CP English 10 Summer Reading Assignment - 2014-2015
For your summer reading, you will choose ONE of the novels listed below to read and complete the
reading assignment. A brief description of each novel can be found on the next page.

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Written in 1988. 197 pages)

Copper Sun by Sharon Draper (Written in 2006. 336 pages)

Sold by Patricia McCormick (Written in 2006. 263 pages)

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzenitsyn (Written in 1962. 201 pages)
You will need to acquire a copy of the book and bring it with you on the first day of school. Please be proactive
about doing cursory level research before you select your titles; get an idea of what your book is about and
where it is available before you buy it at Half Price Books, Amazon, Half.com, or EBay. You might even see if
there are PDFs online before you buy.
For your book, you must complete the following:
1. Divide your book into fourths by taking the number of pages and dividing by four.
2. Make sure to annotate each of your books while you are reading. This is a class expectation, and helps
you with your thinking about the book, as well as piecing critical ideas together for your writing. There
are instructions for annotating novels in this packet; use this resource as a guide for the expectations of
this class when reading literature. You should bring your novels to class on the first day.
3. Choose a total of two (2) passages or quotes from your book that correspond to each fourth. That’s a
total of eight (8) passages or quotes [4 fourths x 2 quotes per fourth = 8 quotes total].
4. Type your quotations, making sure to use the proper citations (MLA format) for each quote. For each
quotation you record, select one (1) of the provided reading prompts to respond to (see part A on the
next page). Make sure to indicate which prompt you are responding to. Each response should be at
least a paragraph in length (min. 5-7 sentences). You will answer eight (8) prompts for your book. You
MAY NOT repeat a prompt – you must choose a different prompt each time for your passage or quote.
5. In addition to reading and responding to your chosen novel, you must also read “The Quest for a Myth”
by William J. O’Malley (this document can be found at the end of this assignment packet). Annotations
are REQUIRED for this piece. Your printed, paper copy of this document will be collected on the first
day of school, and you will be graded on the thoroughness of your annotations over the piece. After you
have read and annotated this piece, you must then write ONE (1) final paragraph over the reflective
prompt listed on the following page (see part B). You will ultimately be turning in your 9-paragraph
MLA-format paper, and an annotated copy of "The Quest for a Myth" on the first day of school.
6. MLA format is required. If you need a refresher on how to do this, please go to:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/. MLA format is my expectation for all writing and
is part of your grade on rubrics. Work that does not meet this requirement will not be accepted.
7. Assignment is due--Wednesday, August 20, 2014 (the first day of the school year).
8.
My email is [email protected], if you have any concerns or questions.
Information and Assignment Details
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (Written in 1988. 197 pages)
Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy, dreams of travelling in search of a treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his
home in Spain he journeys to the markets of Tangiers and across the Egyptian desert to a fateful encounter with the alchemist.
Copper Sun by Sharon Draper (Written in 2006. 336 pages)
When slave traders invade Amari's village, she is dragged to a ship bound for the Carolinas. Sold to a cruel man, Amari befriends
a white indentured servant named Polly and struggles to hold on to her memories in the face of hopelessness and despair.
Sold by Patricia McCormick (Written in 2006. 263 pages)
Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut on a mountain in Nepal. Though she is desperately
poor, her life is full of simple pleasures. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family’s
crops, Lakshmi’s stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzenitsyn (Written in 1962. 201 pages)
Ivan Denisovich endures many hardships without a second thought – icy winds, hunger, hard labor. Ivan, also called Shukhov,
has been imprisoned for years on empty charges, sentenced to the waking nightmare of Soviet work camps in Siberia. But even in
the face of such struggles, where life is reduced to a bowl of gruel and a rare cigarette, hope and dignity prevail.
A. Reading Prompts: You will choose a different prompt to respond to for each key passage you identify.
**[This should give your paper eight (8) response paragraphs over eight (8) different prompts.]**
1. Who is speaking? Where does this particular scene take place (setting)? Explain the character’s thoughts,
motives, and actions; (i.e., What does the person mean?)
2. How would you summarize the idea expressed here?
3. What does this excerpt reveal about the characters(s) or ideas (themes) in the book? What is your opinion of the
character(s)? Use textual evidence to substantiate your claim.
4. What literary device/technique (i.e., symbolism, flashback, irony, simile, personification, allusion, etc.) does the
author use to convey the meaning?
5. I really don’t understand why….
6. I (dis)agree wholeheartedly with the idea/statement that…
7. I think the message that the author is trying to convey is…
8. This passage is similar to a time in my life when….
9. This passage reminds me of the character ____________________ from the literary work,
___________________. (Include the character’s name and title of work.)
10. If I were (character in book), I would have said/done... OR, If I were (specify the situation/dilemma), I would
have said/done…
11. This passage/quote/excerpt is significant because….
B. Final Prompt: After writing your response paragraphs, you will annotate the text of “The Quest for a
Myth” by William O’Malley, and write a FINAL reflective paragraph over the prompt below. Remember that
your entire assignment must be in correct MLA format. **[This will be your final paragraph – this reflective
response, along with your responses above, will give your paper 9 paragraphs total.]**
In “The Quest for a Myth," O’Malley lists two major questions that face all people as they begin their quest: Who am
I? and Where do I fit in? After finishing your novel, consider: has the protagonist found his or her answer to those
questions? Why or why not? In addition, what elements of their quest can apply to your life? What is your answer to
those same two questions?
Instructions for Annotating a Text: Use this for your novels
Annotate – v. To furnish (a literary work) with critical commentary or explanatory notes
Inside Front Cover: Keep a character list with a small space for character summary and for
page references for key scenes, moments of character development, etc.
Inside Back Cover: Make note of your thoughts about themes, allusions, images, motifs, key
scenes, plot line, epiphanies, etc. List and add page references and/or notes as you read.
Additional Markings:
Chapter summaries/titles: At the end of each chapter, write a brief summary of the plot as it
occurred in that chapter. This does not have to be long or greatly detailed, but should include all
relevant incidents. Use plot-related language (TP, cf, Cx, RA, etc.), see below, whenever
possible in your summary. Supply an instructive title for each chapter of the book. This may
prove useful for books in which chapters are already titled. This practice will help you solidify
your understanding of a chapter in just a few of your own words.
Underline: Within the text of the book, and as you read, underline or otherwise note anything
that strikes you as important, significant, or memorable. If possible and profitable, write brief
comments within the side margins that indicate your motivation in underlining. Focus on
essential stylistic devices (diction, syntax, imagery, literary devices, tone) and elements of
literature (plot, setting, characterization, point of view and theme). Often, I underline isolated
words and phrases. Occasionally, I connect such underlinings with a line, in essence creating a
new sentence, a distillation of ideas or meaning.
Brackets: Use brackets, as you read, together with abbreviations and symbols to indicate
passages (too long to underline) that contain important themes, wonderfully nuanced
descriptions, especially delightful phrasing and/or syntax, provocative assertions, and figurative
language. And, of course, write comments and analytical snippets to clarify your thinking.
Vocabulary/unusual diction: Within the text of the book, circle words that are unfamiliar to
you or whose use strikes you as unusual or inventive. Look up words in a dictionary that seem
essential to an understanding of the meaning or the sense of the author. If it helps to do so, jot a
brief definition or synonym nearby.
Questions: Actively engage the text and further/confirm your understanding of each chapter by
writing at least two open-ended questions for each. Short essay questions are most useful.
Shifts: The Process: Note all shifts in point of view. Note all shifts in time. Note all shifts in
diction and syntax.
There are a number of procedural expectations that make annotation practical and effective.
1. Implement a consistent system. Use the same abbreviations/symbols every time you annotate
(See Below).
2. Use one color ink or pencil to make initial markings while reading; then go back with another
color or colors to mark more thoroughly once you have finished a larger section and have had
time to think about it. Why? You may change your mind or get it wrong the first time, or
subsequent discoveries may prompt a reevaluation of earlier findings.
3. Do underlining, bracket notations, and circling as you read.
4. At chapter or section ends, stop to index page numbers on your front cover list of character
information and traits as well as on your back cover list of themes, images, allusions, etc.
Also, write chapter summaries at that time.
5. Be neat and be disciplined.
Some suggested ABBREVIATIONS/SYMBOLS:
* = important
b/c = because
+ = and
w/ = with
info = information
w/o = without
Δ = change
b/t = between
e.g. = for example
** = very important
↑ = increase, improvement, rising
↓ = decrease, decline, falling
S = setting
Th = theme
Ch = characterization
cf = conflict
b4 = before
i.e. = in other words
POV = point of view (mention type: 1st person, limited omniscient, etc.)
LT = literary term (identify the term by name: irony, tone, foreshadowing, personification,
metaphor, symbol, etc.)
Final Thoughts on Annotation: Think critically about what you are reading. While the amount
of annotation may vary widely from page to page, any thoughtful notes you add to a text will
help you to read more critically – any thoughtful attempt to annotate your book will help you to
understand the reading as you read – and, as I hope these instructions made clear, will help you
return to the reading with confidence later.
Annotating an Essay or Short Story
Annotation involves highlighting or preferably underlining key points and circling unknown
vocabulary words. But equally important is writing comments in the margin of the text. These
comments/labels help you make connections to the reading and provide an excellent short cut for
reviewing the key points of the essay in order to compose your own written response or prepare for a
test or quiz on the reading.
Annotation Steps:

