Lake Mead Christian Academy’s Summer Reading Program for all incoming 9th Grade College Prep students Purpose Statement: : “…In the 1982 “Beginning School Study,” researchers Karl Alexander and Doris Entwisle of the Johns Hopkins Center for Summer Learning (now the National Center for Summer Learning) found that by the end of fifth grade, students who didn’t read during the summer lagged two years behind their book-­‐
reading peers” (Fiore, 2010). Numerous studies have shown the loss of learning over the summer months can be detrimental to students’ education. Providing students with the opportunity to read over the summer allows a fun way for students of all ages to combat this learning slide. Lake Mead Christian Academy, in its desire to create disciples as well as educate students, has implemented a Summer Reading Program. This program offers many benefits to students, not the least of which is helping them to discover the joy of reading. Literacy skills include reading, writing, speaking and thinking. Each of these skills requires practice. To aid students in improving their literacy skills, the Summer Reading Program engages students in a variety of activities that will build these skills. The Summer Reading Program is an excellent opportunity for students to experience ongoing enrichment that will challenge students throughout the summer months and continuing the educational experience beyond the classroom walls. Requirements: All incoming 9th grade college prep students will read three (3) books over the summer. One book will be of the student’s own choosing, one book students will choose from the approved Summer Reading List (provided) and the final is the teacher chosen Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. For each book completed, students must complete a Reading Journal for a total of three (3) Reading Journals. Students are also required to write a 2-­‐3 page paper for one of the three (3) books read. These assignments will be due to their English teacher on the first day of the 2014-­‐2015 school year. Students should be prepared to discuss and complete activities for the teacher chosen book on the first day of class. 9th Grade Reading List Title and Author Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom (required) Description Nearly 20 years after their first lessons, now dying college professor Morrie imparts his wisdom to student Mitch during weekly Tuesday meetings. A gentle mentor imparts the lessons of a long life. A Separate Peace An American classic and great bestseller for over thirty years, A by John Knowles Separate Peace is timeless in its description of adolescence during a period when the entire country was losing its innocence to the second world war. Set at a boys' boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world. A bestseller for more than thirty years, A Separate Peace is John Knowles's crowning achievement and an undisputed American classic. The Hound of the Holmes and Watson are faced with their most terrifying case Baskervilles by Sir yet. The legend of the devil-­‐beast that haunts the moors around Arthur Conan the Baskerville families home warns the descendants of that Doyle ancient clan never to venture out in those dark hours when the power of evil is exalted. Now, the most recent Baskerville, Sir Charles, is dead and the footprints of a giant hound have been found near his body. Will the new heir meet the same fate? I Know Why the A phenomenal #1 bestseller that has appeared on the New York Caged Bird Sings Times bestseller list for nearly three years, this memoir traces by Maya Angelou Maya Angelou's childhood in a small, rural community during the 1930s. Filled with images and recollections that point to the dignity and courage of black men and women, Angelou paints a sometimes disquieting, but always affecting picture of the people—and the times—that touched her life. Of Mice and Men The tragic story of the complex bond between two migrant by John Steinbeck laborers in Central California. They are George Milton and Lennie Small, itinerant ranch hands who dream of one day owning a small farm. George acts as a father figure to Lennie, who is a very large, simple-­‐minded man, calming him and helping to rein in his immense physical strength. A Reluctant You've read it as a biblical tale of courage. Experience it anew as Queen: The Love a heart-­‐stirring love story. Story of Esther by Joan Wolf Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen She was a simple girl faced with an impossible choice. He was a magnificent king with a lonely heart. Their love was the divine surprise that changed the course of history. The beloved story of Esther springs to fresh life in this inspired novel that vibrates with mystery, intrigue, and romance. Jane Austen's witty comedy of manners-­‐-­‐one of the most popular novels of all time-­‐-­‐that features splendidly civilized sparring between the proud Mr. Darcy and the prejudiced Elizabeth Bennet as they play out their spirited courtship in a series of eighteenth-­‐century drawing-­‐room intrigues.
9th Grade Reading Journal Requirements: Students will complete a Reading Journal for each of the three (3) books he/she reads over the summer. A minimum of ten (10) entries is required for each book for a total of at least thirty (30) entries. • Each entry should have its own page in a notebook or composition book. • Each page should be clearly labeled at the top with the title and author of the book and the date. • Pages should then be divided in half creating a double entry journal with both a left and a right side. • On the left side students should copy down a quote that they found interesting, that captures the main idea or displays characterization. • Beneath the quote on the left hand side should be listed the page number as well as the speaker. • On the right side students should give a brief context for the quote (what is happening, why is it important, who is involved, etc.) as well as explain why they chose this quote. Grading: Students will be graded on the quality of the quote chosen. Be sure to select quotes that are important to the overall story or have significance to you as the reader. Quotes selected randomly are difficult to respond to in an appropriate way. Students will also be graded on the thoughtfulness of their opinion and how well they connected the quote to either their own life or the rest of the novel. Do not simply give a summary. 9th Grade College Prep Writing Prompts Directions: Write a clearly organized 2-­‐3 page paper responding to the writing prompt for the book you have chosen. Your paper is due on the first day of the 2014-­‐2015 school year. Please bring them with you to English class. Tuesdays With Morrie Writing Prompt: You have been given the opportunity to spend 14 Tuesdays with the person of your choice. This person can be living or deceased. The only restriction is it CANNOT be Morrie Schwartz. Who would you spend your time with and why? Remember to give specific details in your answer. A Separate Peace Writing Prompt: Competition and rivalry play a large role in the novel. Considering the relationship between Gene and Finny, discuss whether or not competition between peers is a healthy or unhealthy thing. What are the dangers of competition/rivalry? Consider the last lines in the novel about constructing Maginot Lines against imaginary enemies in formulating your thesis. The Hound of the Baskervilles Writing Prompt: Compare and contrast this novel with another mystery/suspense story. You may use modern mysteries such as TVs Psych or Monk as well as other authors like Poe or Agatha Christie. Remember to use specific quotes from the novels/shows in your response. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Writing Prompt: Religion plays an important part in the lives of MaMa, Maya and Bailey. How do you think this helped them? Does your own religion help you in similar ways? Remember to use quotes from the novel to support your arguments. Of Mice and Men Writing Prompt: What would you say is the overall theme of this novel? How is it developed throughout the novel? Remember to use quotes to support your argument. A Reluctant Queen: The Love Story of Esther Writing Prompt: What is the lesson God is trying to teach using this story? Give specific quotes from the Bible as well as the novel to support your answer. Do you put this lesson into use in your own life? How? Pride and Prejudice Writing Prompt: How does Elizabeth’s character contrast that of typical English women of the time? What is Austen saying about society’s values in regard to proper behavior and the pursuit of marriage? Remember to use quotes from the novel to support your arguments. Bibliography Fiore, C. (2010, November 1). Summer Reading Programs Boost Student Achievement, Study Says. Retrieved April 22, 2013, from schoollibraryjournal.com: www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/887306-­‐
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