My name is Mr. James Cook. I will be teaching the AP English Literature and Composition course for the first time during the upcoming school year. With the help of English Department Program Leader Mrs. Carolyn Marletta, I designed the attached syllabus and have submitted it to the College Board. As part of that syllabus, I designed a summer active reading unit, which will prepare you for the first two units of the AP course.
During the summer you will read two novels—Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison and Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys—and two books of poetry—Early Poems: William Carlos Williams and Song of Myself by Walt Whitman. Attached you will find directions for taking notes and writing informal open responses. (You will be writing three one-page (or longer) informal open responses for each book.) You are expected to read actively and to respond to the prompts before the first day of classes at the end of August.
This letter, information about the four books, and the reader response prompts can also be found here on the Gloucester High School AP English Literature and Composition blog (http://apenglishghs.blogspot.com/). You may post questions in the comment boxes at the blog, or you may email me directly (jcook@gloucester.k12.ma.us). Please do not hesitate to write if you have any questions. It might take me a few days to respond but I will get back to you. The blog is also a place for you to post questions, observations, and ideas on the books. A comment box will be set up for each book. Commenting on the blog and visiting the blog are not mandatory, but might be helpful for some of you.
Have a great summer. I look forward to reading your responses and discussing the four books with you next year.
Sincerely,
James W. Cook
English Teacher
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