Summer Reading

AP English Language & Composition 2024-2025 Summer Reading

 

Congratulations on choosing to take AP Language and Composition. I’m excited to meet all of you!

AP Lang is an awesome course designed to teach reading, writing, and thinking skills to students. It is NOT a literature class, although we do manage to squeeze in some fiction. The class will be 99% nonfiction and heavy on writing, including in-class timed writing. I wanted you to know this up front in case you were thinking this is similar to an English class you’ve taken before. AP Lang runs on discussion, presentation, and writing, and I should warn you that some of the issues we talk about in class require maturity. In taking this class, you are also signing up to take a 3.5 hour writing test in May, so we will be preparing for that with frequent practice throughout the year.

 

Due the 2nd class of the school year:

1. Select any non-fiction book that has been on a best seller list (current or past) and read it. This is totally YOUR choice, so pick something that sounds good, interesting, or engaging to you.

• Select a short passage to read aloud to the class (1 paragraph to 1 page of your book, so you’ll need to bring the book with you the first week of the class.)
• Be prepared to present the context of the passage (what is going on and why the passage is significant to the rest of the book) to the class.
• Write out the answers, in complete sentences, to the following questions and be prepared to share them with the class (your response should be typed and double-spaced).

                                    i. Who is the author? (Tell a little about them. Where are they from? What is their background/profession?)

                                    ii. Who is the book marketed toward? (Who is the intended audience?)

                                    iii. What was the author’s purpose in writing this?

                                    iv. What is the subject of this book?

                                    v. What stood out to you in how the author crafted the book?

                                    vi. Why should or shouldn’t the class read the book?

 

Due the 2^nd week of the school year. You need to have completed reading:

A)   Educated, Tara Westover

Enjoy this book! It’s usually a favorite of students. I want you to annotate, but not the point where it’s merely obligatory. Read and enjoy this excellent book. We will use it to kick off our enlightenment unit.

B)   The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet, John Green

This is a cool book of essays in which the author reviews random “humany” things like the QWERTY keyboard, Tetris, and diet Dr. Pepper. How does Green craft each of his arguments? Focusing on how arguments are built is the basis of our first unit, rhetorical analysis, so start zoning in on it during your reading.

 

The second week of class:

• You will have a “Did You Read?” quiz on each book, so make sure you’ve really done your reading.
• We will be writing an essay comparing these two books, so do NOT leave all your reading to the last minute. We will discuss the books before we write the essay.

 

Any questions: feel free to reach out with an email slangenwalter@rosaryacademy.org .  I look forward to meeting all of you.

AP English Literature 2024-2025 Summer Reading

Please follow the directions below carefully and in order. On the first day of school, you will need to bring your annotated texts. On the first day of class, you will also need to bring a printed and completed copy of the creative writing assignment. 

Reminder: I will not print your assignments for you. You must have your assignment printed before you enter my class on the day it is due to receive credit. The summer assignment is due on the first day of class.

Summer Reading Assignment – Part I

Text Needed (you need this particular translation) – The Three Theban Plays by Sophocles (Penguin Classics). This version should have Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Oedipus at Colonus. Please get this translation: we will also be reading Oedipus the King during the first weeks of class.

ISBN: 9780140444254

Step One: Read Antigone, and annotate for the following:

Character: Values, beliefs, biases, and cultural norms represented by characters.

Setting: Setting can depict time place, and values associated with a location.

Structure: Sequence and arrangement can contribute to interpretation and understanding.

Narration: Narrator’s perspective controls details and emphasizes reader’s experience.

Figurative Language: Look out for all important, meaningful, or repeated literary devices.

Literary Argumentation: Major themes!!!

Further annotate for answers to the following questions:

What does Antigone argue about the values, beliefs, biases, and cultural norms of the particular time and place it was created?

Are there ideas, characters, or situations in Antigone that still exist today? How have stories like Antigone (for better or for worse) influenced current culture?

Step Two:

Your first in-class essay will be on Antigone. You can find the prompt below. Be ready to discuss Antigone in regards to this prompt. You do not need to have an essay written—we will be using Antigone and this prompt to discuss writing essays in AP Lit. This prompt comes directly from the 2022 AP Lit Exam.

