AP 12 Summer Reading Assignment
COURSE: Grade 12 Advanced Placement – Literature and Composition.
TEXTS:
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.
(These are the number 1 and 2 most frequently cited texts on the AP Literature exam.)
ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Students will complete 30 dialectical journal entries per book. (See attached chart for the
format of these journals.)
2. Students will complete one outside essay answering the following AP style question:
In literary works, cruelty often functions as a crucial motivation or major social or political factor.
After reading Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, write a well-developed essay analyzing how cruelty
functions in the work as a whole and what the cruelty reveals about the perpetrator and/or the
victim. Do not merely summarize the plot. (This is an actual open ended question from the 2015
AP Literature test.) You should only devote 40 minutes to the essay. It can be typed.
3. Students will complete an in-class essay on Wuthering Heights during the first week of
school as the diagnostic AP essay for the course.
DUE DATES:
Wuthering Heights must be read in preparation for an in-class essay the first week of school.
Dialectical Journals and the Invisible Man essay are due on September 15.
QUESTIONS:
If you have any questions regarding this assignment or the class, please email us (Mr. Losinger
and Mrs. Avgerinos) at [email protected] or [email protected]. Please do not wait until
the week before school for your questions. Our turnaround time on responses will not be
immediate.
RESOURCES:
If you are unsure of how to generate ideas for the dialectical journal, use these guideposts
to help you.
The Essays will be scored on the 9 point AP Rubric.
9–8 These essays offer a well-focused and persuasive analysis of the topic. Using apt and specific textual support, these essays fully
explore the topic and demonstrate what it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole. Although not without flaws, these
essays make a strong case for their interpretation and discuss the literary work with significant insight and understanding.
Generally, essays scored a 9 reveal more sophisticated analysis and more effective control of language than do those scored an
8.
7–6 These essays offer a reasonable analysis of the topic. They explore the topic and demonstrate what it contributes to the meaning of
the work as a whole. These essays show insight and understanding, but the analysis is less thorough, less perceptive, and/or
less specific in supporting detail than that of those in the 9–8 range. Generally, essays scored a 7 present better-developed
analysis and more consistent command of the elements of effective composition than do those scored a 6.
5 These essays respond to the assigned task with a plausible reading, but they tend to be superficial or underdeveloped in analysis. They
often rely on plot summary that contains some analysis, implicit or explicit. Although the essays attempt to discuss the topic
and how it contributes to the work as a whole, they may demonstrate a rather simplistic understanding of the work. Typically,
these responses reveal unsophisticated thinking and/or immature writing. They demonstrate adequate control of language, but
they may lack effective organization and may be marred by surface errors.
4–3 These lower-half essays offer a less than thorough understanding of the task or a less than adequate treatment of it. They reflect an
incomplete or oversimplified understanding of the work. They may not address or develop a response to how that relationship
contributes to the work as a whole, or they may rely on plot summary alone. Their assertions may be unsupported or even
irrelevant. Often wordy, elliptical, or repetitious, these essays may lack control over the elements of college-level composition.
Essays scored a 3 may contain significant misreading and demonstrate inept writing.
2–1 Although these essays make some attempt to respond to the prompt, they compound the weaknesses of those in the 4–3 range.
Often, they are unacceptably brief or are incoherent in presenting their ideas. They may be poorly written on several counts
and contain distracting errors in grammar and mechanics. The ideas are presented with little clarity, organization, or supporting
evidence. Particularly inept, vacuous, and/or incoherent essays must be scored a 1.
Grade Equivalents:
AP Score
Average
Letter Grade
1
55%
F
2
60%
D-
3
65%
D
4
70%
C-
5
75%
C
6
80%
B-
7
85%
B
8
90%
A-
9
95-100%
A
Dialectical Journal Rubric
Category
A: Critical Reader
Interpretation
Student constructs a
thoughtful, detailed, and
believable interpretation
of the text.
B: Connected Reader
C: Thoughtful Reader
D: Literal Reader
Student constructs a
thoughtful, believable
interpretation of the
text.
Student constructs a
believable interpretation,
but may have some
paraphrase.
Student mainly
paraphrases passages
and does very little
actual interpretation.
Details and
Themes
Student thinks about the
meaning of the text in
terms of a larger or
universal significance or
the importance to the
work as a whole.
Student thinks about
the meaning of the text
in larger terms.
Student thinks about the
meaning of the text, but
does not make many
connections to bigger
ideas.
Student rarely thinks
about the meaning of
the text.
Identification
Student always chooses
important passages and
correctly identifies
signposts.
Student chooses
important passages and
addressed the signposts
often.
Student has trouble
identifying important
passages and may not
address the signposts.
Student rarely
identifies important
passages and ignores
signposts.
Evidence
Student answers
important questions
relating to the signposts
and attempts to make
sense of text complexities
using evidence to support
opinions.
Student answers
important questions
and makes sense of the
text using evidence to
support opinions.
Studens answers questions
and attempts to make
sense of the text.
Student asks many
questions, but does not
offer answers. Student
rarely attempts to make
sense of the text.
Completion
Student’s journals are
complete, neatly written,
and cover the entire
reading assignment.
Student’s journals are
complete and cover the
entire reading
assignment.
Student’s journals are
complete, but may skip
large portions of the
reading assignment.
Student’s journals are
incomplete.