Pre-AP English II: Summer Assignment
2016
The Purpose of Pre-AP
The Pre-AP English II class is designed to prepare you for continued success in AP and college level English classes. Not
only will you engage in a year of extensive advanced studies to prepare for college-level work by your junior year, but
you will also have the privilege of examining some of the world’s great literature. In addition to literature, you will
intensely study grammar and writing.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
week’s time to respond.
Mandy Rolison
Please feel free to contact me via email this summer with questions. Please allow a
[email protected]
What you’ll need:
1. Please purchase a copy of Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee. This copy may be in print or digital form.
a. OR, you may use a copy from a library.
2. One-subject spiral or composition book.
What you’ll do:
1. Read the novel
2. Complete a dialectical journal as you read
3. Write an essay
The Process:
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Read through the instructions for the dialectical journal and the essay.
Read through the essay prompts. As you read through the novel, come back and re-read these prompts because
it will help you decide on a prompt you like, and you can begin making annotations that will help you write your
essay.
As you read, you will need to complete 10 dialectical journal entries for the novel. There are 19 chapters total,
but you will end up with 10 entries in your dialectical journal.
o Attached are directions for how to set up the journal and how to choose quotes and respond to the
quotes.
I also suggest making annotations as you read for each chapter. This will act as a study guide for the test you will
take over the novel the 3rd day of class. If you purchase the novel, you can write your annotations in the book.
Otherwise, you could take notes in the spiral/composition book SEPARATE from the dialectical journal.
Finally, you will write an essay responding to the provided prompt.
o Plagiarism in any part of the essay will earn you a zero on the assignment. (This includes similarities
between students taking the class, as well.)
Essay:
Choose ONE prompt to respond to:
1. Describe the relationship between Jean Louise and Atticus at the beginning of the novel. Does Jean Louise
idealize her father too much? How does she react when she discovers that her father is a flawed human being?
2.
3.
4.
5.
How does this discovery alter her sense of herself, her family, and her world? By the novel’s end, how do father
and daughter accommodate each other?
Is Henry like Atticus, his mentor and friend? Is Jean Louise’s assessment of Henry later in the novel correct? Are
Henry and Atticus good men? Can you be a moral person and hold views that may be unacceptable to most
people? How do Atticus’s actions toward the blacks of Maycomb compare with his views about them?
Harper Lee offers a window into Jean Louise’s turmoil after she attends the citizens’ council meeting. “Had she
insight, could she have pierced the barriers of her highly selective, insular world, she may have discovered that
all her life she had been with a visual defect which had gone unnoticed and neglected by herself and by those
closest to her: she was born color blind.” Why is Jean Louise’s color blindness a “visual defect”? How does being
color blind shape who she is and how she sees the world?
What kind of reception does Jean Louise receive in the Quarters when she visits Calpurnia, the Finches’ retired
housekeeper? How does Calpurnia react to seeing Jean Louise, and what is Calpurnia’s response when Jean
Louise asks her how she truly felt about her family? Would Calpurnia have answered the same way if asked that
question a few years earlier --- or if asked a few years later?
Near the novel’s end, Jean Louise questions herself. “Everything I have ever taken for right and wrong these
people have taught me --- these same, these very people. So it’s me, it’s not them. Something has happened to
me.” Do you agree with her? Has she changed --- or is she truly the person who she was raised to be? Atticus
tells her, “I’ve killed you, Scout. I had to.” What does he mean?
Directions: Choose 1 of the above prompts; write a 250 word or more typed (double-spaced) essay analyzing the
statement. Be sure to incorporate quotations from the novel to support your ideas (use proper MLA-you will not be
required to create a works cited). Below is an example of how to properly incorporate quotations from the book into
sentences. Quotes can never stand alone as a sentence. Also, remember to include the page number. Use 1” margins
and 12-point Times New Roman.
Sample Analysis Paragraph:
The two main characters, Gene and Phineas, are known throughout Devon as being best friends. Everyone thinks them
to be inseparable and the perfect match for each other; however, Gene distrusts Finny with “that level of feeling,
deeper than thought, which contains the truth” (48). Gene is jealous of Finny because he is more popular and more
athletic than he; as a result, he believes Finny “deliberately set[s] out to wreck [his] studies,” an an unusual anger
arouses within him (53).
Incorporating Quotes into Sentences:
Ex: Deluding himself, Gene believes, “Finny [has] deliberately set out to wreck his studies” (53).
Ex: Hypnotized by Finny’s compelling personality, Gene [takes] off his clothes and . . . climb[s] the pegs” to the top of the
tree (16).
Writing Guidelines
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The first paragraph is your introduction. This paragraph introduces the main idea of what you wish to say and
MUST INCLUDE YOUR THESIS STATEMENT. Also, you should capture your reader’s attention in this paragraph.
You must always write for your reader, whether the reader is your teacher, your employer, or any other
audience. The first paragraph grabs the reader’s interest in your topic, gives background on it, and leads your
reader to the main idea you want him or her to take from your paper. Please notice the words “grab the
reader’s attention”. Your first two sentences should make me want to read this paper, not dread it. Use
imagery, dialogue, definition - basically, use your voice to make your introduction interesting and exciting. In
other words, do not write…The thesis of my paper is… You may write it before or after you write the main body
of your essay. You may write a rough introduction first and then revise it after the rest of your essay is finished.
