AP English Language Summer Assignment
Our first unit in AP Language is “Understanding Argumentation.” We will learn the different styles of
arguments and general principles regarding the structure and effectiveness of arguments. In addition, we
will begin in-depth lessons and practice in critical and argumentative writing. Your summer assignment
will introduce you to different styles of non-fiction, position-based reading, and prepare you for the
critical/argumentative writing that is to come. BOTH PARTS OF YOUR SUMMER ASSIGNMENT ARE
DUE ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. Below is a breakdown of each part of your summer assignment:
The assignment as a whole: You will read the book of essays entitled This I Believe, and write an
analytical essay over the book, based on a given prompt. You will use the essays in the first half
of the book to help you write your essay. You will be quizzed on the essays in the second half of
the book. More specific details are given below.
Part 1: Read This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women by Jay Allison
and Dan Gediman
This is a book of short essays written by people from all walks of life. Each essay defines one belief of its
author. The essays are written about all kinds of topics and written in all kinds of styles. Your best
strategy is to purchase your own copy of this book so that you can mark it up as your read—underline
quotes/lines that stand out to you, mark ideas you don’t understand, etc. As you read, you should also
keep a notebook or paper close by. You should list abstract qualities present in the essays (love, hate,
determination, etc), which essays you may use to help you write your analytical essay, and notes to help
you remember the essays (because you will be quizzed over a portion of them). These notes will help you
with both the essay and the quiz. For clarification, you should read from page 7 to page 259. The
appendices at the end of the book are optional.
Please note: We will use various essays in the book throughout the early part of the year to analyze
different styles of argument. Regarding evaluation over the book, it breaks down as follows:
--The essays on pages 7-137 (“Be Cool to the Pizza Dude” through “Living Life With Grace and
Elegant ‘Treeness’”) should be considered for your analytical essay. More information on the essay
is given in part 2 of this assignment.
--The essays on pages 138-259 (“The Light of a Brighter Day” through “When Ordinary People
Achieve Extraordinary Things”) will be the material covered on the quiz. The quiz will be open book,
but not open notes. It will also be timed. You will not have time to go back and reread essays. It is open
book so that you can look up an essay to “jog your memory” if necessary. However, you should study the
essays in this half of the book to be familiar with their content. It is the only way you will finish the quiz in
time.
Part 2: Compose an analytical essay—MUST BE TYPED, 1.5 OR DOUBLE-SPACED, AND PRINTED
FOR TURN IN
After reading the essays on pages 7-137, and noting abstract concepts/qualities present in the various
essays, you must respond to the prompt below in a well-structured, 5 PARAGRAPH essay. Your essay
must be typed, 1.5 or double spaced, saved to your flashdrive, and printed out for turn in on the first day
of school. Read the prompt carefully. Follow the directions to plan your essay; then use the writing
structure handout (attached) in forming your essay. It is VERY IMPORTANT that you follow the writing
structure handout attached to this assignment when writing your essay. Your grade on the “first day
draft” is a 50 point test grade based on your content, effort, and ability to follow directions.
Essay Prompt:
“It is truly a dilemma of each person’s life—do I surround myself with others or stand alone as a
unique individual? While all people do some amount of both, one side typically becomes
dominant, and the question becomes, which do we value more, the understanding gained from
others, or the understanding of self?”
Follow these directions to plan your essay:
1. Decide which aspect of the statement you believe to be most valid—understanding from others or
understanding of self. Your decision will function as your position in the essay. You will defend your
position with support from the text. You MUST CHOOSE A SIDE. Do not waver or play both sides. This
shows weakness in your argument.
2. You also must have reasons for your position. In other words, why do you believe that understanding
from others is more important than self, or vice versa? To phrase your reasoning, look over your notes on
the book, where you indicated abstract concepts/qualities present in the essays. Find three concepts that
work with your position, and compose a position sentence. This sentence functions as your main idea
sentence. For example, let’s say you believe that understanding from others is more important than
understanding of self. Your sentence could be phrased like this:
“In life, it is more valuable to gain understanding from those around you, because when a person
works toward and achieves this understanding, he/she possesses and develops qualities such as
__________________, ____________________, and ______________________.
The blanks would contain qualities you found in the essays. Since the essays center on both people’s
relationships and their individualism, the qualities within the essays can tie directly into the prompt.
Therefore, it is appropriate to focus on those qualities as the reason for your position. Remember, the
qualities are abstract concepts, like love, hope, etc, not literal things like money or family.
