Then and Now

Hey guys!
I'm in the middle of the fourth chapter in AOTD and this chapter has opened my eyes a bit.
Postman gives an example of the Douglas- Lincoln debates, stating that crowds of people would, literally, just sit there and listen. Now, I'm not sure about you, but I can't stick to one show for more than 20 minutes because I'm either browsing the guide, paying attention to something else or just uninterested. I wouldn't be able to sit down for more than one hour, let alone the seven hours needed for one person to go, the opponents response, and then the rebuttal, and that's not including the times where the audience would throw in sarcastic/encouraging comments and the applauding. That's seems almost impossible. And I think that's such a sad thing. Don't you? Being unable to actually pay attention and give someone, or something, that attention fully. Is that what technology has done to our brains? Given us short attention spans? Has it handicapped us? I think it has, because we can get to anything easily, quickly, and efficiently. Everything is right at our fingertips. Like, neglecting feeling the pages of a book. We've got Nooks and iPads and Tablets. We don't get the journey of riding our bikes to the library. I haven't been to a library since the last day of school looking for these books we were assigned and even before that I haven't been to one since maybe the fifth grade. But, hey, I have the excuse of trying, right? Probably not.
-BabyLika F.

Is Technology Dominating Us?

Good day, fellow peers!
I have begun reading the first chapter of Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman. It is a good book so far, but it took me a lot of patience to absorb all the important points. Postman reveals that life events viewed on media are not quite effective because people are not able to truly express how they feel and think about it. Also, every tool that was created was based on beliefs and ideas. I found this very interesting; I can discern this truth especially through the example of the clock. Instead of using seeing it as a device to tell time, it nourishes the belief of a world that is in mathematically measurable sequences. I believe that Postman's main point was to explain that technology is our medium, and that is our metaphor. It is a symbolic comparison with today's culture. This book makes me realize that Huxley's predictions in Brave New World could possibly be correct. If we consume too much on technology, will it dominate us? Will we end up dissing books and old practices for pleasure?

It's All About Will Power

Hey guys! I have just started reading The Shallows by Nicholas Carr, and I actually like it. As generations continue to grow up with the internet, like our own, you never think how it has effected our minds. Moreover we would not truly know because it has always been apart of our lives. I like this book because it is about how people who have grown up and lived without the internet feel about it. I never thought that it would be mind altering because, like I said before, it has always been around! However, if you think about it before the internet people had to do things like go all the way to the library, look for the right book, and then look inside the book to find good information for their research. That required actual work compared to going on the Internet, searching for what you need, and getting it within minutes. Times really have changed.
Anyway as I was reading chapter one, in the beginning Carr kept talking about how the Internet has caused him and others who lived before the Internet to lose their concentration and reflection skills. I find it hard to agree with that. I understand that the Internet can be very distracting and cause you to lose focus, but that is when your will power kicks in. If you know you have an assignment due or you have to get something done, you should be able to buckle down, put all distractions away, and focus. Moreover he said the internet has changed the way he thinks because he is no longer able to deeply reflect like he once was. Honestly if he truly misses his deep reflection skills he should be able to separate himself from all distractions and reflect on whatever he wants to reflect on. I do not know if it is because I am used to the Internet always being there that I am able to ignore it if necessary, but I believe Carr should not use the Internet as an excuse as to why he can't concentrate and reflect anymore. Rather he should use it as motivation to strengthen his ability to concentrate and reflect even with distractions, like the Internet.

Poetry and Pursuasiveness, Expression and Enlightenment.

I've begun to read a couple of chapters Brave New World, before deciding that I should read such a novel when I have less classes and summer homework to busy me and pull at my mind. Meaning I gave up.

A short time after, I started to read a few chapters of The Shallows, and I must say it's a light read on a repetitive topic that's been drilled into my mind as a young person time and time again. Technology can be bad, but it also can be good. Just like every other invention that's ever existed. I apologize to all the 'bring back all generations before generation Y, as if they didn't have far more insanely controversial problems of their own' supporters. Choosing to despise the world that you've inevitably been chosen to live with for the rest of your life is good, I guess.

I'm not saying I don't respect this book. In fact, it enlightened me on something that isn't about media or getting your mind to focus. I noticed that after reading this and Brave New World, I've divided writers as advanced as Aldous Huxley and Nicholas Carr into two different categories; poets and enlighteners. While these terms can be used interchangeably, I think that they're well-suited. While Huxley uses a writing style so vivid and obviously well educated in the sciences (or just very imaginative), Carr chose to write a book that would make people either open their eyes or slam them shut, writing in a more persuasive way possibly with hopes of changing people's minds. For some people, reading a novel that even remotely involves complex information involving technology can seem as foreign as reading books like A Clockwork Orange or Alice in Wonderland. Poetry is all about foreign format. But Huxley expressed his creativity and writing style in a way that is not poetry- as a story teller. He wrote in a "that could mean a thousand different things" kind of way, a poetic story of the most unique kind. While all writers are, most beautifully, poets themselves, I believe The Shallows is a book that was meant more to enlighten than to express. It's obvious what Carr's intentions were when he wrote this book, and writing in such a way is a bold move. While some people can put this book down feeling new and intrigued, others like me can put it down and react negatively like I previously did. Every single writing style is unique, and, in my opinion, equally effective. Writing can be so many things to the writers themselves, or to students like us who are left to take a piece literature and decipher it in a way our teacher will approve. Writing in any form is clearly an art of expression and enlightenment.

