Antelope High School
AP English Language and Composition
Summer Reading 2015-2016
Erin Cook- ecook@rjuhsd.us
Lisa Stanley- lstanley@rjuhsd.us
Congratulations on making it to your junior/senior year and for being enrolled in AP English
Language and Composition! As you know, AP English is designed to be a college/university level
course, thus the “AP” designation on a transcript rather than “H” (Honors) or “CP” (College
Prep). This course will provide you with the intellectual challenges and workload consistent with a
typical undergraduate university first-year English composition course. As a culmination of the course, you will take the AP English Language and Composition Exam given in May (required).
Summer Assignment
Every student will read Reading Rhetorically, 3 rd ed. by Bean, Chappell and Gillam in addition to three short selections from The Norton Reader. Reading Rhetorically will help you approach and understand the types of texts you will encounter in AP Language and Composition. The three short selections will provide an opportunity to apply the strategies from Reading Rhetorically and will provide the foundation for the analytical work of the course .
PART ONE: READING RHETORICALLY
Reading Rhetorically, 3 rd ed. by Bean, Chappell and Gillam
***It is not required that you buy the book, but it is VERY helpful; margin notes are a necessity when studying passages. Of course, you may borrow from me if you do not wish to purchase the text, and use post-it notes for annotation.
1.
Read and annotate chapters 2, 3, and 4 in the text. Use the guidelines below to help with this process:
How to Annotate:
 Highlight or underline important passages, words, or descriptions
 Write notes in the margins (your reaction to what you are reading, predictions, questions you might have, etc.)
Note: Be as thorough as possible, but avoid highlighting or underlining too much. Your grade will reflect how thorough, but also how careful you were when choosing what to highlight or underline.
2.
“For Writing and Discussion”
 As you read, complete the “For Writing and Discussion” activities that appear on the following pages of the text: o Page 37 o Page 55 o Page 78 o Page 79 o Page 88
 Please complete these activities in a notebook that you specifically designate for this assignment.
 Make sure to label each activity you complete by the page number that the activity appears on in Reading Rhetorically.

PART TWO: APPLY THE STRATEGIES
Choose 3 texts from the list below. Complete the required activity for each text in your summer notebook and be prepared to discuss and write about these texts in class.
**TEXTS: Choose any three from the list. All texts can be found in The Norton Reader.
 “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self” - Alice Walker- page 69
 “Kill ‘Em! Crush ‘Em! Eat ‘Em Raw” – John McMurtry -page 354
 “In Defense of Prejudice” – Jonathan Rauch -page 680
 “The Climate Emergency” - Al Gore -page 918
 “Why the Reckless Survive” – Melvin Konner- page 991
For EACH text, complete the following:
I: Context
For each text, identify the purpose, intended audience, and genre of the text. Review Chapter 2 of
Reading Rhetorically for strategies in identifying these elements.
II: Listening to the Text
1.
Complete a descriptive outline for the text (review the does statements and says statements on pages 57-58). Remember that this is organized by single paragraphs or groups of paragraphs.
Say
In your own words, record the meaning of the paragraph(s).
Do
Describe the function/purpose of the paragraph(s).
2.
Write an objective summary of the text. Review chapter 3 of Reading Rhetorically for strategies in identifying these elements.
III: Questioning a Text
Answer the following questions in order to evaluate ethos, logos, and pathos. Review chapter 4 of
Reading Rhetorically for strategies in identifying these elements.
 Evaluate Ethos –
1.
What does the writer like and dislike?
2.
What seems to be the writer’s mood?
3.
What is the writers approach to the topic (formal or informal? Logical or emotional?
Distant? Factual? Personal?)
4.
What would it be like to spend time in this writer’s company?
 Evaluate Logos –
1.
What position does the writer want me to take toward the topic?
2.
Does the writer’s evidence convince me to take this position? Why or why not?
 Evaluate Pathos –
1.
How does the writer make the reader care about the subject?
2.
How does the writer manipulate the reader’s emotions?
When you arrive on the first day of school, you will turn in your annotated text and notebook with completed activities. Failure to complete the assignment or a failing grade on the assignment will result in a lower “kick off” grade for the fall semester. There is no excuse for not completing the assignment. If you enroll in the course, it is simply a requirement.
If you have any questions regarding your reading or assignment, please contact us at ecook@rjuhsd.us
or lstanley@rjuhsd.us