Rockville High School International Baccalaureate School 2100 Baltimore Road, Rockville, MD 20851 3015175595 Rockville HS English Department Mrs. Byrne [email protected] Mrs. Ehlers [email protected] IB English HL 12th grade Summer of 2015 Reading and Writing Assignments Directions: All assignments will be submitted to turnitin.com on the second day of class, Tuesday, September 1, 2015. Part I. A. Read the digital version or your own paperback copy of Thomas C. Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor . Annotate every chapter for definitions, memorable examples of analysis, and interesting points. If you would like to use a capture sheet for your annotations, click here . Annotations/Notes Rubric Level of Insight ❏ 20 Annotations reveal engagement with the complexities in the text. You’ve marked and commented on definitions, memorable examples of analysis, and interesting points. ❏ 16 Understanding of text is clearly indicated, but with less insight than above. ❏ 12 Little thought or limited to paraphrase or underlining only. Completeness ❏ 20 Majority of pages are marked, with no major lapses. (Although there will be pages with no annotations.) ❏ 16 Over 50% marked with whole sections lacking annotations. ❏ 12 Only skimpy annotations throughout book; clearly less than half annotated. B. Be prepared to apply what you have learned from reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor on the day we return to school. C. After you read, respond to any THREE chapter questions with a brief, but complete paragraph that makes connections between Foster’s work and literary texts (novels, plays, poetry) you have read in the last three years. Follow directions for the chapter questions as you craft your responses. Write in Times New Roman 12 point font and use proper MLA formatting for headers, citations. Proofread carefully. Three Paragraphs/Application Rubric ❏ 30 Paragraphs reveal engagement with the complexities in the texts. ❏ 24 Understanding of texts is indicated, but with less insight than above. ❏ 18 Little thought or limited to paraphrase or summary only. Part II. Essay Prompts – Write TWO of the common application essays this summer. Get other people to read them, revise them again, and be ready to upload them to turnitin.com. Common Application 20152016 250650 words NOTE: it's better to write more and edit. 1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. 2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? 3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? 4. Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemmaanything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. 5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family. FAQs Who reads the applications? Admissions Committee ● Experienced director (working in college admissions 1020 years) ● Associate director(s) (working in college admissions at least 5 years) ● Assistants who have just graduated from the college. These recent grads sift through the applications, weeding out those who don’t make the cut. Your job is to make the cut, by writing to tell your readers something true about yourself, in a fresh and unpretentious way. What are Admissions Officers looking for? ● ● ● ● You : the person behind the stats Surprise : an unexpected angle Genuineness : no pretensions, no Mr. Thesaurus words, just you Thoughtfulness : reflection, insight, and awareness How do I help the Admissions Officers find it? ● Think about your audience : young, overworked, and bored by thousands of applications ● Think about your purpose : not “selling yourself” but being yourself. Be human. Show your failures—just like Hawthorne says. Laugh at yourself. ● Focus : be as specific as you can be. Don’t just talk about baseball—talk about catching a particular fly ball or longing for someone to hit one to the lost world of the outfield. ● Use precise and economical language : make every word count. o Not : “On a yearly basis we would spend 5 hours driving to the lake, where I never gave up the hope of meeting the boy that would be my Prince Charming.” o Rather : “Every August we trekked to Lake Apponaug, where I always hoped to meet my Prince Charming.” ● Give your essay momentum . Make the parts work together and move to a point. Eliminate nonessentials and digressions. ● Use correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation . These appearances matter. Are you interested in reading more about college essays and seeing some exemplars? See these links: Exemplars from the NY Times Harvard Admissions Interviewer Gives Advice From the pros: Best college essays hint at who you are College Essay Rubric ❏ 30 Both essays are focused, precise, with momentum and insight, with no mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. ❏ 24 Both essays are generally focused, precise, with some momentum and insight, with a few mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. ❏ 18 Both essays are attempted but are too general, too superficial, with too many mistakes in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Finally, keep reading ! Want some suggestions? See this list as a guide to appropriate titles. Want to keep track of your reading? See the IB Major Works Packet , a good way to create a study guide for essays throughout the year and for the Paper 2 exam.
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