Vacation Reading Assignment and Suggestions

Over the vacation, read a non-fiction book at least 200 pages in length, written in English (i.e., not translated from another language). I am not placing any other restrictions on your choice of a book. It may be serious, light-hearted, comic, and about any subject matter (as long as your parents won't disapprove). The week after we return from the break, you will write an in-class rhetorical analysis of your book. As you read your book, pay attention to the rhetorical strategies we have discussed all year. Below are eight suggestions that, so far, are available at the Barnes and Noble on Erie Boulevard or in Clay. (Note that the online price may be significantly less than the in-store price, and if you are ordering online, you might want to check Amazon's prices, too.) Try to keep up with reading The New York Times, too. Stay informed!

David Colbert, The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter

Jessica Kerwin Jenkins,  Encyclopedia of the Exquisite 

Michael Lewis, The Big Short
Richard Preston, The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story
Stacy Schiff, Cleopatra: A Life
Charles Seife, Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea
David Shields, Reality Hunger: A Manifesto
Bethlehem Shoals, et al., The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac

Before the Thanksgiving break, some students asked for a list of the books that have most influenced me.  It's an impossible list to assemble, but the following is a list of favorite and influential non-fiction books that were written in English. (At the end of the column to the right, there is a link to my Blogger profile, which has lists of some favorite movies, music, and books. I left off from that list most of the following books. I'm not sure how.)

Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition
W. E. B. Du Bois, The Souls of Black Folk
Terry Eagleton, Literary Criticism
Gerald Early, Tuxedo Junction

Bobbito Garcia, Where'd You Get Those? New York City's Sneaker Culture, 1960-1987  

Stephen Jay Gould, The Mismeasure of Man
Stephen Greenblatt, Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare
Michael Herr, Dispatches
Gilbert Highet, The Art of Teaching
Jane Jacobs, The Death and Life of American Cities 

Russell Jacoby, The Last Intellectuals
C. L. R. James, The Black Jacobins 

LeRoi Jones, Blues People
Charles Mingus, Beneath the Underdog
George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia
Orlando Patterson, Slavery and Social Death
Orlando Patterson, Freedom in the Making of Western Culture

Russell Sherman, Piano Pieces 

Judith Shklar, American Citizenship
Art Spiegelman, Maus
The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Enjoy the vacation!

Homework for Wednesday, December 15 (Day 6), and Thursday, December 16 (Day 1)

For those who have class on Wednesday, finish reading and annotating Shklar's American Citizenship.

For those who have class on Thursday, read and annotate as much of Shklar's American Citizenship as you can, but strive to finish it.

Homework for Monday, Dec. 13 (Day 4), and Tuesday, Dec. 14 (Day 5)

For Monday, the even day class must read and annotate to p. 62 in Judith Shklar's American Citizenship.

For Tuesday, the odd day class must revise their 9/11 stories and begin reading some part of Judith Shklar's American Citizenship. Keep in mind that we will finish it by the end of the week.

Here is a video from last night's Newshour, a PBS news show broadcast weeknights from 7-8 p.m., that addresses some of the issues we have discussed in class concerning conservative and liberal policies:

Links for Loose Change and More 9/11 Readings

If you wish to see parts of Loose Change, click here for the version we viewed in class.

If you wish to complicate your understanding of Loose Change, here is a site that criticizes it heavily.

If you wish to know more about the coroner's role at the Flight 93 crash site, click here.

If you look at these sources, you may at first feel that it will be harder to write your story. Keep in mind, however, that what you are telling is a story, and in telling that story, you have to decide what is important for your audience to know about 9/11.

Assignment for Wednesday, Dec. 8 (Day 1)

Your assignment for Wednesday is the same as it was for Monday: bring three pages of your 9/11 story to class. Tuesday's assignment for the even day class remains the same.

Your 9/11 Story

For Monday, 12/6 (Day 5), and Tuesday, 12/7 (Day 6), bring three pages of your 9/11 story. Your 9/11 story should tell the story of that day and its aftermath. You may write it in the first-person, but realize that you're not writing only about yourself; you are telling the story to convey what happened that day.

If you have struggled with this assignment, here are some issues to consider as try to write your story. You may not find all of these helpful, feel free to skip whichever steps don't help you. You  :

First, have a clear sense of your audience--whom are you telling the story to? Is it in adult who already has a strong opinion about 9/11? Is it a peer from another country who doesn't know much about that day? Is it a child who wasn't yet born when it happened?

Second, have a clear sense of your purpose for telling the story--what do you want your audience to know about 9/11? Do you want them to think terrorists are responsible for the attacks? Do you want them to think there are many unanswered questions about that day? Do you want them to have conflicted feelings about the day? Do you want them to have a sense that many are mistaken to think the day is significant?

Third, decide on the facts that you think are important, the facts that your audience must know about 9/11. Since you can't include everything, you should have a good working list (maybe five to ten items) that you think are indispensable to the story.

