Read anything great lately?  Want to share it?

Please list the title of your book and then comment.  :)  Avoid summary.  Write observations, comments, questions, anything that would start or enhance a “conversation” about the reading.  ENJOY!

Remember, you must blog at least five times for each of the books you are reading this summer.  Your first fiction reading novel blogs are due by 7/1/09, your second by 7/20/09, your non-fiction by 8/15/09, and your contemporary by 9/2/09.

2009-2010AP English 12 Students: 

Welcome to the AP English 12!  One of the AP goals is to prepare for success on the AP test, which must be taken in May.  Reading and studying as many books as possible is one of the best means of preparation.  For your summer pleasure, please select four novels for summer reading.  You must make two selections from the classics category and at least one selection from the remaining two categories.

 Web-blogging is the only summer reading requirement, although you may use any notes you take as assistance on the tests and papers relating to the readings, so it would behoove you to do more than simply blog.  Please respond on my blog at least five times on every novel you read.  Directions are on my blog: http://blogs.fruitportschools.net/egrimm. 

Due dates are as follows:

First classic blog comments –          due 7/1/09

Second classic blog comments –      due 7/20/09

Non-fiction blog comments –           due 8/15/09

Contemporary blog comments –     due 9/2/09 

Classics – read at least two

The Awakening                            Kate Chopin

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer   Mark Twain

Native Son                                    Richard Wright

Wuthering Heights                      Emily Brontë 

Contemporary – read at least one

The Joy Luck Club                        Amy Tan

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant                 Anne Tyler

Thousand Splendid Suns               Kaled Hosseini

Water for Elephants                     Sara Gruen

The Pilot’s Wife                            Anita Shreve

The Book Thief                             Markus Zusak

Running with Scissors                   Augusten Burroughs

Pigs in Heaven                              Barbara Kingsolver 

Non-fiction – read at least one

A Mighty Heart                            Marianne Pearl

Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea         Steven Callahan

Freakonomics                              Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt

Dreams of my Father                   Barrack Obama

My American Journey                  Colin Powell 

Unfortunately, I cannot supply you with copies of these novels, but they should be available through new and used bookstores and libraries. 

If you have questions or concerns, please see me before the end of the school year.  Feel free to contact me via email if questions arise over the summer.  Have a wonderful summer, and I look forward to working with you in the fall.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Grimm

egrimm@fruitportschools.net

Exam rubric

This sheet is for when you are ABSENT only during SSR times.  An absence on the grades for SSR is indicated as a zero.  Zeroes can be made up with this sheet.

SSR Makeup Sheet

Schools of Criticism Examples

Schools of Criticism

Here are links to awesome “Grimm’s Notes” written by Fruitport’s own AP English students on three classics!

Brave New World
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Anthem

One of the most common interview questions is “Tell me about your strengths.”  Here is a good formula to develop an answer for that question and be better prepared.

Strengths

Another common interview question seeks out a weakness.  Here is a good format for preparing to answer that question.

Weakness

Here is another example:  weakness-example.pdf

Now remember, this is only a rough, rough draft, but it stil can stand for a skeleton for you to copy the style. 

 Sample Rough Draft Paper for Persuasive Writing

Here is a copy of the vocab we will focus on this trimester.  Please make every effort to actually use these words regularly as the list is only 1/3 the first tri’s list.  Second Tri Vocab List