Different Boat, Same Pages

I have to say that I'm kind of in a different boat here. I just began The Shallows and I don't seem to be having as much trouble as a few of the other students. It's quite enjoyable so far. If anything, I was intrigued. But that doesn't mean I disagree with the authors point. I understand how difficult it is while doing homework sometimes to stay focused and off my phone. (I'm sorry! I can't help it!)
I found his sources very amusing. I think philosophy major Joe O'Shea's statement caught my attention the most. I just can't put my head around the idea of reading books being a complete waste of time and "not making sense." What about it doesn't MAKE SENSE? It kind of bothered me knowing that READING is thought of as completely useless now. It's pretty disturbing actually. Something so highly universal is now a waste of time and is seen as not needed since we have the internet to do the work for us... VERY DISTURBING.

AF: I'm serious

Find a different way to name the posts, Bloggers.  I asked once, and now I'm asking again.

Simplistic Complexity

If there is one quote to sum up Postman’s ideas in Amusing Ourselves to Death, here it is: “Simple can be harder than complex. You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple” (insert round of applause for Steve Jobs quote).  I’m not saying that the ideas presented in “Amusing Ourselves to Death” are trivial but they aren’t as complex or as confusing as they first seem. For me, it took a while to comprehend a lot of what Postman was putting out in his book. However, once I understood his ideas they instantly became so… simplistic. It’s actually hard to believe that some of the thoughts he has have never occurred to me. For example, his remarks in chapter two about truth. Postman writes of how truth is not really truth. Postman's stance on truth is that truth is merely an idea accepted widely by others and it being accepted depends on the medium of how it is presented. The idea is not shocking or earth-shaking nor inconceivable so why haven’t a lot of us thought of this before? I have to say that his frank notions are part of what make this book interesting to me though. That petty much wraps up my ideas on Postman’s ideas. I can’t wait to see what else Postman will make me wonder about as I move forward in this novel!!

-Camille Burrus

AOTD: Vocabulary Problems

I looked up epistemology and was confused on the definition: the study or a theory of the nature and grounds of knowledge esp. with references to it's limits and validity. (Merriam- Websters Collegiate Dictionary)
Its just that this word is very odd, and to be honest, the first time I've ever heard of it was in this book. Could someone just tell me what they found on the word, if you looked it up, too? That would be very appreciated. Thank you!!!
-BabyLika F.

AF: Voracious readers rejoice

...including a passing reference to Brave New World.  

Amusing Ourselves to Death

Hey everyone! I'm beginning to read Amusing Ourselves to Death and it is actually pretty difficult to read for me. Postman uses vocabulary that is hard to comprehend so I constantly have to look at the dictionary. I know if I had any kind of electronic devices on while I was reading, I would become distracted easily. As I read the first chapter, Postman made many interesting points that made me really think. For example, when he mentions that techniques like writing or a clock is not only an extension of man's power to bind time but also shapes the way we think and the content of our culture. I would have never thought something so simple as a clock could shape the way we think. Some of the things he has mentioned already in the first chapter, I would have never of thought about. He says that the invention of the eyeglasses suggests the belief that anatomy is destiny by putting the idea that our bodies and our minds are improvable. So many people uses eyeglasses on a daily basis and probably would never of thought of them in that way. Postman uses many examples so in the book that makes his idea easier to understand. However, I'm still confused when he says that a medium is a metaphor. Can anyone clear that up for me?

AF: Clay Johnson on Information "Overload"

AF: Yay! It's starting

Good for you, Brave Ones.  It IS hard to just put yourself out there and say something true and thoughtful in front of everybody.

Some tips:

• Writing in your natural, conversational voice is best out here on the blog.  It's excellent practice in the development of what writing teachers call "voice" -- that human quality that makes a writer's style most appealing.  We don't have to sound like we're lecturing others from our podiums.  In some contexts, of course, the academic voice is appropriate -- but not here.  First of all -- you don't have one (yet).  Remember, you are bright and ambitious 15-16 year olds.  Embrace reality.
• No need to apologize for writing fully.  It's a good thing to be reflective, and to write reflectively:  "I am beginning to realize..." or "this book made me question..."   I find these kinds of posts interesting.  I like to see a mind a work.
• No need to write big, over-arching thematic statements most likely culled from an unnamed, online source.  Stick with specifics; and actually, I prefer to see Brave New World discussed in the context of Postman and Carr, which is why I recommended that readers save it for last.
• Neil Postman is a well-respected thinker and writer, with many books to his credit.  Former AP students facebook me frequently from college to thank me for assigning his book (although none of them thanked me at the time they were reading).  Postman continues to be influential, and is referred to and relied on by working scholars.  So, Postman is not "trying to say" anything.  He IS saying something.  We, on the other hand, are the ones "trying to" understand him and discuss his ideas intelligently. 
• Please note:  In the bullet point above, I used the word "Facebook" as a verb, not as a noun; my decision not to capitalize it was intentional.
• Maybe try to invent more descriptive post titles than just replicating book titles.  Again, specific discussion points are going to generate better conversation than "whole book" overviews.
• One last point: Another thing former students thank me for is getting them to blog.  This stuff is a mainstay of the college classroom; many professors ask their students to write online about class readings.  You signed up for a college class.  Well, here you go.  Get over your jitters and be a leader.

Good job.  I'm proud of you early bloggers.  

Amusing Ourselves To Death

Hello everyone! I'm beginning to read Amusing Ourselves To Death by Neil Postman and it's actually pretty interesting. It's not one of those books with fictional characters; it's more like an essay or report that Postman writes about his experiences and opinions. It may seem a little difficult in the beginning but you just have to take time to understand what Postman is trying to say. For me, that's getting a dictionary for the words I don't know. I also take side notes so that at the end of a chapter, I can easily find his main ideas. I've only read one chapter so far. The author is just trying to explain how we seem to communicate more through media and technology than having an actual conversation with someone. Then, he talks about how television seems to take control of us through imagery and visual pictures. He also talks about how media communication has a dominant influence on an individual. The book is interesting if you take time to think and analyze it. I pretty much agree with what he's saying. I don't think that technology is bad, I just believe that it's not healthy if too much time is spent on it. Many will begin to see it as something they need and depend on, if they engulf themselves into it everyday.

- Jenascia Wilson :)

First Chapters of AOTD

First off, this book has a vast range of vocabulary. I had a pocket sized dictionary next to me the entire time, and I may be suffering from a severe case of whiplash due to the neck breaking speed I was using going from the dictionary to the book. Right now, Postman is talking about politicians as "makeup men". Using a cosmeticians skill to make them more appealing to the eye. And, I've noticed this myself. Newscasters, for example, always have there hair in such a perfect way. I ogle over the women's beautiful waves that just have to be soft to the touch. And the guys, their hair is so perfect, it looks completely fake. It's also entertainers. No one can leave the house without make up and a flawless outfit, expecting to be bombarded with cameras in their face. It also runs through the very corridors of our school. Girls with makeup covering their face and boys with Diamond Co. or some other modern male clothes line written somewhere on the article of clothing.
I can't believe that Postman is already making great arguments in the first few chapters! I will enjoy this.
->BabyLika Faalafua.

Brave New World

Hello, bloggers out there. I am currently reading Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley, which conveys the future prediction that civilization is heading towards Utopianism.  Science, religion, truth, and suffering are cut off from society. Advancements in technology and the increasing love for it reduces the human's capacity to learn.  Instead, it will replace reality with pleasure, peace, and security. The government is in control of their civilian's behaviors and even natural diseases.  I believe Huxley's main point is that the human desires for joy and luxury will blind them of the truth and knowledge about life itself. I am close to finishing this book, and I have to admit that it is pretty challenging. There are some phrases that I do not understand and the vocabulary is complex. However, I have been able to follow the storyline. I agree that is weird but it is also intriguing.

-Taureece Wilson

The Shallows

Hello fellow bloggers! I have recently started reading Nicholas Carr's The Shallows, which is the book assigned to students with a last name that starts with letters A-M. I'm only about two chapters into the book, and I've noticed how hard it is to keep reading. I keep getting distracted and checking my phone or eating random snacks. At first, I was blaming it on the fact that this is a nonfiction novel, and is therefore much harder to read for me personally because I am so accustomed to reading fiction novels. However, as ironic as this might seem, I think my real problem is actually the author's main point so far. Carr tells of how spending too much time on the internet changes your thought process and your ability to analyze information. One of the main consequences he talks about is losing the ability to concentrate on one task for long periods of time. The more I read, the more I realize that my inability to concentrate on Carr's book is his main point; I've become so accustomed to skimming over articles on the internet that I've begun to have trouble focusing on something as simple as reading. So far, I've had to read the first chapter twice, and while I haven't had to reread the entire second chapter, I've definitely had to read over some pages.
When I first started reading, I wasn't too excited to hear some guy rant about how our generation is obsessed with technology and social media. While Carr does expand on how dependent we've become on technology, he also mentions the benefits of technology and makes sure that isn't the focus of the novel. He mainly tries to shed light on the effects of technology we wouldn't have noticed ourselves, like losing the ability to actually understand and question everything we're reading and not just follow the words under the pretense of reading. Honestly, after running into the problems I have had while reading, I definitely agree with him on this point.
Have any of you run into a similar problem with any of the other novels? Or is it just my environment? Or maybe my mindset? I hope this isn't too long of a post (I've never done this before), and I hope some of you take the time to read it. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
Your fellow nerd,

-Lina Elasmar

AF: FAQs

I will update this post as needed, and link to it.  When you ask me a good question, I'll answer it here.