Many works of literature feature characters who accept or reject a hierarchical structure. This hierarchy may be social, economic, political, or familial, or it may apply to some kind of structure.

Either from your own reading or from the list below, choose a work of fiction in which a character responds to a hierarchy in some significant way. Then in a well written essay, analyze how that character’s response to the hierarchy contributes to an interpretation of the work as a whole.

 

Summer Reading Assignment—Part II

Text Needed (the novella not the play) – The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

ISBN: 978-1-84195-798-2

Step One:

If you are not already, familiarize yourself with the stories of The Iliad and The Odyssey. You can find summaries online and even some good animated summaries on YouTube.  

 

Step Two:

Read and annotate The Penelopiad. During the first weeks of school, you will have an in-class essay on one of the chapters in this text. You will be able to use your books during the essay, so be sure to annotate well.

 

Annotate each chapter for the following:

 

Who is the speaker of this chapter?

 

What subject is the speaker discussing in this chapter?

 

How does the speaker feel about this particular subject in this chapter?

 

Analyze the complex relationship between speaker and subject in this chapter.

 

Summer Reading Assignment—part III—Creative Writing Portion

We will be looking at literature in many different ways this year; however, every text we read will be discussed in two ways. The first way we will discuss a text is by understanding its historical relevance to the time period in which it was written. The second way we will discuss a text is through a modern interpretation and analysis of its characters and themes. The Penelopiad exemplifies the second way we will be discussing literature: it reimagines the story of Penelope from The Odyssey with modern insights to make new arguments.

Using The Penelopiad as your example, re-write a portion of Antigone in order to implement modern concepts, arguments, and themes.  Perhaps you would like to give modern voice to a particular character or change the ending to modernize a thematic argument seen in the text. Perhaps you would like to take these characters and place them in a modern setting or switch the roles of important characters. This is creative writing, so feel free to make the story as much your own as you would like.

 

Requirements: Two pages double-spaced. You will be required to read these out loud.

 

Have a great summer and enjoy your reading! If there are any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out: slangenwalter@rosaryacademy.org and/or abrinegar@rosaryacademy.org

Honors English IV 2024-2025 Summer Reading

Part I:

Read and annotate Antigone by Sophocles ISBN: 978-0140444254 (Penguin Classics)

*This copy is going to have 3 plays in total in it. You’re only responsible for reading Antigone over the summer.

Assignment:

Read, think about, and annotate the text. Annotating means reading closely and carefully, which will take effort on your part. It might mean you look up words you come across and don’t understand. It might mean you ask questions while you read. Or, even better, it might mean you write interjections in the margins because you’re shocked or disgusted. Ultimately, it means you are not just passively reading. You may feel that annotating the book slows down your reading. Yes, it does. That is the point. If annotating as you read annoys you, read a section, then go back and annotate after.

Here are some ideas on how to get the most out of your summer reading annotations:

• Underline names of characters. In the margin, make a note about the personality/traits of the character.
• Mark the setting- when and where does scene take place?
• At the top of each page, Summarize important plot events. Not every page will be marked.
• Look up unfamiliar words and make a note of their definitions.
• Look for patterns, symbols, or reoccurring themes.
• Make predictions.
• Underline quotes or lines you think are significant, powerful, or meaningful.
• Put a question mark in areas of the text you do not understand.

There will a graded discussion when we get back to school, so make sure the reading has been completed. Your contributions to the discussion should show whether or not you took the time to read, think about, and interpret the text.

 

Part II:

Read (and annotate as you read) the novel Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim, by Patricia Park

• Enjoy this fun book! It’s about a high school senior dealing with her multicultural background, elite prep school, family, and college dreams.
• You will be having a test on the book the 2^nd class of the school year.

Have a great summer and enjoy your reading!

Any questions: slangenwalter@rosaryacademy.org

Honors English III 2024-2025 Summer Reading

Congratulations on your decision to take Honors English III next year! I look forward to meeting you. Here is your summer assignment:

• Read The Crucible by Arthur Miller. This is a play written in the 1950s about a fictionalized account of the Salem Witch Trials at the end of the 1600s. Over the top and so dramatic, this play is awesome. It’s a good place to start understanding America’s Puritan origins.

