Greetings and welcome to the AP Language & Composition Summer Blog! While we could read a book or two, I prefer this approach because your part is totally done before the school year even begins, and we can start fresh in September with new material right away. Personally, I have a hard time discussing a book I read two or three months ago.
Also, not only are you being asked to read but to complete all twelves blogs, you're going to have to think and write. As the summer progresses, you can expect twelve different blogs that ask you to respond to a wide variety of non-fiction magazine articles, newspaper articles, blogs, social media posts, editorials, speeches, videos, cartoons, etc . . . Some of these pieces may be super short while others may be fairly long. Some may have multiple parts to them. Plan on at least a couple of assignments that will take you over an hour just to read. Most will feature at least some sort of literary merit.
"What is the purpose of this assignment?" you may wonder as you slog through another long article. First of all, the unsatisfying answer is that a summer reading and writing requirement is standard protocol for all AP classes across the United States. However, in addition, here are a few of my goals for each of you this summer:
Also, not only are you being asked to read but to complete all twelves blogs, you're going to have to think and write. As the summer progresses, you can expect twelve different blogs that ask you to respond to a wide variety of non-fiction magazine articles, newspaper articles, blogs, social media posts, editorials, speeches, videos, cartoons, etc . . . Some of these pieces may be super short while others may be fairly long. Some may have multiple parts to them. Plan on at least a couple of assignments that will take you over an hour just to read. Most will feature at least some sort of literary merit.
"What is the purpose of this assignment?" you may wonder as you slog through another long article. First of all, the unsatisfying answer is that a summer reading and writing requirement is standard protocol for all AP classes across the United States. However, in addition, here are a few of my goals for each of you this summer:
- The overall selection of pieces should challenge you to a certain extent in terms of subject matter, length, and complexity;
- You continue to develop and expand your ability to comprehend and write well about literary non-fiction writing that is more about ideas than simply plot details;
- You continue to develop and expand your ability to handle writing that is more sophisticated in topic and/or tone;
- You develop and foster a growing awareness (and hopefully appreciation or even love!) for some of the debates that are part of the intellectual life of the United States or the world;
- You continue to develop your rhetorical analysis skills by analyzing how a speaker or writer builds an argument to persuade a specific audience.