AP Language Summer Work
2011-2012 School Year
AP Language is a college-level course focusing on close and critical reading, mainly of non-fiction texts. Students
will also write extensively, mastering three basic types of writing: analysis, argument and synthesis. In order to
prepare for our readings and writings, you should first become aware of the pressing issues in your larger world.
These issues may be political, environmental, cultural, military, social, global, economic, educational, scientific, etc.
Some of the best writers in America today are columnists and journalists whose writings about our world are
syndicated by major American newspapers. What you will notice about these men and women is that they have
“voice,” a unique and personal style that reveals their control of language. What they have to say is important, as
is how they say it.
PLEASE NOTE: All written work MUST be typed before submission. Hand-written work will NOT be accepted.
Part 1: AP Language Summer News Column Assignment
The Assignment: Read and analyze 10 columns from a reputable journalist/columnist published in a reputable
newspaper, magazine, or blog. Each column must come from a different week during summer break (see the
breakdown of summer weeks below). The list below will help you choose credible sites and writers. If you would
like to read a columnist not on these lists, chose one from a major newspaper, magazine, or blog. If you have
questions, email either Mr. Dennis at ktenshin@gmail.com or Ms. Mullen at leonamullen@ccusd.org and either
of us will answer you as quickly as possible. You may certainly read more than 10 columns (and are encouraged
to do so!), but you will be accountable for turning in 10 columns. For each column, do the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Print the article, making sure the date, title, author and source are obvious and readable
Concisely summarize the main points of the article (1st paragraph).
Agree or disagree with the articles main points, and explain why you agree/disagree (2 nd paragraph)
Discuss the style of the article. Some of the points you may notice and choose to write about are: word
choice (diction), tone, metaphorical language, organization, use of anecdote, etc. (3rd paragraph)
Following are the weekly dates that make up Culver High’s summer vacation. Please note, there are 11
weeks of summer vacation, though students are only expected to read and discuss articles from 10 of
these weeks.
June 19-25
June 26 – July 2
July 3 – 9
July 10 – 16
July 17 – 23
July 24 – 30
July 31 – August 6
August 7 – 13
August 14 – 20
August 21 – 27
August 28 – September 3
This assignment is due the first day of class. Additionally, choose one (1) of your columns to read to the class.
These sharing moments are called “moments of voice,” so choose your column wisely. Be prepared to answer
questions from the class and/or teacher, and share personal insights regarding why you selected the column to
share.
Each column is worth 10 points (100 points total), and represents a major grade in the AP Language class. Each
column will be assessed using the following scale:
10 points
9 points
8 points
7 points
6 points
5 – 3 points
0 points
Effective analysis
Adequate Plus analysis
Adequate analysis
Adequate Minus analysis
Needs Improvement analysis
Incomplete analysis
No analysis
As you become more aware of current problems, you will also learn more about these columnists. For example,
you may discern that Kathleen Parker, a columnist for the Washington Post, writes mostly about current political
topics. Her leanings are basically conservative, though some have tagged her a more moderate columnist,
especially after the Republican based attacked her for criticism of Sarah Palin. Following are three links from The
Daily Beast that rank columnists as either liberal, conservative or centrist. If you would like to read a columnist that
matches your political persuasion, find one below. We strongly urge you to check out the viewpoints of journalists
who express opinions opposite from yours, though.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-04-01/the-top-25-centrist-columnists-and-commentators/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-02-10/the-rights-top-25-journalists/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-02-17/the-lefts-top-25-journalists/?cid=hp:exc
Below is a list of respected columnists and where and when you can find their columns. At the bottom of this list
are other links with more columnists’ names.
COLUMNIST
Charles Blow