Fourth, have a sense of the conflict you want to develop and resolve. Have a sense of when and where you need to include the indispensable facts that bring the conflict to its climax and resolve the consequences of the climax. It may seem that the story's climax comes right at the beginning. That's fine; just make sure you have a good sense of how you want to show the consequences of that climax (otherwise known as the falling action).

Fifth, write your 9/11 narrative. You are telling a story, so including personal details is appropriate, but you're not just writing about yourself; your goal is to tell a (hopefully) compelling story about that day and its aftermath.

Homework for Monday, Nov. 15 (Day 1), and Tuesday, Nov. 16 (Day 2)

On Monday and Tuesday, you will write the synthesis essay on Frederick Douglass. Again, I apologize for the delay. You will have 15 minutes to read the sources and 40 minutes to write the essay.

Click here for The 9/11 Commission Report; read the Preface and Chapter 1 ("'We Have Some Planes'") for Monday and Tuesday. (You can download the whole report at once, or you can scroll down a little to read individual sections. I recommend downloading the whole report so you won't have to keep going back to the site to find individual chapters.)

Also, click here for the story of Frederick Douglass's escape from slavery. The story goes from pp. 233-249 of The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass (1882), his third autobiography. To the left of the blue arrows to turn the page, you'll see a small box; enter "233" and you'll get to the start of the story.

Homework for Monday, Nov. 8 (Day 3), and Tuesday, Nov. 9 (Day 4)

Finish reading and annotating Frederick Douglass's Narrative (pp. 70-99). Do not read the materials beyond p. 99. In class, we will finish discussing the book and continue preparing for the synthesis essay on Frederick Douglass that you will write on Wednesday, Nov. 10 (Day 5) and Friday, Nov. 12 (Day 6).  (School is closed for Veterans' Day on Thursday, Nov. 11.)

Homework for Wednesday, Nov. 3 (Day 1), and Thursday, Nov. 4 (Day 2)

Read and annotate Frederick Douglass's Narrative, pp. 53-70 (stop at the end of the first paragraph, near the top of the page). Write one page relating a key incident in the reading from the perspective of another character. Try, as best you can, to replicate the syntax and diction of the time period.

Homework for Thursday, Oct. 28 (Day 3), and Friday, Oct. 29 (Day 4)

Think of a book, story, speech, play, or poem that has profoundly influenced you, one that has changed the way you see the world. Write one typed page about this text and its influence on you in the same manner that Douglass writes about Sheridan's speeches that he read in The Columbian Orator (see pp. 45-46 in Douglass's Narrative). This is an exercise in imitation; try to imitate, among other things, Douglass's sentence style, his appeals, and his organizational structure for this paragraph.

You do not have additional reading in Douglass's Narrative; we will catch up on discussing pp. 36-53.

Homework for Tuesday, Oct. 26 (Day 1), and Wednesday, Oct. 27 (Day 2)

Complete Lesson 6 in Advanced Composition Skills. For the Focus on Writing on p. 34, follow the prompt, but instead of an essay, analyze two or three specific examples from the reading. Then, read and annotate Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, pp. 35-53, paying close attention to his syntax and its effects on his story.

Homework for Friday, Oct. 22 (Day 5), and Monday, Oct. 25 (Day 6)

Read Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, pp. 3-35. Pay attention to the rhetorical strategies that establish and maintain Douglass's credibility. You will have a quiz for which you will write two paragraphs that analyze a passage from the reading.

Homework for Wednesday, Oct. 20 (Day 3), and Thursday, Oct. 21 (Day 4)

In Advanced Composition Skills, complete Lesson 19 (pp. 133-138). Complete the Focus on Writing on p. 138. You will find that this chapter equates the terms ethos and persona; you should not do so as you think and write about the readings. Treat the terms as we have discussed them in class.

Homework for Monday, Oct. 18 (Day 1), and Tuesday, Oct. 19 (Day 2)

Look at the independent reading assignment posted to the right and decide on your independent reading selection. Be prepared to tell me either the author or publication that you will (or did) read. Since you have no other reading this weekend, you may want to begin or even complete the reading component of this assignment.

Also, for the odd day class (Monday only), your revision of the narrative essay (either telling your own story or analyzing Gornick's The Situation and the Story) is due.

Homework for Thursday, Oct. 14 (Day 5), and Friday, Oct. 15 (Day 6)

In Henry IV, Part 1, read and annotate Act 5, scenes 1-3 (pp. 187-209). You do not have a writing assignment with this reading, but you may have a quiz on this section of the play.

Independent Reading Assignment Posted

To the right, you will find a link to the independent reading assignment, which is due the first week in November.

Even-Day Homework for Wednesday, Oct. 13 (Day 4)

Write 3-4 sentences for each component of a SOAPSTone analysis of either Hal's or Falstaff's rhetoric in Act 3, scene 3.

Odd-Day Homework for Oct. 12 (Day 3)

Write 3-4 sentences for each component of a SOAPSTone analysis of Hal's rhetoric in Act 3, sc. 2.

Homework for Friday, Oct. 8 (Day 2)

Write 1-2 pages in response to the following prompt: How does Hal try to convince his father of his sincerity? Analyze Hal's rhetoric in Act 3, sc. 2. Among other factors, you may consider Hal's audience, his purpose, his appeals, and his language.

Homework for Wednesday, Oct. 6 (Day 6), and Thursday, Oct. 7 (Day 1)

Finish revising the in-class essay. Bring in both the typed, revised version and the original.

Also, bring Henry IV, Part 1; we will read Act 3, scene 2 in class.

Homework for Monday, Oct. 4 (Day 4) and Tuesday, Oct. 5 (Day 5)

Do not finish revising your in-class essay. Bring it with you and we will revise it in class with the school laptops because I need to give your more guidance for your revision. If you have started revising it, that's fine; bring what you have already done (print it out, put it on a flashdrive, or email it to yourself).

I hope you enjoyed the performance of Henry IV, Part 1 in Boston. This weekend, read and annotate the following from Henry IV: Act 2, sc. 3, lines 39-67, and all of Act 2, sc. 4. You do not need to read to Act 3, sc. 2.

Homework for Monday, Sept. 27, and Tuesday, Sept. 28

In Advanced Composition Skills, complete Lesson 2. Be sure to read the introduction on p. 6 to prepare for the Paine and Jefferson readings. Be sure to answer the multiple choice questions on p. 9. Also, write a response to the Focus on Writing on p. 12. Do not spend more than 40 minutes writing this response. You may write it by hand or type it.

In class, we will work on revising your in-class essays on the summer reading, discuss the Paine and Jefferson readings, and read through Act III, scene 2 of Henry IV, Part 1 (we will skip some sections).

Homework for Thursday, 9/23, and Friday, 9/24

Read and annotate Henry IV, Part 1, from Act 1, sc. 3, line 199 to Act 2, sc. 2 (pp. 39-65). You may skip Act 2, sc. 1 if you wish, but be sure to read its summary on p. 50. Write a one-page response to the following prompt: The main purpose of Act 2, sc. 2 is to make the audience laugh. Regardless of your sense of humor, identify and explain specific lines that aim to establish the humor in this scene. How does Shakespeare's language attempt to make the audience laugh?

Homework for Friday, Sept. 17, and Monday, Sept. 20

Read and annotate Henry IV, Part 1, Act 1, sc. 2 (pp. 13-27). Write one typed page in response to the following prompt:

In Act 1, sc. 2 of Henry IV, we meet Prince Hal and Falstaff. What can you tell about their characters based on the language they use? Be sure to use quotes and refer to specific lines in this scene. Your response can consist of two paragraphs, one for each character.

See yourself in print

With the new school year, the Syracuse Post-Standard is resuming its Voices page, which features the writing of local high school students. I would love to open the paper one Monday morning and see the writing of one of my students. Imagine how proud I would be! Imagine how much I would brag about you! So, to get your writing published in the Post-Standard,  send an email to youthnews@syracuse.com for more information. According to their newsletter, "Upcoming topics include Overcoming Obstacles: ADD/ADHD; Opinions on the Islamic center and mosque being built near 'Ground Zero'; Reality TV; and Marching Band." The topic for today's issue (September 13) is What We Did over Summer Break.  Click here to read online today's student essays.

First Days

I thought you might appreciate a head's up about the due date for your essay in response to Vivian Gornick's The Situation and the Story. This essay will be due either Tuesday, September 21 (Day 1), or Wednesday, September 22 (Day 2).

Also, the odd day class meets first period on Day 1, and I'm very excited to see you guys first, but that is an abbreviated period. So, instead of writing an essay on the first and second days of school, as planned, both the even and odd day sections will write the essays on the second and third days of school. You can find the topics for these questions by clicking here.

Welcome!

Welcome to AP Lang! Click the link below for the summer book choices and their related writing assignments.

Summer Reading Assignment

AP Lang is essentially a first-year college writing course designed for the development of informed citizens. Students in this class are expected to be able to read anything in English from the sixteenth century to the present and have something interesting to say about it. In addition, students come to understand, recognize, and practice a variety of writing strategies for a range of audiences and purposes. The key to being a successful reader in this class is to read flexibly--that is, not only to think through a text from a variety of perspectives, but also to employ specific reading strategies for certain kinds of texts. In this class, you will come to understand that there is no one way to read "correctly"; to read effectively, you must adjust your reading to the text itself.

Beyond this analytical and interpretive emphasis, students also develop their individual voices as writers. That individual voice will grow both creatively and analytically, but it must demonstrate an appreciation for the complexity of both important and seemingly trivial matters, and to convey that appreciation effectively in writing.

Above all, this is not a test-prep class. Although we will prepare for the exam, the greatest preparation for this exam will come from your daily commitment to growing as a reader and writer. Have a great summer, and see you in September!