AP English Language Summer Assignment 2007
The purpose of a summer assignment is to torture you--just kidding!
Actually, my intention is to keep you reading, thinking, and writing, and to begin to build a community of learners. Collaboration--literature circles, online discussions, in-class discussions, group projects--is a huge component of the AP English Language class. Only when we feel comfortable with each other can we begin to really open up to one another and engage in deep, meaningful discussions, discussions that lead us to ponder issues in literature, issues in our own lives, issues in the larger world. If the summer assignment is successful, it will begin to build productive relationships. It will also allow you the opportunity to become comfortable with the technology we'll be using all year.
All the assignment grades will be calculated in the first nine weeks average. You must submit the essay and reading response journal to the Upload Assignments page on or before the deadline. A five point per day penalty applies to any late assignments. Summer is a time to relax and enjoy family time, so I have given you one deadline per month to allow you to travel without having to worry about AP assignments. Plan around your calendar. If you know you will be gone on a deadline day, be sure to plan accordingly and submit the assignment early. If you have any problems or special circumstances, be sure to send me a note: lhuff@bsd.k12.ar.us.
Failing to complete all of the summer assignments indicates a lack of commitment to the AP English Language course; thus, students not completing all of the summer assignments will NOT BE ALLOWED TO TAKE THE COURSE.
You have three basic tasks:
- Research blogs and write an essay
- Read The Great Gatsby: keep a reading response journal (RRJ) and participate in an online dicussion
- Read three related texts: participate in an online discussion
Task 1: Research blogs & write an essay Deadline: Friday, June 22
The first deadline is quickly approaching! If you have questions or are having problems, send me an e-mail or post a comment on the wiki.
Research
Consider the questions listed below. Then, use the links below the questions to begin searching, reading,
and learning about blogs. These links will definitely not answer all the questions below. But, they will
provide you a starting place. The questions also provide a starting place. As you research more questions
will most likely arise.
- What is a blog?
- What are different types of blogs people create?
- How are blogs being used by students and teachers?
- What type of blog would be most useful for our class--one class blog, small group blogs, individual blogs?
- How might students abuse blogs as an educational tool?
- How can we ensure students use blogs responsibly?
- What Internet safety rules should students know and observe?
- In what ways must students blog responsibly--citing sources, avoiding defamation, using appropriate tone...?
- How can a blog be a learning tool?
- How can students use a blog as a tool for growth as a reader, writer, and thinker?
- What should be the boundaries/rules for student blogging in school?
- How should blogs be graded?
- How can students evidence, in a blog, growth as a learner?
- How are educational blogs different from blogs common to sites like myspace.com and facebook.com?
Links
General Info. About Blogs
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a good starting place to gain a broad overview of the topic. Check out the links to additional sources at the bottom of the article.
What We're Doing When We Blog
Meg Hourihan traces the transformation of blogging since 9/11. She also gives an overview of the basic format common to most blogs.
The Art of Blogging- Part I
George Siemens gives an overview, definitions, uses and implications of blogging.
The Art of Blogging -Part II
Siemens provides the how-to, tools, and resources for getting started blogging. Note, though, we're not using blogger.com to create our blogs.
Using Blogs in Education
Steps Toward a Successful Classroom Blog
Two teachers explain different approaches to using blogging in their college writing classes.
Students Lack 'Information Literacy'
A very short article from the Chronicle of Higher Education
Blogging Wikia
This is a wiki created in response to Tim O'Reilly's call for a Blogger's Code of Conduct.
Blogs Vs. Social Networking
A wonderful explanation of educational blogs and how they differ from sites like myspace.com and facebook.com
What Is a Blog?
Defines blogs and gives wonderful explanations and examples of educational blogging
Sample Blogs
College Student Blog
This student seems to be using the blog to summarize, synthesize, and reflect upon learning in her classes.
Blog List
This site lists a ton of links to blogs by teachers, classrooms, and students
Ready.Steady.Book
This blogger is an avid reader, using the blog to compose "book talks"--really deep, analytical, AP-ish ones.
A Teenager's Perspective
This teen seems to have a talent for putting a thematic spin on her daily happenings.
Bizoony
This young teen chronicles his comedic writing.
Internet Safety
Safe Blogging Tips for Teens
Kids Rules for Online Safety
Netsmartz
This non-profit organization provides a wealth of tips, rules, and real-life examples all aimed at keeping kids and teens safer in the Internet.
Write
Write a 500-750 word paper that includes all of the following:
- definition of a blog, including an explanation of how an educational blog differs from a recreational or commercial blog;
- a proposal--think persuasion, as in persuading me to adapt your model for incorporating blogs--for how you think we should use blogging in AP English Language;
- an evaluation of three educational blogs: give a brief overview of the blog and its author, explain the goal of each blog, and evaluate the blog;
- an explanation of how blogging can be a learning tool to grow as a reader, writer, and thinker;
- an introductory paragraph with a thesis sentence and a concluding paragraph that provides closure;
- a hyperlink to any site you reference to document your sources;
- a list of sources you've used to compose the paper (use MLA format). Easybib.com
- Standard usage of English grammar, mechanics, and usage
Resources
BlogPaper_Rubric.doc: Be sure to read the rubric before submitting assignment to double-check that you met the requirements of assignment.- MLA format: This site explains how to format your paper according to MLA requirements. The site shows samples and gives detailed instructions.
