Pre-AP 2011-2012 Book List

Students enrolled in Pre-AP English II will need to acquire the following texts:

1st Six Weeks:

• How to Read Literature like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster

2nd Six Weeks:

• Lord of the Flies, William Golding

3rd Six Weeks:

• Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
• A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

4th Six Weeks:

• Anthem, Ayn Rand
  Last year we were able to acquire this book free for all students; we will try again this year, but no guarantees.

5th Six Weeks:

• Othello, William Shakespeare
• Julius Caesar, William Shakespeare

6th Six Weeks:

• Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury

Books may be checked out of the library, purchased at retail stores like Barnes & Noble, resale stores like Half Price Books, or online stores like Amazon. If you have a digital device that you can take notes on, you may purchase e-book versions and use your digital device in class (using the device for non-text reasons will result in loss of the device). Many texts may also be purchased from last year's students.

Pre-AP Summer Reading Assignment

Sophomores entering Pre-AP II will be expected to complete the following assignment prior to class beginning at the end of August. Estimated weekly commitment: 1 hour.

Following are six pairs of short stories. You are expected to read at least one of them (feel free to read both), and participate in an online discussion. I will moderate the discussion, but you and your classmates will be responsible to keep the conversation going. (Discussion links will appear the week after the story are assigned to be read.)

Week 1 (6/6-10): Irony

• The Lottery, Shirley Jackson
  (Listen to an audiofile of "The Lottery" as you read; right-click audiofile link to save file to your computer.)


• The Open Window, Saki (H.H. Munro)
  (Click the yellow player link on this website to listen to the story as you read; right-click this link to save file to your computer.)

Week 3 (6/20-24): Coming of Age

• Araby, James Joyce
  (Listen to an audiofile of "Araby" as you read; right-click audiofile link to save file to your computer.)


• A&P, John Updike

Week 5 (7/4-8): Horror

• Fall of the House of Usher, Edgar Allan Poe


• Tell-Tale Heart, Edgar Allan Poe

Week 7 (7/18-22): Prejudice

• Barn Burning, William Faulkner


• Cathedral, Raymond Carver

Week 9 (8/1-5): Magic Realism

• Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, Gabriel Garcia Marquez


• The Monkey’s Paw, W.W. Jacobs

Week 11 (8/15-19): Irony (yes, again!)

• The Bet, Anton Chekhov


• The Yellow Pill, Rog Phillips

Hail and Farewell

Incoming Pre-AP II students: Welcome. Thanks for coming by. Bookmark this page so you can visit it again (and often). The Summer Assignment will be up by June 3rd.

To my 2010/2011 Students: Have yourownbadselves an awesome summer. You have earned it. Pre-AP II's, please get next year off to a better start than you did last year -- do the AP III Summer Assignment! I will miss each and every one of you, so please come by my room next year to keep me updated on your many successes. Thanks again for a memorable (and amazing!) year. Take care of each other.

--Mr. Mikesell

ACP Tips

Please do the following to succeed on all your ACPs, but especially English.

• Get a good night's sleep. (All you little scene monsters, take a week off.)


• Eat high-protein dinners.


• Eat fruit for breakfast. (Jelly donuts and Fruity Pebbles do not count as fruit.


• Keep your head up during the test. (Maintain a positive mental attitude and don't take a nap; no time for slacking off during the ACP.)


• Make sure you understand what the questions are asking. (If you don't know what you're being asked, you cannot truly succeed.)


• Pre-AP: Pay attention to the positive and negative connotations of key words/phrases when you're being asked mood/tone questions.


• Everybody: Remember, you CAN do it ... you just have to DO do it.

Be awesome.

Final Extra Credit Opportunity

Got a gorilla picture from class/school?
E-mail it to me!

See the collection.

Pre-AP: Outside-Class Writing Assignment Reminder

Write a well-developed essay on the following prompt:

In some literary works, the author creates a unique society or community in order to make an important point about humanity. Examples of such works are Lord of the Flies, Anthem, and Fahrenheit 451. Discuss how the authors of these novels use their fictional society to convey important ideas about mankind and society in general. Be sure to clearly identify the “important ideas” they express.

Tips to success:

Consider using the outline we discussed in class.

Model your body paragraphs after the "Harrison Bergeron" assignment at the beginning of the six weeks.

Extensive plot summary will result in a REDO grade (no points), not a REVISE (85 points). Look at diction, metaphor, imagery, setting (time and place), conflicts (like man v. society), etc., and how the author’s use of these techniques contributes to meaning.

Remember that only REVISE and ACCEPTED essays will be taken for a grade, so submit your IWA early, rather than at the last minute to ensure that your essay will count!

*** More than 5 careless spelling mistakes and 5 careless punctuation errors will result in a REDO grade***

All essays must be typed and adhere to the MLA formatting requirements (see below). All essays must be submitted with the draft in the LEFT pocket (inside front cover) of a 2-pocket portfolio folder. Failure to meet these minimum requirements will result in the draft being returned to the student unevaluated and with no score recorded.

• Type your paper on a computer and print it out on standard, white 8.5 x 11-inch paper.


• Double-space the text of your paper (paragraph settings). Use Times New Roman (Garamond if you're “fancy”); the font size should be 12 pt. (font settings).


• Leave only one space after periods or other punctuation marks.


• Set the margins of your document to 1" on all sides.


• Indent the first line of paragraphs one half-inch from the left margin. MLA recommends that you use the Tab key as opposed to pushing the Space Bar five times, or set your paragraphs to indent the first line 0.5". Do not skip a line (i.e., leave a blank line) between paragraphs.

Drop-Dead Deadline: Thursday, May 26, 2011.
(If no work is received by 5/13, a "Missing" grade (counts as a 0) will be entered into the grade book; some work may receive a temporary "Incomplete" grade (no effect on grade), but that will be replaced with a "Missing" on 5/20.)

Pre-AP: Report to the Library, May 19-20

Students will be taking the Laying the Foundation End of Course exam on the library computers this Thursday and Friday. Please report directly to the library to a) avoid being marked tardy/absent and b) have as much time available for the test as possible.

Thank you.