Underline, highlight, or circle main ideas, key points, important vocabulary, important dates and
names, etc.

Provide definitions for vocabulary words and explanations of other challenging ideas or terms
directly on the text

Add your own comments in the margins of the text. These comments may serve any of the
following purposes (or you might have ideas of your own)
o Label the type of material the paragraph covered, for example, “Childhood years,”
“Examples of Edison’s inventions,” “Causes of extinction.”
o Label the organization, for example, “Introduction,” First main idea,” and “Background
information.”
o Add your own personal reactions and connections. As you read, you will be reminded of
similar events that have happened in your own life, issues you have read in other classes,
or things you have seen in the media. You might write, “My experience with accident,”
“Like Native American story in sociology,” or “Chilean coal miners.”
o Ask questions about issues you don’t understand in the text or new questions that occur
to you. These questions provide ideas for research.
o Argue if you don’t agree with the writer or the essay. You might write, “No! Not my
experience,” or “Author has never had a blue collar job--he doesn’t know!” These
arguments may provide a spring-board for your own writing.
Some additional symbols that may be helpful when reading and annotating shorter pieces:
? = questions or areas of confusion
= interesting or impactful points for you personally
! = major ideas or themes
= use arrows to connect ideas and show relationships
√ = confirms your ideas or makes sense
X = conflicts with previous assumptions/beliefs
Ref. = mark references or allusions to other works or cultural touchstones
WARNING – you must write down questions and comments as you go along.
DO NOT simply rely on your symbols to help you remember.
REMINDER: You should print and mark insightful annotations on a paper copy of this
document, to be turned in along with your response paper on Wednesday, August 20th, 2014.
O'Malley, William J. "The Quest For A Myth."
America 175.16 (1996): 18. MasterFILE
Premier. Web. 16 May 2014.