Q:  Do we have to write down the "Pre-reading" activities that were assigned with Carr/Thompson?

A:  "Pre-reading" can only be done one time -- you don't have to "pre-read" every chapter the way you have to "read" and "post-read."  So, yes, I do want you to write down what you discover when you "pre-read" the book, but that's it.  Do it once, for the whole book, and write it down.

Q:  Do our posts need to be about the books, or can they be about anything technology related?

A:  "Anything" covers quite a bit of territory, so be smart about it, but I am open to you making connections between what you are reading this summer and the things you've read and know already.

Q:  Where and when can I turn in my notebook?

A:  You will turn in your notebook to the front office -- there will be a big box up there with my name on it.  Mr. Headley and Mrs. Kodesh also collect summer work in the front office; we've been doing it this way for years, and without problems.  I will also be on campus off and on during July and August, so if you finish early and send me an email, I can let you know if I'll be around if you want to put your work in my hand directly.  Important fact:  the front office closes at 3:00 p.m., so notebooks are due by 3:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 21.  I will pick up all the work at 3:00 p.m., and anything that comes in after that will simply be returned to you by your new English teacher.

AF: Clive Thompson's Smarter Than You Think

I sat in camp on Sunday afternoon and read the first 100 pages of Clive Thompson's book Smarter Than You Think.  This is the first time I've read this book, and it has me feeling strangely optimistic about our technological future.  Yes, I still have concerns.  But I'm not quite ready to pack it all in.  Yet. 

I had a very different reaction to Nicholas Carr's book, The Shallows.  I remember when I first read it in 2011, I was upset as I read.  I am looking forward to reading it again this summer to see how I react this time.  I've had three years to live with his ideas, and I've taught the book in 2011, 2012, and now again in 2014.  We skipped Carr last year in favor of Janon Lanier's brilliant book, Who Owns the Future?  (I need to read this one again, and I highly recommend it for those of you who are interested in the economics of technology and access -- like, WHY Zuckerburg thought Instagram was worth $1 billion -- what exactly did those dollars buy?) and Sherry Turkle's provocative sociological/psychological study, Alone Together. Here is Turkle's TED talk outlining the findings and ideas that she included in that book.  

You know the story about how if you toss a frog into a pan of hot water, it will jump right out to save its own life, but if you put a frog in a pan of cool water, and heat it very slowly, it will eventually cook to death?  I don't know if that's even true, but it illustrates perfectly the situation we find ourselves in.  The Internet is very, very young.  A teenager.  And it is changing us, for sure, and our focus is always on what is new, what is faster, what has more functionality, and we rarely stop and think about the changes we are seeing in ourselves, in our relationships, and with our society as a whole.

Students tend to use themselves as examples as why technology is largely a positive force (subjective, anecdotal evidence) and they tend to dismiss Carr out of hand because they either do not like his argument, or they do not fully understand it.  

AF: Fun facts

First student post in 2011 was on June 8.  First student post in 2012, June 13.  First student post in 2013, June 23.  Number of June posts in 2011: 58; in 2012, 17; in 2013, 19. Total number of page views to date on this blog: 696.  Total number of blog requests to date, 42.  Number of invitations sent, 42.  Total number of students who asked for access with a valid Gmail account: 40.  Number of open invitations, 13.  Number of registered students who COULD post right now 27.  Number of student posts to date, zero.  Zero.

I'm just sayin' -- this is how AP English Language works.  Dozens of kids like the IDEA of AP English, but when it comes time to write "out loud" here in this public space, they hesitate.  Come on, kids.  SOMEBODY has to go first.  Aren't you sick of reading only me?

AF: Offline until Tuesday, June 24

Dear Future Class,
I'm going offline until Tuesday, June 24.  I'm going to go press my back against a giant Sequoia tree and see what I can learn about patience, resilience, and strong roots.  I'm going to go put my face up to the sky and forget all of my passwords.

camp selfie

AF: Why I like you

1. So far, every single one of you who has requested access to the blog has had a GMail account, just like I asked.
2. Every single one of you has used your full name when corresponding with me.
3. And every single person has been respectful, polite, clear, and to the point.

I like you guys.

AF: The Summer Homework as a downloadable file

Just in case you want to download and print the assignment, here it is.  I'm not sure what is going to happen when you access the link -- I'm trying something new.  Do you kids use Google Docs?  You totally should.

Here's the file.  And it's over there too >> in the Important Links list.

AF: Lucky 13

So far, I've received thirteen blog requests -- 9 people are signed up and 4 are pending.  So welcome, to the Early 13:  Avram, Babylika, Emma, Paula, Matthew, Jenny, Noelle, Janelle, Jocelyn (all signed in), and Jesus, Analise, Bailee and Alex (still pending).

