Your final summer task is to read A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink. You’ll need to purchase your own copy of the book. It’s currently $10.50 at Amazon. If purchasing the book is a problem, please contact me, and I can secure you a copy.

Purchasing your own copy allows you to mark up the text, and this text is full of rhetorical devices you’ve been learning in pre-AP.  As you read, notice the author’s style–his choice of words, his syntax, his devices, his organizational structure.

Also, note the arguments he makes. How does he support his claim(s)? With what types of information? From what sources? Does he build logical, compelling arguments? Do you agree with him? How would you respond to his arguments?

As you read, I encourage you to mark up the text (if it’s your copy). Highlight interesting passages. Write questions, connections, comments in the margins. Note rhetorical devices. 

Reading Response Journal

Also, keep a reading journal as you read. The journal may be hand-written or typed (whichever you prefer) and must include the following:

1. A list of books Pink recommends that you might like to read in the future.
2. At least ten two-column entries: in the left-hand column, select a bit of text, and in the right-hand column, comment on the text. The commentary should be thoughtful, and well-developed: 

• Pose questions.
• Agree or disagree with Pink’s position.
• Comment on particular rhetorical or stylistic devices and why–for what purpose or effect–you think he uses them.
• Make connections to other works you’ve read, current issues/events,  or personal experiences.

Check out the sample reading response journal and the journal rubric.  Be sure to e-mail (if typed) your journal to me no later than August 8. If you’ve hand-written it, you may turn it in at the BHS main office.

Online Discussion

As you read and journal, I also want you to connect with your classmates, and discuss the text online. For the discussion to be successful, you must enter into conversation–not merely post a response to the prompts. The idea is to talk–back and forth–with each other about the book, to challenge one another’s thinking. So, you’ll need to post your responses, and read and comment on what others have written. If everyone waits until the deadline date, we obviously can’t have a quality discussion. Ideally, you will begin discussing early on, and continue until school starts. You don’t have to have finished reading the entire book or have completed your journal to begin talking about the text!

Post a response to the three discussion starters, and, for each, respond to at least one of your classmates.   The discussion rubric  will help you understand the expectations of an online discussion and will hopefully improve the quality of the discussion. Please read it before entering the conversation.

Prompt 1          Prompt 2            Prompt 3

Be sure to bring your copy of the book with you to class the first day of school.