8th Grade Pre-AP English
2014 Summer Assignment
This summer assignment will prepare you to be successful in 8th grade pre-AP
AP English. In order to
remain enrolled in the course, you must satisfactorily complete all parts of the assignment. This is an
extensive assignment. Do not wait until the end of the summer to try to complete it.
Learn the assigned literary terms (list attached)
Obtain and read Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
Create a dialectic journal
ournal with a minimum of 100 separate quoted entries.
Submit your dialectic journal the week before school begins - either on Monday, August
18th or on the day you pick up your schedule. Journals will be accepted no later than
schedule pick up day.
ver the assigned literary terms on the first day of school;; you will be required
5. Pass a test over
to apply the various literary devices to excerpts from the novel, so you need a good working
understanding of them.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Satisfactory completion of the journal and passing the literary terms test will determine whether
you remain enrolled in Pre-AP
AP English.
I will be checking my school email throughout June and July and will be happy to help you with any
questions you have. I will also set up a schedule of times when I w
will
ill be available to meet you at the
Kaufman Public Library for assistance.
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•
•
Email me after June 5th for the schedule of meeting times OR with questions about the
assignment.
You may call or text me between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Examples of journal entries and another copy of the literary terms will be available on my school
website by the second week of June.
Good luck!
Jasmine Bonner, M.Ed.
8th grade pre-AP English
[email protected]
(214) 293-8652
teachers.kaufmanisd.net/~jbonner
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Detailed assignment instructions. Please read and follow these instructions carefully.
1) Obtain a copy of Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson (ISBN 9781416905851) and a composition book
(NOT a spiral notebook). Amazon.com has inexpensive copies of the novel available, and Half Price
Books often has copies.
2) Learn the attached list of terms. It would probably be helpful for you to locate examples of each to
enhance your learning. This can be achieved by doing an internet search for “examples of (the
term).”
3) As you read Chains, you will prepare a dialectic journal. This journal will be a collection of quotes
from the book and your responses. Quotes from the book will be written on the LEFT; your reactions
will be written on the right. You should have a MINIMUM of 100 quotes from the book; you may
identify more than one literary device in each quote.
a. On the cover, legibly PRINT your name: Last, First and 8th Grade PAP English
b. On the top line of the first page, write the title of the book (underlined) and the author’s
name.
c. Fold each page in half so you create two columns. Use a ruler or another straight edge to
draw a neat line down the center of the page.
d. Entries must be made in the order they appear in the book. You should not have entries from
chapter 3 intermingled with entries from chapter 27, etc.
e. Refrain from writing in the margins, with the exception of answering questions you have
posed.
f. Your final product must be neat and well-presented. Each entry should be legibly written and
the excerpts on the left must clearly line up with your reactions on the right.
g. Skip a line between entries.
h. Entries may be: vocabulary, literary/rhetorical techniques, questions, or connections. When
you identify something to include in your journal, you will create an entry for it as follows:
i. On the left side, write the excerpt from the book (be sure to use quotation marks
appropriately and cite the page number). On the right, you will do one of the
following:
1. identify a literary technique and analyze what effect the author’s use of the
technique has on the plot or the reader. UNDERLINE the term, or
2. define the word you don’t know, or
3. write a question you have about what you are reading (author’s purpose,
societal norms, confusing text, etc.), that you have about what you are
reading. If you write a question and later find the answer to it, you need to
come back and jot the answer down in the margin.
4. connect what you read to something else with which you are familiar (other
books, movies, personal experience, etc.).
i. Your journal should include a good balance of all types of entries (identify, define, question,
connect), but I expect less emphasis on definition entries.
j. You might not identify every literary device from the assigned list. You must have a
minimum of 100 quoted entries in your journal.
4) Submit your completed dialectic journal during the week before school begins, either on August 18th
or schedule pick-up day.
5) Be prepared to take an exam over the literary terms (including sentence types) and the novel on the
first day of school.
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List of Literary Terms
adage – a familiar proverb or wise saying
ad hominem argument – an argument attacking an individual’s character rather than his/her
position on an issue
alliteration – the repetition of initial sounds in successive or neighboring words
allusion – a reference to something literary, mythological, or historical that the author assumes
the reader will recognize
analogy – a comparison of two different things that are similar in some way
anaphora – the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of consecutive lines or sentences
anecdote – a brief narrative that focuses on a particular incident or event
anthropomorphism – representing animals, gods, or objects as if they had human emotions and
intelligence
antithesis - a statement in which two opposing ideas are balanced
aphorism - a concise statement that expresses succinctly a general truth or idea, often using
rhyme or balance
apostrophe - a figure of speech in which one directly addresses an absent/imaginary person, or
some abstraction
archetype – a detail, image, or character type that occurs frequently in literature and myth and is
thought to appeal in a universal way to the unconscious and to evoke a response
assonance – repetition of the same or similar vowel sounds in the stressed syllables of
neighboring, non-rhyming words
asyndeton – a construction in which elements are presented in a series without conjunctions
cacophony – a harsh, unpleasant combination of sounds
chiasmus – a statement consisting of two parallel parts in which the second part is structurally
reversed
cliché – an expression that has been overused to the extent that its freshness has worn off
deuteragonist – the role second in importance to the protagonist
dialect – a variety of speech characterized by its own particular grammar or pronunciation, often
associated with a particular geographical region
dialogue – conversation between two or more people
didactic – having the primary purpose of teaching or instructing
dissonance – harsh, inharmonious, or discordant sounds
dynamic character – a character who develops or changes as a result of the actions of the plot
elegy – a formal poem presenting a meditation on death or another solemn theme
epanalepsis – the repetition at the end of a clause of a word or phrase that occurred at its
beginning
epigram – a brief, pithy, and often paradoxical saying
epigraph – a saying or statement on the title page of a work, or used as a heading for a chapter
or other section of a work
epiphany – a moment of sudden revelation or insight
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epithet – a term used to point out a characteristic of a person. Those of the Homeric variety are
often compound adjectives that become an almost formulaic part of a name. They can be
abusive/offensive, but not so by definition; in contrast, some athletes are proud of theirs.
