Poteet High School
GT English
Summer Reading Assignments 2015–2016
Summer reading assignments are due when you attend your first day of class. There is too much work here to wait
until the last minute. Start early and pace yourself.
Assignment #1:
Biography/Autobiography
Read a biography or autobiography of your choice*. Select a book that is appropriate both in content and reading
level. Although you are the one choosing the book, keep in mind that you want to choose carefully.
Then answer ten of the following fifteen items (seven from the first column and three from the second). Each
response needs to display some insight you have into your subject and be a minimum of 1 paragraph each (5-7
sentences). Please type your responses in standard MLA format and print it for the first day of school. Please label
each question clearly.
Column One
Column Two
Answer seven of these items in the first person from the Answer three of these items from your own
point of view of the subject of your
perspective.
biography/autobiography.
1. Tell me about your greatest accomplishment.
2. Tell me about the greatest obstacle you faced.
3. Explain the most controversial issue of your time.
4. What is your family life like?
5. Tell me about your greatest fear.
6. Describe your attitude toward your society.
7. What are your opinions on life in the 21st century?
8. Describe your mentor.
11. Why did you choose this subject’s
biography/autobiography?
12. What was the biggest surprise you learned about
your subject?
13. Explain whether you admire the subject more or
less after reading the biography/autobiography.
14. How do you identify with your subject? (What do
you have in common?)
15. What is the biggest disappointment you have in
your subject after reading the
biography/autobiography?
9. What is your position on being considered a role
model?
10. What are your philosophies about life? Do you have
a motto?
Need assistance on selecting a biography/autobiography? Take a look at these links:
http://tinyurl.com/826f2pw
http://tinyurl.com/qex4cwm
*You are free to select a subject from any time period. Actually, your responses could be quite interesting if he/she does not
exist in the 21st century.
Assignment #2:
The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Joseph Campbell
Read the Prologue and Part 1. As you read, annotate the chapters with your thoughts. (Keep in
mind that simply highlighting does not equal annotation. ALWAYS jot down a note or two
explaining your choice for highlighting a particular part).
Make annotations on nine of the seventeen steps of the hero’s journey:
• all five steps from the “Departure” +
• two steps from the “Initiation” +
• two steps from the “Return.”
You should write your comments, questions, confusions, connections, etc. on these 9 steps. Be thorough. Bring
your book on the first day of school so that I can check your notions. Be prepared to work closely with the text the
first day of class.
This book will be the basis of many of our discussions and your first major project.
2015-2016 STRAND B MAJOR WORKS (see the attached paper for the editions and translations to purchase)
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
The Iliad by Homer
Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare
Henry V by William Shakespeare
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
In addition, we will be reading Greek plays, and you will choose a novel to read by the last six weeks. There will be
more details about this novel later in the school year. I will assign dates for these works, or portions of these works,
once school begins. Because we engage in close reading analysis, you should purchase your own copies of the works
we will study for the sake of convenience (reading ahead, marking passages, and writing notes in the text). These
titles are available at the local library if you are unable to purchase them. Many students have used the online text
but please keep in mind that if we write an analysis of the work, you will be responsible for providing correct
citations which includes the page numbers.
I recommend that you purchase these ahead of time. If you wait until we start reading, you may have a hard time
finding the book.
I look forward to the new school year. If you have questions about the summer reading, please e-mail me. Enjoy
your summer and happy reading! 
SUPPLIES NEEDED FOR THE YEAR
Mrs. Cribbs
[email protected]
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Journal (composition book)
3-Ring Binder, dividers, and paper
pens - blue or black ink for writing- & pencils
a stack of 4x6 note cards (seriously, 4x6)
multi-colored highlighters
Please bring your supplies daily. You will need the
note cards at the conclusion of each major work we
read.