AP Language and Composition 11
SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENTS
Mrs. Murdock/2014
Titles and Authors
You will need to obtain your own copy of the following articles and books:
 Editorials and Editorial Cartoons (your choice)
 The Color of Water
James McBride
 Outliers
Malcolm Gladwell
 The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot
1. Read weekly editorials from reputable columnists (Maureen Dowd, Leonard Pitts, David Brooks, etc.)
and weekly cartoons from reputable cartoonists (Mike Peters, Mike Luckovich, Patrick Chappatte, etc.).
Choose at least two columns and two cartoons on the same topic (i.e., politics, economy, health care)
to create your journal. Print, cut out, or photocopy each of these columns and cartoons and put them
in your journal. Then, do a written response for each using the SOAPS method: Subject, Occasion,
Audience, Purpose, and Speaker. Look online if you need more explanation of this method. Make sure
your responses are written in paragraph form.
JOURNAL IS DUE JULY 11, 2014.
2. Read The Color of Water and write an essay responding to the following prompt (typed,
MLA format):
Essay Prompt:
“And, after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any
supernatural agency.” Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces
Choose a novel or play in which cultural, physical, or geographical surroundings shape psychological or moral traits
in a character. Then write a well-organized essay in which you analyze how surroundings affect this character and
illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole.
Support your response with specific text evidence, using MLA citations.
ESSAY IS DUE JULY 11, 2014.
3. Read Outliers and be prepared to take a test on the book during the first week of school.
TEST WILL BE GIVEN DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL.
4. Read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and be prepared to demonstrate your
comprehension in writing and through discussion during the first week of school.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT/DISCUSSION WILL OCCUR DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL.
SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENTS ARE REQUIRED; IF YOU DO NOT COMPLETE THESE
ASSIGNMENTS, YOU MUST CONTACT MR. ASADORIAN BY JULY 11, 2014, TO DROP THE COURSE.
See me if you have any questions. If you need to contact me over the summer, email me at
Rmurdock@dps.k12.oh.us or call me at 643-1981. Have a great summer!