11th Grade
AP English Language & Composition
Summer Reading List
Please email Ms. Dunmeyer at adunmeyer@hapevillecharter.org if you have any questions
about the assignment.
Advanced Placement Language and Composition focuses on persuasive and
expository writing, particularly emphasizing rhetoric and argumentation. To prepare
for this class, students should try to immerse themselves in the genre during the
summer.
For the mandatory summer assignments students will read (2) Works of
persuasive nonfiction and (2) from the additional book list from any genre.
Persuasive Nonfiction:

They Call Themselves the KKK by Susan Campbell Bartoletti*
(Coincides with U.S. History)

Getting Away with Murder by Chris Crowe
Assignment for Nonfiction Selection
Part A: For this book selection you will be using the SOAPSTone to analyze the
text. SOAPSTone is an acronym (Speaker, Occasion, Audience, Purpose, Subject, and
Tone) used for a series of questions that the reader must first ask him/herself,
especially when reading nonfiction.
Read the descriptions below and complete the assignment for each bulleted
prompt.
Who is the speaker? (The voice that tells the story. As you are reading, consider
the authority and credibility of the writer. How does the writer establish his or her
credibility in the text?)
• Find 3 specific passages that establish the writer as a trustworthy and/or
qualified speaker.
• Below each quote, explain how the passage establishes the writer’s credibility.
(6-8 Sentences)
What is the Occasion? (The context that prompted the writing. As you are
reading, analyze the reason(s) the writer is choosing to approach the topic at this
particular moment in time. Is he/she writing in reaction to a specific event or person?
Discuss how the occasion is revealed in the text.)
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• Why did the author choose to write this text at this time? (6-8 sentences)
• How do you know? (4-5 sentences)
Who is the Audience? (The group of readers to whom this piece is directed.
As you are reading, determine to whom this piece is directed. How do you know
who the audience is? How is the audience defined? Discuss how the writer
demonstrates understanding of the audience and how he or she uses that
understanding to accomplish his or her goals.)
• Who is the audience?
• How do you know? (6-8 Sentences)
What is the Purpose? The reason behind the text. (As you are reading, analyze the
purpose/argument/claim of the writer. Explore the purpose beyond its basic
informative nature. Discuss how the purpose is revealed in the text)
• Are the purpose and occasion similar or different in this piece? Explain your
reasoning. (8-10 Sentences)
What is the Subject? (Students should be able to state the subject in a few words
or phrases. As you are reading, consider the general topic, content, and ideas
contained in the text. Does the writer explicitly state the subject or is it implied?)
• Pick three subjects the author writes about and create a sentence for each
subject that reveals the author’s message about this subject.
 Example from Romeo and Juliet:
 Subject: hatred
 Message: Unexamined hatred has far-reaching consequences, often affecting
the lives innocent victims.
What is the Tone? (The attitude of the author. As you are reading, analyze the
attitude of the writer. Tone extends meaning beyond the literal. Examine the choice of
words, emotions expressed, and imagery used.)
• Identify 3 tones the author creates in the text.
• For each tone, find one example from the text illustrating the tone.
• Explain how the tone affects the effectiveness of each passage. (6-8 Sentences)
Sample tone words:
These are just a sample. There are MANY, MANY more tone words you may use.
animated
ambivalent
apathetic
accusatory
amused
disapproval
aggressive
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cautionary
angry
belligerent
assertive
distressed
arrogant
detached
awestruck
admiring
admiring
assertive
ardent
earnest
nostalgic
benevolent
bitter
optimistic
empathetic
cynical
condescending
disheartened
disparaging
depressed
comic
unbiased
Part B: Choose two works of literature from the additional
book list and complete the assignment below. You are
encouraged to go online and read overviews of the novels before
you choose. Please note that some of the novels required for AP
English Language are heavy in content; you will be introduced to
a multitude of genres in an effort to prepare you for the
Advanced Placement Exam in the Spring.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel
Hawthorne
The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B.
DuBois
Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
Sula by Toni Morrison
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
Go tell it on the Mountain by James
Baldwin
An American Tragedy by Theodore
Dreiser
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
King Lear by William Shakespeare
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Assignment: Choose one of the following writing options for each novel and
complete with regards to proper MLA formatting and citation. If you are unfamiliar
with the Modern Language Association (MLA), please visit the following website:
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/13/
Writing Option A: In a well- developed essay, identify the central argument of the
book, then agree with the claim, argue against the claim, or qualify the claim by
saying when it is accurate and when it is inaccurate. Provide evidence from history,
literature, current events, or personal experience. No outside sources are required
beyond the book you read, and any time you deal with a source, cite it according to
MLA guidelines.
Writing Option B: Persuasive writing can appeal to emotion, logic, or morals and
values. Appeals to morals and values are called ethos; appeals to emotion are called
pathos; appeals to logic and reason are called logos. In a well-developed essay, discuss
the balance or imbalance of logos, pathos, and ethos in the book you read, citing
specific bits of the book as evidence. No outside sources are required, but you will
need to cite the book according to MLA guidelines.
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Part A: NONFICTION Selection (25 pts.)—SOAPSTone Rubric
(1) Novel: They Call Themselves the KKK
By Susan Campbell Bartoletti
_____(6) Speaker: 3 passages with explanations
_____(2) Occasion: Why did the author choose to write at this particular time?
How do you know?
_____(2) Audience: Who is it? How do you know?
_____(3) Purpose: What is it? How is it revealed in the text? Explain—Are
purpose & occasion similar or different?
_____(6) Subject: 3 subjects and author’s messages
_____(6) Tone: 3 tones with textual examples & explanations
_____/25 TOTAL POINTS
(2) Novel: Getting Away with Murder by Chris Crowe
_____(6) Speaker: 3 passages with explanations
_____(2) Occasion: Why did the author choose to write at this particular
time?
How do you know?
_____(2) Audience: Who is it? How do you know?
_____(3) Purpose: What is it? How is it revealed in the text? Explain—Are
purpose & occasion similar or different?
_____(6) Subject: 3 subjects and author’s messages
_____(6) Tone: 3 tones with textual examples & explanations
_____/25 TOTAL POINTS
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