Hamden High School
Required Summer Reading Assignment
Note-taking Sheets, Summer 2015
Directions: Completely fill out all ten sections of the double-entry notes for each book, (see
example below). Use passages from the book that inform your understanding of the text’s
major themes or central ideas and your thoughts about them. You may use additional sheets if
necessary. Though the example is from a work of fiction, double-entry notes can be used for
nonfiction titles as well. You should be looking for quotes that are important to you and help
you understand the larger meanings of the text.
For fiction, you may want to think about the quality of the author’s craft and his or her use of
literary elements, or you may want to discuss character development, plot development,
themes, or real world connections and applications. For nonfiction, think about the main ideas
of the book and how well the author presents them; discuss textual elements, author’s tone or
evaluate the importance of the text’s main ideas in connection to contemporary issues.
When you return to school for the 2015-2016 academic year, you will be required to write a
well-developed, formal essay about the book you read from the required grade-level list. You
will have to develop an argument about the quality of the book based on these notes. You will
be required to make specific references to the text to support your argument. Your essay will
be assessed using the school-wide writing rubric.
Passage from the text and
page number
“It’s okay… We aren’t in the
same class. Just don’t forget
that some of us watch the
sunset too.” (page 50,
Ponyboy, The Outsiders)
What this passage
shows/ means to me/ means to the text…
Ponyboy speaks these words to Cherry Valance. He suggests
that the sunset is an equalizer between the greasers and Socs.
He realizes that even though the two groups have different
lifestyles and biases because of their different social and
economic classes, they are still the same. The words “some of
us watch the sunset” suggest that stereotypes about greasers
are just that and that they can appreciate the beauty in the
world just like anyone else. This acknowledgement of them
being the same but different is a small step to possibly
undoing the gang rivalry between the two groups.
Book title 1:
Author:
Book title 2:
Author: