The Assignment

Read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. As you read, share your observations and analysis with your classmates on this blog as directed below. Keep your quoted passages and reflections original- we can all google Sparknotes and Shmoop for ourselves. Then respond thoughtfully to the posts of three (3) of your classmates with your interpretations, impressions, and reactions to their thoughts about each book to create a conversation. Make sure you add something new to the conversation in your responses. Ask a question, challenge an assumption, offer a different interpretation or a new insight. "I agree" does not qualify as a meaningful response.


You should submit a total of 6 original posts and 6 comments.


Due Dates:

All posts about your first book should be completed by July 31, 2019.

Posts about your second book are due before the first day of school.


The goal of the response portion of the assignment is to set the tone for the year and develop a thoughtful conversation about our reading. Obviously, the conversation only works if people participate. Adding something at the end that no one will see does not equal participating in the conversation.

Failure to complete these assignments before your return to school may result in your removal from the class.


For each reflection post, start with a quotation from the novel and comment on it, focusing on one of the following:


1. Cite a passage and explain why is it important to the meaning of the work as a whole.

2. Read between the lines. Sometimes it’s what characters don’t say that matters. Cite a passage and explain what’s really going on. Be sure to use evidence to support your conclusions.

3. Analyze the development of a dynamic character: explain how she/he grows, learns, changes, etc. and how his/her evolution is important to the meaning of the work as a whole.

4. Cite a passage and analyze the author’s style, word choice, syntax, tone, etc. How does it contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole?

5. Analyze the author's use of literary devices (e.g. metaphor, symbolism, juxtaposition, foreshadowing, irony, satire, etc.). and consider how it contributes to the meaning of the work as a whole.

6. Cite a passage that evokes a strong emotional response from you and explore your reaction.

7. Cite a passage that you find confusing as a reader. Pose genuine clarifying questions for yourself and others.

8. Explore the similarities and differences in plot, theme, and style between the two novels. Analyze how these similarities and differences impact the meanings of these works as a whole.

9. Analyze the impact of point of view on the reader’s understanding and the meaning of the work as a whole.

10. Something else? Think of something. We will add to this list as we go.


Monday, May 20, 2019

Welcome to Step Up Day for AP Lit!

To make sure everyone can access and post correctly on the summer reading blog, please reply to this post in the comments section introducing yourself and sharing your top five works of fiction (novels, poetry, or plays) that you consider most worthy of inclusion in your personal literary canon. Then comment on the post of one of your classmates. 


Later, complete the online feedback form for the MTA English department. 

 If time permits, complete the summer reading anticipation guide. We will discuss your results in the fall. 
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50 comments:

  1. Emily VailMay 22, 2019 at 9:41 AM

    1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
    2. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
    3. Beloved by Toni Morrison
    4. Desperate Characters by Paula Fox
    5. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:41 AM

    In Cold Blood, To Kill A Mocking Bird, Catcher In The Rye, The giver, Winnie the Pooh

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:44 AM

      I really liked In Cold Blood and Catcher In The Rye

      Delete
    2. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:33 PM

      I liked To Kill A Mockingbird and The Catcher In The Rye as well!

      Delete
  3. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:42 AM

    -"Lord of the Flies"
    -"The night Gardener" (Jonathan Auxier)
    -Harry Potter Series
    -To Kill a Mockingbird

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:43 AM

      I really liked "Lord of the Flies" as well.

      Delete
    2. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:43 AM

      I loved the Harry Potter books!

      Delete
  4. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:42 AM

    -"The Mark of the Dragonfly"
    -"Legend" series (Marie Lu)
    -"The Hunger Games" series
    -"Harry Potter" series

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:43 AM

      who wrote "The Mark of the Dragonfly"?

      Delete
    2. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:44 AM

      I love reading Marie Lu's books!

      Delete
  5. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:42 AM

    -"Going After Cacciato," Tim O'brien
    -"Winger," Andrew Smith
    -"Grasshopper Jungle," Andrew Smith
    -"100 sideways miles," Andrew Smith
    -"Going Bovine," Libba Bray

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:32 PM

      I haven't read any of those but I really want to read Winger!

      Delete
  6. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:42 AM

    Some of my favorite works are:
    "More Than This" by Patrick Ness
    "Scarlet" by A.C. Gaughen
    "Dealing with Dragons" by Patricia Wrede
    "Fahrenheight 451" by Ray Bradbury
    "The Cask of Amontillado" by Edgar Allan Poe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:45 AM

      I remember Cask of Amontillado from last year

      Delete
  7. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:43 AM

    (in no particular order) "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, "Eurydice" by Sarah Ruhl, "Angels in America" (both parts) by Tony Kushner, "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng, "Leaves of Grass" by Walt Whitman, and "The Little Prince" by Antoine de Saint-Euxpéry

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:44 AM

      I loved "The Joy Luck Club"!

