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Mingus Union

High School

2014-15 Summer Work Packet and Course Information

PreAP English 10

(World Lit. for sophomores)

“Chance f a vor s t h e p r e par ed mind.” L ou i s P as t e u r

Instructor: Ms. Andrea Meyer, M. Ed. (Univ. of Az., Go ‘Cats!)

[email protected] 928-649-4453 (classroom)

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. At Mingus, we offer AP Language and Composition, typically taken in the junior year, and AP Literature, usually taken in the senior year.

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.

To determine whether you should participate in Pre-‐AP, please consider the following characteristics of students likely to succeed:

• Attends school regularly, • Able to prioritize tasks and responsibilities, • Works within time constraints, • Is curious about language and appreciates a challenging academic

curriculum focused on higher-‐level thinking, • Willing to complete the summer reading and writing requirement • Achieves A/B grades in current English class

If this sounds like you, complete the Pre-‐AP Application and Recommendation form on the last page and submit it to MUHS Guidance prior to or during registration for Pre-‐AP English.

For Prospective Students: What will I gain from taking Pre AP?

I know, I’m pretty good at English but really, it’s my parents who are making me take this course. They act like it’s their life, not mine.

Lucky you. The predictable news is that parents are supposed to shine a little light on your path. Besides

the Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey in the freezer, it’s what they live for: you. How flattering. The other true thing about parents (because they are old) is that they have a lot of experience, good and bad. Your mom may be a city planner, the lady behind the deli counter at Walmart, a cardiologist, or a yoga

instructor, but one thing she has is experience. When she tells you that after she read that innocuous-‐looking little book Of Mice and Men she cried for three days and adopted four stray dogs at the pound, she means it. Adults have been out there making a living, fighting with landlords, buying expensive

leather couches for you to sit on, and paying for those flute lessons. They know how valuable it can be to have just the right words at just the right time—and how frustrating it can be when you don’t. As Ludwig Wittgenstein said, “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” Don’t fence yourself

in, cowboy.

But I don’t want to do school work and read that big, fat, honkin’ book East of Eden this summer. I’m just so exhausted right now…

No, “exhausted “is what people are after walking across the Gobi Desert. “Tired” is what you are after you swim the English Channel. But just what else did you have in mind? A week at the hot springs? A

time-‐share at the villa in Monaco? Afternoons swallowing Shirley Temples at the Ritz Carlton? All these things are overrated (maybe not the villa); but East of Eden is top-‐drawer. It’s got big-‐hearted love, nasty back-‐stabbing, Western adventure, sibling rivalry, death-‐bed forgiveness, poison, ladies of the evening,

murder—all the good stuff. Plus, you won’t believe the ending. When you really look at your summer, adding a fantastic book to your free time is a little bit of brain candy. Start in early June and nibble away at it. Or put your whole face in the box-‐-‐ I don’t care. The reading logs are not onerous, AND they don’t

have to be typed, just legible and intelligently done.

I just want to take something easier and get an A in regular English so my GPA will look better even though I will probably not learn as much and go on writing long stringy sentences like this one without commas never knowing if maybe I should use a semicolon. Or a period.

This is the down side of ignorance: it’s expensive. Ignorance is like a credit card on which you don’t have to pay for the first four years. Then you go to college and start to pay… and pay… and pay some more.

Mr. and Ms. AP Student are like those people on fabric softener commercials who are riding around in convertibles, dancing in hot Latin night clubs, or chuckling merrily as they watch the lights of Miami from the yacht. Mr. and Ms. I-‐ Mistook-‐ High-‐School -‐for -‐a -‐ Vacation are the couple mopping up at the all-‐

night diner while they enjoy a yummy can of Spam. Nice. What the College Board tells us every time we teachers go to an AP conference is that over 50 percent of college freshmen do not graduate from college in six years because they can’t handle the rigor of university studies. It’s not so hard to get in to

college; it’s graduating that’s the problem. Colleges also prefer a B in a demanding course over an A in Fun with Sea Shells, anyway, ‘tis true, ‘tis true.

My friends are taking PreAP, but they’re all smarter than I am. I just don’t think I’m going to do very good in this class.

First, it’s “I don’t think I’m going to do very well in this class,” not good. Well is an adverb that tells how you do something. Good is an adjective. Look, taking on a challenge and making some progress at conquering it is a boost to your self-esteem. It feels wonderful to find out that you can learn and grow beyond what you imagined for yourself. I don’t know anyone who thinks, Wow, I should have stayed just like I was at 15. I was darn near perfec.

How is PreAP different from regular World Lit?

PreAP classes look and feel different from regular courses. Kids are excited about esoteric topics like pronoun-antecedent agreement and want to tell the whole class when their favorite singer belts out a lyric with a vocab word in it. PreAP World Literature also includes summer work, Harkness and Socratic Seminars, the weekly study of vocabulary from the senior-level Sadlier-Oxford Vocab series, a greater emphasis on more nuanced points of grammar and conventions, and more sophisticated or demanding approaches to assignments. PreAP English 10 classes also make fall excursions to the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens in Pasadena and the Utah Shakespeare Festival. Ask anyone who’s been on one of these trips and you will see how close you are to heaven’s gate.

Check the summer newsletter and

website for Utah Shakespeare field

trip info. Cost is typically about

$260. and includes all play

tickets, lodging, and entrance to

Zion National Park where we

hike and write after we see the

plays in Cedar City. Trip is

tentatively scheduled for Aug. 28

- Sept., 1, Labor Day Weekend.

Pre-‐AP English 10

2013 Summer Work Requirement

1. Read East of Eden by John Steinbeck. (Any unabridged 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 three reading logs, dividing the book into approximate thirds.

(Reading Logs attached)* Write about that entire third of the novel in your log, not just a single chapter from that third.

4. Be prepared to engage in critical discussion of the book the first two weeks of class.

*You will be required to turn in your Reading Logs on the first day of class! If you don’t have your logs completed, you can’t participate in the assignments during those first two weeks.

How to Annotate Text: (YOU MUST ANNOTATE TEXT, even though you are also submitting reading logs.) . You will bring these annotations to class during the first two weeks as your admission ticket to Harkness or Socratic Seminar.

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. Use Post-‐It Notes, paperclips, Cornell Notes—whatever format works well

for you.

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.

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. Mark an S for simile, and M for metaphor, an SY for symbol, etc.

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.

Reading Log Explanation

These reading logs lay the groundwork and refresh your memory for class discussions. All three

Reading Logs must be complete on the first day of class. Complete your logs neatly. I will not struggle to decipher illegible handwriting. It is imperative that you read East of Eden in its entirety and complete the logs

immediately after (or during) each section of reading. DO NOT WAIT TO WRITE THE LOGS TILL AFTER YOU FINISH THE WHOLE NOVEL; COMPLTETE THEM AS YOU READ.

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. I do encourage you, however, to look up biographical facts about the author. If you know that Steinbeck wrote about the common man, for

example, you could easily follow that thread through his work. Remember that you are not expected to be an expert on your book, but you are expedcted to have brought your curiosity and careful reading to it. I also encourage you to discuss this book with others as you read it. Talk about it with family and

friends.

Please see the following page for an example of a completed Reading Log.

Name: ___________SAMPLE__________________ Class:____________________

Book Title: ___The House on Mango Street___________ Chapters: ____11-‐14_______

Pre-‐AP Summer Reading Log

4-‐6 Sentence Summary

Summarize the main details of the assigned

chapters.

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.

Possible Symbols/Motifs

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or

colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts; like honesty, love, sorrow, good,

evil, etc.

Motifs are recurring, unifying threads or

themes; like death or rebirth

The radio: Represents and escape, a glamorous world beyond Marin’s small front yard.

Marin: Symbol of all those young girls trapped in narrow gender roles, hoping to be saved by marriage.

Character Notes

• Physical description • Attitude / Personality • Actions • Idiosyncrasies • Likes / Dislikes • Interactions with other characters

1st Character: Marin

Attractive, sexy green eyes “like two green apples.” Longs for escape. Tutors girls in how to attract boys. Craves job downtown where life is glamorous. Acts mature but is actually not –

sneaks cigarettes when aunt goes to bed.

