May 2011 Dear Parent/Guardian -...

May 2011 Dear Parent/Guardian: The faculty at Valley View High School recognizes and supports the benefits of summer reading for all of our students as a way to maintain and enhance critical literacy skills. This year we are introducing our summer reading program that combines our commitment to life-long learning and the latest research in the field of adolescent literacy which emphasizes the need for continued reading throughout a leave from the regular scholastic year. Summer can be a season of good times and fun memories, but did you know that many kids experience learning losses when they don’t read during the summer? Studies have shown that children who read over the summer do better on reading tests in the fall than those who don’t. To this end, we are requiring that all students read throughout the summer according to the directions on the enclosed summer reading lists. As a way to verify that our students have completed their summer reading assignments, we are asking the parents to complete and sign the Summer Reading Verification Form and have your son/daughter return it on the first day of class. We appreciate your support and cooperation as we embark on our new summer reading program. Should you have any questions please feel free to contact our office at (956) 843-9222 or simply stop by the high school.

Sincerely,

Rolando Ramirez Valley View High School Principal

Freshman Summer Reading Assignment

For your summer reading assignment, you are asked to read three books. These books are so entertaining that they will make you wonder why you ever dreaded your summer reading assignments! Complete the literary analysis and syntax assignment attached to this letter. The assignment packet will be submitted to your English teacher during the first week of school and will count for your first grade. Do your best work!

Book 1: Huckleberry Finn

T he Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is set in the town of St. Petersburg, Missouri, which lies on the banks of the Mississippi River. Huckleberry Finn, a poor boy with a drunken bum for a father, and his friend Tom Sawyer, a middle-class boy with an imagination too active for his own good, find a robber’s stash of gold. As a result of his adventure, Huck gained quite a bit of money, which the bank held for him in trust. Huck was adopted by the Widow Douglas, a kind but stifling woman who lives with her sister, the self-righteous Miss Watson.

Book 2: All the Pretty Horses

All the Pretty Horses begins with the 1949 funeral of John Grady Cole's grandfather. There is nothing left in Texas for John Grady, who loves the ranch and idealizes the cowboy's way of life. Only sixteen years old, John Grady runs away from home with his friend Rawlins. On horseback, they head toward the Mexican border, leading the idyllic, storybook life of migrant cowboys. They are joined by a younger boy, the sensitive and stubborn Jimmy Blevins. Together, the three cross over the Rio Grande into Mexico.

Book 3: Bless Me Ultima

When Antonio Márez is almost seven years old, the old healer Ultima comes to stay with him and his family in their small house in Guadalupe, New Mexico. Antonio’s father, Gabriel, is a former vaquero, or cowboy, who wandered the llano, the great plains of New Mexico. Antonio’s mother, María, is the daughter of farmers. Antonio’s parents now argue about their young son’s future; Gabriel hopes he will become a vaquero on the llano, and María hopes he will become a priest. When he was born, Ultima served as his midwife and buried his afterbirth. As a result, it is now thought that she alone knows what lies in Antonio’s future.

The upcoming year will require that you have a 1 inch interactive binder. You are to bring the binder to school on the first day of class with the following handouts and your summer reading assignments.

As part of the Summer Reading project you will also be asked to view a movie. You must be prepared to discuss and critique the film “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.”

Summer Reading Assignments: Book Talk Component

Requirement: Review the following questions in preparation for your book talk. Your teacher will ask you to respond to several questions. Your responses should be well developed and specific, demonstrating your thorough reading of the book. You may have written notes with you to refer to (which may be collected by your teacher) but you may not read a prepared response to the class. Our purpose is twofold. We need to verify that you have completed your summer reading and you need to practice your informal public speaking skills. Teachers will use the attached rubric to evaluate your book talk. *Your English teacher will model the book talk with a book he or she has read this past summer.

Rubric for Reading

4‐ Exemplary: The student fully examines the text, recognizes complex ideas, has strong understanding of the author’s purpose, and thoroughly supports judgments about the text. The student makes very insightful connections between new information from the text and prior knowledge and can apply learning to a variety of contexts/situations. 3‐ Proficient The student adequately examines the text, recognizes some complex ideas, has some idea of the author’s purpose, and generally

supports judgments about the text. The student makes appropriate connections between new information from the text and prior

knowledge and can apply learning to some other contexts/situations.