I'm going on a quick little 4-day camping vacation at the end of this week to participate in a wedding (as the Officiant), and I will be OFFLINE for four days.  I can't believe it.  I can't wait, actually.

So this is the last week that you can pop in to ask me questions in person; as we wrap up the school year, get grades figured out, and witness the seniors graduate, I will keep up with you out here.  But then I'll be GONE AND SILENT until June 24.

Make sure you take some time away from the computer.  In fact, read about the Technology Fast proposed by Andrew Postman in the Introduction to the 25th anniversary edition.  Anyone want to try it?  Twenty-four hours, NO technology:  no phone, no music, no gaming, no TV or DVD, no landline telephoning -- just "go dark" for 24-hours and see what happens.

Try it.  You might like it.  Have some uninterrupted thoughts.  :)

AF: a little request for June

Kids, I am receiving about 100 emails a day right now because of all the end of the year hoopla, so could you put "Blog" in the subject line of your email so I can do a quick Search and grab all of the new ones at once?

As I write this, there are three open blog invitations sitting in the queue.  Invitations do expire, and when they do, you have to email me again, and then I have to do double work by sending the invitation a second time.  It doesn't seem like a big deal, but when you start adding up all the people who let the invite lapse, it becomes real time...not just a minute here and there, but as much as an extra hour of work chained to the desk, taking care of what you should have done the first time.  So don't forget to check your Gmail for the invitation, and then accept the invitation by clicking on the link.

I will say this a dozen or more times:  if at any time you think you would rather take regular English next year, don't hesitate to contact me and let me know.  You will get no judgement from me.  You do what you think is best, and I'll support your decision.  Knowing that you plan to transfer just helps me to keep the blog and the roster clear of people who do not intend to take the class.

Take care.  Talk later.

AF: 'Digital Deadly Sins': the Morality of Our Digital Obsessions

This was on Google Plus just now.

OK, a couple of things to notice.  First, when I write to you, I will always lead with my initials (Alexandra Fletcher, not Abercrombie and Fitch).

I know it doesn't seem necessary  now since I am the only one out here writing, but very soon the blog will be crowded with your ideas and your thinking and your own digital obsessions, so I like my posts to stand out so that you will notice and realize, "Hey. My teacher is trying to communicate with me."

See those blue words?  The repeating conjunctions?  That's called polysyndeton, and it's used for rhetorical effect. And guess what?  There is another one of these:

"I came, I saw, I conquered."

See that? No conjunctions.  That's called asyndeton.  I just noticed in the Wikipedia article that I just linked to that Artistotle believed that asyndeton could be effective in conclusions, although it is more effective in spoken oratory than it is in written prose .  I shall think on it carefully, I shall try it now, I shall heed the advice of the wise Aritstotle.

PS >> I am going to work on the look of this blog soon.  It's too monochromatic for my taste, and I don't like it that the LINKS are a very light grey.  Light grey on a field of medium grey = not helpful.

PSS >> Welcome to the first two bloggers for 2014-15, Emma and Paula.  I look forward to hearing from you.  :D

Welcome Newbies -- Class of 2016

The AP English Language Summer Homework Assignment 2014

Academic writing, reading, and inquiry are inseparably linked; and all three are learned by not doing any one alone, but by doing them all at the same time.  —James Reither

Quick Homework Summary

Read 3 Books

• Core Texts:
  • Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman
  • Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
• Only One:
  • The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brain, Nicholas Carr (A-M)
  • Smarter Than You Think: How Technology is Changing our Minds for the Better, Clive Thompson (N-Z)

Create a notebook, and write a bunch in the notebook; write on the blog:

Traditional Notebooks:

• Chapter Analysis for Postman
• Prereading/Reading/Postreading Chapter Tasks for Carr/Thompson
• Seven analytical essays for Huxley

Blogging:

• Pursue themes and questions raised by summer homework
• Respond to Fletcher’s posts when requested to do so (SUBJECT LINE will clearly indicate which these are, no more than four)

---

Welcome to the Class of 2016 (aka Class of 2020),  born in 1998 or 1999 — Among the Last of the 20th Century Kids

Your ticket to a seat in AP English Language and Composition is the successful and timely completion of the following summer homework assignment:

1. Create a writer’s notebook.
2. Read three books; write in response
3. Contribute to the summer homework blog:  at minimum, start four threads, comment on eight
4. Respond to articles and questions posted on the blog by your teacher (4 or fewer)

That’s it!  Your notebooks are due in to me by 3:00 p.m. on August 21, and your blog participation is ongoing until midnight of the same day.  I will not accept notebooks after 3:00 p.m. on August 21 unless you have a legitimate reason and you have cleared a new deadline with me in advance.

Students who do not complete the summer homework are transferred to College Prep Junior English during the week of August 25.  If, during the summer, you realize that you would prefer to be in College Prep English, simply send me an email and I will see to it that you are transferred.

IMPORTANT!  PLEASE READ AND UNDERSTAND:  If your summer homework does not demonstrate the appropriate level of thought, care, or effort for successful completion of an AP class, or if it is incomplete, I reserve the right to transfer you out of the AP class, depending on available seats.