SYNDICATED BY
New York Times
DAY(S) PUBLISHED
Saturday
A visual Op-Ed columnist who won the two best in show awards from the Malofiej International Infographics Summit for work
that included coverage of the Iraq War.
David Brooks
New York Times
Tuesday & Friday
He has been a senior editor at The Weekly Standard, a contributing editor at Newsweek and the Atlantic Monthly, and he is
currently a commentator on The Newshour with Jim Lehrer. He is also a frequent analyst on NPR’s All ThingsConsidered and the
Diane Rehm Show. His articles have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, The Washington Post,
the TLS, Commentary, The Public Interest and many other magazines.
Art Buchwald
The Washington Post
deceased; check archives
A humorist and satirist, Buchwald poked fun at much of what was going on around him during his illustrious career that
spanned more than five decades.
Gail Collins
New York Times
Thursday & Saturday
Gail Collins joined the New York Times in 1995 as a member of the editorial board and later as an op-ed columnist. In 2001, she
became the first woman ever appointed editor of the Times editorial page. She published the book America’s Women: 400
Years of Dolls, Drudges, Helpmates and Heroines.
Maureen Dowd
New York Times
Wednesday & Sunday
He has been a senior editor at The Weekly Standard, a contributing editor at Newsweek and the Atlantic Monthly, and he is
currently a commentator on The Newshour with Jim Lehrer. He is also a frequent analyst on NPR’s All Things Considered and the
Diane Rehm Show. His articles have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Forbes, The Washington Post,
the TLS, Commentary, The Public Interest and many other magazines.
Thomas Friedman
New York Times
Wednesday & Sunday
Mr. Friedman was awarded the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting (from Lebanon) and the 1988 Pulitzer Prize for
international reporting (from Israel). Often writes about “green” issues.
Ellen Goodman
Boston Globe
Retired; check archives
Pulitzer Prize winning columnist, author, and speaker who has long been a chronicler of social change in America, especially the
women’s movement and its effect on our public and private lives.
John Gould
Christian Science Monitor
deceased; check archives
An American humorist, essayist, and columnist who wrote a column for the Christian Science Monitor for over sixty years from a
farm in Lisbon Falls, Maine. He is known for his role as a mentor to novelist Stephen King.
Bob Herbert
New York Times
Tuesday & Saturday
Prior to joining The New York Times, Mr. Herbert was a national correspondent for NBC from 1991 to 1993, reporting on The
Today Show and NBC Nightly News. He had worked as a reporter and editor at The Daily News from 1976 until 1985, when he
became a columnist and member of its editorial board.
Arianna Huffington
The Huffington Post
Co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, a nationally syndicated columnist, and author of twelve books. She is
also co-host of Left, Right & Center, public radio’s popular political roundtable program. In 2006, she was named to the Time
100, Time Magazine’s list of the world’s 100 most influential people.
S. Amjad Hussain
Toledo Blade
S. Amjad Hussain is a columnist on the op-ed pages of the daily Toledo Blade and a professor of surgery at the Medical College
of Ohio. He is a clinical professor of surgery at the Medical College of Ohio and the president of the Islamic Center of Greater
Toledo.
Molly Ivins
Fort Worth Star Telegram
deceased; check archives
Ivins concentrated on politics and social justice issues. She was a columnist for numerous newspapers including the New York
Times, but most recently for the Fort Worth Star Telegram.
Garrison Keillor
The Baltimore Sun
Wednesday
“…this generation’s Mark Twain, a magical storyteller whose compelling use of language distinguishes his column from all
others.” Syndicated in numerous national publications, not just The Baltimore Sun.
Verlyn Klinkenborg
New York Times
not scheduled
His work has appeared in many magazines, including The New Yorker, Harper’s, Esquire, National Geographic, The New
Republic, Smithsonian, Audubon, GQ, Gourmet, Martha Stewart Living, Sports Afield and The New York Times Magazine. He has
taught literature and creative writing at Fordham University, St. Olaf College, Bennington College and Harvard University, and is
a recipient of the 1991 Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Writer’s Award and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Many of
