Summer Reading and Academic Work
- AP Arts
- Calculus AB AP
- Classics
- English & Journalism
- History & Economics
- Humanities
- Science
- World Languages
AP Arts
4AP Art & Design (Drawing, 2-D, 3-D):
Directions: Accept the invitation to join this Canvas course. Continue the Sustained Investigation started in Studio Art 3H in the spring (mini-investigation). Sustained Investigation project #3 with Process Page will be due July 1. Sustained Investigation project #4 with Process Page will be due Aug. 30. Submit all assignments on Canvas by their due dates. Please email Mrs. Nelson with any questions at enelson@thehill.org
AP Art History:
Directions: Accept the invitation to join this Canvas course. There will be more detailed instructions on Canvas. For the first eleven art identifications, record all five identifiers then take notes on the main reading in SmartHistory. For the final note, add something new and interesting about the artwork, found outside of SmartHistory including the URL of the new source.
Submit all notes to Canvas. Please email Mrs. Nelson with any questions at enelson@thehill.org
Calculus AB AP
Students enrolling in Calculus AB AP for the 2022-2023 school year must complete two summer assignments through Delta Math. The link to enroll in the course is here.
Assignments will be posted at least two weeks before the due date. Due dates are as follows:
Assignment 1: July 31
Assignment 2: August 22
Optional practice problems to prepare for the assignments will also be available starting around mid-June. It is recommended that students take advantage of the practice problems, as they will look very similar to the assignment problems.”
Classics
English & Journalism
Note: The School prefers all students to purchase physical copies (not e-books) of the required summer reading books so they can readily access and share their annotations.
Third Form
Fourth Form
Fifth Form
English 3 and 3H
English 3* students will read two books of your choice. Please use this as an opportunity to expand your reading corpus and select titles you have not previously read.
*You will learn the specifics for pursuing candidacy for English 3 Honors during the first weeks of class, but if you think you may be interested, you should consider reading an additional title.
English 3 AP
English 3 AP students will read two books:
- The Duke of Deception by Geoffrey Wolff
- Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde (choose 10 of the 15 essays and speeches to read)
Journalism
Students should review the following:
1. SPJ Code of Ethics (pdf version)
2. Student Press Law Center Student Media Guide
3. SPLC FAQ (pdf version)
And should sign up for and follow at least two of the following:
1. New York Times Daily Briefing
4. Philadelphia Inquirer (link to daily newsletter on right-hand side, scroll down)
Sixth Form
English 4/4H
English 4* students will read two books of your choice. Please use this as an opportunity to expand your reading corpus and select titles you have not previously read.
*You will learn the specifics for pursuing candidacy for English 4 Honors during the first weeks of class, but if you think you may be interested, you should consider reading an additional title.
English 4 Honors/Literature and Religion
Students will read two required books:
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
- Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
English 4 AP
English 4 AP students will read two books:
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
- The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
Journalism
Students should review the following:
1. SPJ Code of Ethics (pdf version)
2. Student Press Law Center Student Media Guide
3. SPLC FAQ (pdf version)
And should sign up for and follow at least two of the following:
1. New York Times Daily Briefing
4. Philadelphia Inquirer (link to daily newsletter on right-hand side, scroll down)
History & Economics
Humanities
Humanities 3 AP
Humanities 3 AP Summer Work
Experiential Writing Exercises:
1. Visit a museum, of any kind, that you have never visited, or at least not in the past five years. Choose a work or exhibit on which to focus. Next find a photograph or image of the object or exhibit online and compare the two experiences. When you have finished both, spend 15-20 minutes writing about your observations, thoughts, and reactions comparing the two experiences.
2. Attend a concert, of any kind. Next listen to a recording of the music you heard live. When you have finished both, spend 15-20 minutes writing about your observations, thoughts, and reactions, comparing the two experiences.
3. Attend a live theatrical production. Afterward, if available, view a recording or film adaptation of the play you saw. When you have finished both, spend 15-20 minutes writing about your observations, thoughts, and reactions, comparing the two experiences.
Reading & Writing:
EVERYONE read Tobias Wolff, In Pharaoh’s Army
In addition Choose ONE of the following to read:
- Terry Tempest Williams, Refuge
- Ernest Hemingway, A Moveable Feast
- David Remnick, ed. The Only Game in Town: Sports Writing from The New Yorker
- Brent Staples, Parallel Time: Growing Up in Black and White
- Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad
- Plutarch, “Alexander,” and “Julius Caesar” from Plutarch’s Lives
Due in writing at first class in September: Your THREE Experiential Writing descriptive comparisons and a one-page reaction to each book you read.
Humanities 4 AP
Humanities 4AP
Experiential Writing Exercises:
1. Revisit the museum you visited last year or choose a new one. Choose a work or exhibit on which to focus. When you have finished both, spend 15-20 minutes writing about your observations, thoughts, and reactions comparing the two experiences.