Explanation of Assignments

Part I:  Create Writer’s Notebook

• The writer’s notebook is an important part of our year together; it is created during the summer.
• The requirements for the notebook are specific:

• Three subject,college ruled, spiral bound, and sturdy; buy a high quality notebook, as it must withstand a year of heavy use.  Don’t buy a gigantic five-subject one, since you’ll be carrying it to class every day next year, or I will be carrying it home in a big bag to read/grade.  Make sure the pages don’t fall out easily. Make sure the wire spiral won’t smash flat and stab me.  If your notebook makes me bleed, we will have words.

• If decorating notebooks to personalize them makes you happy, please feel free to decorate your notebook.  It is not required; however, if you do decorate, I must insist that you avoid feathers and glitter and those cushy 3D stickers.  
• What is required:  write your full name in bold letters using dark Sharpie on the outside back cover.  (I have never had 100% of incoming students follow this simple requirement.  Let’s go for 100% this year.)
• Please write in dark ink (blue or black), and write on both sides of the page.  Do not use an ink pen that “bleeds through.”  Sharpies, bad.  Ballpoint ink, good.
• Word-processed work will not be accepted.
• ALL SUMMER HOMEWORK goes into Section 1.

Part II:  Read three books.  Write.

The kind of deep reading that a sequence of printed pages promotes is valuable not just for the knowledge we acquire from the author’s words but for the intellectual vibrations those words set off within our own minds. In the quiet spaces opened up by the sustained, undistracted reading of a book, or by any other act of contemplation, for that matter, we make our own associations, draw our own inferences and analogies, foster our own ideas. Deep reading...is indistinguishable from deep thinking.  ~excerpted from “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carr

For AP English this summer, you’ll read two nonfiction texts, and one novel — (a total of three books, for those of you who are challenged by narrative math).  I recommend that you read the two nonfiction texts first, and save Brave New World for dessert.   It’s the weirdest.

[INSERT FLETCHER LECTURE HERE]:  Nonfiction texts require a different style of reading than what you may be used to when reading narrative fiction.  In nonfiction, you must slow down, annotate, and attend to HOW ideas and arguments develop over time, and build upon one another.  You must read these books — actually, all texts that you hope to understand well — actively.  That is, you should sit up in a chair, and turn off your phone and your MP3 player, and avoid your computer or any device that dings, beeps, buzzes, trills, or sings when an incoming message arrives.  And read with a pencil in your hand.  Make notes.  Track your thinking.  Notice where you get lost.  Notice where you lose focus.  It happens to everyone.  The difference between successful readers and unsuccessful readers is simple:  successful readers track their own comprehension and thinking, go back when they get lost, and stick with it.  They are actively thinking as they read, not merely passing their eyes over words.  If you cannot think and engage your own mind as you read, your intellectual growth will be severely hampered.

TEXT #1:

Postman, Neil.  Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business.  New York: Penguin (USA), 1985. Print.

This book has legs.  (That means it continues to be of interest.)  Published in 1985 (10 years before the internet browser was widely available), it surveys and analyzes the effects of television on various forms of public discourse: news, religion, political discussion and campaigning, and education. Postman notes that television’s contribution to educational philosophy is the idea that teaching and entertainment are inseparable — an idea he finds lethal to students’ ability to develop critical thinking.

When reading this book, I want you to slow down, and develop the patience it requires to read, absorb, and assimilate a new idea.  Postman writes very clearly; however, his ideas are dense and may be unfamiliar.  You cannot whip through this book.  You are going to have to read slowly, stop, reflect, go back, re-read.  This kind of close, reflective reading is essential for success in AP Language and in college.

In your notebooks, I want you to write three sentences for each chapter (there are eleven) that encapsulate Postman’s main point for that chapter.   What is his thesis? What kind of evidence does he use to support his claim? In other words, you need to practice writing ACADEMIC SUMMARY.  Writing academic summary is a skill to develop and practice — focus on big ideas, main points, important cause and effect relationships; write in clean, clear, well-constructed sentences. No fluffy stuff.  No "Basically, what Postman is trying to say," introductions.  Just get to it.

TEXT #2:

If your last name begins with the letters A-M, you will read

Carr, Nicholas G. The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. New York: W.W. Norton, 2010. Print

If your last name begins with the letters N-Z, you will read

Thompson, Clive. Smarter than You Think: How Technology Is Changing Our Minds for the Better. New York: Penguin (USA), 2013. Print.

If you are burning up to read the other book -- the one not assigned to you -- email me and convince me to let you switch.  My suggestion to you will probably be to just read both.  Why not?  Go nuts.

In your notebook, please go through the following procedure, outlining each part so I can follow your reading process.  Put together this section of your notebook carefully; following this process will assist you in navigating and following a lengthy complex text, and will enable me to evaluate your work.

PREREADING

1)     Look at the cover, title, author’s notes, blurbs and reviews – anything you can learn about the book before reading.  Look up the author online.  There are interviews and reviews of both books; and plenty of resources online to help you get a feel for these books.

2)     Is there a Foreward, a Prelude, an Introduction?  Is there an Epilogue?  An Afterword?  Notes?  Glossaries?  Should you read these?  If so, when?

3)     Study the structure of the book.  How is it organized?  How long are the chapters?

You can only do Prereading 1-3 once.  It doesn’t make sense to repeatedly go through 1-3, whereas I want you to do 4 & 5 for every chapter.

4)     Before reading a chapter, flip through the chapter and skim the content.  Look for key words that jump out at you.  What is the typography like?  Examine the surface features of the text, including subheads, graphs, illustrations.

5)     Set up a system for keeping track of unfamiliar vocabulary.  I like to use a post-it note when I’m reading a paper copy; I highlight unfamiliar words when I’m using my Nook.

READING

1)     As you read each chapter, write down 2-3 questions that you’d like an answer to, or questions that you’d like to discuss with someone else later.

2)     Write down 2-3 unfamiliar vocabulary words.

3)     Write down 1-2 sentences from the chapter that strike you in some way.  Here are some reasons a sentence may be worth copying down:

a)      It is beautiful, or true, or false, or confusing, or depressing.

b)     The sentence structure is remarkable (worth talking about).

c)      The word choices are surprising or fresh.

(I like students to copy down great sentences because I want you to start noticing what makes a sentence great.)

POSTREADING

1)     Write a brief summary of the chapter; pretend you are describing the main idea of the chapter to someone who has never read this text before.  Your summary can be no more than five clean, clear American sentences.

2)     Write a Tweet (140 characters) response to the chapter; say something short to a vast invisible audience that captures the gist of the chapter.

3)     Look back at your questions from pre-reading.  Answer or revise one of your own questions.

CORE TEXT #3:

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York, NY: Harper & Row, 1998, ©1932.

Consistently listed as one of the top ten novels of the 20th century, Brave New World is a science fiction classic; like most science fiction, it creates a world that challenges us to reconsider our own world anew.

When Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World in 1932, he lived in a world where there was no pervasive culture of advertising, no widespread use of antidepressants, not a hint of cloning, or a whisper of genetic manipulation. Somehow Aldous Huxley foresaw that the future of humanity would lie down the path of technology and media. His guesses proved to be chillingly accurate. What was the most outrageous science fiction in 1934 remains a compelling examination of issues that fill the pages of our news magazines…The questions of government control, media manipulation, and status remain unresolved. Do we have Alphas and Epsilons in our society? Have we found a drug like soma to help us avoid negative thinking? Have our governments figured out ways to keep us passive? Brave New World takes a bold, disturbing look at what it means to be human in a world gripped by technological change and the manipulation of the media. It is one of the most potent combinations of a good read and a disturbing, thought provoking statement that I know.       —Robert Berring, Professor of Law, UC Berkeley

KIDS:  I RECOMMEND THAT YOU READ THE WHOLE BOOK BEFORE YOU BEGIN WRITING.

You must write, in your notebook and in longhand (cursive or print), seven responses of no fewer than 400 words each.  Please use the numbered prompts below.

NOTE:  An effective critical response generally has a few key features: rigorous attention to the text, an interpretation of the work, and a convincing argument for that interpretation.  Writers argue for their interpretation not so much to convince readers to adopt it, but rather to convince them that the idea is reasonable and based on imaginative, thoughtful analysis of the work. They must demonstrate to reader how they “read” the work, pointing out specific details and explaining what they think these details mean.  Feel free to apply the ideas of Huxley’s invented world to the one you know today.

Part 1 – Chapters 1-6 – The World State

1. Discuss the World State’s conditioning of Delta babies to be afraid of books and roses.  What do you make of this?
2. What is the role of consumption in the World State?
3. What is taught in Elementary Class Consciousness?  Do we have a similar course in our education system?
4. What is the role of women in the World State?

Part 2 – Chapters 7-9 — the Reservation

5. In your notebook, write up a description comparing life in the World State to life on the Reservation.  Then analyze what Huxley doing here.  What is he up to? Why create these two environments?  (*You may want to heed my earlier advice and wait and write this part after you have a sense of the entire book.)

Part 3 — Chapters 10-18 – The Savage in Civilization

After 9 chapters of careful set up, this is the section where Huxley explores some of his biggest themes.

The Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning has decided to get rid of Bernard, and says,

"The greater a man’s talents, the greater his power to lead astray.  It is better that one should suffer than that many should be corrupted.  Consider the matter dispassionately, Mr. Foster, and you will see that no offense is so heinous as unorthodoxy of behavior.  Murder kills only one individual — and after all, what is an individual?” With a sweeping gesture he indicated the rows of microscopes, the test tubes, the incubators.  “We can make a new one with the greatest of ease — as many as we like.  Unorthodoxy threatens more that life of a mere individual; it strikes at Society itself" (148).

