SUMMER READING REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADES 9/10:
REQUIRED BOOKS:
GRADE 9- ANCIENT & CLASSICAL LITERATURE:
REQUIRED BOOKS:
Standard: I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak
Honors: I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak AND Lord of the Flies by William Golding
GRADE 10- LITERATURE BY GENRE:
REQUIRED BOOKS:
Standard: Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Honors: Revenge and Forgiveness: An Anthology of Poems edited by Patrice Vecchione AND Life of Pi by Yann Martel
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!
e) FOR POETRY: Choose prompts that are appropriate for poetry, such as prompts 3, 5, 6, and 8.
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.
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GRADE 9 & 10 CHOICE BOOKS:
Choose one of the following:
Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale
by Holly Black
With a rock singer for a mother, and faeries as childhood friends, 16-year-old Kaye's life has always been unconventional. When she rescues a gorgeous knight from mysterious attackers, Kaye is thrown into a terrifying, otherworldly war between two faerie kingdoms.
Sister Slam and the Poetic Motormouth Road Trip
by Linda Oatman High
Sister Slam, aka Laura Rose Crapper, and her best friend Twig go on a road trip to compete in a poetry slam. In New York City, they run into a beautiful guy named Jake, and take the New York slam scene by storm. They are an unlikely pair--fat, red-haired Sister Slam and skinny Twig. This is a story of a teenager who finds the strength to "Dream, Believe, Fly."
Animal Farm
by George Orwell
In this short novel, animals play the roles of the Bolshevik revolutionaries and overthrow the human owners of the farm. They set up a commune in which all animals are equal. Soon, class and status differences emerge between the different animal species. This novel cleverly describes how a society’s ideologies can be manipulated and twisted by individuals in positions of social and political power.
Emil and Karl
by Yankev Glatshteyn
In Vienna, Austria in 1940, two nine-year-old boys, one Jewish and one not, are best friends when events of the Nazi occupation draw them even closer together. They vow to stay together despite the most dangerous circumstances. Written as a suspense novel, this book offers a gripping look at life during this period.
American Born Chinese
by Gene Luen Yang
A graphic novel that alternates three stories about the problems of young Chinese Americans trying to fit in.Jin struggles with bullies, Chin-Kee is the ultimate stereotype, and Danny really wants to be popular. These three apparently unrelated tales come together with a surprising twist.
Surrender
by Sonya Hartnett
As he is dying, a twenty-year-old man known as Gabriel recounts his troubled childhood and his strange relationship with a dangerous counterpart named Finnigan. He realizes that only the most extreme measures will rid himself of Finnigan for good.
Monster
by Walter Dean Myers
Arrested and charged with murder, sixteen-year-old Steve Harmon is writing a screenplay of his ordeal. He describes courtroom drama and a sordid jailhouse setting, with flashbacks to the robbery that resulted in a shopkeeper's murder. Each character speaks for him or herself, leaving readers to judge for themselves the truthfulness of the defendants, witnesses, lawyers, and Steve himself. Did Steve serve as a lookout for the robbery? Was he in the store at all?
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Solider
by Ishmael Beah
This is how wars are fought now: by children on drugs, wielding AK-47s. Children have become soldiers of choice. Until now there has not been a first-person account from someone who came through this and survived. Ishmael Beah, now 25 years old, tells how at the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land that had become unrecognizable by violence. In this memoir, Beah, at heart a gentle boy, describes how he came to terms with truly terrible acts.
***Please note: Some books may contain mature language and / or content. As a family, please select titles from this list that are appropriate for your student.
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.
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