• Read Educated by Tara Westover. This is a pretty riveting memoir. Some students have even said it’s a beach read. Annotate as you go, but not so much that you stop enjoying yourself. In the margins, ask questions and make comments about parts that you like or that stand out. This book shows the American Dream topic in a modern way.

What you should know:

We will have a “Did You Really Read?” quiz on both books the 2^nd week of school, so make sure to do your reading.

We will be writing an essay discussing the author's message about truth, so it would be a good idea to annotate for this topic as you read.

• What is the author saying about what/who is true?
• What is the author saying about how we recognize truth?
• Does truth mean the same thing in all circumstances or does it vary?

 

Any questions: slangenwalter@rosaryacademy.org

Honors English II 2024-2025 Summer Reading

Text Needed: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See | ISBN: 9780-812981506

Assignment: Part I

Read, think about, and annotate the text. This means reading closely and carefully.

Here are some ideas on how to get the most out of your summer reading experience.

• Summarize key events at the end of paragraphs or sections. Word your brief summaries in a way that makes sense to you.
• Look up unfamiliar words and make a note of their definitions.
• Look for patterns, symbols, or reoccurring themes.
• Identify literary devices (metaphor, simile, imagery, symbolism, etc.) How are they used? How do they help us discover themes?
• Make predictions – What’s going to happen next? Did the plot surprise you?
• Write down your emotional reaction to the story.
• Ask questions about things you do not understand.

As you read, pay attention to the symbols seen throughout the reading. What do they represent? How are they used? How do they help us discover themes?

Here are a few to think about…

Shanghai Girls: Zodiac symbols, the jade bracelet, Angel Island, cheongsams

Other questions to consider as you read:

1. How does the author characterize the main character?  Other characters?   
2. How do the main characters live up to and/or break gender stereotypes of their time?
3. How do the sisters in this story juxtapose one another?
4. From what point of view are the stories being told?
5. Are you able to personally connect with these texts? Why?  Why not?
6. How does this text explore the American Dream?

Part II

Honors English II is a World Literature course which means we will be exploring literature written outside of the United States. I would like to start by discussing the history of immigration in this country and recognize that most Americans descended from immigrants. Using Shanghai Girls as your inspiration, I would like you to write a piece of Realistic Fiction based on the history of your family.

In order to complete this writing assignment, please read the following:

REALISTIC FICTION is a genre consisting of stories that could have actually occurred to people or animals in a believable setting. These stories resemble real life, and fictional characters within these stories react similarly to real people. Stories that are classified as realistic fiction have plots that highlight social or personal events or issues that mirror contemporary life. Often realistic fiction uses real people as the basis for fictional stories. This is what you will be doing.

Research: Do some research on your family’s journey to the United States. When, why, and how did your family come to live in America?

Picking Characters: Once you have researched the history of your family, pick one or more of your ancestors as the main characters for your story.

Writing the Story: Once you have chosen your characters, write a fictionalized version of your ancestors’ journey to America. This means that some of the plot points in your story will have actually happened and others should be made up. You may write from any point of view you would like, and you can write in the style of your choosing.

Story Requirements: Your story must be at least two pages long (double-spaced). Your story must cover your ancestor’s country of origin, their journey, and where they eventually ended up in the U.S. In your story, you must also implement the following literary devices:

Symbolism

Personification

Hyperbole

Imagery

Metaphor

This assignment will be due during the second class in the first week of school. You will need to have a printed hard copy ready to turn in. I will not accept digital copies of this assignment.

There will be a test on the reading of Shanghai Girls in the first weeks of school, so make sure the reading has been completed. The test will not be on simple plot points or characters’ names. Instead, the test will be on whether or not you took the time to read, think about, and interpret the text.

Have a great summer and enjoy your reading! If there are any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out: slangenwalter@rosaryacademy.org

Honors English I 2024-2025 Summer Reading

Summer Reading Assignment – Part I:

Text Needed – A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

ISBN: 9780063078215

Before you read A Thousand Ships, define the following terms and fill out the notes below.

Define the following term. Feel free to find the definition online.

