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SMHS Summer Reading Work 2018-2019 Grades 9-12 Honors, Pre-AP, AP, SCC

Senior SCC English: Fiction: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Non-fiction: The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School by Alexandra Robbins Senior AP Literature and Composition: Fiction: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Non-fiction: The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by Alexandra Robbins

Juniors: Honors English III: Fiction: No fiction assignment Non-fiction: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson 11th AP Language and Composition: Fiction: A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole Non-fiction: Will in the World: How Shakespeare became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt

Sophomores: Fiction: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck Non-fiction: A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

Freshmen: Fiction: Feed by M.T. Anderson Non-fiction: Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales

Submit all work in one document to Edmodo Assignment location before 1st day of school.

2019 Graduates (Seniors) Edmodo code: pqktum 2021 Graduates (Sophomores) Edmodo code: cbfz5w

2020 Graduates (Juniors) Edmodo code: uda7mu 2022 Graduates (Freshmen) Edmodo code: a4x7e3

Because students enrolled in Honors/AP programs at Smoky Mountain receive weighted grades for their

efforts, and AP & SCC classes are college-level, it is understandable that extra obligations accompany these

grades beyond the requirements of a regular class. This process begins during the summer with a critical

examination of texts. Research also shows that this reading and response helps students avoid “Summer Slide”

(loss of reading and response skills each summer).

No credit is given for late responses. These entries count as test grades.

At Smoky Mountain, “Honors/AP” not only signifies academic excellence but also ethical behavior. We

expect that all students will carefully read each assigned book and write their own responses. You should not

turn to Spark Notes, plot summaries, movie versions, or the writing of classmates to complete the summer

reading assignment. A test on the material may also be given early in the semester. Therefore, we ask all

students to include on the first page of their reading responses the following:

“On my honor, I promise that the contents of these reading responses are my own ideas, in my own

words, based on my careful reading of the summer books assigned.”

Format

• Type responses (12pt, Times New Roman, single Evaluation Criteria spaced) • Careful reading of the book

• Include honor statement Clear and perceptive thinking in response to the

prompt

• Copy the prompt before each entry Specific examples (including quotations) to illustrate

• Stick to the prompt throughout the entry Clear expression of ideas, including personal • Include direct quotations (with page numbers) that connections, and demonstration of insightful critical support

your discussion of the topic you have chosen thinking skills

• Save work as one MSWord document or PDF file. Work submitted before 1st day of school

Fiction Assignment: Choose five of the prompts below. Write a 150+-word paragraph for each prompt. Use

quotations from the text to support your commentary, but do not count quotations from the text in the word

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count. Overall, in addition to answering these questions, your goal is to show evidence of your reading, so be

careful to have a good number of reading examples from throughout the entire text.

During Reading Assignments (Choose four [4] from this list) • Become the main character. Write an entry from the point of view of this character.

• Select a literary element, such as plot or conflict, and discuss its effectiveness or importance. Is the

character believable? Why or why not?

• Do you have any comments about the author’s technique or style of writing? I think one of the

themes of this story is. . . . .

• Who is your favorite character in the book? Describe and tell why this character is your favorite.

How is this book different from other books you have read? • Describe one character’s problem or choice. What advice would you give this character?

• Pick an action of one of the characters. Why do you think the character is acting this way? Do the

story events or characters remind you of real events or people? Who? How? Post Reading Assignments (Choose one [1] from this list)

• Has the book influenced your thinking or beliefs about a particular subject? Explain. • Write about the part of the book you found most interesting, boring, confusing, etc.

• Did you pick up on any patterns used by the author? What are they? • To whom would you recommend this book? Without giving away the ending, what would you say?

Entry example for The Crucible by Arthur Miller

*Is the character believable? Why or why not?

The main character in this play is Abigail, and I find her completely believable. I don’t relate to the practices of puritan life, but I can see how

children (teens) during this time period could have some of the same feelings that we do today. Abigail is as sweet as she can be to her uncle, yet she

has been scheming behind his back the whole time. She acts so innocent when being questioned by Rev. Parris, but she is lying, and later the truth

comes out! The girls are not allowed to be as free as Abigail would like, and the text even says children are expected to “be seen and not heard” (3),

but she still finds ways to get what she wants. I don’t think all children are this devious, but I do think Abigail’s character is typical of people who are

determined to have their own way at all costs. She makes up lies about people she dislikes, and in the end, many pay for it. This seems quite

believable to me.

What makes this an acceptable journal entry?

The prompt or question is copied. *Is the character believable? Why or why not?

The question is addressed and the student makes clear which character is being discussed. The main character in this play is Abigail, and I find her completely believable. I don’t relate to the practices of puritan life, but I can see how children

(teens) during this time period could have some of the same feelings that we do today.

