AP Language Summer Work
Overview
Incoming AP Language students are required to read at least one book over the summer in preparation for the
course and subsequent AP exam. The goal of this summer’s reading is not to prepare you for the exam, but to
initiate you into the conversation about ideas and teach you to analyze a text from a language, not a literary,
perspective. AP Language is college; it is not a preparation for college. If you are looking for ways around this
reading assignment, you should not enroll in this class.
Students who do not complete the summer reading can still take the course, but will have a harder time on the
essay portion of the AP test, as well as many of the assignments throughout the course.
Requirements:
Huck Finn
by Mark Twain
Assignment Due on August 29, 2016 (the second Monday of the school year)
Please come prepared on this day to begin our analysis of the book and be prepared for class discussions,
assignments and tests.
Assignment #1: Please read and annotate the fiction text Huck Finn and be ready for class discussion and a test
beginning the first day of the second week of school. It is preferable that you get your own copy, but you can visit
room R5 or _____ for a borrowed copy if need be.
Annotating means that you are making notes about the text as you read. Most commonly, you are writing on
the text itself so that you can interact with the language, and analyze how and why an author is writing. For
an example of text annotation for a novel, please see the end of this packet.
Annotate the book as you read. You can do this with sticky notes or directly on the book if you have purchased it. If
you have your own book, you may highlight or underline, but you MUST comment next to it. Your notations should
move beyond personal comments and more into analysis of how the piece is crafted. Suggestions for annotations
may be found on the back of this handout. Annotating will not be on every single page. The purpose is to help you
engage in the reading in a way to prepare you for rhetorical analysis, argument and synthesis and to show evidence
of that engagement on the page.
AND
Assignment #2: One of the main topics discussed when it comes to Huck Finn is the idea of censorship. Your
job now is to find 3 articles about censorship from reputable sources. These can be about books, movies, internet,
TV, etc. Your articles must be at least 2 pages long, and must be written within the last 10 years. Additionally, you
need to find articles that present multiple perspectives on the topic, not just one side of it. Please make sure your
articles have citation information included.
Once you have printed or copied articles, you need to annotate these articles focusing on Ethos, Pathos, and Logos,
DIDLS (see the back of this page for help), and the way the argument is crafted. You can again look at the back of
this paper for ideas for annotation. Be prepared to use these articles as well as the text in class on Monday, August
29 for a writing assignment.
th
Due on Mon, August 29, 2016:
1. Annotated copy of Huck Finn (annotations on sticky notes, separate paper, in the book, etc.)
2. 3 annotated articles
Please see the packet for annotating suggestions
Extra Credit- Optional!
Assignment: Please read and annotate the nonfiction text Freakonomics. Annotate the book as you
read. You can do this with sticky notes or directly on the book if you have purchased it. Annotation
requirements are the same as with your copy of Huck Finn.
The extra credit will be worth 30 points in the general work category, or the equivalent of 3 normal
homework assignments.
Use the following list to help direct your notations as you read:
DIDLS = Diction, Imagery, Details, Language, Syntax. See for help:
https://apsaunders.wikispaces.com/file/view/DIDLS.pdf/570788317/DIDLS.pdf
EPL = Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. See for help:
http://georgehwilliams.pbworks.com/w/page/14266873/Ethos-Pathos-Logos-The-3-Rhetorical-Appeals
1. Reader Response: Be able to trace your reactions, to ask questions in class, to remind yourself when
you find answers to earlier questions. This should help note the writer’s effectiveness.
MAKE NOTE OF:
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
Your reactions/emotional responses
Your questions or lack of understanding or doubts (ask “Why?”)
Your revelations: when “things” become clear to you, when you make links
Similarities to other works: “Reminds me of…”
Wonderful writing- passages that strike you artistically/aesthetically and why
2. Speaker: Think about how who the writer is and what he/she knows is communicated. This should
help you decide the author’s credibility.
MAKE NOTE OF:
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Introductory facts: author backgrounds and relationship to the topic, bias, etc.
Ethos- how the author establishes credibility and character on the given topic
Note words and language that indicate the author’s attitude/tone and where it shifts/changes and why
When the author directly or indirectly states how he/she feels
Note key lines that stand out as crucial to the author’s argument
3. Occasion: Think about what caused the author to write about this topic and whether or not it is a valid
reason.
MAKE NOTE OF:
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The author’s reasons for writing- what is the motivation?
Historical, political, social issues surrounding the topic
The author’s personal reasons and well as the greater world/national reasons for the piece
Descriptions of class judgments, racism, gender biases, stereotypes, etc.
4. Audience: Think about what kind of person or people the author intended as the audience and
whether or not the author is able to connect with that audience effectively.
MAKE NOTE OF:
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Evidence of who (and it can be more than one) the author is trying to reach.
Where the author directly or indirectly address a specific audience
Pathos- where the author appeals to your sense of emotion through anecdotes and figurative language
5. Purpose: Think about the author’s purpose in writing this book and whether or not they are effective in
that purpose.