2nd Character:

Significant Quote/Passage (Copy Below)

Page #__27___ speaker:Esperanza

“But next year Louie’s parents are going to send her back to her mother with a letter

saying she’s too much trouble…”

Page #___26__ speaker:Esperanza

“She says her boyfriend in Puerto Rico didn’t get a job yet, but she’s saving the

money she gets from selling Avon and taking care of her cousins.”

Quote Reaction: (Comment on importance, style, plot development, change in character,

etc.)

Marin seems oblivious to the gossip that says she’ll be packing her bags back to Puerto Rico soon. She does not live in the here and now, in reality. She lives in a world of escape and

dreams.

Quote Reaction:

Esperanza (narrator) doesn’t get it that Marin’s future looks bleak. It looks like selling bath

bubbles and cherry chap stick will have to carry Marin across the Chicago nights and into the land of her dreams. Pitiful, depressing. We know the boyfriend will never materialize…

Name: _________________________________________ Per:____________________

Book Title: _________________________________ First third, Chapters: _________________



Summarize the main details of the

assigned chapters.

WRITE LEGIBLY


Symbols are objects, characters,

figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts; like

honesty, love, sorrow, good, evil, etc. Motifs are recurring, unifying

threads or themes; like death or rebirth

Character Notes

• Physical description • Attitude / Personality • Actions • Idiosyncrasies • Likes / Dislikes • Interactions with other

characters • Etc.

1st Character:

2nd Character:


Page #_____Speaker________


Quote Reaction: (Comment on importance, style, plot development, change in character, etc.)

Quote Reaction:

Name: _________________________________________ Per:____________________

Book Title: _________________________________ Second third, Chapters: _________________



Summarize the main details of the

assigned chapters.

WRITE LEGIBLY


Symbols are objects, characters, figures,

or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts; like honesty, love, sorrow,

good, evil, etc.

Motifs are recurring, unifying threads or themes; like death or rebirth

Character Notes

• Physical description • Attitude / Personality • Actions • Idiosyncrasies • Likes / Dislikes • Interactions with other

characters • Etc.

1st Character:

2nd Character:



Page #____Speaker_________


Quote Reaction:

Name: _________________________________________ Per:____________________

Book Title: _________________________________ Third third, Chapters: _________________



Summarize the main details

of the assigned chapters.

WRITE LEGIBLY


Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts; like

honesty, love, sorrow, good, evil, etc.

Motifs are recurring, unifying threads or themes;

like death or rebirth

Character Notes

• Physical description • Attitude / Personality • Actions • Idiosyncrasies • Likes / Dislikes • Interactions with other characters • Etc.

1st Character:

2nd Character:



Page #____Speaker_________


Quote Reaction:

DUE MARCH 3 DUE MARCH 3 DUE MARCH 3 to Ms. Meyer, room 117

Pre-‐AP English 10 Application and Commitment Form

Student Name: _____________________________________

Address: _____________________________________ Phone # ‘s: _________________

_____________________________________

Student’s email:___________________________________________

English Teacher Recommendation:

Current (9th Grade) English Grade: _____________ Would Recommend: Yes _____ No _____

Comments: __________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

Teacher Signature: __________________________________ Email: _________________________

• I am aware that the Pre-‐AP English course is rigorous and demanding. I believe that I have the necessary academic background, commitment, and motivation to succeed.

• I am prepared to make a commitment to stay in the class for one year. I understand that the master schedule is built around student enrollment, and that if I wish to drop PreAP English to move in to a regular class, there may not be room in other classes for me to do that. I must wait until the first quarter is finished if I want to move to a regular English class.

• I recognize that success in this course requires that I prioritize academic work and extra-‐curricular activities. (Extra effort will be necessary if I participate in activities that require time commitments during the evening or that may cause me to miss school.)

• I am aware that summer homework is required in Pre-‐AP English and will become part of my semester grade.

• I understand that NOT completing summer homework will result in my removal from the Pre-‐AP English course.

• I have discussed my decision for enrollment in Pre-‐AP English with my current teacher and my parents.

Student Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ___________________

Parent Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ___________________

Parent Email: __________________________________________ Ph #’s:__________________

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