English IV AP Literature and Composition
Mr. Forrest
Summer Reading Assignment 2014
Welcome to English IV AP Literature and Composition! I am very excited to begin
this journey with you. The summer work is an introduction to the type of studies
we will be doing during our year together. It is rigorous and will require you to go
deeper into the text than summaries on Spark Notes, Cliffs Notes, or Shmoop will.
We will be discussing the summer works in more detail at the beginning of the year.
Additionally, you will have assessments on these texts at the commencement of the
school year. Remember, AP Literature and Composition is expected to be a college
level class.
Required:
Old School by Tobias Wolff
From amazon.com : “The protagonist of Tobias Wolff’s shrewdly—and at times
devastatingly—observed first novel is a boy at an elite prep school in 1960. He is an
outsider who has learned to mimic the negligent manner of his more privileged
classmates. Like many of them, he wants more than anything on earth to become a
writer. But to do that he must first learn to tell the truth about himself.
The agency of revelation is the school literary contest, whose winner will be
awarded an audience with the most legendary writer of his time. As the fever of
competition infects the boy and his classmates, fraying alliances, exposing
weaknesses, Old School explores the ensuing deceptions and betrayals with an
unblinking eye and a bottomless store of empathy.”
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
This is your quickest of the assigned reads, but of utmost importance because it
addresses themes we will discuss throughout our year together. Hesse’s novel
traces the journey of the Buddha. You will find that many works of literature deal
with “journeys”, and Siddhartha is a classic in this genre. Siddhartha should take no
longer than one week to read.
Student Choice:
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Choose One
English IV AP Literature and Composition
Mr. Forrest
Summer Reading Assignment 2014
Assignment: Reading Journals
As you read, please keep a reading journal. The purpose of this journal is for you to
become more reflective about what you are reading. I’m curious to see what
emerges from the text as these seeds are what you might want to write about upon
your return to school. Perhaps there are certain questions that you begin to ask.
Write them down, ponder, and explore. Maybe a certain quotation stuck out to you.
Why? What does this quotation have to say about the work as a whole? The notetaking journals are really for you, not me. I would like you to be as open-ended and
questioning as possible. I am not interested in plot lists. I am interested in your
thoughts and questions. Feel free to go on tangents.
You will need to write these journals in a Word document that will eventually be
submitted to Turnitin.com. I will be collecting a hard copy of the journals on the
first day of school. They will be worth 70 points.
Additionally, you will have two essays and a content test on your summer reading in
September.
The elephant in the room in any English class is the ability of students to use
widespread online resources instead of reading the actual text. It is my goal to
make sure that anyone who does not actually read the works receive a grade
of a D or lower. I have adjusted my assessments accordingly.
Questions? aforrest@rbrhs.org
Summer Meeting
In addition to Summer Reading, I strongly suggest that you attend one summer
session in late August. During this two hour session, I will be introducing some key
aspects of reading poetry as well as helping students delve deeper into some of the
texts that they are reading over the summer.
Summer Meeting Dates (Choose one):
Monday August 18th 12:00-2:00
Wednesday August 20th 12:00-2:00
Friday August 22nd 12:00-2:00
For updates regarding summer reading, etc. please visit www.rbrforrest.weebly.com