tips on handling summer reading
Welcome, stout-hearted scholars! Have you accepted the challenge of AP Literature and Composition? If so, read on!
Here are some tips on how to handle the summer reading and writing.
1. Check here often for news and notes. I'll be adding stuff all summer.
2. Try to have all readings read by the Monday of each week.
3. Check back here periodically, as I will be adding stuff all summer to try to help out with our texts. Every Friday I plan to blog about part of the reading, and I want you all to leave comments about the texts we read. The texts are challenging (but not impossible), and you and your classmates will no doubt have many questions. Besides, it's fun.
4. E-mail me at my rensselaerschools address with concerns that you would prefer not to address in front of others.
5. Always read with an eye towards your writing assignments. That only makes sense.
Some Advice about Posting Online:
First of all, HAVE FUN! If you think of this as a drudge, it will be a drudge. If you approach it with a sense of play, you'll be surprised at rewarding this summer can be.
As for your posts themselves, simply take the advice of radio celebrity Jim Rome: "Have a take. Don't suck." Here's some ideas for some comments.
MARK UP, MARK UP, MARK UP your texts! Develop a shorthand for notes to yourself. Circle stuff! Draw emojis!
1. Pay attention to parts of the text that provoke a reaction from you. Think about it. How and why, exactly, did it have that effect? You know best why you think the way you do, and if you've never thought about it, perhaps you should start!
2. Identify puzzling or confusing parts. Bring them up; odds are you aren't the only one who's wondered it.
3. "Hey, did you notice that...?" is always a great way to start a post. Or..."OMG I had never thought about it that way! There's also the thing where..."
4. What paradoxes, contradictions or tensions did you notice? "Why is it that every time Gatsby does the thing, this happens?" or "For a person who supposedly thinks this, he sure does spend a lot of time..."
5. Keep the tone academic, but not boring. It's a fine line between not sounding like a moron who hasn't read the text and sounding like someone who has a thesaurus next to their keyboard (but usually doesn't know how to use it).
6. Offer support and evidence for your takes. You've been given a packet for the express purpose of marking it up.
7. Don't simply parrot what others say. If you agree, offer additional support, as in, "I also noticed..." or give nuance to a view, "I agree with X, but I think it's more like this..." If you disagree, be polite.
8. If something about a text baffles you, PLEASE speak up. Be as specific as you can (page numbers help!) and be aware that you're not the first to confused, and you certainly won't be the last. We're in this together, remember.
9. Don't try to do all the reading at once. You won't retain much, it's stressful, and you'll be likelier to drop out of the course. I DON'T WANT THAT! Yes, there's a lot of reading (although not nearly as much as last summer), but once the year begins, the pace will slacken somewhat. All of the week's reading (and annotating) can be done in a few hours. Set aside time, make a schedule, and keep to it.
10. In a perfect class, I don't do that much other than provide a space for you guys to do your thing. I'd like to mostly motivate and facilitate, and occasionally steer us back on to the right course when necessary.
I will do my best to help you develop effective habits for the class and the all-important AP Exam, but as with most things, my contributions, in the end, are rather scant. Whether this class is successful is primarily on you.
That's it for now.
Here are some tips on how to handle the summer reading and writing.
1. Check here often for news and notes. I'll be adding stuff all summer.
2. Try to have all readings read by the Monday of each week.
3. Check back here periodically, as I will be adding stuff all summer to try to help out with our texts. Every Friday I plan to blog about part of the reading, and I want you all to leave comments about the texts we read. The texts are challenging (but not impossible), and you and your classmates will no doubt have many questions. Besides, it's fun.
4. E-mail me at my rensselaerschools address with concerns that you would prefer not to address in front of others.
5. Always read with an eye towards your writing assignments. That only makes sense.
Some Advice about Posting Online:
First of all, HAVE FUN! If you think of this as a drudge, it will be a drudge. If you approach it with a sense of play, you'll be surprised at rewarding this summer can be.
As for your posts themselves, simply take the advice of radio celebrity Jim Rome: "Have a take. Don't suck." Here's some ideas for some comments.
MARK UP, MARK UP, MARK UP your texts! Develop a shorthand for notes to yourself. Circle stuff! Draw emojis!
1. Pay attention to parts of the text that provoke a reaction from you. Think about it. How and why, exactly, did it have that effect? You know best why you think the way you do, and if you've never thought about it, perhaps you should start!
2. Identify puzzling or confusing parts. Bring them up; odds are you aren't the only one who's wondered it.
3. "Hey, did you notice that...?" is always a great way to start a post. Or..."OMG I had never thought about it that way! There's also the thing where..."
4. What paradoxes, contradictions or tensions did you notice? "Why is it that every time Gatsby does the thing, this happens?" or "For a person who supposedly thinks this, he sure does spend a lot of time..."
5. Keep the tone academic, but not boring. It's a fine line between not sounding like a moron who hasn't read the text and sounding like someone who has a thesaurus next to their keyboard (but usually doesn't know how to use it).
6. Offer support and evidence for your takes. You've been given a packet for the express purpose of marking it up.
7. Don't simply parrot what others say. If you agree, offer additional support, as in, "I also noticed..." or give nuance to a view, "I agree with X, but I think it's more like this..." If you disagree, be polite.
8. If something about a text baffles you, PLEASE speak up. Be as specific as you can (page numbers help!) and be aware that you're not the first to confused, and you certainly won't be the last. We're in this together, remember.
9. Don't try to do all the reading at once. You won't retain much, it's stressful, and you'll be likelier to drop out of the course. I DON'T WANT THAT! Yes, there's a lot of reading (although not nearly as much as last summer), but once the year begins, the pace will slacken somewhat. All of the week's reading (and annotating) can be done in a few hours. Set aside time, make a schedule, and keep to it.
10. In a perfect class, I don't do that much other than provide a space for you guys to do your thing. I'd like to mostly motivate and facilitate, and occasionally steer us back on to the right course when necessary.
I will do my best to help you develop effective habits for the class and the all-important AP Exam, but as with most things, my contributions, in the end, are rather scant. Whether this class is successful is primarily on you.
That's it for now.