Task 2: Read, Journal, Discuss The Great Gatsby Deadline: Friday, July 27
The deadline for the second task is quickly approaching. By now you should have finished reading The Great Gatsby and started posting responses to the three prompts. This will allow all of us time to respond to the postings of each other by the end of the discussion deadline. Check out the RRJ Rubric I've attached in the Resources section of Task 2.
Read
Read The Great Gatsby. You can purchase your own copy of the text, or you can access an online copy of text (How do you cite an etext?).
Discuss
Participate in the online discussion by posting a response to each of the discussion questions below and responding to at least one response posted
by someone else. For your original post, be sure to use specific details from the novel in your post and to elaborate with relevant meaning
commentary that ties the novel with the discussion question. If everyone procrastinates, waiting until the day of the deadline to post entries, it will
be impossible to havea meaningful discussion. The idea is to discuss the novel throughout your reading of it, and to engage one another. It's
impossible to respond to others if no one is posting.
DQ #1
Fitzgerald describes the world as "a valley of ashes" but often contrasts Daisy and Jay Gatsby as being spotless. What does this say about his
view of American culture and of both Jay and Daisy?
DQ #2
The Great Gatsby is a novel about the American Dream. What is the American Dream?
DQ #3
Fitzgerald once wrote, "My whole theory of writing I can sum up in one sentence. An author ought to write for the youth of his
own generation, the critics of the next and the schoolmasters of ever afterward." What was Fitzgerald saying to the youth of
his generation? Does his message still apply to the youth of our current generation?
Journal
Create a two-column table to record your reactions and analyses to The Great Gatsby. In the left-hand column record a specific detail from the text,
either quoting it (using quotation marks and an MLA citation) or summarizing or paraphrasing (be sure to include an MLA citation). Your reactions
should include a variety of the following responses: questions (deep thought questions, not simple recall questions), connections (to personal
experiences, current events or issues, other texts), analyses of text, such as comments about themes, characters, literary elements, devices,
especially figurative language.
Your journal should evidence your reading of the entire text, so be sure to comment on passages from throughout the book. Also, your journal
should evidence "deep thoughts," so dig below simple, surface level meaning. Stretch to comment about BIG IDEAS. Be sure to include at least ten
(10) well-developed entries. Check out the rubric below to see how I will grade your journal.
Resources
Task 3: Read, Discuss Related GatsbyTexts Deadline: Friday, August 10
Okay--we're in the home stretch! This deadline will be here quickly--two weeks--, so don't procrastinate!! Begin reading and discussing. You don't have to have read ALL the texts to begin discussing.
Read
Read the following texts:
Discuss
Participate in the online discussion by posting a response to each of the discussion questions below and responding to at least
one response posted by someone else. For your original post, be sure to use specific details from the assigned texts in your post
and to elaborate with relevant commentary that ties the text with the discussion question. If everyone procrastinates, waiting
until the day of the deadline to post entries, it will be impossible to have a meaningful discussion. The idea is to discuss the texts
throughout your reading of them, and to engage one another. It's impossible to respond to others if no one is posting.
DQ#1
The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire article summarizes a founding principle of the American Dream and its modern perversion:
The "rags to riches" legend has and continues to be a cornerstone of the American Dream. The traditional message
taught that through hard work, frugality, and self-sacrifice one could achieve financial success and social mobility.
Ben Franklin counseled industry, Abraham Lincoln sang the praises of the northern labor system, and Horatio Alger
instilled hope in generations of Americans. All three helped to establish basic guidelines for success in a land of infinite
possibility.
There are unquestionably many Americans who continue to abide by such tenets and in doing so are rewarded for their
efforts. Yet there are also those who have come to believe that the American Dream's promise of riches is just that, a
promise, and as such they feel entitled to instant financial success...
Ultimately, most Americans would like to achieve the American Dream of financial independence. Yet it is the means to
achieving it that are essential to the nation's ethical foundations. It seems that many Americans covet the easy road
to the Dream and in the process undercut the core values that established the Dream in the first place. Equally culpable
are the big businesses that capitalize on the quest for the Dream.
Agree or disagree with the author's stance. Be sure to include concrete details and to fully explain your opinions.
DQ#2
America's credit card debt is an increasingly alarming problem. Who is to blame--the invidual or society? Be sure to thoroughly
explain your answer. Use concrete details from the related readings to support your ideas.
Gat_edis.htm
AP_RRJ_Rubric.doc
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