euphemism – an indirect, less offensive way of saying something that is considered unpleasant
expletive – an interjection to lend emphasis; sometimes, a profanity
extended metaphor – a direct comparison between two things that is extended throughout several
lines/paragraphs/chapters of a work or throughout the entire piece
flat character – a character constructed around a single idea or quality; immediately
recognizable and can usually be represented by a single sentence
foil – a character who provides a strong contrast to another character, usually a main character
homily – a sermon, or a moralistic lecture
hubris – excessive pride or arrogance that results in the downfall of the protagonist of a tragedy
idiom – an expression in a given language that cannot be understood from the literal meaning of
the words in the expression; or, a regional speech or dialect
imagery – the use of figures of speech to create vivid images that appeal to one of the senses
a) auditory – sense of hearing
d) tactile – sense of touch
b) gustatory – sense of taste
e) visual – sense of sight
c) olfactory – sense of smell
invective – an intensely vehement, highly emotional attack
inversion – the reversal of the usual word order in a prose sentence or line of poetry
irony – the use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning; or, incongruity between
what is expected and what actually occurs
dramatic – audience or reader knows information that characters do not
situational – actual outcome of a situation is the opposite of what is expected
verbal – sarcasm
jargon – the specialized language or vocabulary of a particular group or profession
juxtaposition – placing two elements side by side to present a comparison or contrast
literary license – deviating from normal rules or methods in order to achieve a certain effect
litotes – a type of understatement in which an idea is expressed by negating its opposite
logos – an appeal based on logic or reason
malapropism – the mistaken substitution of one word for another word that sounds similar
maxim – a concise statement, often offering advice; an adage
metonymy – substituting the name of one object for another object closely associated with it
mood – the emotional atmosphere of a work
non sequitur – an inference that does not follow logically from the premises
oxymoron – an expression in which two words that contradict each other are joined
parable – a simple story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson
paradox – an apparently contradictory statement that actually contains some truth
parallelism – the use of corresponding grammatical or syntactical forms
parody – a humorous imitation of a serious work
parenthetical – a comment that interrupts the immediate subject, often to qualify or explain
pathos – the quality in a work that prompts the reader to feel pity
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philippic - a strong verbal denunciation; originates from the orations of Demosthenes against
Philip of Macedonia in the fourth century
polysyndeton – the use, for rhetorical effect, of more conjunctions than is necessary or natural
protagonist – the central character in a narrative literary work, around whom the main conflict
revolves
resolution (or denouement) – the falling action of a narrative; the events following the climax
rhetorical devices – literary techniques used to heighten the effectiveness of expression
sarcasm – harsh, cutting language or tone intended to ridicule
satire – the use of humor to emphasize human weaknesses or imperfections in social institutions
scapegoat – a person or group that bears the blame for another
solecism – nonstandard grammatical usage; a violation of grammatical rules
static character – a character who changes little if at all
syllepsis – a construction in which one word is used in two different senses
syllogism – a three-part deductive argument in which a conclusion is based on a major premise
and a minor premise
symbol – an object that is used to represent something else
synecdoche – using one part of an object to represent the entire object
synesthesia (or synaesthesia) – describing one kind of sensation in terms of another
syntax – the manner in which words are arranged into sentences
tautology – needless repetition which adds no meaning or understanding
tone – the attitude of a writer, usually implied, toward the subject or audience
vernacular - the everyday speech of a particular country or region, often involving nonstandard
usage
SENTENCE VARIATIONS
Become familiar enough with these sentence types that you can identify them and write examples of
each.
balanced sentence – a sentence in which words, phrases, or clauses are set off against each other
to emphasize a contrast
complex sentence – a sentence with one independent clause and at least one dependent clause
compound sentence – a sentence with two or more coordinate independent clauses, often joined
by one or more conjunctions
cumulative sentence – a sentence in which the main independent clause is elaborated by the
successive addition of modifying clauses or phrases
declarative sentence – a sentence that makes a statement or declaration
exclamatory sentence – a sentence expressing strong feeling, usually punctuated with an
exclamation mark
hypothetical question – a question that raises a hypothesis, conjecture, or supposition
rhetorical question – a question asked merely for rhetorical effect and not requiring an answer
simple sentence - a sentence consisting of one independent clause and no dependent clause
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