note examples of figurative language or sensory language.
7. For the details section, note details that stand out in some way. You may also note details that seem to be purposely omitted.
8. For the language section, describe the language used in one two words (e.g. scholarly, down to earth, humorous, poignant, flowery, etc.), and then
explain how you arrived at that description with a few sentences of support.
9. For the syntax part. Take 3-5 sentences of various lengths that stand out. Write out the sentences and label them like you have been taught when
sentence diagramming. Then, diagram each sentence.
10. Remember MADIDLS is a starting point. You use this information later when writing analyses and discussing selections.
Approved Websites for Articles/Blogging
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The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/
The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
The New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/
Newsweek: http://www.newsweek.com/search/site/video%2520games?fq%5B0%5D=im_field_categories%3A5&retain-filters=1
NPR: http://www.npr.org/
Psychology Today: http://www.psychologytoday.com/
Scientific American: http://www.scientificamerican.com/
Ted Talks: https://www.ted.com/talks/browse
Time: http://time.com/
The Wall Street Journal: http://online.wsj.com/home-page
The Week: http://week.manoramaonline.com/cgi-bin/MMOnline.dll/portal/ep/home.do?tabId=13