Travis High School AP English III Summer Reading 2016-17
AP English Language and Composition (AP English III) is a college level course. All
students are expected to complete summer reading and accompanying activities before
school starts next August. This year, all junior AP English Language and Composition
students will be required to read a common nonfiction selection and a fictional novel
chosen from the works below. Both of these readings will help you to develop particular
skills that are necessary for you to succeed academically throughout the coming school
year and beyond.
1. Required nonfiction:
o Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell—a nonfiction work that explores what makes
exceptional people exceptional, it will change the way you look at the world.
2. Required fiction: choose ONE from the following titles:
o East of Eden by John Steinbeck—an American epic novel that explores
multiple generations of two families and their dreams through triumph and
ruin, based on the history of Steinbeck’s own family and inspired by his love
of the land worked by those generations—the Salinas Valley in central
California.
o The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver—tells the story of the Prices,
American missionaries with four daughters, who uproot themselves and move
to the former Belgian Congo. Each chapter is from the perspective of a
different character, giving the reader insight into the personal side of a dark
time in history.
You will participate in Socratic seminars and to write analysis and argument essays in
class to demonstrate your understanding of these works.
Annotation Guide for Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Rhetoric:
As you read, annotate the text for Gladwell’s use of each of the following:
 Inductive Reasoning—moves from the specific to the general. For example, if I
give Cheetos to one hundred students, and those students all like them, I may
conclude inductively that all students like Cheetos.
 Deductive Reasoning—moves from general premise to more specific conclusion.
For example, if I know that all students like Cheetos, I can deduce that if Carl is a
student, he likes Cheetos.
 Appeals
o credibility
o logic
o emotion
(ethos)
(logos)
(pathos)
Vocabulary in Context from Outliers:
Additionally, familiarize yourself with the contextual meaning of each of the words listed
from each section below.
Introduction
egalitarian
ethos
Chapter 1
meritocracy
Chapter 2
crucible
paradigm
cohort
Chapter 3
abstruse
cognitive
threshold
subversive
libidinous
Chapter 4
inquisitive
savvy
consequential
submissive
Chapter 5
brevity
antecedent
credentials
WASP
purported
flounder
subsistence
imperious
consequence
Chapter 6
confederate
Chapter 7
nonchalant
mitigate
indelible
Chapter 8
fundamental
Epilogue
idealist
daunting
concubine
miscegenation
progeny
fetish
Activity for Your Novel Selection
 Keep a log of noteworthy sentences or short passages you find throughout the
novel as you read.
o Cite each one using MLA format.
o Explain why the sentence or short passage stands out to you. Does it
contain a profound truth about life? Is it worded in a skillful or clever
way you admire? Is it funny? Does it give insight into a character’s
inner workings or explain his or her actions? Some other reason?
This log will be used in the first week of school.