AP Language and Composition Summer Reading Assignments Instructor- Silvana Salerno Room 211-

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1 AP Language and Composition Summer Reading Assignments Instructor- Silvana Salerno Room 211- silvana.salerno@interborosd.org Dear AP Language and Composition Students, First, congratulations on accepting the challenge of taking AP Language and Composition class. I am excited to work with you to help you achieve your potential as writers and thinkers between now and next May. In order to properly prepare you for the course and get to know you as readers/writers, it is imperative that we begin our journey this summer. Summer Reading Assignments Outliers: The Story of Success - Malcolm Gladwell In The Outliers Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different? His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way, he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band. Assignment: Write a one-paragraph answer for the following questions: 1. What is the Roseto Mystery? What overarching idea is Gladwell establishing in his introduction?

2 2. Consider the following: Practice isn t the thing you do once you re good. It s the thing you do that makes you good. Explain how this philosophy was at work for Bill Joy, The Beatles, and Bill Gates. 3. Describe the difference between divergence testing and convergence testing. Is one more significant than the other? 4. Gladwell states that communities and companies in American society are convinced that those at the very top of the IQ scale have the greatest potential. After reading the chapter, explain why you either agree or disagree with this statement. 5. Compare and contrast Langan and Oppenheimer. 6. Explain Gladwell s statement as it relates to Joe Flom: Buried in that setback was a golden opportunity. 7. Describe the culture of honor that exists in the Appalachian Mountains. 8. Describe the significance of the willingness to change as it relates to Korean Air. 9. After reading this section of the book, have your opinions changed about math classes and math ability? Explain why or why not. 10. Describe the connection between the 10,000-Hour Rule and the wet-rice farmers in Asia. Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything - Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner Freakonomics became an instant success upon its publication in Readers appreciated it not only because it managed to accomplish the seemingly impossible making economics and statistics interesting but also because of the authors zippy and satirical style. Much of the book s popularity stems from the authors bravery in asking questions that others might not think or be bold enough to ask. Instead of benignly listing statistics and reporting on surveys and studies as many researchers do, Levitt and Dubner consider and discuss the implications that

3 result from those numbers and survey answers, even if those implications are distasteful to many. Assignment: Write a one-paragraph summary of each the following topics. Be very specific, but do not copy verbatim from the book. 1. What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? 2. How is the Ku Klux Klan like a group of real estate agents? 3. Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? 4. Where have all the criminals gone? 5. What makes a perfect parent? 6. How is important is a name? Brave New World Aldous Huxley Aldous Huxley's profoundly important classic of world literature, Brave New World is a searching vision of an unequal, technologically-advanced future where humans are genetically bred, socially indoctrinated, and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian ruling order--all at the cost of our freedom, full humanity, and perhaps also our souls. Brave New World has enthralled and terrified millions of readers, and retains its urgent relevance to this day as both a warning to be heeded as we head into tomorrow and as a thought-provoking, satisfying work of literature. Written in the shadow of the rise of fascism during the 1930s, Brave New World likewise speaks to a 21st-century world dominated by mass-entertainment, technology, medicine and pharmaceuticals, the arts of persuasion, and the hidden influence of elites.

4 Assignment: Using your own critical understanding of contemporary society as evidence, write 1-2 paragraphs explaining to what extent you think that Huxley s prediction of the future is relevant today in the following areas: 1. Mass entertainment 2. Technology 3. Medicine and Pharmaceuticals 4. The Arts of Persuasion 5. Influence of Elites Use specific, illustrative examples in your response. Summer work on these books must be submitted at the beginning of the first full day of class. All assignments should be printed (double-spaced) and titled using MLA format. Students are required to have all work printed prior to entering the class. You may not leave class to go to a printer or the library to pick up your paper. Please join Remind.com AP Language and Composition in case I need to communicate with you over the summer. I hope you have a great summer. Certainly, there is work to be done, but I know that you will find the summer reading to be interesting and enjoyable. I look forward to getting to know you in the fall. Sincerely, Mrs. Silvana Salerno Room 211

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