Epic

If you are not already, familiarize yourself with the stories of The Iliad. You can find summaries online and even some good, animated summaries on YouTube.  Provide a brief summary The Iliad:

As you read, create a brief character summary (2-3 sentences) for the following characters: 

• Odysseus
• Achilles
• Penelope
• Clytemnestra
• Helen of Sparta
• Thetis
• Paris
• Hecabe
• Calliope
• Eris
• Themis
• Gaia

Read A Thousand Ships and annotate for the following:

Character: Values, beliefs, biases, and cultural norms represented by characters.

Setting: Setting can depict time place, and values associated with a location.

Structure: Sequence and arrangement can contribute to interpretation and understanding.

Narration: Narrator’s perspective controls details and emphasizes reader’s experience.

Figurative Language: Look out for all important, meaningful, or repeated literary devices.

Literary Argumentation: Major themes!!! 

I know this is a lot to do, but I want to stress how important reading and annotating will be for your success at Rosary. If you have any questions while doing the reading or working on this assignment, please do not hesitate to reach out to me: slangenwalter@rosaryacademy.org 

 

Summer Reading Assignment – Part II:

Text Needed – Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno Garcia.

ISBN: 978-1529402643

 

Text Needed – Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno Garcia.

ISBN: 978-1529402643

 As you read, create a brief character summary (2-3 sentences) for each of the following characters.

• Casiopea
• MartIn
• Hun-Kame
• Vucub-Kame

Once you have finished reading Gods of Jade and Shadow, look over the following characteristics of an epic hero. Then answer the following questions (2-3 complete sentence responses for each question).

Is Casiopea an epic hero?

What is one attribute of an epic hero Casiopea does not have? Does this affect her ability to be considered a hero?

Characteristics of Epic Heroes

Trait 1: A Noble Birth

Most epic heroes will have an above average station in life. They will be kings, princes, or nobles of some sort. Commoners usually do no become epic heroes.

Trait 2: Capable of deeds of great strength and courage

Basically, this means the hero has the potential for great deeds.

Trait 3: Great Warrior

Before the hero of an epic does his business in the epic, he has usually established himself in combat during a war.

Trait 4: Travels Over a Vast Setting

Simply put, you cannot be an epic hero if you stay in your village your whole life. The more countries or areas traveled to, the better. The farther away from your own country, the better.

 Trait 5: National Heroism

Before a hero can be celebrated by countries the world over, he must first be recognized in his home country as a great and heroic person.

 Trait 6: Humility

Even as the rest of the world recognizes the great deeds of the hero, he is never a braggart or even willing to take applause.

 Trait 7: Faces Supernatural Foes and/or Receives Supernatural Help

Most epic heroes either receive aid from a god or goddess or battle some superhuman enemy.

 I know this is a lot to do, but I want to stress how important reading and annotating will be for your success at Rosary.  If you have any questions while doing the reading or working on this assignment, please do not hesitate to reach out to me: slangenwalter@rosaryacademy.org

English IV 2024-2025 Summer Reading

Your TWO-part summer assignment is as follows:

1. Please come to school with a complete Common App essay. Even if you do not think you will need an essay for the Common App, your assignment is still to write an essay in response to one of the Common App prompts and bring it with you to the 2^nd class of the school year. Your essay should be no longer than 650 words and respond to one of the following Common App prompts:

a. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

b. The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

c. Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

d. Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

e. Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

f. Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

 

• Your essay should be double-spaced and PRINTED. It is due on the 2^nd class of the school year.
• Your essay will be posted to Turnitin.com when school starts.

 

2. Read (and annotate as you read) the novel Imposter Syndrome and Other Confessions of Alejandra Kim, by Patricia Park

• Enjoy this fun book! It’s about a high school senior dealing with her multicultural background, elite prep school, family, and college dreams.
• You will be having a test on the book the 2^nd class of the school year.

 

Any questions: slangenwalter@rosaryacademy.org

English III 2024-2025 Summer Reading

I am excited to have you all in English III next year! I look forward to meeting you.

Here is your summer assignment:

Read Educated by Tara Westover. This is a pretty riveting memoir. Some students have even said it’s a beach read. Annotate as you go, but not so much that you stop enjoying yourself. In the margins, ask questions and make comments about parts that you like or that stand out. This book shows the American Dream topic in a modern way.

What you should know:

We will have a “Did You Really Read?” quiz on both books the 2^nd week of school, so make sure to do your reading. You will also begin writing an essay on the text in the first week of school.

