AP ENGLISH SUMMER READING AND WRITING ASSIGNMENT, 2017
Reading: For this assignment you will read one book – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. You will be
assessed by a short test over the novel the first week of school next fall and by your writing.
Writing assignment (due August 17).
A.
Students will complete a dialectical journal while reading Frankenstein. Dialectical journal
simply means “dialoguing with or talking to your text.” In order to construct your dialectical
journal, take a sheet of paper and draw a line down the center of the page. On the left side of
the paper write down quotes (with pages numbers) that you find to be surprising, intriguing, or
otherwise significant. In the right column, write a response to the quote (usually a couple of
sentences will suffice) indicating why you find the quote to be notable, striking, or confusing.
You will need to find 20 quotes with responses for this assignment. Make sure that the quotes
are taken throughout the course of the book and don’t come from just one section.
B. Find an article which offers a critique of Frankenstein. Write a 250 word analysis of the article.
Items to consider in your analysis would be how the author views Frankenstein and the insights
the article provided you with that you hadn’t considered while reading the novel. Include a
mixture of quotes and paraphrases in your analysis. Make sure to provide a copy of your article
along with your summer work. Too, make sure that the article comes from an academically
credible source. Wikipedia, Spark Notes, and Cliff Notes are not considered to be academically
credible sources; neither is a personal blog. To access a credible critical article, go to
http://olatheschools.libguides.com/c.php?g=363609. This site will provide you with access to
sources such as Gale and Blooms, which should enable you to find criticism on Frankenstein.
Additional summer work
A.
Research three colleges or universities that you are interested in attending and find out what
their policy on accepting Advanced Placement credit is. Go to the school’s website to find this
information out, and then print out the policy and turn in with your summer work.
B. During your senior year of high school you will be asked to write a college application essay in
your English class. As a part of your summer work, you will need to go ahead and write the first
draft of this essay. Your essay should be 500 words in length and should respond to one of the
following prompts:
1. What is the most difficult experience you have ever had, and how did you cope with it?
2. Describe a person who has had a significant effect on your development and explain why.
3. Discuss an issue of personal, local, or national concern and its importance to you.
4. What prominent person (past or present) do you particularly admire and why?
5. Describe a familial, cultural, or national tradition that has specific significance for you.
Please do keep the essay to approximately 500 words. Most colleges do ask for a word limit
on the college application essay and expect prospective students to adhere to that length. Too,
this needs to be typed and double-spaced. Also, if you know that you want to apply to a specific
college, and the prompt from that college does not match one of those listed above, feel free to go
ahead and respond to that prompt.
If you have a question about any of the summer work and would like to in touch with either of us,
e-mail addresses are as follows:
Mrs. Goddard – [email protected]
Mr. Feaster – [email protected]
Frankenstein summer assignment checklist:
- dialectical journal _____
- analysis of critical article on Frankenstein _____
- Advanced Placement credit research _____
- College Application essay _____
All work is due at the beginning of class on the first day of school, August 17th and will be turned into
Turn-it-in.com upon your return to school in August.
SOME ADDITIONAL NOTES
1. Johnson County Community College requires that students make a minimum of 19 on the
English section of the ACT exam before enrolling in Composition I. If you plan to take the course
for JCCC credit and haven’t taken the ACT of haven’t scored at least a 19 on the English section,
you will need to take JCCC’s admission exam before enrolling. The enrollment date is very soon
after school starts in the fall, so you should check about tests this summer.
2. During the year we’ll read Jane Eyre/Pride and Prejudice, Macbeth, Hamlet, Heart of Darkness,
Invisible Man, Brave New World, Kite Runner, and The Importance of Being Earnest if you would
like to get a start on any of them.
3. The Heart of America Shakespeare Festival will perform Hamlet at its outdoor series in June and
July. You might enjoy getting together with a group to see the play and get your ear attuned to
Shakespearean language.
4. If you would like to access an electronic copy of this assignment, you can go to the Olathe East
website, find the academics tab, click on media center, class pages, and click on the PDF of
Feaster/Goddard AP English IV summer assignment.
Have a good summer!