2‐ Developing The student may recognize a few complex ideas in the text but is unable to articulate them without instructional support. The

student has a limited understanding of the author’s purpose, and inconsistently supports judgments about the text. The student

makes few connections between new information from the text and prior knowledge and is unable to apply learning to unfamiliar

contexts/situations.

1‐ Deficient The student experiences considerable difficulty when required to read a grade level text independently. The student has a poor

understanding of main ideas or concepts, as well as important details. The student shows very limited or no understanding of the

author’s purpose and makes unsupported or arbitrary judgments about the text. Student makes no connections between text and

prior knowledge without explicit instruction.

Rubric for Presentation Skills

4‐ Exemplary The presentation is very well organized and thoroughly communicates the important ideas to the audience. The presenter is

confident in voice, tone and gestures. The presenter connects enthusiastically with the audience.

3‐ Proficient The presentation is organized and communicates most of the important ideas to the audience. The presenter is somewhat confident

in voice, tone and gestures. The presenter connects with the audience.

2‐ Developing The presentation is somewhat organized and communicates some ideas to the audience. The presenter is hesitant in voice, tone,

and gestures. The presenter has difficulty connecting with the audience.

1‐ Deficient The presentation is disorganized and does not communicate the important ideas to the audience. The presenter is very hesitant in

voice, tone, and gestures. The presenter has not connected with the audience.

Book Talk Grading Rubric:

“A” Book talk- The student answers all questions asked with detail and very specific reference to each book read. The responses are lively and enthusiastic in support or criticism of the books.

“B” Book talk- The student answers all questions asked with some detail and specific reference to each book read. The responses are generally lively and enthusiastic in support or criticism of the books.

“C” Book talk- The student answers most of the questions asked but without much detail or specific reference to one or both books. The responses are not very lively and lack enthusiasm in support or criticism of the books.

“D” Book talk- The student cannot respond to questions asked with enough detail to demonstrate careful or complete reading of one or both books. The responses are not at all lively and do not provide enough detail to support or criticize one or both books.

“F” Book talk- The student is unprepared for the book talk and cannot complete the basic requirements of the assignment.

SUMMER READING BOOKTALK QUESTIONS

1. Summarize the book. Who’s the main character? What’s the basic plot? Was it good or bad? Why? How would you have changed the plot?

2. Did this book make you laugh? Cry? Smile? Cheer? Explode? Explain your reaction.

3. What was the author saying about life and living in this book?

4. What parts of the book seem most believable? Why? What parts seem unbelievable? Why?

5. Do you think the title fits the book? Why or why not?

6. Do you like ending of the book? Why or why not? Do you think there is more to tell? What do you think might

happen next?

7. What do you feel is the most important part of the book? What is the most important event, character, feeling or decision? Why is it important?

8. Do any of the characters remind you of other characters you’ve encountered in your reading? What are the

similarities?

9. Does the theme or content of the book remind you of other books you have read? What are the similarities?

10. Has this book helped you in any way? Explain. Have you changed any of your opinions or attitudes after reading this book? Explain

11. Are there any distinctive aspects of the author’s style of writing? Cite an example. Did the style make the book

more enjoyable? Explain.

12. What kind of reader would find this book most interesting?

13. Tell us about a memorable scene in the book.

14. Would this be a good book to read as a class?

15. How would you rate this book on a scale of 1-10?

Summer Reading Assignments: Literary Analysis Component

Section 1: Plot: Describe 3 elements of the plot diagram within the novel. (6pts)

Climax

Rising Action Falling Action

Exposition Resolution

1. Exposition (background information; introduces characters, setting and significant events)

2. Rising action (complication that arise causing difficulties for main characters) ‐

3. Climax (moment when interest and emotional intensity reach highest point) ‐

4. Falling action (actions occurring after climax, results of major events) ‐

5. Resolution (clarification on plot, resolves loose ends) ‐

Section 2: Vocabulary: List 5 unfamiliar terms and their meanings. (10pts)

Section 3: Characterization: Explain the similarities and differences of 3 characters. (9pts)

Section 4: Conflict: State one example of each type of conflict. Clarify how this conflict impacted/changed the

character. (15pts)

1. Man vs. man:

2. Man vs. self:

3. Man vs. environment:

Section 5: Picture/Visual Aid: Draw a picture (may use clip art) of a symbol in this book. (10pts)

Section 6: Theme: Identify at least 3 themes of this novel. Cite text evidence and explain your response.