Most introduction paragraphs contain four to eight sentences, and the last sentence will lead into your second
paragraph.
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The body of your essay consists of at least three paragraphs. Each paragraph will contain a main idea
supporting what you have written in your thesis statement in the first paragraph, and each paragraph will have a
separate main idea. In these paragraphs you provide the details that lead you to form your thesis. Must include
quotes from the novel and use correct in-text citations (MLA format). The last sentence of each paragraph will
end with a sentence which brings the main idea of the paragraph to a close and leads into the next paragraph.
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The conclusion of your essay is in the final paragraph. Its purpose is to wrap up the main idea, or thesis, of the
essay. This paragraph will not introduce any new ideas. Instead, you will restate your thesis and summarize
what you have written, but in different words. Your conclusion will emphasize the significance of the thesis
statement, complete the essay, and leave a final impression on your reader.
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Make sure your quote supports your point; explain how it does without saying “This quote proves that…” or
“This quote means that …” Help the Reader see the connection without being quite so obvious.
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Do not use second person (You, Your.) This includes imperative sentences with
implied you as the subject.
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Absolutely do not use the first person (I, me, my). Do not use “I think,” “In my opinion,” and
so on. I know it is your work and therefore your opinions.
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Proofread for spelling, commas, comma splices, run-ons, and so on.
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Make sure that all sentences and paragraphs flow smoothly into each other (use transitions).
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Number your pages starting with page 2
DIALECTICAL JOURNALS
The term “Dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving
question and answer.” Think of your dialectical journal as a series of conversations with the texts we
read during this course. The process is meant to help you develop a better understanding of the
texts we read. You will find that it is a useful way to process what you’re reading, prepare yourself for
group discussion, and gather textual evidence for your Literary Analysis assignments.
PROCEDURE:
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Use a ruler to create a T-chart (ALWAYS include page numbers in the LEFT HAND margin).
Label the LEFT side Quotes and the RIGHT side Response. You will do this for each of the 10
entries.
Copy quotes from the novel in the Left column that stand out to you.
In the Right column, please do 3 tasks: choose one of the following literary elements to point
out/label within the quote you chose, explain how it is used, and choose one way to explain
how the text(quote) connects to human nature/self, to the text of the novel, or to the world.
o Choose ONE literary element:
 Imagery
 Theme
 Tone
 Mood
 Conflict
 Simile/metaphor/hyperbole/personification (pick one)
 Protagonist
 Antagonist
o ALSO choose one way to make the quote connect
 Text to self connection
 Text to text connection
 Text to world connection
**Because I am asking for 10 entries, the literary elements may be used more than once.**The Right
column must have 5 or more sentences to accomplish your tasks and earn full credit.
Sample Dialectical Journal entry: THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O’Brien
Passages from the text
“-they carried like freight trains;
they carried it on their backs and
for
all
the
shoulders-and
ambiguities of Vietnam, all the
mysteries and unknowns, there
was at least the single abiding
certainty that they would never
be at a loss for things to carry”.
Comments & Questions
O’brien chooses to end the first section of the novel with this
sentence. He provides excellent visual details of what each
solider in Vietnam would carry for day-to-day fighting. He makes
you feel the physical weight of what soldiers have to carry for
simple survival. When you combine the emotional weight of loved
ones at home, the fear of death, and the responsibility for the
men you fight with, with this physical weight, you start to
understand what soldiers in Vietnam dealt with every day. This
quote sums up the confusion that the men felt about the reasons
they were fighting the war, and how they clung to the only
certainty - things they had to carry - in a confusing world where
normal rules were suspended.
CHOOSING PASSAGES FROM THE TEXT:
Look for quotes that seem significant, powerful, thought provoking or puzzling. For example, you
might record:
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Effective &/or creative use of stylistic or literary devices
Passages that remind you of your own life or something you’ve seen before
Structural shifts or turns in the plot
A passage that makes you realize something you hadn’t seen before
Examples of patterns: recurring images, ideas, colors, symbols or motifs.
Passages with confusing language or unfamiliar vocabulary
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Events you find surprising or confusing
Passages that illustrate a particular character or setting
RESPONDING TO THE TEXT:
You can respond to the text in a variety of ways. The most important thing to remember is that your
observations should be specific and detailed. You can write as much as you want for each entry.
You will use your interactive notebook (Close Reading section) to work through this journal.
Basic Responses
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Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text
Give your personal reactions to the passage
Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
Tell what it reminds you of from your own experiences
Write about what it makes you think or feel
Agree or disagree with a character or the author
Sample Sentence Starters:
I really don’t understand this because…
I really dislike/like this idea because…
I think the author is trying to say that…
This passage reminds me of a time in my life when…
If I were (name of character) at this point I would…
This part doesn’t make sense because…
This character reminds me of (name of person) because…
Higher Level Responses
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Analyze the text for use of literary devices (tone, structure, style, imagery)
Make connections between different characters or events in the text
Make connections to a different text (or film, song, etc…)
Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
Consider an event or description from the perspective of a different character
Analyze a passage and its relationship to the story as a whole
Rubric
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Each entry is worth 10 points. A well chosen quote will earn 2/10 pts and your response will be
worth 8/10 pts.
Worth 1 Daily grade.
To earn the full 10 points entries must be: thought provoking and be proof of YOUR deep
reflection of the text(effort), and the given Procedures are followed.