AP English Summer Assignment

Here it is—the much-anticipated summer reading assignment.  There are a few parts; please come talk to me during the next week if you have questions.

 

 

  1. Read How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster.  Though the title is hokey, the book actually offers a good overview of the basics of literary analysis, and students in the past have found it helpful. It’s an easy read, and you’ll find some chapters more helpful than others.  You’ll be using this to analyze the novel you read this summer. 

 

 

  1. Choose ONE work from the list below.  I have tried to provide you with a range of authors, styles and themes.  Take some time to explore these books.  I recommend heading to a book store with comfortable chairs and reading the first ten pages of each.  In the past, those who chose based solely on the number of pages were typically disappointed. 

 

                        The Farming of Bones, Edwidge Danticat

                        Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver

                        Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut

                        The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien

                        Catch-22, Joseph Heller

                        Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen

     

Assessment: Choose two chapters from How to Read Literature Like a Professor that apply to your book.   Then, write a four page analysis (two pages for each HTRLLAP chapter) of your book using the guidelines of the chapters.  For example, if you are reading The Farming of Bones and you choose the chapters “Is That a Symbol” and “Geography Matters…” I will receive a two page analysis of symbols in The Farming of Bones and two pages analyzing the role geography plays in the novel.  I’m not interested in a recap of Sparknotes, etc., so don’t visit the sites if you don’t want your thinking tainted.  Submit your paper to turnitin.com (directions attached) by 3:00 on September 5, 2008.  Papers submitted late can earn no more than 50%. See the attached rubric for grading guidelines. Note: there will be one folder open on turnitin.com. Put both analyses in one document. (We’ll also have some discussions and your first timed essay will address the novel. More on that later…).

 

 

All of these books are available at the public library and at used book stores if you do not want to buy a new copy (though the Barnes & Noble in Issaquah has been notified of your reading list).  Also, I can help you track down current AP English students who may be willing to sell their books at a discount.  You’ll have to negotiate the price with them. Don’t put off getting your book!

 

All of this information is posted on my website (go to the school’s website and click on staff and my name; follow the link on the left hand side to AP English 0809).

 

I’m looking forward to working with your creative minds next year.  Please see me soon if you have any questions.

 

Ms. Reischl

 

 

 

Grading Guidelines for Analysis of Novel Based on How To Read Literature Like a Professor.

 

A: 45-50 Points

  • Clear and insightful thesis
  • Analysis and claims well supported with insightful text from the novel
  • Clear connection between ideas in HTRLLAP and chosen novel
  • Organization helps clarify ideas
  • Analysis is thorough and insightful
  • Sentence variety and word choice are strong and aids meaning
  • Spelling, grammar, syntax are correct
  • Submitted to turnitin.com on time
  • Four full pages of a standard font (double-spaced)

B: 40-44 Points

  • Clear thesis
  • Analysis and claims supported with strong text
  • Connection between HTRLLAP and novel, though it may be generalized in places
  • Organization is clear and usually insightful
  • Analysis is thorough
  • Sentence variety and word choice are strong
  • Spelling, grammar and syntax errors are not distracting
  • Submitted to turnitin.com on time
  • Four full pages of standard font (double-spaced)

C: 35-39 Points

  • Thesis included
  • Some text used
  • Organization is usually clear
  • Analysis is sometimes too vague
  • Sentence variety and word choice are rarely strong
  • Spelling and syntax errors are sometimes distracting
  • Submitted to turnitin.com on time
  • Most of four pages of standard font (double-spaced)

 

D: 30-34 Points

  • Thesis is vague
  • Little or no text used to support ideas
  • Organization unclear is many places
  • Analysis vague
  • Sentence variety and word choice unclear
  • Spelling and syntax errors are distracting
  • Submitted to turnitin.com on time
  • At least three full pages of standard font (double-spaced)

F: Fewer Than 30 Points

  • No clear thesis
  • Little or no text used for support
  • No organization present
  • Little or no analysis
  • Awkward sentence variety and word choice
  • Excessive convention errors
  • Not submitted to turnitin.com on time
  • Fewer than three pages double-space in standard font

0: Not Completed

 

 

 

 

Submitting Papers to Turnitin.com

AP English (2008-2009)

 

You will be submitting all of your process papers through www.turnitin.com. 

 

Your class id is 2287182

Your enrollment password for this class is Liberty (case sensitive)

 

1.      Setting Up Your User Profile

Before submitting your first paper, you will need to set up a user profile.  After you do this once, you can skip to step two. If you have an account from a previous class, this will work. 

a.       Go to www.turnitin.com

b.      Click create a user profile in the top right corner of the home page.

c.       Follow the on-screen instructions. 

 

2.     Logging In

a.       Go to www.turnitin.com

b.      At the top right, enter your email address and user password.

c.       Click login to open your Turnitin homepage.

 

3.     Enrolling in a Class

Your student homepage lists your enrolled classes.  If you are a new user, your homepage will be empty.

a.       Click the enroll in a class button on your homepage.

b.      On the next screen, enter the class id and enrollment password.

c.       Click the submit button to enroll in the class and add it to your homepage.

 

4.     Submitting a Paper

You will submit papers to your class from your class portfolio.  To open your class portfolio, click a class name on your homepage.  The class portfolio lists the assignments your teacher created and your submissions to these assignments.

 

You can submit your paper in two ways:

·        by file upload (used to submit a paper in file format MS Word, RTF, PDF, PostScript, and HTML)

·        by cut and paste (used to submit a paper in a file format not listed above)

a.      File upload

·        Click the submit button next to the desired assignment in your class portfolio.

·        Select “file upload” from the submission pull down menu.

·        Enter a title for your submission and an optional ID.

·        Click the browse button and locate the paper you want to submit.

·        Click submit.  On the following page you will be asked to confirm the text of your submission.  If the text checks out, click “yes, submit” to finalize your submission.

b.      Cut and paste

·        Click the submit button next to the desired assignment in your class portfolio.

·        Select “cut and paste” from the submission pull down menu.

·        Enter a title for your submission and an optional student ID.

·        Cut and paste your paper into the text.

·        Click submit. After submitting your paper you will receive a digital receipt.  From this screen, you can submit your paper, or proceed to your class portfolio to view the submission.

 

5.     Viewing Your Submissions

After you submit a paper, it will appear in your class portfolio next to its assignment.  Every paper you submit can be viewed online by clicking on its title in your portfolio.  If the paper was originally submitted as a file, you can download that file to your computer by clicking on the file icon.