6. Consider what the Director means by “unorthodoxy.”  Is this true? Do you agree?  Is Bernard guilty of unorthodox behavior?  Is Bernard an enemy of the World State? Is society more important than the individual?  As you explain your position, be sure to cite evidence for your reasoning from the text, or from your observations of contemporary life.
7. Mond says that sacrificing real feelings and emotional attachments is the price the society has to pay for stability.  Considering our volatile and violent world, do you agree that this may be a price worth paying?  As you explain your position, be sure to cite evidence for your reasoning from the text, or from your observations of contemporary life.

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Part IV:  Blog

This is our blog.

You will become a blogger this summer. Writing for an authentic audience with expectations is excellent practice for writers and thinkers.  You must be clear; you must discuss things that merit discussion; you must make sense. If you cannot write clearly, no one will really respond to you.  When you cannot make yourself understood, you are effectively silenced, no longer a part of the ongoing conversation and exchange in the world of ideas.

“If thought corrupts language, then language can also corrupt thought.”  — George Orwell

(Think about that.)

The basic ground rules:

1. You must email me first so that I can clear your participation on this semi-closed blog:  afletcher[at]busd.k12.ca.us.  Remember to use academic register, your best grammar, and good manners when emailing me.  (Use the "@" sign in the email address as you would normally.  I use the word "at" in place of the "at sign" to try and fool the scanning spam-bots.)
2. You will need to create a Google account.  It’s easy and free.  I suggest that you create an email address that is simple and professional; standard on most college campuses and in corporate settings is your first initial, followed by your last name: You must sign each post with your real name.  I cannot grade or respond to crzysrferchick88, flatworlder3876 or any such moniker.
3. Absolutely, positively no flaming.  You may question one another, ask for clarification, admit that you don’t understand what somebody is talking about, add a point that you believe somebody has missed, but you must NOT attack people.  Challenge ideas, ask for clarity, but do not bash one another.  If I have to censor you for this, expect one warning; the second time, your access to the blog will be blocked and I’ll simply enter a zero for this part of the assignment.
4. Please do not waste our time or bandwidth with “Me too!” and “I agree with you!” responses.  Such posts are ANNOYING.  If you agree or disagree, EXPLAIN yourself.

Start Four Conversations

You must write four posts — that is, you have to originate four conversations. When you post, refer directly to what you are reading and the question you want to raise.  Because our book paginations may be different, cite the chapter and whether the passage you are looking at is at the beginning, middle or end of the chapter.  Give us enough information so we can orient ourselves and figure out what you are looking at.  Use your questions from Postman, or use a passage in Huxley.  (Believe me, once you start paying attention, modern media provides you with plenty to critique and think about.  After you have written your thread, but before you post, write a terse, descriptive subject line.

These conversation starters should be at minimum 150 words long.  Anything shorter will not be effective.  For example, these two paragraphs explaining that you must start four threads are 199 words long.

Respond to Eight Conversations

You must respond to other writers at least eight times.  You may also respond to a response.  I expect some conversations will become quite lengthy.  Your responses should also be complete thoughts, fully explained.  I don’t want to get all nit-picky on word counts; just don’t go overboard (rambling is never a good idea), and make sure you say enough to make a point.

These recommendations are on the low side.  You can definitely participate more than this.  I’d like to see you involved over a course of several weeks; all twelve responses posted in any one week subverts the spirit of open discussion, so will receive half credit – the grade earned x 50%.  I've had people post everything in one day.  That is not blogging; that is procrastinating and cramming.  Anything posted after midnight on Thursday, August 21 will not be considered for summer homework credit.

So, take some well-deserved time off, but try and get into it by July, and use all the time we have. We have 10 weeks; don’t jam the work into one week. Good writing comes from a thoughtful place; poor writing is almost always superficial because it is rushed.

Let’s see a lively exchange of ideas!  If you are confused, go to your classmates for help.  If you see something on television or in the newspaper that relates to what we are working on, share it.  And watch for my posts — when I see something that I want to share with you, I go to the blog with it.

The only way to post is to email me first so that I can add you to the list of participants.  This is a “semi-closed” blog; anyone can read (invite your grandma!), but only invited guests can post.

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That’s it! :)

Fun Facts

• I'm going to help you to become a mature and disciplined reader.
• I only accept notebooks written in longhand, and in black or blue ink only.
• Word processed work is never accepted for summer homework.
• If you finish the blog requirements early, be sure to check in from time to time, because I write to the blog all summer long and will explain, introduce, and discuss ideas with you.
• I answer all email quickly, and you can keep track of me by reading the blog; if I leave the blog for a brief vacation, I will let you know when I will be back.
• I expect all of your email to me to feature correctly-written English sentences and excellent etiquette.  Email is no joke.  People lose their jobs because their emails are tone deaf or rude.

Feel free to contact me with questions or problems; that’s what I’m here for.  I honestly don’t mind; however, I may redirect many of your questions back to the blog.  Meanwhile, have a thought provoking summer full of family, friends and extra sleep, and I’ll see you in September, ready to go.