Hialeah Gardens Senior High

Advanced Placement Language and Composition

Summer Readings and Activities 2011
Mrs. C. Rodriguez

OVERVIEW
AP English Language and Composition is a class that hones your skills as a reader and writer. In this class you will analyze the effectiveness of language
and argument in various texts. Our focus will be nonfiction (as seen in our summer reading selections), but we will read a small amount of fiction, too.
You will learn to focus on ASTaD (an author’s style, tone and diction) as you read, and you will express your findings in your writings. From A to Z
(anaphora to zeugma), you will learn the many tools authors use to move their readers. As a means of test preparation throughout the year, we will
practice three essay styles: analysis, argumentative, and synthesis. Vocabulary will also be a strong focus, which will not only prepare you for your AP
test, but also for the SAT, ACT, college and life! The summer readings and assignments will help you in each of the aforementioned areas! By completing
these assignments thoroughly, you will find yourself on the road to success! Remember, you have accepted this challenge, and Gladiators never back
down from a battle…so read, read, read and go to war with your writing!

CLASS BLOG
These activities, the class handouts, our discussion posts, and other information will be listed on our AP Language & Composition blog at:
http://cRoDsApCrEw.blogspot.com (also check my new website: www.crodsdreamteam.com). Check the blog/website once or twice a week during the
summer for any updates or for other pertinent information.

REQUIRED READINGS
You will first read: “How to Mark a Book” by Mortimer J. Adler, Ph.D. There is a link already on the blog. You will need to print it, read it, and use
Adler’s tips in the following readings: What the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell and Lincoln on Leadership by Donald Phillips
 These two novels and activities are in lieu of the school-wide summer readings and assignments.
 Be sure to bring your books to class on the first day, and be prepared for a test on both! You will also have a project on both (to be announced
the first week of school)

NECESSARY SUPPLIES
You will need these items for your assignments (all will be used throughout next school year, too):
 One three-subject spiral OR composition notebook (WILL SERVE AS YOUR VOCABULARY JOURNAL):
~ the first section is for vocab you will learn in class beginning in August
~ the second section is for the words you find in your readings that you don’t know (you will define them)
~ the third section is for the Gladiator Words of the Day
 Another three-subject spiral OR composition notebook (WILL SERVE AS YOUR READING-RESPONSE JOURNAL):
~ the first section (divide into two sections) is for What the Dog Saw and Lincoln on Leadership
~ the second section is for editorials you will read during the course of the year
~ the third section will be for the two novels we read August-December
 Index cards (see the AP Words to Know Summer 2011 handout)
 Highlighters, pens, and a pack of sticky notes
 For the beginning of the school year, you will need a two‐inch (or more), three‐ringed binder with six dividers (to be labeled: notes, responses,
ASTaD, SAT/ACT lessons, vocab tests, AP mock exams)

SUMMER READING SCHEDULE

Please note that the following dates serve as a guide to help you keep a healthy pace. Use your own discretion to determine a comfortable speed at which
you complete the readings and assignments. However, both readings and assignments should be done by the first day of class on August 22, 2011.

Week of June 13th – 19th: Week of July 11th – July 17th:

 Read “How to Mark a Book” by Mortimer J. Adler, Ph.D.  What the Dog Saw – “The Picture Problem” and
 What the Dog Saw – The Preface, “The Pitchman” and “The “Something Borrowed” and “Connecting the Dots”
Ketchup Conundrum”  Lincoln on Leadership – Part III (Endeavor)
 Lincoln on Leadership - Preface
Week of July 18th – July 24th:
Week of June 20th – 26th:  What the Dog Saw – “The Art of Failure” and ”Blowup”
 What the Dog Saw – “Blowing Up” and “True Colors”  Lincoln on Leadership – Part IV (Communication)
 Lincoln on Leadership - Introduction
Week of July 25th – July 31st:
Week of June 27th – July 3rd:  What the Dog Saw – “Late Bloomers” and “Most Likely to
 What the Dog Saw – “John Rock’s Error” and “What the Succeed”
Dog Saw”  Lincoln on Leadership - Epilogue
 Lincoln on Leadership – Part I (People)
Week of August 1st – August 7th:
Week of July 4th – July 10th:  What the Dog Saw – “Dangerous Minds” and “The Talent
 What the Dog Saw – “Open Secrets” and “Million Dollar Myth”
Murray”  Lincoln on Leadership - Afterword
 Lincoln on Leadership – Part II (Character)
Week of August 8th – August 14th:
 What the Dog Saw – “The New-Boy Network” and
“Troublemakers”

Week of August 15th – August 21st:

 Break time! (Be sure you are studying, though!)
There will be both required and bonus
questions posted on the blog each week.
Your posts must be thoughtful
and insightful responses
to the questions.




SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS
1. In your vocabulary journal, write down terms you don’t understand from your summer readings. In the second section of
your spiral notebook (as stated under “Necessary Supplies” listed on the previous page), define these words in a succinct
and simple way, provide their parts of speech, as well as a synonym and an antonym. This will also help you when it’s time
to take the S.A.T.

