Hello, I am currently starting to study for AP Lit and Composition because I am planning to be an Eng teacher.
I just wanted to ask you guys for some tips.
For the essay part, I should read lots of books, right? So any tips for reading the literature book efficiently?
I am really bad at reading past and getting the main point and literature is mostly so long and complicated to read and understand, so if anyone could give me some advice, I will be pleasured.
Btw, I am an international student so not very fluent in English like natives. I can talk and understand like them but really bad at reading.
I read quite a few of teenage fictions but I don’t think it helps me, because vocab. is really much harder in Eng lit.
I will be waiting for some of your advice.
I feel like I am gonna get like 1 or 2 out of 5 in the actual test because I barely get 2 questions correctly in the practice test.
Oh, and is it necessary to read all of the lit books that are recommended? What if I don’t have enough time?
Thanks in advance.
No. You should have an arsenal of 4-6 books from the recommended list that you know very well, which should cover just about any thematic question posed.
Well, it could help you improve your reading and/or vocab, but for the AP exam, YA books are pretty useless.
Like skieurope said, just pick out 4-6 books from the list to read. Personally I think Great Gatsby, To Kill a Mockingbird, and Lord of the Flies cover a pretty large range of themes, so I recommend those for sure. 1984 may be a good choice as well. If you’re having difficulty understanding/reading more quickly, I’d recommend checking out SparkNotes and reading their summaries and analysis for your books; they lay out the main ideas and literary themes very clearly and simply. It’s a really good supplement!
You should also read poetry, since there are poetry selections in the multiple choice section, as well as a poetry analysis essay.
Finally, find an AP lit vocab list; you should know the definitions of literary terms and be able to recognize them in reading passages for both the MC and essays.
Keeping on reading and practicing, the more you get used to it the better. Good luck!
@skieurope Thank you so much for your advice.
I will keep reading books you recommended.