Please note: All summer assignments are due to the Main Office of Lafayette no later than
Wednesday, August 20, 2014. While teachers are not generally at school in the summer, work may be turned in to the receptionist in the Main Office at Lafayette HS, 4460 Longhill Road, Williamsburg,
VA 23188, between the hours of 7:30 AM and 4:00 PM any day Monday through Thursday. Plan to complete the assignments early and turn them in before summer vacations and/or work schedules produce a time crunch. Early submission of summer work is encouraged.
On each assignment you turn in, please write a pledge affirming that you completed the assignment independently (no Cliffs notes, study guides, Internet sources, movies, etc.), read the work in its entirety, and did the reading this summer for the purpose of this assignment.
All work submitted should be original; plagiarized work will result in zeroes, removal from course, and referral for honor code violation, one penalty of which is removal from National Honor Society.
Expect to complete a short in-class essay in the AP exam format covering the reading selection during the first week of school (test value). This writing will be used for several activities during the opening weeks of school.
Extra Credit Opportunity: Students who wish to earn extra credit should plan to attend one of the William and Mary performances of Shakespearian plays. This summer’s plays include Illyria – a musical version of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and
Julius Caesar. After enjoying the play, write a one to two page review of the performance. Briefly discuss the main plot events and specifically comment on the various characters and the most memorable scenes. Staple your ticket stub or ticket to the review and turn both in on the first day of classes in September.
AP English Literature is a reading intensive course and the workload can be overwhelming combined with other senior activities. Furthermore, students always gain more from the second reading of works than the first. For these reasons, your summer assignment is to read one of the novels we will read during the semester. For the book you read, you must complete a reader response journal
OR extensive annotation of the book. You will receive a test grade for the first quarter for a thorough journal or annotation. There are no specific length requirements if you choose the journal, but thoroughness of work, with annotations or journal entries from throughout the book, is vital.
Annotations are more than highlighting; you should add margin notes, including comments/questions, connections to other parts of the book, reactions, and summary statements, and reflections at the beginning/end of chapters. Try to develop your own system of annotation with symbols and color coding for your reactions to certain aspects such as character, language, style, setting, and theme. Good annotation takes a long time but is invaluable later. See the list on the next page for some other aspects to consider in your annotation.
The purpose of a reader response journal is to dialogue with the text; it goes beyond annotating
(which is still a good thing and highly recommended). You should do the following in a format that

works for you (typed or hand-written), but which allows you to add to this during class discussion during the semester:
1.
Take notes about significant aspects of the text such as plot, character, and theme, etc.
Always include page numbers.
2.
Analyze use of language—author’s style, diction, tone, structure, point of view, voice, etc.
Cite specific examples with page numbers.
3.
Contemplate significant quotations, applying meaning not only relative to the text but also to contemporary life. Indicate page numbers of quotations.
4.
Draw connections between/among other prose works or poetry you have read or historical events in positive and negative ways. The world of literature is not one of isolation.
5.
Respond/react on a personal, even creative, level to the text being read. Honest commentary is valuable in stimulating discussion and questioning.
Requirements: One annotated book OR one reader-response journal from the following choices.
Both books are part of the curriculum and will be discussed during the course of the year. If you need additional instructions, email Mrs. Salzman at salzmanj@wjcc.k12.va.us
.
1. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein
—
Frankenstein is a relatively short work, it is very complex and stylistically challenging. In the past students have had difficulty completing the reading while juggling other demands. A thorough reading during the summer will allow you to digest the work at your leisure and to appreciate it more on a second reading in the fall. The vocabulary used in the novel is especially challenging.
2. Alexandre Dumas’s Count of Monte Cristo
– This is a lengthy work that is complicated for students by French names and themes from Bonaparte’s reign. You will appreciate having read this work once before trying to complete it while filling out applications and writing college essays. Check translations carefully before buying your copy to find language that is accessible for you.
**Both versions are available for free on a Kindle or Nook.
After reading one of the novels listed above complete the assignment below. This assignment will be used several times in class for writing workshops. A test grade will be computed using the rubric. You will also revise this paper using several techniques designed to improve your writing style; nevertheless, your best effort here will provide an accurate baseline of your current skills and needs in composition. Please save your paper as a Word document on a disk or flash drive to revise later .
Literature of merit has stood the test of time and possesses the quality of universality, applying to people of every time and every place. After reading your novel from the list above, find a current story in a reputable newspaper or news magazine—print copy or on-line--that deals in depth with one of society’s current maladies (local, national, or international). This should have parallels to one of the numerous issues discussed in the novel you read. Write a 2 page (maximum) typed, double-spaced essay (12 point Times New Roman) in which you discuss how the issues and motivations surrounding the contemporary story relate to the events, themes, or characters in the chosen novel. Support your comments with quotations taken from both the book and the news articles. Include a title page, internal (parenthetical) documentation in MLA format, and a properly prepared Works Cited Page in
MLA format for the novel and news articles. Attach all newspaper articles used and the following rubric to your paper.

Please attach this sheet to your summer assignment.
The student: 1 2
Poor Weak
3
Average
4
Good
5
Excellent
Total
Selects an appropriate news article showing a contemporary societal issue with parallels to ONE of the following: plot, characters, or themes of the novel read
Supports comparison/analysis with properly documented quotes from throughout both the book and article
Demonstrates analysis/insight that goes beyond the superficial
X
4
X
4
X
4
Communicates with clarity in a mature, well-planned and welldeveloped essay; uses the assertion, evidence, commentary method to develop arguments
Prepares essay with attention to detail by having minimal errors in spelling, punctuation, sentence structure, formatting and documentation
(internal documentation and Works
Cited); adheres to length requirement
X
4
X
4
Total
PLEDGE: I have read __________________________________(insert title of novel you read) in its entirety this summer specifically for AP English Literature 12. I have not referred to any study guides, critical essays, Internet sites/sources, films, or other aids in the completion of this assignment.
Signature _______________________________

Have a great summer! We look forward to seeing you in the fall. If you are uncertain about your course selection, please see your guidance counselor as soon as possible; late changes cannot always be accommodated because of enrollment in other classes. If you sign up for the class, you should have the maturity to follow through with your commitment.
If you have questions, call me at home ( 757-220-0744) as soon as possible, or e-mail salzmanj@wjcc.k12.va.us
( use a subject line that references AP Lit 2014 ).