(15pts)

Section 7: Literary Devices: Provide 3 examples of literary devices and their effects on the story.

Lit. Device (3pts) Example/pg# (3pts) Analysis (9pts) (Total 15pts)

The tone (feeling) created by the device is

_____________. The effect of the device

creates a sense of



creates a sense of



creates a sense of

Section 8: Short Answer Response: What do you think is the most shocking moment of the novel? Use text

evidence to support your answer. Locate important words in the question. Answer the question. Cite text

evidence. Explain answer and evidence. Summarize by providing insightful conclusion. (20pts ½ pg to 1 pg)

Section 9: Syntax: Find examples of the following types of sentences, and use them to fill in the blanks on the right. (16

points)

Type of Sentence and Explanation Example Example from Your Novel

(with page number)

Simple sentence – contains only one

independent clause

He opened the can of beans. (Pg.

123)

Compound sentence ‐ contains more

than one independent clause

He opened the can of beans and she

fought three bears. (Pg. 133)

Complex sentence – contains an

independent clause and at least one

dependent clause

While he opened the can of beans,

Patricia jumped on the dog. (Pg. 5)

Compound‐complex sentence ‐

contains more than one independent

clause and at least one dependent

clause


the hurricane came closer and Sheila

changed a diaper. (Pg. 1)

Declarative sentence states an idea or

event.

The worksheet was easy, so Paul

finished it quickly. (Pg. 333)

Exclamatory sentence expresses

strong feelings by making an

exclamation.

Paul was finished with his work

before he even realized it! (Pg.608)

Imperative sentence makes a

command or request.

Do your assignment now so you can

be like Paul. (Pg. 212)

Interrogative sentence asks a

question.

Do you realize how easy it is to do

this? (Pg. ‐22)

Sophomore Summer Reading Assignment


Book 1: Oedipus Rex

Thebes is suffering a plague which leaves its fields and women barren. Oedipus, the king of Thebes, has sent his brother-in-law, Creon, to the house of Apollo to ask the oracle how to end the plague. Creon returns, bearing good news: once the killer of the previous king, Laius, is found, Thebes will be cured of the plague (Laius was Jocasta's husband before she married Oedipus). Hearing this, Oedipus swears he will find the murderer and banish him.

Book 2: Billy Bud

It is the end of the eighteenth century, and Billy Budd is a young sailor on a merchant ship called the Rights-of-Man. Billy is a specimen of what Melville calls the Handsome Sailor. He is young, simple and innocent with no real family, and his charm and good nature put the men around him at ease. The narrator tells us of Billy's one serious weakness: when seized by strong emotion, he stutters.

Book 3: The Glass Menagerie

The Glass Menagerie is set in 1937 where Tom, his mother Amanda, and his sister Laura live together in a small apartment in St. Louis. Their father abandoned them years earlier. As the family's sole breadwinner he works at the Continental Shoemakers warehouse during the day, but disappears nightly "to the movies." Amanda is a loving mother, but her meddling and nagging are hard to live with for Tom, who is a grown man and who earns the wages that support the entire family. Laura is a frightened and terribly shy girl, with unbelievably weak nerves. She is also slightly lame in one leg, and she seldom leaves the apartment of her own volition. She busies herself caring for her "glass menagerie," a collection of delicate little glass animals.





Rubric for Reading


































happen next?



similarities?











Climax







5. Resolution (clarification on plot, resolves loose ends) ‐



Section 4: Conflict: State one example of each type of conflict. Clarify how this conflict impacted/changed the character.

