Welcome to AP English Language and Composition!
AP English Language is unlike any other English class you’ve taken in high
school. Designed to make you a better writer and a more critical reader, AP English
Language involves mostly non-fiction reading and writing. You will be reading a few
fiction pieces, but the majority of the work will be with non-fiction texts. To that
end, you will choose ONE of the following texts to read over the summer:
On Writing by Stephen King
A memoir by world-famous horror writer Stephen King, On Writing is about
King’s writing process and philosophies on writing. A must read for any budding
author!
Blink/Outliers/The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (choose one)
Malcolm Gladwell specializes in taking things you already know about making
you see them in a completely different light. Blink, Outliers and The Tipping Point
are all sociological studies about the way people behave.
Columbine by Dave Cullen
Cullen tells the story of what really happened at Columbine High School and
how it changed the way we view American high schools. Cullen goes beyond media
representations of the tragedy to reveal the human side of the students, parents and
faculty involved. Warning: Some violence which can be disturbing.
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal by Eric Schlosser
Do you love fast food? You may not after reading this description of the fast
food industry’s practices. Warning: can be a bit graphic in its description of food
processing.
The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by Alexandra Robbins
Alexandra Robbins lives with several “high-achieving” high school students for
their junior and senior year of high school. You may see a bit of yourself in this
book—definitely a fun read!
Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
If you’re passionate about the environment, check out Silent Spring.
Considered one of the first environmentalists, Carson details what she sees as the
decline of the American frontier and cautions future generations against
environmental abuse.
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
If you love sports, this is the book for you. Now considered a sports classic,
Moneyball details the behind the scenes story of teams that don’t have a nearly $1
billion payroll and explains the role of finances in winning championships.
The Big Test: The Secret History of the American Meritocracy by Nicholas Lehman
Welcome to AP English Language and Composition!
You’re probably going to take either the SAT or the ACT this year, but how
much do you really know about the exams? The Big Test explains the history of the
exams and argues their fairness in today’s global education.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
After her death, Henrietta Lacks’ cells were used by Johns Hopkins University
to make tremendous inroads in cancer and HIV/AIDS research. The catch? She never
gave them permission. Skloot tells a fascinating story of a family trying to understand
what happened to their loved one and a medical community grappling with 21 st
century problems.
Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business by
Neil Postman
Postman is often funny and engaging in this book about the way we
communicate. Focused on the media’s influence in communication, Postman deals
with inter-personal communication in an age of press conferences. If you like movies
or TV, this is a great choice.
The book you read will be written about and discussed extensively in the fall,
so read carefully! Consider argument (what the author’s saying) as well as craft (how
the author is saying it). Though it is not required, we’d recommend having your own
copy of the text so that you can annotate it.
To further acclimate yourself to non-fiction reading, you will begin keeping a
portfolio of articles and analysis. Each week, from July 1st to August 31st, you are
responsible for reading a newspaper article (more than two paragraphs!) from a
reputable newspaper (please see the list of suggested papers below). Your article can
be editorial or factual. You will then complete a brief (approximately one page)
reflection of the article. Your reflection should be about the FORM of the article
(how it’s written), not the content (what it’s about). You may want to consider the
following:
 What is the argument being made? Is it effective?
 What is the tone of the article?
 Is the article biased (opinionated)? What is the bias?
 Is there any technical language (language that is specific to a field of
study or a profession ex military, medical etc)?
 Is there anything notable about the author’s word choice?
 Is there anything notable about the author’s sentence structure?
Suggested resources:
 The New York Times
 The Washington Post
 The Chicago Tribune
 The New Yorker
 Harper’s
 The Atlantic Monthly
Welcome to AP English Language and Composition!
 The Economist
All of these publications have articles available free online. If you would like to use
another resource, please get it approved by either Mr. Cicchino or Ms. Coleman.
Please bring all of your reflections and the accompanying articles with you on the
first day of school.
So what IS required of you for the first day of school?
Two things:
1. Read one of the books listed. They are excellent books. You’ll
like it. Be ready to both discuss and write about it when you
return.
2. E-mail us before August 1st. Our email addresses are
ecoleman@spfk12.org and mcicchino@spfk12.org . In your email,
please tell us what your name is (or what name you’d like to be
called), who your sophomore English teacher was and what your
favorite book is. This will help us get to know you a little better
before school begins.
If you have any questions between now and September, feel free to email us or visit
our websites:
ColemanAPLanguage.wikispaces.com
Or
MrCicchino.com
Have a great summer!