Name:
Date: June 2015
12 AP Summer Reading Assignment
Students will read Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut and How to Read Literature like a
Professor by Thomas C. Foster.
Within the first two weeks in September, they will write a timed AP essay.
Upon returning to school in September, students should bring a copy of the book to class and be
prepared to discuss, in detail, the narrative style and structure of the text. If the books are
purchased, students should annotate the books. If the books are borrowed, students should use
post-it notes or take copious notes on separate pieces of paper.
Students should be prepared to discuss the many literary techniques used by the authors, as well
as literary elements which are present in the texts.
In 12 AP we are always “arguing” from a position of theme. In other words, students should
determine what the author’s message is and then support that hypothesis by discussing the
various literary devices that are employed by the author. For example:
Narrator
Point of View
Flashback
Foreshadowing
Diction (denotative/connotative; language)
Symbol
Conflict
Characterization
Setting
Tone
Allusion
Students should come to class with five (5) memorable quotes from each novel and be prepared
to discuss key passages from each novel (no more than one paragraph from the novel that
highlights/illuminates the main character or theme of the novel).
If students locate any research on the novel that informs their understanding of it, the
students should be prepared to acknowledge those sources during class discussions.