Dear Student,
As of May 20th, 2011, you have enrolled in 12th grade AP Literature and Composition. The College Board description of the course states: “An AP English course in Literature and Composition should engage students in the careful reading and critical analysis of imaginative literature. The course should include intensive study of representative works from various genres and periods, concentrating on works of recognized literary merit.”
I want you to take a moment and think about the two skills mentioned in this description: careful reading and critical analysis. How carefully do you read the literature you’ve been assigned for English class? Does your reading frequently include critical analysis? We don’t need to discuss your answers; you and I both know what they are. Instead of approaching the summer reading assignment with a negative attitude, try this approach: carefully read a novel and as you are reading the novel, think about what you are reading. That’s it – read and think!!
I can guarantee that the majority of you have never read a novel like The House of the Spirits. I will tell you that I first read this work in my senior level English class and was immediately hooked. Remember, I wasn’t an English teacher back then, just a high school student like you in AP English class. I can only hope that you will be as intrigued as I was, and I eagerly anticipate hearing your opinions of the text on the class blog.
Before you begin The House of the Sprits, might I suggest you do a little research. Oh, here we go, right. I can hear the groans. Okay, how about this? Pretend that you’re on a sports team and your next game is away. Before the game starts, do you scope out the track, field, course, team, etc? This is all I’m suggesting you do – check out what you are up against. Do you know what magical realism is? Have you ever heard of Isabelle Allende? Can you locate South America on a map? I promise that answering these questions will enhance your reading of The House of the Spirits. At the very least, it will prepare you for…well, you’ll just have to see. For those of you who are interested in reading fiction that will prepare you, consider the works of Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Chronicle of a Death Foretold is pretty accessible. Like Water for Chocolate, a novel by Laura Esquivel, is another work of magical realism that has also been adapted into a movie…a really, really, really good movie.
Next, join the blog at http://2011thehouseofthespirits.blogspot.com/ and participate in some discussions (there are over twenty) of The House of the Spirits. See the attached handout for more specific details. I expect you to share what you are “thinking” at least TEN times over the course of the summer. All comments/postings should specifically reference the text using proper citations. I look forward to reading about what you are “thinking.”
It occurred to me that perhaps you would feel better knowing that your teacher, the mean one asking you to read and think about a book over the summer, was also doing her own summer reading. So what’s on my list? The Help by Kathryn Stockett, Passion by Lauren Kate, and A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness are just to name a few. For more academic reading, I’m going to tackle Reading Shakespeare with Young Adults and the sure to be titillating Content Area Writing by Jim Burke.
If you have any questions or doubts about your intentions in the AP English classroom, please do not hesitate to discuss this matter with me before the next school year begins.
Sincerely,
Michelle Matysak
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