2. For What the Dog Saw, you must do the following:

 Take notes in your book, as stated in Adler’s “How to Mark a Book.”

 For each chapter (there are 21 in total), write a half‐page entry in your journal that states your reaction and response to Gladwell’s ideas.
It can be about your feelings about his findings, or how you feel about the way he presents his message.

 Answer the following questions in your journal once you’ve read ALL of the book (you will not do this for each section, just the book as a
whole): How is this book different from the novels you are used to reading in English classes? Do you agree with the argument(s)? Why?
What strategies (in syntax, style, and literary devices) does the author use in making his argument? Does the style of writing affect the
effectiveness of the book? What types of evidence does the author use to support his claims? Do you see any holes in this argument? Does
the author address those holes? What did you like about Gladwell’s writing? What did you not like? How can you apply what you
learned in these readings to your own life?

3. For Lincoln on Leadership, you must do the following:

 Take notes in your book, as stated in Adler’s “How to Mark a Book.”

 You need to pick two quotes from each of the four parts (listed below). Choose two quoted from each part that move you most (can be in
a negative or positive way). The 8 quotes you choose will serve as essay prompts.

 In your journal, for the quotes you choose, write an argumentative essay for each of the eight. Basically, you will defend or challenge the
quote using examples from Lincoln on Leadership, you prior knowledge (history, science, psychology, or events in the news), an example
from one your past readings (can be from a novel, short story, essay or speech you read in ANY of your previous classes), as well as an
example from your personal observations and/or experiences. Be sure to use the following: a SHAPRP hook, ALIVE words, a thesis
statement, body paragraphs about 7-9 sentences long, a STRONG conclusion with a closer that POPS! You will likely have six paragraphs
– an introduction; one body paragraph using your support from your prior readings; one from the novel itself; one body paragraph using
an example from your prior knowledge; one from your personal observations/experiences; and a conclusion.

 When it’s all said and done, you will have eight essays completely written. I will provide an example of an argumentative essay on the
blog later in the summer, so you can see the format.

 Remember, choose two quotes from each of the four parts!

PART I:
1. Be the embodiment of good temper and affability.
2. If your subordinates can stand it, so can you. Set a good example.
3. Wage only one war at a time.
4. When you extinguish hope, you create desperation.
5. Remember, human action can be modified to some extent, but human nature cannot be changed.
6. Delegate responsibility and authority by empowering people to act on their own

PART II:
1. Stand with anybody who stands right. Stand with him while he is right and part with him when he goes wrong.
2. Have malice toward none and charity for all.
3. Touch people with the better angles/angels of your nature.
4. The probability that you may fall in the struggle ought not to deter you from the support of a cause you believe to be just.
5. Make consistency one of the main cogs in the machinery of your organization.

PART III:
1. Seize the initiative and never relinquish it.
2. Never forget that your organization does not depend on the life of any one individual.
3. Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.
4. Your war will neither be done nor attempted unless you watch it every day and hour, and force it.
5. Sometimes it’s better to plough around obstacles rather than to waste time going through them.
6. Go out into the field with your leaders, and stand or fall with the battle.
7. Remember that the best leaders never stop learning.

PART IV:
1. Remember that there will be times when you should simply not speak. Say to your listeners: “Kindly let me be silent.”
2. A good laugh is good for both the mental and physical digestion.
3. Loyalty is more often won through private conversation than in any other way.
4. When effecting renewal, call on the past, relate it to the present, and then use them both to provide a link to the future.

4. For the AP Words to Know for Summer 2011, you must do the following:
 You need to print and learn the "AP Words to Know” from the blog.
 Follow the instructions on the handout.
 Have these terms memorized before the first day of school. THERE WILL BE A TEST ON THE FIRST DAY!
 When you see these concepts at work in your novels, underline it in your book and identify it. Think about its function and why the
author used that particular tool or style!
PLAGIARISM & ATTENDANCE
 Plagiarism WILL NOT be tolerated! Deliberate plagiarism ‐ is claiming, indicating, or implying that the ideas, sentences, or words of
another are one's own. It includes copying the work of another, or following the work of another as a guide to ideas and expression that are
then presented as one's own. Accidental plagiarism is the improper handling of quotations and paraphrases without a deliberate attempt to
deceive. If the plagiarism is accidental, the student may correct and rewrite the paper, but will be penalized at least a letter grade.

 Attendance is key for this class. If your parents are going to schedule dental or medical appointments for you once school starts, please ask
them to make them after school hours. ADVISE THEM NOW BECAUSE EVERY SECOND COUNTS!

MISCELLANEOUS
 My email is crodriguez14@dadeschools.net if you have any questions, though it should only be used after you’ve read and reread the
directions, consulted one of your peers, etc. I am your last resort. Remember, there are several dozens of you, but only one of me :o)

 We will have a couple face-to-face sessions over the summer, so be on the lookout on the blog/site. I will do my best to email you in advance,
too!

 You can check out your books from the local library, but we recommend you buy your own copies (used or new). Obtain your copies EARLY!

 There are also several bookstores that already have What the Dog Saw in stock. For purchasing online, there are these sites:
Cheapbooks.com
Bn.com
Amazon.com
Borders.com