(15pts)

1. Man vs. man:

2. Man vs. self

3. Man vs. environment


Section 6: Theme: Identify at least 3 themes of this novel. Cite text evidence and explain your response. (15pts)




_____________. The effect of the device creates a

sense of



sense of



sense of

Section 8: Short Answer Response: What do you think is the most shocking moment of the novel? Use text evidence to

support your answer. Locate important words in the question. Answer the question. Cite text evidence. Explain answer

and evidence. Summarize by providing insightful conclusion. (20pts ½ pg to 1 pg)


points)


(with page number)

Repetition‐choose from – anaphora,

epistrophe, anadiplosis, or

epanalepsis

The dog ran up to the box, circled the

box, climbed into the box, and went

to sleep in the box. (Pg. 58)

(epistrophe)

Repetition – see instructions above.

Walking alone, walking at sunrise,

walking on the beach was Homer’s

only pleasure in life. (Pg. 32)

(anaphora)


The fire chief was famous for his

fireworks; the fireworks blazed in the

night sky. (Pg. 39) (anadiplosis)

A Gerund used as the subject of the

sentence.

Kissing a stranger can lead to mystery.

(Pg.221)

A participial phrase appearing

anywhere in the sentence

Realizing that he was very close to the

end of the cliff, Bill scuttled away

before he fell over the precipice. (Pg.

5)

An infinitive used as an adverb. Still, he was grateful to be in a free

country. (Pg. 233)

An appositive phrase appearing

anywhere in the sentence.

Dr. Martin Luther King, an ordained

minister, wrote a famous response to

other ministers titled “Letter from

Birmingham Jail.” (Pg. 1)

Compound‐complex sentence


the hurricane came closer and Sheila

changed a diaper. (Pg.49)

Junior Summer Reading Assignment


Book 1: Raisin in the Sun

The Youngers are a poor African-American family living on the South Side of Chicago. An opportunity to escape from poverty comes in the form of a $10,000 life insurance check that the matriarch of the family (Lena Younger or Mama) receives upon her husband's death. Lena's children, Walter and Beneatha, each have their plans for the money. The environmental pressures are high: five people live in a tiny one-bedroom apartment, two families share a single bathroom, and the building is run-down and roach-infested. These pressures increase when Walter's wife, Ruth, finds out that she is pregnant for the second time, and begins seriously contemplating abortion. Yet even in an environment where a request for fifty cents becomes a family conflict, there is room for ideas and dreams.

Book 2: The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a highly specific portrait of American society during the Roaring Twenties, and a man who claws his way from rags to riches. He finds that for all the money he enjoys he cannot share the same privileges enjoyed by those born into the upper class. The central character is Jay Gatsby, a wealthy New Yorker of indeterminate occupation. Gatsby is primarily known for the lavish parties he throws each weekend at his ostentatious Gothic mansion in West Egg. He is suspected of being involved in illegal bootlegging and other underworld activities.

Book 3: A Streetcar Named Desire

The Kowalski apartment is in a poor but charming neighborhood in the French Quarter. Stella, twenty-five years old and pregnant, lives with her blue collar husband Stanley Kowalski. It is summertime, and the heat is oppressive. Blanche Dubois, Stella's older sister, arrives unexpectedly, carrying all that she owns. Blanche and Stella have a warm reunion, but Blanche has some bad news: Belle Reve, the family mansion, has been lost. Blanche stayed behind to care for their dying family while Stella left to make a new life for herself, and Blanche is clearly resentful by her sister's abandonment of the family. Blanche meets her sister's husband, Stanley, for the first time, and immediately she feels uncomfortable. We learn that Blanche was once married, when she was very young, but her husband died, leaving her widowed and alone.


As part of the Summer Reading project you will also be asked to view a movie. You must be prepared to discuss and critique the film “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.



Rubric for Reading


































happen next?



similarities?











Climax







5. Resolution (clarification on plot, resolves loose ends) –




(15pts)

1. Man vs. man:

2. Man vs. self:

3. Man vs. environment :


Section 6: Theme: Identify at least 3 themes of this novel. (15pts)





sense of



sense of



sense of

Section 8: Short Answer Response: What do you think is the most shocking moment of the novel? Use text evidence to

support your answer. Locate important words in the question. Answer the question. Cite text evidence. Explain answer

and evidence. Summarize by providing insightful conclusion. (20pts ½ pg to 1 pg)


points)


(with page number)



epanalepsis




(epistrophe)





(anaphora)

Parallelism – balanced sentence

structure using phrases or clauses.

Perhaps the US should begin issuing

stamps that honor people (dead or

alive) and events (famous or obscure)

intended to catch the eye of foreign

collectors. (Pg. 92)


sentence.


(Pg.221)

An Absolute Phrase – appearing


His muscles rippling under his tawny

fur, the male lion roared his

dominance over the pride. (Pg. 1)






5)


country. (Pg. 233)







Senior Summer Reading Assignment


Book 1: Catch 22

Captain Joseph Yossarian, a World War II bombardier, is stationed on the island of Pianosa. He is an individualist who seeks to protect his own life by fleeing to the hospital, since a “catch-22” in the Air Force regulations prevents him from being grounded for illness or obtaining a leave. He simply needs to feign pain in his liver and censor the letters of enlisted men. Yossarian takes on the pseudonym “Washington Irving” and pretends to be Chaplain Tappman. The government sends two C.I.D. men to investigate these occurrences. Other men also seek the haven of the hospital by feigning illness, but after the mysterious death of the soldier in white, the Texan forces them to return to the front.

Book 2: Crime and Punishment

One July day in St. Petersburg, a poor young man slips out of his apartment and goes out. He is Rodion Romanych Raskolnikov, a former student, and he is preoccupied with something. He arrives at the apartment of Alyona Ivanovna, a pawnbroker, where he is attempting a trial of the unknown deed obsessing him.

Book 3: Great Expectations

Great Expectations is the story of Pip, an orphan boy adopted by a blacksmith's family, who has good luck and great expectations, and then loses both his luck and his expectations. As a direct result of the ups and downs he experiences Pip finds happiness as he learns the meaning of friendship and the meaning of love.





Rubric for Reading


































happen next?



similarities?











Climax







5. Resolution (clarification on plot, resolves loose ends) –




(15pts)

1. Man vs. man:

2. Man vs. self:

3. Man vs. environment :


Section 6: Theme: Identify at least 3 themes of this novel. Cite text evidence and explain your response.

(15pts)


Possible Literary Devices – simile, metaphor, personification, hyperbole, repetition, parallelism, sensory

language, varied sentence structure, allusions, dialect, word choice, rhetorical questions, etc.




sense of



sense of



sense of

Section 8: Short Answer Response: Select a character(s) that you feel learned a valuable lesson and explain how this

character’s life was affected by the lesson and how it helped to guide the story. Then consider when you learned a

lesson in your life that is similar to the lesson your have chosen? Explain how your life was affected by learning this

lesson. Locate important words in the question. Answer the question. Cite text evidence. Explain answer and evidence.

Summarize by providing insightful conclusion. (40 pts, 1 to 2 pgs)


points)


(with page number)



epanalepsis




(epistrophe)





(anaphora)

Parallelism – balanced sentence

structure using phrases or clauses.

Perhaps the US should begin issuing

stamps that honor people (dead or

alive) and events (famous or obscure)

intended to catch the eye of foreign

collectors. (Pg. 92)


sentence.


(Pg.221)

An Absolute Phrase – appearing


His muscles rippling under his tawny

fur, the male lion roared his

dominance over the pride. (Pg. 1)






5)


country. (Pg. 233)







Summer Reading Assignments: Annotation Component

For your final assignment you must demonstrate an understanding of annotation. Through annotation you learn the

importance of certain aspects of your reading. Annotations will help guide your literary analysis. You are to annotate the

novels you have been assigned for summer reading.

Annotations can either be written in the novel or on post‐it notes or paper with corresponding page numbers.

Annotations should be your notes where you mark different techniques the author is employing and the effect of those

techniques. You may also consider annotations to be your conversation with the book, in which you ask questions and

mark your thoughts at different points throughout. We expect to see notes for techniques like figurative language,

sensory imagery, round/flat/dynamic/static characters, attitude, motifs, symbols, attitude shifts, narrative shifts, and

anything that contributes to a theme for the work. Highlighting phrases or labeling techniques without notes explaining

its effect does not count as annotating.

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