MAKE NOTE OF:
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
Specific reasons for writing: informing, persuading, arguing, refuting, exemplifying- but make sure you note specifics.
Logos: the author’s appeal to reason. Examine how he/she makes the reader believe in that purpose.
6. Subject: Think about what the book is discussing and whether or not the author shows why this
subject is important.
MAKE NOTE OF:
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Elements related to the problem and issue
How the author develops or deepens the aspects of the problem/issue
How the author show the complications related to the subject and the implication of it to you, the nation, the world, etc .
7. Authorial Devices and Structures in the Argument: Think about the author’s techniques in delivery
and how effective author’s methods are for rhetorical purposes - the use of subtleties, patterns, style,
structure, etc.
MAKE NOTE OF:
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Changes in point of view/emphasis
Crucial language/vocabulary- not just a word that you don’t understand, but one that seems crucial to understanding the
argument- look these up.
Stylistic techniques: irony, satire, humor, exaggeration, repetition/patterns, possible symbols, significant metaphors and
other notable literary and rhetorical devices
How the author’s structure of the argument/book influence the reader and relate to the subject, audience and purpose
Article annotation example:
Novel Annotation Example:
Text Annotation Rubric
Annotation Rubric
Annotation Scoring Rubric:
Effective Annotations
Adequate Annotations
The student annotates
the full text with clear,
thorough insight and
apt observations
The student annotates on a variety of levels.
All of the annotations
are easily interpreted
by the reader.
The annotations attend to a variety of levels
of thinking for instance, the student:
Level 1:
 Notes important main points/claims over
the scope of the whole work.
 Identifies unknown vocabulary
 Identifies significant images
 Identifies most of the figurative
language/rhetorical strategies in the passages
 Notes tone and charged diction
 Comments on the
form/format/structure/and shifts in
style/structure
The student pays
particular attention to
analyzing the function
of figurative/rhetorical
strategies at work in
the passage.
The student recognizes
patterns and identifies
complicated themes at
work in the text.
The annotations make clear to the reader
what the writer was thinking as he/she read.
Approaching Adequate
Annotations
The student annotates
some of the scope of
the text though some
lapses in legibility may
occur.
The student’s
annotations are
sometimes difficult for
a reader to understand
what is being said or
what is being thought.
The student’s
annotations are limited
to personal responses
or paraphrase more
than analyze.
The student does not
Level 2:
attend to main
 Identifies the function of
language/rhetorical strategies in the passages points/claims over the
scope of the whole
 Makes inferences
work.
 Evaluates the author/character’s
arguments/claims and may challenge these
The student does not
claims
identify some obvious
figurative
Level 3:
language/rhetorical
 Notes personal responses/emotional
strategies at work in
connections
the passage
 Asks questions and theorizes answers
 Makes connections outside of the text
 Notes universal human behaviors, themes
Little Evidence of
Annotations
The student
annotates too few
sections of the
text.
The meanings of
the student’s
annotations are
not clear to the
reader.
The student’s notes
do not show
understanding of
the text in a way
that is clear to the
reader.
The student’s notes
are limited to
highlighting
without
annotations
The student’s
annotations are
limited to personal
responses
English - AP Language and Composition
Course Contract
Return this contract to Mrs. Hooper (room R-5) by June 1st.
Directions: Read and initial the following statements, then fill out the bottom portion.
1. I understand that if I do not complete the required summer assignments, I will not be prepared to succeed in
this course. If I do not complete the assignment I might not be able to earn an A in the first quarter.
__________
2. I understand that this course is intended to challenge me and prepare me for the AP Language test. I further
understand that the course is a college course on a high school campus.
__________
3. I understand that I will be asked to come up with original ideas and analysis, to read, understand, and analyze
literature that is written at the college level, and to write with superior control of the English language. I
understand that if I am behind my grade level in reading or writing skills, this is not the course for me.
__________
4. I will use the internet, Spark, Cliff, or any other note product only after I read the original source material for
myself.
__________
5. If I can, I will purchase all books for the class so that I can take notes in them and keep them for future
reference. If I cannot purchase them, I will find copies available at local libraries or the school’s library.
__________
6. I understand that I will need to spend an average 3-5 hours a week on homework in order to be successful in this
course.
__________
7. I understand that this course will include reading, analyzing, and writing about core novels and outside novels,
writing papers including a research paper, and doing assignments to prepare for the AP test.
__________
8. I agree to sign up for and take the AP Language test at the end of the year if I feel prepared for the test.
__________
9. I will not whine or complain about the work load of this class, because I am entering into this course of my own
choice and free will, and I am prepared to do the work it requires.
__________
Students: I agree to abide by the class rules, the guidelines set forth in this document, and
all directions of the teacher. I hereby commit to the requirements of this course.
Student signature: ___________________ Student’s name (printed) __________________
Date: __________
Parents: I have read this paper and understand the commitment that my child has made to
this course. I think he/she can handle these responsibilities. I will do my best to help him/her
uphold the commitment.
Parent signature: ____________________ Date: __________