• E319 AP LANGUAGE AND COMPOSITION: SUMMER READING 2025

     

    Teachers:

    Mr. Cedeno       acedeno@d211.org 

    Mr. Herron-Cologna kherroncologna@d211.org

    Ms. Ksiazek  kksiazek@d211.org  

    Mr. Klinger         nklinger@d211.org  

    Mr. Peterson mpeterson@d211.org 

    Ms. Ryan rryan@d211.org 

     

    Greetings, Scholars!  As Honors-level students, many of you are already familiar with the general idea of summer reading.  Over this particular summer, we expect that you read and annotate The Devil’s Highway by Luis Alberto Urrea.  You will also complete a triple-entry journal (LINKED HERE and in the Schoology Group) to be handed in upon the start of the school year.

     

    Your reading must reflect your own original writing.  No external resources, websites, or AI are to be used to complete this assignment.

     

    We have created a Schoology GROUP (not course) where we will be posting information about the readings and resources.  That said, the best way to get immediate answers to questions on the summer reading assignment is to email your teachers (email addresses posted above).  

    The access code for our AP Lang Summer Reading 2025 Schoology Group is: 4P5G-2X6T-DRK7F.



    The Devil's Highway: A True Story

    “In May 2001, a group of men attempted to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona, through the deadliest region of the continent, the ‘Devil's Highway.’ Three years later, Luis Alberto Urrea wrote about what happened to them. The result was a national bestseller, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a ‘book of the year’ in multiple newspapers, and a work proclaimed as a modern American classic”  (Courtesy of Amazon).

     

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    While reading The Devil’s Highway, focus your annotation on the rhetorical triangle: what can you tell about the speaker of the text, who do you think his intended audience is, and what is his purpose throughout the book? To help you figure out these major areas of analysis, consider the following specific questions as you read in order to track the rhetoric:

    • What does the author try to make you think, feel, or do?

    • What diction (word choice) and syntax (sentence structures) does he use to help impact the audience?

    • What appeals does he rely on to help convince the audience (logos, ethos, pathos)?

    • Where do we see the author utilizing imagery and anecdotes (illustrative stories) to help achieve his purpose?

    • What tone(s) does the author use to write the book? 

      • Does it change in places throughout the text? 

      • If so, how?

        • What is the effect of the shift?

    • Does the author seem to be balanced or biased in his narration?

    • What is the author trying to argue by the end of the text?  How/where can you tell so?

    • (How) does the author address any contrary or opposing perspectives? (Counterargument)

    Upon our return to school, you should be prepared to:

    1. Submit your completed Triple Entry Journal

    2. Conduct informal analysis of self-selected quotes from The Devil’s Highway

    3. Write an in-class rhetorical analysis essay responding to a passage from The Devil’s Highway

    4. Write an in-class argumentative essay responding to a topic related to The Devil’s Highway

    5. Participate in Socratic Seminar discussion regarding the text

    FAQs

     

    Q:  Must I annotate aggressively--similar to the annotation of a poem for close reading purposes?

    A:  Not necessarily, no! You should annotate in a fashion and to an extent that is useful for you to produce 

    organized analysis/writing.

     

    Q:  Must I turn in my annotations for credit?

    A:  That is not a requirement for our summer reading assignment, BUT you will be encouraged to use any 

    notes that you take for any of our assignments or assessments.  (It’s also important to remember that 

    we reserve the right to collect evidence of annotation for diagnostic purpose--so we can determine 

    whether, or how, we need to re-teach annotation.)

     

    Q:  What is a Socratic Seminar? 

    A:  A Socratic Seminar is a formal, student-lead, graded discussion based on the text. Prior to the first day 

    of class, students can prepare for the discussion by thoroughly responding to the discussion questions 

    and providing textual evidence when necessary.  During a Socratic Seminar, students are expected to 

    demonstrate their depth of understanding of the text while using their notes and their book to support 

    their responses.  

     

    When school begins and prior to the Socratic Seminar, students will learn about and practice effective 

    discussion skills such as posing open-ended questions, responding to open-ended questions, drawing 

    connections, expanding on other student comments, respectfully providing alternate or contradicting 

    perspectives, and supporting thoughtful responses with textual evidence.  

     

    The Socratic Seminar grade will be based on two parts: student's written responses and student's oral 

    participation in the discussion.

     

    Q:  What if I need help?
    A:  Please pose the question in our Schoology group and/or email your instructors identified at the top of 

    this document.