Examples from the text are provided to justify the opinion. Abigail is as sweet as she can be to her uncle, yet she has been scheming behind his back the whole time. She acts so innocent when being questioned

by Rev. Parris, but she is lying, and later the truth comes out!

Evidence (a quotation) from the text is used with a page number reference. The girls are not allowed to be as free as Abigail would like, and the text even says children are expected to “be seen and not heard” (3), but she still

finds ways to get what she wants.

The student provides further explanation. I don’t think all children are this devious, but I do think Abigail’s character is typical of people who are determined to have their own way at all cost.

She makes up lies about people she dislikes, and in the end, many pay for it.

The paragraph has a concluding sentence that does more than simply restate the writer’s opinion. These things make Abigail quite believable, and I would not want to cross her.

Nonfiction assignment: choose five of the prompts below. Write a 150+ word paragraph for each prompt. Use quotations

from the text to support your commentary, but do not count quotations from the text in the word count. Overall, in

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addition to answering these questions, your goal is to show evidence of your reading, so be careful to have a good number

of reading examples from throughout the entire text.

● What is the general subject? Does the subject mean anything to you? Does it bring up any personal associations? Is the

subject a controversial one? ● What is the claim (the overall main point)? How does the claim interpret/comment on the subject? ● What is the tone of the text? Do you react at an emotional level to the text? Does this reaction change at all throughout

the text? ● What is the writer's purpose? To explain? To inform? Persuade? Amuse? Motivate? Sadden? Ridicule? Anger? Is

there more than one purpose? Does the purpose shift at all throughout the text? ● How does the writer develop his/her ideas? Narration? Description? Definition? Comparison? Analogy? Cause and

Effect? Example? Why does the writer use these methods of development? ● How does the writer arrange his/her ideas? What are the patterns of arrangement? Particular to general? Broad to

specific? Spatial? Chronological? ● How does the writer use diction (word choice)? Is it formal? Informal? Technical? Jargon? Slang? Is the language

connotative? Denotative? Is the language emotionally evocative? Does the language change throughout the piece? How

does the language contribute to the writer’s aim? ● Are there any particularly vivid images that stand out? What effect do these images have on the writer's purpose? ● Does the writer use devices of humor? Puns? Irony? Sarcasm? Understatement? Parody? Is the effect comic relief?

Pleasure? Hysteria? Ridicule?

Entry example for Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

Does the writer use devices of humor? Puns? Irony? Sarcasm? Understatement? Parody? Is the effect comic relief?

Pleasure? Hysteria? Ridicule?

Sedaris clearly enjoys using sarcasm in his writing in an attempt to make what can seem quite a painful experience less traumatizing for the reader.

His explanations of learning to speak French from the brutally honest instructor made me feel sorry for him yet laugh at him at the same time. He

wittily chooses examples such as “I hate you' she said to me one afternoon. 'I really, really hate you.' Call me sensitive, but I couldn't help but take it

personally” (237). As horrible as this seems, by the end of the class, Sedaris and his peers could actually understand the instructor’s insults without

needing translation. I think everyone can relate to the moment when what one has painfully been practicing -over and oversuddenly, without warning,

becomes clear! The revelation leaves any true learner appreciative of the effort. I also love that Sedaris can make fun of himself by sharing honest

conversations. For example, later in the book, at a point when he is feeling down on himself, he shares this encounter with his roommate: “Hugh

consoled me, saying, ‘Don't let it get to you. There are plenty of things you're good at.’ When asked for some examples, he listed vacuuming and

naming stuffed animals. He says he can probably come up with a few more, but he'll need some time to think (390).” These continual anecdotes of

day-to-day life helped me connect to him in ways I might not have otherwise. He captures the absurdity of life in his writing, and it definitely left me

wanting to read more of his work. What makes this an acceptable journal entry?

The prompt or question is copied. Does the writer use devices of humor? Puns? Irony? Sarcasm? Understatement? Parody? Is the effect

comic relief? Pleasure? Hysteria? Ridicule?

The student clearly answers the prompt. Sedaris clearly enjoys using sarcasm in his writing in an attempt…

Examples from the text are provided to justify the answer. His explanations of learning to speak French from the brutally honest instructor made

me feel sorry for him yet laugh at him at the same time.

Evidence (a quotation) from the text is used with a page number reference. He wittily chooses examples such as “I hate you' she said to me one afternoon. 'I really, really hate you.' Call me sensitive, but I couldn't help but take

it personally” (237).

The student provides further explanation. As horrible as this seems, by the end of the class, Sedaris and his peers could actually understand the

instructor’s insults without needing translation.

The student elaborates with additional examples of humor, textual evidence, and commentary.

How to submit work in Edmodo

Nonfiction questions adapted from Conard High School, West Hartford, CT.

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