1. AP LITERATURE & COMPOSITION
Summer Reading Projects

2. OBJECTIVES
1. I want to exposure you to the type of literature we will study (contemporary and classic) during the upcoming school year.
2. I want to see your work ethic, and if you can be independent and responsible for the work load expected for this class.
Remember, this is a college level class worth college level credit.
3. I wanted to measure your writing skills, especially when it comes to organization, grammar, quote integration, and analysis.

3. PREREQUISTES
You must have completed Lit. & Comp. II in order to take AP Lit.
This year is a transition year, so you can take AP Lit. if you have taken English IV, but you need teacher approval (see me please).

4. RESOURCES FOR YOU!
Please review my Weebly website for resources and paperwork if needed:
Please see my website for the Oedipus Rex powerpoint resource!
Also, you will submit your work via /Google Docs at:
Books are provided by the school before you leave for break, but you are welcome to purchase your own copies.

5. LITERATURE Book #1: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak:
Death, our narrator, tells us about his job during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. He becomes fixated on a little girl named Liesel and her life on Himmel Street.
It is contemporary and modern.
It is non-traditional.
It is a new perspective on a well known topic.

6. LITERATURE Book #2: Oedipus Rex or Oedipus the King by Sophocles:
This classic play is about King Oedipus whose kingdom is suffering from a terrible plague. He must find the person who killed the king before him in order to save his city. Unfortunately, his fate and destiny come back to haunt him as he finds out the sinister truth of the murderer’s identity…
This is a one of three different plays.
It has influenced Freud’s theories (Oedipus Complex).

7. EXPECTATIONS
In order to be admitted into the class next fall, you need to do the following:
1. Read the literature thoroughly (SPARKNOTES does NOT count as reading). You are doing this because AP Lit. is about so much more than just the plot…it is about writing style and craft.
2. Complete the assignments on time according to the due dates provided.
3. Be ready to discuss and review the literature in September.

8. DUE DATES
The assignments are approximately 3 weeks apart. They will always be due on Monday by 5pm.
DUE July 3: Assignment #1: Book Thief “Midterm” Response Paper
DUE July 24: Assignment #2: Book Thief Final Paper
DUE August 14: Assignment #3: Oedipus Response/Final Paper
You need to submit these to my google account:
***FAILURE TO TURN THESE ASSIGNMENTS IN A ON TIME WILL RESULT IN DISMISSAL OF THE CLASS. THIS IS YOUR FORMAL WARNING.***

9. ASSIGNMENT #1
Read halfway through The Book Thief (to page 238) and do a “midterm” response paper.
DUE: MONDAY JULY 3RD AT 5PM—your response paper.
Expectations:
2-3 pages of writing, double-spaced.
Traditional format, 11-12pts font, MLA header.
See next slide, but this should be an analysis paper with your observations and reflections. It is NOT A SUMMARY!
Use direct quotes from the book to prove you read and can reference the text!!!
***Please see my sample response papers—Orwell’s 1984 or Wiesel’s Night!

10. WHAT IS A RESPONSE PAPER?
A response is about you—your thoughts, your observations and your interpretations.
I want to know this: WHAT DID YOU NOTICE?
Example: In The Great Gatsby, I noticed that the weather was important. In chapter 5, there is rain during Gatsby and Daisy’s reunion, but it stops when their relationship is restored. I also saw rain as symbolic during Gatsby’s funeral.
What do you find striking, or influential about the storyline, literary devices, and tone of the author’s writing?
What do you notice about the writing style? Characters? Themes?
Why does the author write the way they do?
What is the author trying to teach us?
What is the author’s final message?
***Disclaimer: I have read these literary pieces many, many, MANY times. I do not want a summary—I can get that online. I want your thoughts and ideas!

11. ***Please see my handouts and samples!
ASSIGNMENT #2
Finish reading The Book Thief and pick a final paper activity.
DUE: MONDAY JULY 24th AT 5PM
Expectations:
4-5 pages of writing***
Use direct quotes from the book to prove you read and can reference the text.
Pick one of the final project options:
Vital Passage Write
Comparison Essay
Creative Letters/Journal
Poetry Collection
Letter to Author
Other: ask me for approval
***Please see my handouts and samples!

12. ASSIGNMENT #3
Review the Oedipus Rex powerpoint on my Weebly website, and then read the play, Oedipus the King (pages ). When you finish, do a 4-5 page response final paper.
DUE: MONDAY AUGUST 14th AT 5PM—your response paper.
Expectations:
4-5 pages of writing (THIS IS LONGER THAN THE MIDTERM PAPER!)
Traditional format, 11-12pts font, MLA header.
Revisit the earlier response paper slide, but this should be an analysis paper with your observations and reflections. It is NOT A SUMMARY!
Use direct quotes from the book to prove your read and can reference the text.
***Please see my sample response papers—Orwell’s 1984 or Wiesel’s Night!

13. CLOSING/GRADING
You will be graded on a mastery/fail rubric. I look at what you have written and if you are showing the right skills needed to be successful in AP.
Please see the rubrics for the specific requirements and expectations. Read through these before you turn in your papers for grading.
If you have any concerns over the projects, readings, or due dates, PLEASE contact me via