Mingus Union High School

Pre-AP English 9 Summer Work Assignment

2015-2016

“Embark on an adventure of great rewards!”

Ms. Laura Logsdon llogsdon@muhs.com

Web page: http://llogsdon.myteachersite.com/teacher/site/

What are the Benefits of the Advanced Placement Program?

For Colleges and Universities: It identifies and attracts highly motivated students who have succeeded in

rigorous, college-level courses and demonstrated their ability through

demanding national examinations.

It provides admissions officers with an excellent predictor of student success in

college.

It enables students to diversify and deepen their college curriculum by placing

them out of introductory level college courses to which they have

demonstrated competence.

It improves the articulations of college and high school curricula.

For High Schools: It enhances the quality of the curriculum.

It encourages focused efforts in curriculum alignment.

It challenges the academically capable students.

It provides opportunities for the best faculty to teach capable, motivated

students in demanding courses.

It gives the college-preparatory program a reputation for high quality and

standards.

For Students: It provides college credit for courses taken in high school.

It develops the analytical and study skills required to succeed in college

courses.

It motivates students to undertake more challenging work in both high school

and college.

It provides direction in selecting college majors.

It sets students on a more likely path to college graduation, double majors, and

graduate school.

The College Board, 1999

Is Pre-AP Right for You?

The Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum, developed by an international organization called the College Board, consists of highly rigorous courses in which high school students can earn college credit. Each high school AP course has an equivalent AP exam that is given at the end of the course. To earn college credit, the student must perform well not just in the class, but also on the exam. Because of the difficulty of AP exams, only the top students typically register for AP classes. These students often experience a much easier transition from high school to college because of the skills and confidence developed in AP courses. Many educators believe that more students could reap the benefits of participation in AP courses if they are exposed earlier to the skills and habits of mind required for success in an AP program of studies. In response to this belief, the College Board has developed a program called Pre-AP. This program is designed as a set of content-specific instructional strategies to teach students AP-related skills, concepts, and assessment methods. Each course is rigorous and will help to prepare students for expectations of an AP curriculum. Pre-AP courses at MUHS are the equivalent of what was once referred to as “Honors” courses. Pre-AP courses allow students to develop higher-level skills as well as experience less “culture shock” when they begin their first AP course. Pre-AP courses differ from AP courses in that they are considered entry-level, skill-building courses for the AP Program. College credit is not awarded for Pre-AP courses. Instead, Pre-AP participation functions as a pre-requisite to AP enrollment. The following are characteristics of students likely to succeed:

Attends school regularly,

Able to prioritize tasks and responsibilities,

Works within time constraints,

Appreciates a challenging academic curriculum focused on higher-level

thinking,

Willing to complete the summer reading/writing requirement

Achieves A/B grades in current English class

Pre-AP English 9 Summer Work Requirement

Requirements:

1. Read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (any edition is acceptable) 2. Annotate the text as you read. (It is highly recommended, although not mandatory, that you

purchase your own copy of the text. It is much easier to make annotations directly on the pages of the book. However, annotations can be made on sticky notes or lined paper as well.)

3. Complete Reading Packet for the book. (Attached)* 4. Be prepared to engage in critical discussion of the book the first week of class.

*You will be required to turn in your Reading Packet on the first day of class! How to Annotate Text: Reading comprehension requires you to connect with the reading assignment. Marking and annotating the text gets you to engage and interact with it in a physical way. This type of close reading helps you to develop a deeper understanding of the text. Your pencil, pen, and highlighter are terrific tools you can use to improve reading comprehension and remember the assigned text. Get the most out of a reading assignment by marking it up. The following are annotating suggestions:

1. Circle unknown and unfamiliar words as you read. You may need to come back and reread the sentences before and after the word to get at the meaning of the word. Write a brief definition in the margin when you grasp it.

2. Underline, highlight or circle sentences that provide you with definitions of key terms. Write "Def" in the margin so you can locate the definition quickly.

3. Mark an X or an asterisk next to a sentence that provides an important example or a main topic.

4. Draw a question mark beside a point that is confusing. You may need to research this further or ask your instructor about it.

5. Place an exclamation point next to important passages.

6. Make notes in the margins. As you read, write any questions or comments that crop up in your mind in the margin next to the passage. Use these annotations in class discussions, essay writing, or exams.

7. Keep it simple. Remember, you are trying to connect with the reading in some way. Mark no more than 15 percent of the text.

Example of Annotation:

Summer Reading Assignment Name: Pre-AP 9 Of Mice and Men Before returning to school, you will need to read Of Mice and Men to complete this assignment. This organizer will guide your reading and prepare you for the quiz, discussions and related assignments. These reading logs lay the groundwork and refresh your memory for class discussions. All sections must be complete on the first day of class. Complete your logs neatly. It is imperative that you read Of Mice and Men in its entirety and complete the sections while you’re reading in order to make the logs most effective. Do not be tempted to use websites that summarize the material and do the thinking for you. Quite frankly, I am familiar with these sites and will wonder why you plagiarized from them if you really wanted to challenge yourself with Pre-AP coursework. You may use this packet for the quiz. This packet is due on the first full day of school. SECTION 1 History Details: Please provide some background information regarding migrant workers in California in the 1930’s-1940’s. Consider this link: http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ ammem/afctshtml/tsme.html

Record Any Other Sources of Information:

Primary Setting: Specific Location(s): Era:

In your own words, summarize biographical information about the author and record the source of your information below: Record Sources of Information:

How might the author’s background (biographical information) have influenced his or decision to write the novel and/or influenced the writer’s message?

