AP English III Summer Reading Project
AP English Language Journal Directions:
In order to do well on these exercises, you must-
• Keep all of the exercises in a journal that will be submitted day one.
• Date and number each exercise at the top of your page.
• Journal for each assignment in four to six complete, thought-provoking
paragraphs. Ask at least one question per assignment. You can either try to
answer this question or leave it open for discussion upon returning to class.
• Use a pen.
• Most of these textual assignments can be found online.
Complete any three (3) of the first five assignments.
Assignment One: Non-Fiction and ethnic issues in post-colonial America.
Text: “Black Hawk’s Farewell” Author: Black Hawk
Published: 1812
• Read “Black Hawk’s Farewell”
• Complete a journal assignment with respect to the journal guidelines.
• When we get back to class, be prepared to discuss this piece of non-fiction
with peers and your instructor.
Assignment Two: Short Story / The emergence of an American “voice”.
Text: “Rip Van Winkle” Author: Washington Irving
Published: 1820
• Read “Rip Van Winkle”
• Complete a journal assignment with respect to the journal guidelines.
• When we get back to school, be prepared to discuss the emergence of the
American “voice” as it applies to this work of literature.
Assignment Three: “How-To” Literature and feminine responsibility in early 1800’s
America.
Text: Introduction to The American Frugal Housewife
Author: Lydia Marie Child Published: 1832
• Read the introduction to The American Frugal Housewife
• Complete a journal assignment with respect to journal guidelines.
• When we return to school, be prepared to refute or defend the following
argument: “The best place for a woman in 1832 was in the kitchen and at
home having babies.”
Assignment Four: Conformity, individualism, and Transcendentalism during the
American New England Renaissance.
Text: “On The Duty of Civil Disobedience”
Author: Henry David Thoreau Published: 1854
• Read “On The Duty of Civil Disobedience”
• Complete a journal with respect to the journal guidelines.
• Upon return to our beloved classroom, be prepared to write your own
manifesto with respect to your obedience to Franklinton High School.
Assignment Five: Short Story / The emergence of feminism in America.
Text: “The Yellow Wallpaper” Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Published: 1892
• Read “The Yellow Wallpaper”
• Complete a journal with respect to the journal guidelines.
• When we see each other again, be prepared to argue the validity of
insanity pleas in a court of law.
Assignment Six: Read two (2) of the following three (3):
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Moby Dick
The Scarlet Letter
Read the books cover to cover. There will be a test on the books you choose
when you come to class the first day of the semester.
Do not get caught behind with these assignments. If you complete a reading assignment
per week and start reading the novel right away, you will succeed. Remember, just
because we are going on break does not mean we have a right to quit learning. Learning
is a daily activity, and I have chosen works of American literature that will let you
explore your own experiences. I want the journals to be loaded with thoughts and ideas,
not superficial and “robotic”.