AP Language and Composition Summer Reading Assignment 2019

Congratulations on making the choice to challenge yourself in high school with the AP Language and Composition course! We will have a busy year next year, and I need you to complete some preparation over the summer. Please review the tasks below, and contact me with any questions as soon as possible at rpeduto@stdoms.org. I wish you a wonderful summer break and look forward to working with you in September! Ms. Peduto

Required Books:

1. Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of

Persuasion by Jay Heinrichs (Third Edition)

ISBN-13: 978-0-8041-89934

Synopsis:

Thank You for Arguing is your master class in the art of persuasion, taught by professors ranging from Bart Simpson to Winston Churchill. The time-tested secrets the book discloses include Cicero’s three-step strategy for moving an audience to action as well as Honest Abe’s Shameless Trick of lowering an audience’s expectations by pretending to be unpolished. But it’s also replete with contemporary techniques such as politicians’ use of “code” language to appeal to specific groups and an eye-opening assortment of popular-culture dodges, including:

The Eddie Haskell Ploy

Eminem’s Rules of Decorum

The Belushi Paradigm

Stalin’s Timing Secret

The Yoda Technique

2. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

ISBN-13 : 978-1-4013-2325-7

Synopsis:

Many professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to

ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same

question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish

tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he

didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture

he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of

overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you

have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy

had come to believe. It was about living.

In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration, and intelligence that made his lecture such a

phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.

"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." --Randy Pausch

Task 1: The Basics

Please complete the 11R grammar packet.

Task 2: The Careful Reader

Purchase, read, and annotate Thank You for Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art of Persuasion by Jay Heinrichs and The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. AP Language and Composition is a course focused on teaching you to become critical readers who are aware of devices

and strategies authors use to convince us of something and to become articulate writers who are capable of assembling

analytical prose.

Works of non-fiction present an argument. While reading non-fiction, such as Thank You… and The Last Lecture,

annotate the text by marking anything interesting, important, or otherwise noteworthy. Attached is a sheet to help

guide you in making your annotations. It provides you with a mnemonic device (Milt Van So) to remember what notes

you should be making. This sheet is from an online source, and I think it is helpful, but annotating is also personal; you

will find a way, through practice, what works for you. The bottom line is you are making notes on the text so they are

useful for you as you discuss the text with a group or need to cite evidence for a paper or other assignment.

Upon your return to school, you should be comfortable discussing the contents of the two reading assignments and

capable of citing specific references to pages you have marked as notable. You will have two in-class written

assignments within the first two weeks of school.

Non-Fiction Annotation Techniques

Mnemonic Non-Fiction Annotation Techniques

MI

L

T

V

A

N

So?

1. For each section of your reading, highlight or underline the main idea. Usually, this will be stated near the beginning or end. Sometimes it will be stated in both places. It may also be implied, in which case you should briefly note it. Next to the main idea, write MI.

2. For each paragraph, highlight or underline 2 – 4 lead words. These will usually be nouns, and they will be the topics of the important supporting evidence. By highlighting these words, you give your eyes and easy way to locate the main supporting points the writer makes.

3. If you see transition words, box them. These words often signal an important change in the argument, or they indicate an important conclusion.

4. Circle challenging vocabulary words, acronyms or allusions, even if you think you know them. If you are unsure of the meaning of these words or allusions, Google them, and in the margin write a note to yourself about their meaning.

5. Ask and argue. If a passage confuses you, write a “?” in the margin so that you remember to ask about it in class or to look it up on the internet. Also, if you disagree with an author, write your question in the margin. Ask questions to show that you are not just accepting what the writer says. “Where did he get this info?” or “Is this opinion supported by evidence?” are the kinds of skeptical questions you should habitually ask.

6. After reading each paragraph, scribble a quick note or word in the margin to remind yourself about the focus of the paragraph. (Sometimes you can get away with doing this for two paragraphs together.)

7. When you are done with the article or chapter, write one or two sentences describing the article’s reason for being. This is the “So what?” of the “Big Picture.” It is the author’s purpose for writing. Ask yourself, why did the authors bother to write this? What effect do they hope to have on the reader? Why does this matter? Write one or two sentences answering these questions.

Mnemonic: Milt Van So

Name_____________________________________________

English 11 Grammar Packet Summer 2019

This grammar packet is a review of the topics covered throughout 10

th grade. You are expected to

complete the packet as a review upon your entrance into 11th

grade. There will be a grammar test at the

end of September on these topics which will only be briefly reviewed in class. Extra help is provided for

additional review time.

Parts of Speech Please identify the Part of Speech of the italicized and underlined words in the sentences below. If two words

are given for a particular number, they are the same part of speech.

A. Noun B. Pronoun C. Adjective D. Verb

E. Adverb AB. Preposition AC. Conjunction AD. Interjection

_________1. The Museum of Modern Art is located in New York City.

_________2. The exhibits include painting, sculptures, photographs, and much more.

_________3. Built in 1939, the original building showcases the International Style of architecture.

_________4. In the 1950s and 1960s, the museum was expanded.

_________5. Money to keep the museum open is raised through admission fees, contribution, and sales of

publications.

_________6. Also located in New York City is the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the largest museum of art in

the United States.

_________7. Wow! That must be a huge place!

_________8. Although it covers four city blocks, the museum cannot display its entire collection at one time.

_________9. My grandfather, a Texas rancher, loves dogs.

_________10. The porch of his ranch house ordinarily is full of dogs of all shapes and sizes.

_________11. “Whew, those dogs can be such a bother!” my grandmother exclaims.

_________12. Grandfather keeps the mischievous dogs away from the cattle.

Usage

Choose the correct answer

1. (A, An) owl once nested in our backyard.

2. Will our honored guest (except, accept) this certificate of appreciation?

3. Is this dresser (a, an) antique?

4. (Their, They’re, There) are over fifty volunteer opportunities listed in today’s paper!

5. (Them, Those) books are heavy.

6. The detective opened the door just a crack and (than, then) peered inside.

Clauses

Identify the italicized word group in each of the following sentences as an independent clause or subordinate

clause.

__________ 1. My older sister showed us how she sketches human faces so skillfully.

__________ 2. Whenever Sue smells ginger, she remembers her mother’s kitchen.

__________ 3. I know a boy whose grandfather was one of the first astronauts.

__________ 4. My uncle Leon, who served in Vietnam, is now a businessman.

Identify the italicized clause as an adverb, adjective, or noun clause.

__________ 5. The lake, which is in Iowa, has swimming facilities.

__________ 6. How robots will be used in the future remains to be seen.

__________ 7. The playwright left the stage after she had made her opening night speech.

__________ 8. Candida spoke as though she were speaking before a large convention instead of a small class.

Classify each sentence below as simple, compound, complex, or compound-complex.

__________ 1. I heard children shouting on the playground as the noise filtered into my room through the

closed window.

__________ 2. Holding the freshly cut board carefully, Barbara pounded the nail into the wood.

__________ 3. Last summer Rita attended band camp, and she met a number of students who were interested in

becoming musicians.

__________ 4. Last summer, I learned to keep financial records and to place merchandise orders; I also waited

on customers.

Phrases

Identify the italicized phrase as participial, gerund, infinitive, prepositional, or appositive

__________ 1. My family’s cabin in the woods sits near the lakeshore.

__________ 2. Marian’s attempt to rescue the cat was covered by a reporter.

__________ 3. Jan’s confident was built up by winning the decathalon.

__________ 4. Max, the Persian cat, likes to run around in circles in the living room.

__________ 5. During the intermission, Mr. Jackson played the pipe organ.

__________ 6. Humming contentedly, Mr. Jones strummed the guitar.

Subject-Verb Agreement

1. Quilts designed by the Amish usually (include, includes) only solid-colored fabrics and not patterned

ones.

2. Everyone in the Pep Club (are, is) wearing the school colors.

3. All of the vegetable garden (have, has) been planted.

4. Neither the players nor the coach (was, were) ready to concede defeat.

5. A flock of geese (is, are) flying over.

6. The flock of geese (is, are) joining together in a V-shaped formation.

7. Two days (is, are) the amount of time we will spend visiting each college campus.

8. One fourth of the students (is, are) employed).