Download AP English Language for Students of 2015-2016 (Team or

AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE
FOR STUDENTS OF 2015-2016
(TEAM OR SOLO CLASS)
SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT
We are excited that you are taking AP English Language next year! This course (whether taking it as a
solo class or as AP Team), is equivalent to the demands of a first-year college composition course. You
will be taught the very skills you need to succeed in most of your college classes.
As you enjoy your summer before your junior year, here is an extra credit opportunity for you to start with
a grade boost. Note that we will cover the book during the school year, but you have an optional extra
credit opportunity if you do the following before school begins.
The Assignment: get Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. You can purchase this very readable and classic
American play almost anywhere (do NOT buy the “Dramatists Play Service” version or the
actor/theater version!). Kindle or other electronic versions of The Crucible will not be allowed as we be
collecting the plays to check annotations.
***Get BACKGROUND: Research (no more than an hour) on why Arthur Miller wrote this
play. The story is based on true accounts of what occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692.
Find out why Arthur Miller wrote this play about the 1600s to criticize America in the 1950s
and 1960s.
1. WHILE READING ANNOTATE FOR THE FOLLOWING:
a. What is Arthur Miller’s main argument about American society (regardless of time
period)? After finding out the background, give yourself a day or two to read the play. Pay
close attention to not only the play itself but Arthur Miller’s commentary before and during
the play (which he interrupts sometimes). Annotate key areas where this main argument is
expressed in his own commentary or suggested in the drama itself.
b. How do elements of the play help make Miller’s argument persuasive? Look at plot,
specific characters and how they develop, and key dialogue (or monologue/quotes).
Annotate when you see these and note how they support Miller’s argument.
2. WRITTEN PRODUCT: Handwritten (NOT typed) analysis/annotations—just one page or
two! Organize this 1-2 page response into two sections: First, write a sentence or two that
clearly states Miller’s argument to Americans of any time period. Next, bullet point key
elements of the play that support this argument. Basically, it’s a written response on the
things you annotated the play for!
We will collect your play with the annotations AND your 1-2 page handwritten response.
We will collect these TWO items above when school begins.
Looking forward to a rewarding and enriching experience with you,
Mr. Brant Botton [email protected]
Mr. Vilo Del Rio [email protected]