      Delete
    2. Allison Lundquist May 22, 2019 at 2:44 PM

      I loved "Little Fires Everywhere". Did you see Reese Witherspoon is working on making it into a mini-series for Hulu? I hope they do the story justice.

      Delete
  8. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:43 AM

    1. "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
    2. "Misery" by Stephen King
    3. "Face the Music" by Paul Stanley
    4. "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger

    ReplyDelete
  9. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 9:43 AM

    1. The Giver by Lois Lowry
    2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
    3. Bluberries For Sal by Robert McCloskey
    4. The Lorax
    5. Gossamer by Lois Lowry

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:31 PM

      I love Blueberries For Sal! It was one of my favorites growing up.

      Delete
  10. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:22 PM

    1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
    2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
    3. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
    4: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
    5. Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:25 PM

      I love To Kill A Mockingbird, but who doesn't?

      Delete
    2. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:28 PM

      I love Harry Potter! No wonder we both did our biology posters on it last year.

      Delete
    3. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:30 PM

      I read A Thousand Splendid Suns a couple years ago, and really enjoyed it! However, I'll admit that I had completely forgotten about it.

      Delete
  11. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:24 PM

    1. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
    2. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
    3. Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
    4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
    5. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:25 PM

    Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, The Extraordinary Adventures of Arsene Lupin, Gentleman Burglar by Maurice Leblanc, Storm Thief by Chris Wooding

    ReplyDelete
  13. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:25 PM

    1. Harry Potter series
    2. The Hunger Games
    3. The Giver
    4. Catcher in the Rye
    5. Enclave

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anna JacksonMay 22, 2019 at 1:28 PM

    The Book Thief by Markus Zusac
    Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey
    Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
    A Voice in the Wind (Mark of the Lion series) by Francine Rivers
    In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:29 PM

      OH Anna, you're so silly, I love Harry Potter too, that's crazy, wow.

      Delete
  15. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:29 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  16. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:29 PM

    1.The Pigman by Paul Zindel
    2.Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
    3.To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
    4.The Homecoming by Harold Pinter
    5.The Pearl by John Steinbeck

    ReplyDelete
  17. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:29 PM

    "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
    "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
    "Where the Sidewalk Ends" by Shel Silverstein
    "Esperanza Rising" by Pam Muñoz Ryan
    "The Odyssey" by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles

    ReplyDelete
  18. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:29 PM

    1. American Gods by Neil Gaimon
    2. The Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan
    3. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
    4. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
    5. The Perfect Mile by Neil Bascomb

    ReplyDelete
  19. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:30 PM

    1. Twilight
    2. The Giver
    3. Selection Series
    4. The Catcher in the Rye
    5. In Cold Blood

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:30 PM

      I forgot about "The Giver" that book is so good!

      Delete
    2. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:32 PM

      In Cold Blood is so good!

      Delete
  20. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:30 PM

    1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett
    2. Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
    3. The Martian by Andy Weir
    4. The Secret Life of Bees by by Sue Monk Kidd
    5. Four past Midnight by Stephan King

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:30 PM

      The help is a great book!

      Delete
    2. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:33 PM

      I've read "The Martian" too many times, I loved it.

      Delete
    3. Allison Lundquist May 22, 2019 at 2:48 PM

      Have you read Andy Weir's newest book "Artemis"? It is a great adventure story with a strong and resourceful female main character who grew up on a moon colony.

      Delete
  21. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:30 PM

    1. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
    2. The Book Thief
    3. Caraval by Stephanie Garber
    4. The Mysterious Benedict Society
    5. Throne of Glass series

    ReplyDelete
  22. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:31 PM

    1. To Kill A Mockingbird (by Harper Lee)
    2. The Catcher In The Rye (J.D. Salinger)
    3. In Cold Blood (by Truman Capote)
    4. The Hate U Give (by Angie Thomas)
    5. The Story of My Life (by Helen Keller)

    ReplyDelete
  23. AnonymousMay 22, 2019 at 1:32 PM

    "All The Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr, "Beloved" by Toni Morrison, "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak, and I'm loving "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston so far.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Allison Lundquist May 22, 2019 at 2:49 PM

      "All the Light We Cannot See" is one of my favorites. I just love the author's use of language and imagery!

      Delete
  24. AnonymousMay 30, 2019 at 8:27 AM

    1. The Devouring By Simon Holt
    2. Gone By Michael Grant
    3. The Running Dream By Wendelin Van Draanen
    4. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy By Douglas Adams
    5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone By J.K. Rowling

    ReplyDelete
  25. alchemicalAuxiliatrixJuly 18, 2019 at 12:17 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete

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