Dear Humanities Sophomores,
We wish for you summer days that are filled with relaxation, pleasurable pursuits, and the joy of
reading. We have selected two required books and three individual chapters to prepare you for the
upcoming interdisciplinary courses of Humanities English 10, Humanities AP NSL, Media
Literacy, and Media Productions. Although you will be assessed on the two required Humanities
books on the second day after your return to school, we ask you to focus on the insights about
writing, leadership, justice, and public policy that you gain through these books. You will also
need to locate additional sources of your own for Media Literacy. Be prepared to discuss them
upon your return next year. We encourage you to read widely and voraciously beyond the
requirements indicated in this letter so that you enjoy the intellectual and emotional journeys of
great books!
Have a wonderful and safe summer! Keep in mind, all written work is due on the first day
of school.
Humanities English 10 Summer Assignment – Elements of Style, Fourth Edition
Some works stand the test of time better than others. Despite its brevity, William Strunk,
Jr. and E.B. White’s The Elements of Style is one of these texts.
Please read The Elements of Style, Fourth Edition in its entirety –
relax, it is less than one-hundred pages, including the afterward,
glossary and index. Choose one element each from sections I, II
and V of The Elements of Style as a goal for improving in your
writing. Write a one-page reflection – that is one page total – about
why you chose these elements and how you believe they can
positively impact your writing.
This reflection will be your first opportunity to impress me with your
writing skills so do your best. Email me your reflection by the first day
of school. My email address is [email protected].
1.
Read Into the Wild and, while reading it, take notes in a
journal on how Christopher McCandless is described by his
friends, family and acquaintances. Your notes should
consist of a quotation from the text and then a conclusion
drawn from the quotation about what type of person
McCandless is, according to the person being quoted.
2. After reading the entire book, compose a 1-2 page
argument which you take and develop a position on
whether McCandless is mentally competent. You should
have a valid, legal definition for competency. As this is an
argument, all claims should be supported with relevant
examples from the text. This argument is due on the first day of class.
HUMANITIES AP NSL
Read the book titled: Miracle at Philadelphia – Catherine Drinker Bowen
“Miracle at Philadelphia is Catherine Drinker Bowen's narrative account of the Constitutional
Convention that is held in 1787, during which delegates from 12 of the 13 newly independent
American states hammer out what will become the United States Constitution, which is still in
effect today. Bowen works from the diaries and notes of delegates, including James Madison, and
includes contemporary newspaper accounts to paint a human portrait of the Convention, complete
with the tensions and dissensions between states that threaten to tear apart the Convention and
perhaps even the young country.”
1. As you read this narrative, keep a timeline of the topics discussed and outcomes that were
reached. Consider what influenced the members of the convention to debate and argue their
ideas. Which members were able to command the attention of the convention and really put their
stamp on the Constitution? Why did the members agree to certain ideas and not to others,
likewise, why did they choose to tackle certain issues and leave others alone? Your timeline can
be done in calendar format, timeline format, or some other creative format of recording the
information.
2. We all know the major players of the Constitutional era, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin,
John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson (although he was in France at the time) and
James Madison, but there were many other contributors in the list of 55 members that attended
the convention. Please pick someone, other than the above mentioned and write a character
analysis of that member. It should include their background, where they were from, occupation,
what major ideas did they work on – why did they argue for what they argued for? Did they
represent their own interests or their states interests? How did they affect the Constitution that we
use today? Your character analysis should be at least a page long in a well written report format.
Our early conversations in Humanities English and Humanities AP NSL will focus on the
summer reading and launch our year-long exploration of the human and political dimensions of
leadership, justice, and public policy. This text will also help prepare us for our journey to
Philadelphia on our field trip. See you in August!
Any Questions: [email protected]
Humanities 10: Seminar Argument Research
Choose a topic making headlines this summer. Find three different columns or editorials
that conflict with each other surrounding this topic. Good sources for opinion pages
include the Op Ed (opposite the editorial page) pages of major daily newspapers (The New
York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal), internet news sources (BBC News,
NPR, Huffington Post), and print and online magazines (Slate, Wired, The Atlantic, The
New Republic, The National Review, and Time). Keep in mind that you are looking for
publications that have views that may diverge widely from each other (and from you).
Another excellent source of editorials is dailyoped.com, which compiles most of the
editorials and columns from the major newspapers each day.
Evaluate which editorial is the most effective argument. Please evaluate the argument apart
from the article with which you may happen to agree.
Your written evaluation (keep it under two pages) will be graded according to the following
criteria and is worth 20 formative points:
What Worked Well
What Needs
Points
Improvement
Strength of
__/5
evaluation
Quality of
__/10
development and
support
Clarity, precision,
__/5
and conciseness
*Your response should be typed, double spaced, 12 point Times New Roman Font.
Should you have questions, please contact Mr. McKenna or Mrs. Horan via
Google at [email protected] OR [email protected]
Sincerely,
Mr. Dryer Thackston, Humanities English 10
Mr. Jonathan Leong, Humanities AP NSL
Mrs. Katie Horan, Guided Research
Mr. Dan McKenna, Guided Research