We will be writing an essay comparing these books’ messages about truth, so it would be a good idea to annotate for this topic as you read.

• What are the authors saying about what/who is true?
• What are the authors saying about how we recognize truth?
• Does truth mean the same thing in all settings or does it vary?

 

Any questions: slangenwalter@rosaryacademy.org

English II 2024-2025 Summer Reading

Text Needed: Shanghai Girls by Lisa See | ISBN: 9780-812981506

Assignment: Part I

Read, think about, and annotate the text. This means reading closely and carefully.

Here are some ideas on how to get the most out of your summer reading experience.

• Summarize key events at the end of paragraphs or sections. Word your brief summaries in a way that makes sense to you.
• Look up unfamiliar words and make a note of their definitions.
• Look for patterns, symbols, or reoccurring themes.
• Identify literary devices (metaphor, simile, imagery, symbolism, etc.) How are they used? How do they help us discover themes?
• Make predictions – What’s going to happen next? Did the plot surprise you?
• Write down your emotional reaction to the story.
• Ask questions about things you do not understand.

As you read, pay attention to the symbols seen throughout the reading. What do they represent? How are they used? How do they help us discover themes?

Here are a few to think about…

Shanghai Girls: Zodiac symbols, the jade bracelet, Angel Island, cheongsams

Other questions to consider as you read:

1. How does the author characterize the main character?  Other characters?   
2. How do the main characters live up to and/or break gender stereotypes of their time?
3. How do the sisters in this story juxtapose one another?
4. From what point of view are the stories being told?
5. Are you able to personally connect with these texts? Why?  Why not?
6. How does this text explore the American Dream?

Part II

English II is a World Literature course which means we will be exploring literature written outside of the United States. I would like to start by discussing the history of immigration in this country and recognize that most Americans descended from immigrants. Using Shanghai Girls as your inspiration, I would like you to prepare to write a piece of Realistic Fiction based on the history of your family.

In order to begin preparing for this writing assignment, please read the following:

REALISTIC FICTION is a genre consisting of stories that could have actually occurred to people or animals in a believable setting. These stories resemble real life, and fictional characters within these stories react similarly to real people. Stories that are classified as realistic fiction have plots that highlight social or personal events or issues that mirror contemporary life. Often realistic fiction uses real people as the basis for fictional stories. This is what you will be doing.

Research: Do some research on your family’s journey to the United States. When, why, and how did your family come to live in America?

Picking Characters: Once you have researched the history of your family, pick one or more of your ancestors as the main characters for your story.

You will be using this information to write a story based on the history of your family during the first class periods of the year. Please come prepared to write!

There will be a test on the reading of the book in the first weeks of school, so make sure the reading has been completed. The test will not be on simple plot points or characters’ names. Instead, the test will be on whether or not you took the time to read, think about, and interpret the text.

Have a great summer and enjoy your reading! If there are any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out: slangenwalter@rosaryacademy.org

English I 2024-2025 Summer Reading

Text Needed – A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes

ISBN: 9780063078215

Before you read A Thousand Ships, define the following terms and fill out the notes below.

Define the following term. Feel free to find the definition online.

Epic

If you are not already, familiarize yourself with the stories of The Iliad. You can find summaries online and even some good, animated summaries on YouTube.  Provide a brief summary The Iliad:

As you read, create a brief character summary (2-3 sentences) for the following characters: 

• Odysseus
• Achilles
• Penelope
• Clytemnestra
• Helen of Sparta
• Thetis
• Paris
• Hecabe
• Calliope
• Eris
• Themis
• Gaia

Read A Thousand Ships and annotate for the following:

Character: Values, beliefs, biases, and cultural norms represented by characters.

Setting: Setting can depict time place, and values associated with a location.

Structure: Sequence and arrangement can contribute to interpretation and understanding.

Narration: Narrator’s perspective controls details and emphasizes reader’s experience.

Figurative Language: Look out for all important, meaningful, or repeated literary devices.

Literary Argumentation: Major themes!!! 

I know this is a lot to do, but I want to stress how important reading and annotating will be for your success at Rosary. If you have any questions while doing the reading or working on this assignment, please do not hesitate to reach out to me: slangenwalter@rosaryacademy.org