his columns deal with rural life.
Charles Krauthammer The Washington Post
Friday
Krauthammer writes on foreign and domestic policy and politics. Winner of the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished
commentary, the 1984 National Magazine Award for essays and the 2004 Bradley Prize
Nicholas Kristof
New York Times
Sunday & Thursday
Two-time Pulitzer Prize winner, Kristof has lived on four continents, reported on six, and traveled to more than 140 countries,
plus all 50 states, every Chinese province and every main Japanese island. Mr. Kristof has taken a special interest in Web
journalism and was the first blogger on The New York Times Web site; he also twitters and has a Facebook fan page and a
channel on YouTube. A documentary about him, “Reporter,” premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and will be shown on
HBO.
Paul Krugman
New York Times
Monday & Friday
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, Krugman is a professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton University.
He has taught at Yale, MIT and Stanford.
Michelle Malkin
San Diego Source
Wednesday
Michelle Malkin has appeared on The O’Reilly Factor, Hannity and Colmes, The McLaughlin Group and 20/2, and is currently a
Fox News commentator. Today, Michelle Malkin’s syndicated column appears in over 100 papers nationwide.
Peggy Noonan
The Wall Street Journal
weekend editions
Her essays have appeared in Forbes, Time, Newsweek, The Washington Post, The New York Times and other publications.
Noonan was a producer at CBS News in New York, where she wrote and produced Dan Rather’s daily radio commentary. She
also wrote television news specials for CBS News. As editorial and public affairs director at WEEI-AM, the CBS owned station in
Boston, she won the Tom Phillips Award for broadcast commentary. In 1978 and 1979, she was an adjunct professor of
journalism at New York University.
Kathleen Parker
The Washington Post
Sunday & Thursday
Kathleen Parker never took a journalism class in college, but has worked at a variety of large and small newspapers, covering
anything from California cuisine to bass fishing contests in the rural South. Now, she serves on the USA Today’s Board of
Contributors and her twice-weekly column is published in 350 different newspapers.
Leonard Pitts, Jr.
Miami Herald
Sunday
Pitts writes about pop culture, social issues and family life. Pitts is a five-time recipient of the National Headliners Award and
was awarded the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for commentary among many other accolades.
Anna Quindlen
Newsweek
weekly
Writes “The Last Word” column in Newsweek; was a columnist at the New York Times from 1981-1994. Author of numerous
fiction and non-fiction books.
Frank Rich
New York Times
Sunday
Before joining the New York Times, Mr. Rich was a film and television critic at Time Magazine. Earlier, he had been film critic for
The New York Post and film critic and senior editor of New Times Magazine. His latest book, The Greatest Story Ever Sold: The
Decline and Fall of Truth From 9/11 to Katrina, was published by Penguin Press in 2006.
William Safire
New York Times
deceased; check archives
A speech writer for President Richard M. Nixon and a Pulitzer Prize-winning political columnist for The New York Times from
1979 until his death. He wrote “On Language,” a New York Times Magazine column that explored written and oral trends,
plumbed the origins and meanings of words and phrases, and drew a devoted following.
Brent Staples
New York Times
not scheduled
Editorial writer for The New York Times. He holds a PhD in psychology from The University of Chicago. His memoir, Parallel
Time: Growing up in Black and White, was the winner of the Anisfield Wolff award.
George Will
Newsweek
Until becoming a columnist for Newsweek, Will was Washington editor of the National Review, a leading conservative journal of
ideas and political commentary. Five collections of his Newsweek and newspaper columns have been published: The Pursuit of
Happiness and Other Sobering Thoughts (Harper & Row, 1978); The Pursuit of Virtue and Other Tory Notions (Simon & Schuster,
1982); The Morning After: American Successes and Excesses 1981-1986 (Macmillan, 1986); Suddenly: The American Idea Abroad
and at Home 1986-2000 (The Free Press, 1990); The Leveling Wind: Politics, the Culture & Other News 1990-1994 (Viking, 1994).
NOTE: Bono has not written enough columns to qualify, but he has contributed half a dozen thoughtful
columns to the New York Times. You may wish to read some.
Also consider choosing a columnist from the comprehensive list at this site, Arts and Letters Daily, a
service of The Chronicle of Higher Education:
http://www.aldaily.com/#columnists
Part 2: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Acquire and thoroughly read a copy of Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Answer each of the
following questions with responses measuring 200-300 words. These responses should showcase
your utmost perfected writing style.
1. In chapter one, Gladwell wants to dispel the myth of “personal success”, as it is popularly
defined. First, describe this myth in detail. Next, explain the Matthew Effect. Last,
answer this question: how does the Matthew effect cause the contemporary myth to break
down?
2. How is the 10,000 hour rule applicable to you and your classmates in the rigorous
academic year ahead? (In answering this question, try and come up with a plan for your
academic success in the classroom and on any AP exams you are planning on taking in
spring).
3. When it comes to personal success, what is the trouble with geniuses? How do chapters
three and four help cause the contemporary myth of personal success to break down?
What else contributes to success beyond a brilliant intellect?
4. What are the three lessons of Joe Flom and how do they demonstrate the importance of
opportunity in gaining personal success? What opportunities do you have this year that
will help you gain personal success in the next few years and even into your distant
future?
5. We know that people can get stuck in a rut—as the world changes around them, they do
not adapt and opportunities pass them by. In chapter seven, Gladwell argues how, in a
sense, whole cultures can get stuck in a rut. Since the world is becoming more connected,
it is important for people to adapt to these changes. What are some thinking patterns you
are going to need to chance in the upcoming years, as you prepare for college and a life
of independence?
6. According to Gladwell, each culture is a mixed bag of legacies that are strengths and
weakness. What can happen if people ignore this? If people embrace this, how can it
contribute toward personal (and cultural) success?
7. How much does a willingness to “Work hard and concentrate” predict how much
personal success someone will achieve? Hoe is the attitude cultivated? Explain your
answer thoroughly.
8. In Maritza’s bargain, the reader learns how important it is to be given a chance
(opportunity). Connect this with a story (whether fictitious or actual) where a person is
given an opportunity and how he or she gained personal success from such an
opportunity. Explain why the opportunity was vital for this person and how Maritza’s
opportunity is vital to her.
9. How does the epilogue, “A Jamacian Story,” bring together all of the lessons of Outliers,
namely personal success? In considering these lessons, how does this influence how you
view your own personal success? How will you view opportunities and your historical
and cultural legacies as you begin this academic year?
Part 3: Best American Essays of 2007 by Malcolm Gladwell
Acquire a copy of The Best American Essays of 2007 by David Foster Wallace, editor and
thoroughly read please read four (4) of the following ten (10) essays listed:

The Freedom to Offend

Dragon Slayers

Iraq: the War of Imagination

Passion Flowers in Winter

What the Dog Saw

Carnivore’s Credo

Name that Tone

Onward, Christian Liberals

Apocalypse Now

What Should a Billionaire Give
Write a short, one page linguistic analysis for each piece you read, consisting of three (3) paragraphs. Each
paragraph will focus on analyzing one of the three (3) major aspects of language – diction, syntax, and rhetoric

Diction – the WHAT of language: What words did the author use? Could the author have
communicated what s/he was trying to say more clearly with different words? Why or Why not?

Syntax – the HOW of language: How did the author assemble his/her words? Why did s/he assemble
them in that way? How does the way the book/essay is put together enhance and/or detract from
what is being said?

Rhetoric – the WHY of language: Why has the author used these specific words and/or sentences?
What does the author really mean when s/he turns a phrase in a particular way?
STRONLY SUGGESTED Books to Enhance Your AP Language Experience
The Art of Styling Sentences, by K.D. Sullivan and Ann Longknife
Smart Words: Vocabulary for the Erudite, by Mim Harrison
A Rulebook for Arguments (4th Edition), by Anthony Weston