Summer Reading 2016
Dear Parents and Students,
The purposes of our summer reading program for MBJH students are to promote
continuous reading habits, to encourage reading for pleasure, and to establish a springboard for
class discussion in the fall. Our goal is to develop independent readers who will continue
lifelong reading habits because they find personal value in reading and sharing good books.
Recognizing the interest of parents in their children’s reading development, we encourage
parents to nurture that development and to make recommendations to their children
throughout the year.
Class discussions and assessments at the beginning of school will focus on the books you
read.
HAPPY READING! BOOKS MUST BE FINISHED BY THE BEGINNING OF SCHOOL! REQUIRED
SELECTIONS WERE MADE WITH CLASS INSTRUCTION IN MIND, SO NO SUBSTITUTIONS, PLEASE.
Sincerely yours,
MBJH English Teachers
READ Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson
Students often associate Abraham Lincoln with three things: he wore a tall hat, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation,
and he was assassinated. The murder of Lincoln, whom most historians consider one of the country’s most important presidents, had
major consequences for our nation and for the Reconstruction period that followed the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln’s killer, John Wilkes Booth, was a Maryland native born in 1838 who remained in the North during the Civil
War despite his Confederate sympathies. As the conflict entered its final stages, he and several associates hatched a plot to kidnap the
president and take him to Richmond, the Confederate capital. However, on March 20, 1865, the day of the planned kidnapping,
Lincoln failed to appear at the spot where Booth and his six fellow conspirators lay in wait. Two weeks later, Richmond fell to Union
forces. In April, with Confederate armies near collapse across the South, Booth came up with a desperate plan to save the
Confederacy.
Learning that Lincoln was to attend Laura Keene’s acclaimed performance of “Our American Cousin” at Ford’s Theatre
in Washington, D.C., on April 14, Booth—himself a well-known actor at the time—masterminded the simultaneous assassination of
Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson and Secretary of State William H. Seward. By murdering the president and two of his possible
successors, Booth and his co-conspirators hoped to throw the U.S. government into disarray and inspire the South to continue the
war, despite the recent surrender at Appomattox.
John Wilkes Booth’s premeditated attack was a carefully orchestrated plot involving at least eight other participants. The fact
that President Lincoln was shot while enjoying a show at Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, leaves students wondering how it could
have happened. A week earlier General Lee had surrendered to General Grant. The nation was finally looking forward to peace. Yet
out of the shadows came Booth to kill the president.
Students exploring this type of turning point in American history are frequently frustrated by a lack of understanding of the
event. While comprehensive answers may never be available to explain how these crimes could have taken place, we can examine the
circumstances surrounding them to gather a partial understanding of why they happened.
Answer the following questions (typed, double spaced) in complete sentences and in a way that shows your knowledge of the book. Your
answers should be YOUR work, and only your work.
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When and why did Booth’s plan transition from kidnapping to assassination?
How did Booth's career as an actor influence his plan for the assassination? How did it also help with his escape?
What happened at the home of Secretary of State William H. Seward? Explain in detail.
What was the original escape plan for the conspirators? Did it go as planned? Support your explanation with textual
evidence and details.
What part did Mary Surratt play in the assassination? What part did Dr. Samuel Mudd play in the events after the
assassination?
Who is Thomas Jones? How does he support Booth and Herold? How does his intimate knowledge of the Potomac become
necessary?
Why was Booth surprised by the reactions to the assassination in the D.C. newspapers? Explain how the tide of opinion had
changed about the president.
How were the Garretts duped into helping John Wilkes Booth and David Herold? In the end, how did they end up aiding the
Union troops in their pursuit of these most wanted outlaws?
Describe the capture scene of Booth and Herold. What happened? Who was involved? Result?
Answer this question AFTER reading the book: What information in the prologue helped you better understand about the
Civil War? Explain.
Are you a visual learner? Want to see a movie that‘s related to this book?
Consider watching one of the following:
Killing Lincoln, narrated by Tom Hanks
Lincoln, Steven Spielberg
The Conspirator, Robert Redford
Youtube.com has several long videos from reputable sources about Lincoln and the assassination
(NEXT PAGE)
READ Watership Down by Richard Adams
Is Watership Down just a book about bunnies? On the surface, yes, but as is the case in all allegories, it is quite possible that
Richard Adams was discussing more than just a tale about rabbits on a journey.