SECTION 2 Chapter Summary: For each chapter, you will write on your own paper 4-6 sentences summarizing the main details and events of the chapter.

Example: Ch 11: A pitiful portrait of Marin, Louie’s older cousin, emerges in this

chapter. Marin is older than Esperanza and the other neighborhood kids who are

mesmerized by Marin’s apparent “sophistication.” She’s a loose girl who instructs the

younger girls in how to stand in the front yard in a short skirt, smoking, and gazing

coolly at the boys driving by. Marin dreams of the boy who will take her away from the

humdrum and poverty of inner city Chicago. (From The House on Mango Street) SECTION 3

Key Characters: Choose three characters other than George and Lennie. Find two concrete details for each character which reveal important traits and provide commentary to support your choices. (What do the details tell you about the characters?)

Character Name

Concrete Details with page numbers Commentary

1. 2.

1. 2.

1. 2.

1. 2.

1. 2.

1. 2.

SECTION 4 In Of Mice and Men, characters make significant decisions. Identify three characters and discuss the decisions they make and the consequences of their decisions. Name of Character:

Decision:

Consequence:

Concrete detail with page number: Select textual evidence that illustrates the decision.

Commentary: Explain the relevance of the textual evidence.

Concrete detail with page number: Select textual evidence that illustrates the consequence.

Commentary: Explain the relevance of the textual evidence.

Decision with Concrete Detail/pg #

Commentary

Consequences with Concrete Detail/pg #

Commentary

Name of Character:

Decision:

Consequence:

Concrete detail with page number: Select textual evidence that illustrates the decision.

Commentary: Explain the relevance of the textual evidence.

Concrete detail with page number: Select textual evidence that illustrates the consequence.

Commentary: Explain the relevance of the textual evidence.

Name of Character:

Decision:

Consequence:

Concrete detail with page number: Select textual evidence that illustrates the decision.

Commentary: Explain the relevance of the textual evidence.

Concrete detail with page number: Select textual evidence that illustrates the consequence.

Commentary: Explain the relevance of the textual evidence.

Decision with Concrete Detail/pg #

Commentary

Consequences with Concrete Detail/pg #

Commentary

SECTION 5

Characterization: In a 7-10 sentence paragraph, explore how Lennie is both helpful and hurtful to other characters. Provide concrete details to support your explanation, embedding those concrete details in your response. Notice how the below quote is a fluent part of the sentence as a whole; it is not merely placed in the sentence awkwardly. Example: Even though Esperanza is glad to have moved to a larger home that her parents now own rather than rent, it turns out not to be “the house we thought we’d get.” (Cisneros 3).

SECTION 6 Challenges. Identify two characters that face emotional or physical challenges. Describe the challenge and how the character is affected by it. Challenge

Explanation (How the character is affected)

Challenge

Explanation (How the character is affected)

SECTION 7 Theme: Theme is an author’s implied message to the reader about a specific topic. A theme will not be stated directly; instead, a reader must infer the theme through literary elements in the novel. A theme is not the same as a topic, which can usually be expressed in a word or two such as “love,” “childhood,” or “death.” The theme is an opinion the writer wishes to express about that topic. It can be expressed in at least one complete sentence that contains both the topic and the opinion about that topic. For example, the topic of a novel might be love, but the theme might be stated as “Love is more powerful than family loyalty.” In order to identify a theme in a novel, the reader has to think about all the elements of the work and use them to make an inference (or educated guess), based on details from the novel, concerning what the author is suggesting through the text about the topic. On the next page you will identify at least three topics you think Steinbeck used in order to develop the themes found in this story. You will use this as preparation for a class discussion on some of the themes in Of Mice and Men.

Theme Topics Commitment Compassion Courage/cowardice Cruelty/violence Disillusionment Dreams

Friendship Guilt Heart vs. Reason Hope Integrity Loneliness

Loyalty Prejudice Respect Responsibility

Identifying a Theme: Select three significant topics that are addressed in the novel. (See previous page for ideas) Provide 3 quotations that address each topic and explain what each quotation suggests about your topic.

Topic 1:

Quotations that address topic Commentary to explain what your quote reveals about the topic

1. Page Number: ____

1. 2.

Topic 2:

Quotations that address topic 1. 2. Page Number: ____

Commentary to explain what your quote reveals about the topic

1. 2.

Topic 3:

Quotations that address topic Page Number: ____

Commentary to explain what your quote reveals about the topic

1. 2.

REMINDER: This packet is due the first day of class. If you have any concerns about meeting this requirement, please contact me before you make any decisions about enrollment in the class: home email: llogsdon@gmail.com, school email: llogsdon@muhs.com.