3. Once you have a main idea sentence, you need to determine which essays you will use for your
examples. Go back to your notes again. Notice which essays contain the qualities stated in your main
idea, and also support your position regarding being with others or alone. Choose three of those essays.
Each one will be used as an example in separate body paragraphs. In selecting your essays, keep in
mind that each essay will have to prove the existence of one or more qualities stated in your main idea.
Therefore, you should choose essays in which you can clearly understand the presence of a
quality/qualities. REMEMBER, YOU MAY ONLY CHOOSE ESSAYS FROM PAGES 7-137 FOR YOUR
ESSAY.
4. At this point, you should have your main idea defined and your examples chosen. You should now use
the writing structure handout (on reverse side of this page) as a guide for composing your essay.
*Note: The “example” portion of each essay would contain specific details from a particular essay, not
simply a statement of which essay you chose. Those specific details will be what you analyze to prove
your main idea.
To review, the following work is due ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL:
--Complete reading of This I Believe. You will be given a QUIZ over the essays on pages 138259.
--A complete essay over the given prompt. The essay should follow both the given directions and
the writing structure handout. It should be typed, appropriately spaced, saved, and printed for turn
in. I WANT TO EMPHASIZE HERE THAT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO FOLLOW
THE DIRECTIONS CAREFULLY WHEN COMPOSING YOUR ESSAY—BOTH THE GENERAL
DIRECTIONS AND THE DIRECTIONS GIVEN ON THE WRITING STRUCTURE HANDOUT.
--If you have any questions about the reading or writing assignment, you may send an email to
my school address. I will be checking it often, and will be happy to help you understand/work
through any part of this assignment.
I look forward to seeing you in August. Happy reading and writing!
Mrs. Girard
Writing Structure Handout—Critical Essay
Most forms of analytical writing can be developed using the same basic writing structure. This structure, the
standard five paragraph essay, is used for a variety of writing modes and types and can be modified in any
number of ways. Below you will find the basic structure, modified for the purposes of a critical essay.
Paragraph 1: Introductory Paragraph—lets reader know what topic you are addressing and the main idea of
your piece (3-5 sentences)
A. The first sentence provides a relevant hook to get the reader’s attention (can be straightforward,
and book-related)
B. The next sentence(s) introduce the book and essay topic
C. The final sentence states the main idea that will be addressed throughout the essay. This is where
you would state your main idea sentence.
Paragraphs 2-4: Body Paragraphs—each body paragraph provides one example that supports the main idea
(16-20 sentences each, approximately)
A. The first sentence introduces the topic of the body paragraph (the first example) *Occasionally, the
beginning of the paragraph will need to be extended if the topic needs to be explained or “set up.”
B. The next group of sentences explains specific facts of the example so that it can be easily
understood by the audience. The best way to write this is to tell the “story” of the example. Include
relevant and specific details to strengthen and clarify explanations. YOU MAY NOT USE QUOTES IN
THE ESSAY. ALL OF THE WRITING MUST BE IN YOUR OWN WORDS. IF YOU QUOTE THE
TEXT, YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY POINTS FOR THIS PORTION OF THE ESSAY. Include the
detailed facts of the specific example you have chosen. This section of the paragraph is typically 6-8
sentences in length or more.
C. The next group of sentences in the paragraph provides an explanation which demonstrates how
that example brings out your main idea. In other words, WHY does that example demonstrate the
universal concepts in your main idea sentence? (This is called the “connection” section of the
paragraph and is typically 6-8 sentences in length or more, analyzing all aspects of your example in
depth)
D. The closing sentence of the paragraph restates and/or summarizes the main idea for the
paragraph and possibly transitions into the next paragraph
Paragraph 5: Concluding Paragraph—summarizes ideas and often restates topic. It also provides a particular
relevance/importance regarding the topic for the reader to consider. (3 sentences)
A. The opening sentence should restate or summarize the main idea of the piece.
B. The next sentence should provide a specific relevance/importance for the reader to consider
(related to book and/or main idea)
C. The final sentence should be a powerful statement/thought that brings closure to the piece and will
make the reader remember your essay.
Keep in mind that the number of sentences given for each paragraph is a guideline—you may extend as
necessary, but if your explanations are shorter than the guideline, you probably need to add detail. When
writing, you should also try to use strong verbs and nouns, as well as smooth transitions. These writing
techniques add depth to the piece.