summerreading08

 

GRADE 11 - 12

Page history last edited by CB 1 yr ago
 
 
Summer Reading Requirements for
Grades 11 and 12
 
Required Books:
 
American Literature: Grade 11
 
  • Standard: Water for Elephants
 by Sara Gruen
 
  • Honors: The Handmaid’s Tale
by Margaret Atwood
AND
Water for Elephants
by Sara Gruen
 
British Literature: Grade 12     
  • Standard:Things Fall Apart
 by Chinua Achebe
 
  • Honors: Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe
AND
Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers
by Mary Roach
 
AP Literature:
 
  • Woe is I
by Patricia O’Connor
 
  • Eats, Shoots, and Leaves
by Lynn Truss
 
  • Points of View
by James Moffett
 
  • The End of the Affair  
by Graham Greene
 
  • The Metamorphosis
by Franz Kafka
 
Click on the link below to see the AP Literature Summer Reading Flyer
 
 
 
 
 Assessment for Required Book(s):  All students will complete a DIALECTICAL JOURNAL

    Steps for Dialectical Journal entries:

     1.  Draw a vertical line down the middle of a sheet of notebook paper.

     2.  On the left side of the page, quote a passage from the book that strikes you.  In parenthesis, write the chapter and page number.

     3.   On the right side of the page:

         a) Explain the context (background information) of the quote

         b) Fully explain what it reveals about the prompt topic you chose for that entry.  (See prompt topics listed below)

         c) Respond to the prompts in any order

         d) Prompts may be repeated!

     4.  For each COURSE REQUIRED book you must have 10 entries.  Each entry should be a minimum of 1/2 notebook page, with response comments relating directly to the prompt topic for that entry.

PROMPTS:

     1.  Setting:  Connect the passage's setting with the larger setting of the book.  Does the setting remind you of anywhere?  What mood does this setting create?  How is it alike or different from the overall mood of the book?

     2.  Character:  What did you find out about the character in this passage?  Does the character remind you of another story you have read or someone you know?  How? How does the passage help you to relate to the character?

     3.  Imagery:  Sometimes, when we read, certain words or phrases stand out.  Maybe they are words or phrases that make an impression because of their sound, or the image strikes us.  Describe what effect this imagery has on the mood, setting, characterization or other elements. Why did you select this passage?

     4.  Conflict:  What main conflict or problem is the main character(s) dealing with? What does this passage reveal about the conflict and how the character is dealing with it? How do you think the character will resolve this conflict?

     5.  Puzzled:  Are you puzzled or confused about anything in the story? What confused you and what helped you to clarify some questions that you had?

     6.  Theme:  What do you think is one of the themes (messages) in the book? What does this passage reveal about this theme? What is the author saying about this issue through the characters, conflict, setting or other elements in this passage?

     7. Compare this story to another that you have read. How does this passage remind you of the other story, its characters, setting, plot or other elements?

     8.  Personal Connection:  How can you relate to this story? What did you connect with (character emotions, situations, environment...)? How is this story different from your life and experiences?

     9.  Plot:  What interests you about this story's plot? Describe the plot in this passage. What are you looking forward to finding out at this point in the story? Waht still remains unanswered in this passage?

     10.  Open Topic?  You may a choose a passage that interests you for any reason.  You may repeat one of the above prompts or write about something different.  Refer to your chosen passage in your response.

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Choice Books: Choose One
 
Nineteen Minutes
by Jody Picoult
High school student Peter Houghton has endured years of verbal and physical abuse from classmates. One final incident of bullying sends Peter over the edge and leads him to commit an act of violence that forever changes the lives of the town’s residents. The superior court judge assigned to the case, whose daughter witnessed the events, must decide whether or not to step down. This is a thought-provoking novel that has at its center a haunting question: do we ever really know someone?
 Ball Don’t Lie
by Matt de la Pena
Raised in the foster system, Sticky has nowhere to call home but the street. He has an attitude that is unwelcoming to all who approach him. His only love is basketball, and he can really play. This may be his ticket out, if he can only realize that he doesn’t have to be the person everyone expects him to be.
 
Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie
Nerdy, fourteen-year-old Arnold Spirit lives on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington State. One of Arnold’s teachers recognizes his abilities and  suggests that he transfer to a school outside of the reservation. There he attempts to come to terms with Native American and white cultures-sometimes successfully and sometimes not.
 
Beasts of No Nation ***
by Uzodinma Iweala
Set in an unnamed West African country, this novel shows civil war from a child's viewpoint. After his mother and sister escape and his father is killed, the traumatized young narrator is discovered by guerrilla fighters. Frightened and alone, he joins the men as a child soldier in an army of terror headed by a treacherous leader. This story describes violent atrocities, and scenes of bloodshed, death and despair, and a child's struggle to rediscover his own humanity after war. "I am some sort of beast or devil," the boy says, "But I am also having mother once, and she is loving me."
 
Everlost
by Neal Shusterman
Following a fatal car accident, teenagers Nick and Allie collide with each other and are shoved into an alternate state of existence. No longer living, but not yet at the end of their “journey,” they land in Everlost, a land populated with child and teen spirits. There are rules in Everlost that new "greensouls" must learn to survive: keep moving, don't fall into a routine, don't seek the living, watch out for gangs, and steer clear of the McGill, Everlost’s resident monster.
 
The Glass Castle
by Jeannette Walls
This memoir is not the description of a blissful childhood. The author's alcoholic dad steals the family grocery money, and her mother would rather paint than be a mother. Jeannette Walls has written her life story, describing her extremely dysfunctional family life. She remembers the poverty, hunger, jokes, and bullying she and her siblings endured. Shocking, sad, and bitter, this account speaks honestly about her parents and about the strength of family ties.
 
The Magical Life of Long Tack Sam
by Ann Marie Fleming
Written in the form of a graphic novel, this is a full-color biography of China's greatest magician written by his great-granddaughter. This true story tells of the extraordinary life and career of Long Tack Sam, from his youth in China to his diverse roles as an acrobat, magician, comic, theater owner, world traveler, and more.
 
In Our Time
by Ernest Hemingway
This book contains fifteen vignettes, each one showing characters under stress, in settings such as WWI battlefields, Spanish bullfights, racetracks, and Indian camps. The collection introduces Nick Adams, a character who shares many of Hemingway’s own characteristics.
 
***PLEASE NOTE: This book contains mature language and content. As a family, please show care in the selection process.
 
 Assessment for Choice Books:

Students will be placed in DISCUSSION GROUPS based on the book they read from the Choice list. Students will be required to come to the discussion group with 5 questions prepared in advance. The students will be evaluated by the facilitator and their peers in the group.  A self-evaluation will also factor into the average of the score.

 

 

*** A note about Fall Assessments:

Both selections of the summer reading will be assessed.  The combination of the scores on these assessments will be a test grade in the student's core English class.

 
 
 

Comments (0)

You don't have permission to comment on this page.

Printable version
 
Anonymous Create an account or Log in