Watership Down tells the story of a group of rabbits who are forced from their warren. In this story, Hazel (who is NOT a girl), our
protagonist, has a little brother named Fiver (his name is pronounced “five- er”…like the number five). Fiver has horrific — and as later
events prove, accurate — visions of the destruction of their home warren at Sandleford, but Hazel can't convince their Chief Rabbit to
pay attention to his “crazy” brother, so he persuades a few of his friends to join him in leaving their homes to escape the impending
doom. Of the ones who join Hazel and Fiver, the ones of note are Bigwig, one of the community's Owsla (a sort of Royal Guard),
and Blackberry, who is, by the standards of their tribe, a mechanical genius. For instance, he is the only rabbit to even come close to
understanding basic physics... like, for instance, "floating on water." Caution is a way of life for these rabbits because death is a
moment-to-moment possibility.
Hazel quickly realizes that the group’s survival will require problem-solving and teamwork, and thus, he becomes the leader
of the group, with a particular talent for bringing out the best in his followers and earning their loyalty in return. Under Hazel’s
leadership, the rabbits begin their journey from Sandleford to Watership Down.
Their journey is long and punctuated by times of rest, during which they share stories. Whether in danger or in celebration, it
is their nature to tell their stories. You see, in rabbit culture, just as in ours, myths and stories are important. To this end, Adams adds
one more character into his story: Dandelion. Most often, it is Dandelion who is called upon to share stories with the others. These
rabbit stories and myths concern the adventures of El-ahrairah, their folk hero, the Prince with a Thousand Enemies. El-ahrairah is
a trickster hero. Please don't think that these El-ahrairah stories are just separated breaks from the “real story” of the rabbit’s
adventures, because they build up an intricate belief system. Through these stories the rabbits pass on their beliefs to their young,
provide a moral framework for their society, and protect themselves against those whom would attack their way of life.
Assignment:
1. Each chapter begins with a quotation. Pick one quotation from each part of the book (four total) and
after reading the chapter, explain how that quotation relates to the chapter’s events.
a. Each explanation should start with the quotation from the beginning of the chapter. Should the
quotation be properly punctuated and cited? Yep!
b. Remember, this is commentary, so explain how this quotation relates to the events or essence of
the chapter.
c. Length – Your explanation should be about 5-8 sentences long.
2. Most people agree that “two heads are better than one,” so to speak. The rabbits seem to believe this is
true as well. Many tasks are accomplished by using the strengths and skills of many different rabbits, not
just that of “the leader.” Consider the following rabbits: Hazel, Dandelion, Blackberry, Bigwig, and Fiver.
Identify each rabbit’s special strength or skill and then explain how each rabbit uses that strength or skill
to help the group as a whole. Keep your explanation grounded in the text; evidence would be valuable.
a. Format: Create a table with three columns and five rows. In the first column, type out the names
of the five rabbits. In the second column, identify the strengths or skills each rabbit brings to the
group. In the third column, explain how each rabbit uses that particular strength or skill to help
the group.
b. Length: The explanation in the third column should be roughly 3-5 sentences long.
3. Defend the statement – “Hazel is a qualified and valuable leader.” What does he do that proves this
statement? What character traits or strengths makes him qualified? Which scenes or actions prove this?
a. Write one extended paragraph that addresses this prompt.
b. MLA format: typed, margins, heading, header, font, spacing, title, etc.
c. Length: you decide, but know this – I want this to be a well-thought and developed paragraph.
Watership Down Essay:
Relax! This is not an assignment! Students will write a paper on Watership Down in the first nine weeks. When I
asked my current students if they thought it would be beneficial to have the essay prompts prior to reading the
book, there was a resounding “Yes!” Well, here are the essay prompts:
1. Theme analysis: Two important themes in the novel Watership Down are “courage” and “the will to
survive.” Identify one character who embodies one of the themes and prove it by using three different
scenes from the story.
2. Character analysis: Identify one prominent character from the story and identify three important
character traits of that character, such as courage or intelligence. Explain why those character traits are
important to the character’s / warren’s survival.
3. Character analysis of Fiver: How has Fiver’s reputation changed by the end of the novel? How was he
viewed in the beginning? How was he viewed in the end?
4. Character analysis of Hazel: How has Hazel grown into the role of leader? How was his leadership in the
beginning? End? What changed? Evidence?
5. Character analysis of Woundwort: Describe the rise and fall of General Woundwort. How did he come to
power? How did he lose it? How does hubris come into play?
Why do I have these? What good are they to me now? Some students like (even need) to annotate the book as
they read. Now that you know the essay prompts, that may help to focus what you consider annotating.