AP English
Language and Composition
Mr. Howell
howellj@dy-regional.k12.ma.us
Welcome to the Infinite Text
The purpose of the summer work for AP English 11 is for you to embrace the paradigm that everything is a text, and you will read that text all the time.
Newspapers, magazines, blogs, on-line aggregators, tv news, cable news, local news, social media--all media, events, technology--everything can be read and you can do that reading with a depth of insight comparable to the top thinkers in the world.
AP English: Language and Composition is the class where you learn how to do that reading and a whole lot of writing with more sophistication than anyone else.
The three focal points of study for the class are argumentation, and rhetorical and stylistic analysis. The methods and practices you need to take on to make this sort of reading your own are embedded in all the activities of the class, including the summer reading during which you will have two major tasks:
1. Habitually read on the same level as intellectuals
2. Read and analyze a serious work of nonfiction:
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
The purpose of reading this work of nonfiction is to challenge you to think about the world beyond Cape Cod. It is the story of Paul Farmer, who grew up living in a house boat stuck in a trailer park, but despite his modest beginnings, ended up becoming one of the most important doctors in the world, helping people in Haiti, Rwanda, Russia, Peru and Boston.
After getting a copy at your local library or book seller of choice, read it and write four (4) reader response logs along the lines of the ones you wrote for your freshmen and sophomore teacher. Mountains Beyond Mountains will be the subject of a timed essay test during the first week of school in September. Each log will be about 2 pages long and will include questions, evidence, insight, personal connections, and words (with their definitions) that Forrest Gump would find challenging. 5 words, terms, or concepts per entry should be sufficient.
The logs will be handed in on the first day of class (either 9/6 or 9/7), and graded on volume of ideas and depth of insight. The essay will be graded along the guidelines of the AP Language and Composition rubric.
All together, our assignments include 4 logs for the book and 4 responses to the essays or articles I post on the class blog, for a total of 8 responses.
Returning to item 1, I will post articles or essays on the class blog on a weekly basis. Read two a month and write a 1 page of analysis for two articles a month. These writings will also be collected on the first day of class.
The class blog address is
My email address is howellj@dy-regional.k12.ma.us
