Pre-AP English 2 Summer Reading Assignment
Lord of the Flies Dialectical Journal
What is a dialectical journal?
The term “dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving questions
and answers.” A dialectic journal should help you develop a better understanding of the novel.
Assignment:
Complete at least one journal entry per chapter as you read Lord of the Flies. As you read, choose passages that
stand out to you and record them in the left-hand column of a T-chart (include page numbers). In the right
column, write your response to the text (ideas/insights, questions, reflections, and comments on each passage).
Look for quotes that seem significant, powerful, thought provoking or puzzling. For example:
 Effective &/or creative use of stylistic or literary devices
 Passages that remind you of your own life or something you’ve seen before
 Structural shifts or turns in the plot
 A passage that makes you realize something you hadn’t seen before
 Examples of patterns: recurring images, ideas, colors, symbols or motifs.
 Passages with confusing language or unfamiliar vocabulary
 Events you find surprising or confusing
 Passages that illustrate a particular character or setting
Respond to passages critically. For example:
 Analyze the text for use of literary devices (tone, structure, style, imagery)
 Make connections between different characters or events in the text
 Make connections to a different text (or film, song, etc…)
 Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
 Consider an event or description from the perspective of a different character
 Analyze a passage and its relationship to the story as a whole
Due Date:
This assignment is due the first week of school. This journal will be used as a part of class discussion and other
assignments at the start of the school year. Additionally, students should be prepared for a reading quiz.
Example journal entry for The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Passage from Novel
Student Response/Question
“-they carried like freight trains; they
carried it on their backs and shouldersand for all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all
the mysteries and unknowns, there was at
least the single abiding certainty that
they would never be at a loss for things
to carry” (O’Brien 2).
O’Brien chooses to end the first section of the novel with this
sentence. He provides excellent visual details of what each soldier in
Vietnam would carry for day-to-day fighting. He makes you feel the
physical weight of what soldiers have to carry for simple survival.
When you combine the emotional weight of loved ones at home, the
fear of death, and the responsibility for the men you fight with, with
this physical weight, you start to understand what soldiers in Vietnam
dealt with every day. This quote sums up the confusion that the men
felt about the reasons they were fighting the war, and how they clung
to the only certainty - things they had to carry - in a confusing world
where normal rules were suspended.
May, 2012
Dear Student and Parent:
In Midland ISD, incoming students enrolled in Pre-AP and AP courses are required to complete a summer
reading assignment in order to prepare them for the rigorous curriculum of a Pre-AP course. A summer
reading program not only will allow students to maintain critical reading skills and improve independent
learning, but it will also build the framework for learning throughout the year.
You have chosen to participate in the Pre-AP / AP English II Program for the 2012 - 2013 school year. For the
summer of 2012, incoming students in Pre-AP English II will read the following title:
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
This book may be purchased on-line or at one of the local bookstores, or if that is prohibitive, students may
check out a copy from the library. Students may also contact their school campus or call 689-1014 for
additional help in locating copies of these books. We will begin the school year with these pieces, so it is
imperative to do the work before school begins.
DUE DATE: The reading assignment will be due the first week of school.
Thank you for your cooperation and support.
Sincerely,
Debbie Byrd
Pre-AP English II
Midland Senior High School
Leah Harrell
Pre-AP English II
Lee Senior High School
Joey Gay
Pre-AP English II
Early College High School @Midland College