AP English Summer Assignment 2015
Metro Tech High School
Greetings incoming senior AP English student!
Below are the directions for your summer assignment. The assignment is meant to allow for
creativity, while still challenging each student to practice their analytical writing skills. Each student
will be expected to complete the assignment in its entirety. This assignment will count for a grade.
Due: Monday, August 3, 2015
Prior to 12th grade:
1) Read Laurence Perrine’s “The Nature of Proof in the Interpretation of Poetry” and take
Cornell Notes on the essay, which will be collected on the first day of class. See
http://www.en.utexas.edu/Classes/Bremen/e316k/316kprivate/scans/perrine.html for
an online version of the essay. Be sure to know and understand the main points of his
argument as well as the examples he used in the essay.
2) Research one poet from the list and bring in two poems by the poet. These poem will be
collected by your teacher.
3) Write a two to three page poetry analysis essay over the poem/s. You can choose to
write your essay over one or both of the poems.
4) Create a one pager to be presented during the first week of school. You will create a One
Pager/presentation over the poet you studied. Your presentation should be 2-3 minutes
in length. You can showcase some of their work, provide background information on
their life, and discuss their contributions to literature.
Presentation requirements:
 Include a visual representation of your poet (this will be the One Pager)
 Provide reliable facts and background information on the person you studied
 Include the sources you used for research
 Prepare enough content for a 2-3 minute presentation
Poetry Analysis Directions:

Your poetry analysis essay will be the first piece of writing your instructor will grade. This
will essentially be your first impression as a writer. Be sure to utilize the writing skills you’ve
refined over the past three years to develop a strong and thorough essay. Incorporate your
knowledge of poetry to develop a strong analytical thesis statement.
o
Your essay should be 3-4 pages in length. Include in-text citations throughout the essay.
o
Your essay should be in MLA format and have strong organization, include a thoughtful
analysis, effective word choice, and appropriate grammar and conventions.
o
You should bring a printed copy of your essay OR you can email a copy of your essay to
vrobertson@phoenixunion.org
o
You will submit a copy of your essay to turnitin.com during the first week of school
AP English Summer Assignment 2015
Metro Tech High School
One Pager Directions:
Create the One Pager in such a way as to make your meaning, understanding and experience clear to
your audience.
1.
Use colored pens, pencils, markers, papers, etc., to make your product symbolic
and visually appealing. Neatness counts. (5 points)
2.
Be purposeful and organized when arranging information on your One Pager so
your intent for placement and coloring is clear. Neatness counts. (10 points)
3. Create a title for your product. (5 points)
4. Include at least three quotations from the poems, meaningfully placed. (10 points)
5. Include a minimum of four visual images or symbols which explain what you have
read. (10 points)
6. Scatter at least five to seven words or phrases from the poems around the page.
Your choices should express your impressions, feelings or thoughts on what you
have read or viewed. (10 points)
7. Include at least three to four background facts about the poet you’ve studied
somewhere on the page. These background details should be relevant to the poet’s
work and writing style.
8. Create a border around the page filled with different symbols from the poems. (10
points)
9. List the sources you used for research on the back of your One Pager. (10 points)
Poet Options - Choose one of the following poets:
e. e. cummings
Emily Dickenson
Dante Alighieri
Robert Frost
Adrienne Rich
Charles Baudelaire
Gwendolyn Brooks
Allen Ginsberg
Johann Wolfgang Goethe
Billy Collins
John Donne
Mahmoud Darwish
Langston Hughes
Alexander Pope
Wisława Szymborska
Walt Whitman
Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Simon Ortiz
Gertrude Stein
Wole Soyinka
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Pablo Neruda
Ovid
A. K. Ramanujan
* You can go to http://www.poetryfoundation.org/ for biographies of many poets as well as some
of their poems.
Additional resources will be posted on the Metro Tech website under the English Department’s
homepage.