2. Attend a concert, of any kind. Next, listen to a recording of the music you heard live. When you have finished both, spend 15-20 minutes writing about your observations, thoughts, and reactions comparing the two experiences.
3. Attend a live theatrical production. Next, view a recording or film adaptation of the play you saw. When you have finished both, spend 15-20 minutes writing about your observations, thoughts, and reactions comparing the two experiences.
Reading & Writing:
EVERYONE read Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams
Choose ONE of the following as your second book:
- James Baldwin, Go Tell It on the Mountain
- Albert Camus, The Plague
- Joseph Heller, Catch-22
- John Irving, A Prayer for Owen Meany
- Herman Melville, Moby Dick
- Robert Penn Warren, All the King’s Men
- Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina
Write a one-page (250-300 word) personal reaction to each novel
Due in writing at first class in September: Your THREE Experiential Writing descriptive comparisons, the one-page reaction to each book you read.
Science
AP Biology
Welcome to AP Bio!
Summer work is divided into two parts. The first is to help you re-familiarize yourselves with some of the Biology and Chemistry needed to successfully complete the AP Biology course. Most of this work will have been covered already in Bio 1 and Chemistry. The second part is to introduce you to the genetics topic.
Please read through chapters 1 and 2 of the textbook. Do this progressively over the summer rather than 2 nights before we start classes! You need to take notes (see syllabus for more on note taking) and I would like to see those notes during the first week of school.
Throughout the reading there are links to click through and 'concept checks' questions to answer. Be sure you can answer these before moving onto the next section in the chapter. At the end of chapter 1 and 2 there are some multiple choice questions you can test yourself on. These are optional but highly recommended. Answers for the concept check and end of chapter questions are in the appendix of the textbook.
Answer the questions below. The answers should be posted here on Canvas no later than 31 August 2022. This gives me time to grade the work before our first class.
Chapter 1
Q1 Often we hear people say that science contradicts itself. One minute scientists are saying this and the next they are saying something different. Using the "How Science Works" (figure 1.19) model, discuss in 100-150 words, whether this is an accurate portrayal of the science community and give an example.
Q7 and 10 at the end of the chapter.
Chapter 2
Q11, 12 and 14 at the end of the chapter.
A class test will be given on these chapters in the first week back and the holiday work will definitely help you score well.
For our genetics topic you will need to have read the book 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' by Rebecca Skloot. Alternatively, you could watch the movie (available on Amazon prime). Please either read the book or watch the movie BEFORE the academic year starts. Previous classes have found that there is little time to do this during the year when the genetic topic starts.
Lastly, go over to the Syllabus page listed on the left hand menu and check out that page. Please read it carefully so you understand what's expected of you in this course. I'm biased but it's a great course, challenging, and really worth the effort.
I look forward to seeing you all in September.
AP Chemistry
Instructions: The summer work for AP Chemistry is reading two chapters from the book and completing the book problems that accompany. In addition to book problems, you will also complete a review of the moles, molar mass, and stoichiometry (see link below).
Welcome to AP Chemistry! Our textbook refers to Chemistry as “the central science,” since many of the fundamental principles of this science allow students to grasp the nature of the universe, and connect ideas discussed in many other academic realms – biology, physics, math, and beyond.
Enrolling in this college-level, lab-based course means that you have already acquired a solid background in science, including a first-year Chemistry experience, and a comprehension of algebra, fractions, ratios, and scientific notation. Without this knowledge, your progress will be hindered by the need to build these foundational skills while learning new information.
Your teachers therefore ask that you come to the first day of class already familiar with several specific concepts. You will be tested on these concepts during the first week of class. To arrive to your year in AP Chemistry well-prepared, you are encouraged to review these materials from your previous Chemistry class. Further, you are required to complete the following assignment in your new AP Chemistry textbook.
Your Textbook: Brown, T., LeMay, H., et al. Chemistry: The Central Science. 14th Edition. New York: Pearson, 2018.
ISBN-13: 978-0134414232
Chapter 1: Matter, Energy, and Measurement (you may read in the textbook, or read the PDF at this link)
Problems (found at the end of the chapter): 1.1, 1.2, 1.13 – 1.16, 1.21 – 1.24, 1.27 – 1.28, 1.31, 1.32, 1.37, 1.49 – 1.51, 1.55 – 1.60, 1.71, 1.92
Chapter 2: Atoms, Molecules, and Ions (you may read in the textbook, or read the PDF at this link)
Problems: 2.3 – 2.4, 2.7, 2.11 – 2.14, 2.23 – 2.30, 2.41, 2.51, 2.55, 2.61, 2.64, 2.67 – 2.80
Your teachers will be in touch with you this summer, to enroll you in the AP Chemistry Canvas course. Please click on the button below to view the COMPLETE summer work for AP Chemistry, which includes problems to solve.