Hasbrouck Heights High School Summer Reading 2015
Grade 9 English Language Arts
All work is due on the first day of school, and will be graded.
As the themes of “Journey” and “Self-Discovery” are an integral part of the 9th grade Language Arts
curriculum, each student is required to read a book representative of one of those themes. All students entering
grade 9 will read one of the following books:
Fiction
 1) The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein (Coincides with article 1)
 2) Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (Coincides with article 2)
 3) The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (Coincides with article 3)
 4) Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (Coincides with article 4)
Non-Fiction:
 5) The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman (Coincides with article 5)
The students will also be required to read one of the following articles. You must read the article that coincides
with the book you read
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1) “Map Exhibits help navigate history and ‘who we are’ “ by Jayne Clark, USA Today, 2007
2) “Just when it can’t get any worse …” by Karen Heller, Philadelphia Inquirer, 2014
3) “The Old Man and the Sea: 73-year-old to sail solo around the world in ‘bathtub’ boat” by Sheena McKenzie,
CNN WIRE 2012
4) “Compassionate Nurse Fosters Two Children” by Benedict Chimenya, Africa News Service, May 25, 2015
5) “Walking the Country As a Spiritual Quest” by Kate Murphy New York Times 2013
Directions and Assessments:
 Use the Venn Diagram to compare and contrast the novel and the article that you have read
(1 homework grade). When you use this diagram to compare and contrast, remember to use the
included categories. You are required to list 30 components.
 Complete the pre-writing for the essay response. You are required to write AT LEAST one
sentence per paragraph in order to prepare to write your response. This pre-writing is worth one
homework grade. Please be selective while choosing components to include from the Venn
Diagram.
 Type a four paragraph essay response to the prompt on the back of the Venn diagram. This response
must be written in MLA format (see http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/), Times
New Roman 12 font, 1” margins, following all heading, header, and spacing rules. This is worth a
test grade.
*Pre-AP 9: Additional Assignment!
Students entering into Pre-AP 9 will be given their additional assignment on the first day of school.
ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! POINTS WILL BE
DEDUCTED FOR LATE SUBMISSIONS (10 POINTS PER DAY).
Name:__________________________________________________________________________________________________ Date:_______________________
Compare/ Contrast
Directions: Use the Venn Diagram below to compile the following information: How does the information in your summer reading book and the information in
one of the articles compare? Use the following categories: Main Character, Setting, Plot. You must list 30 components (component = example)
Choose three of the details from the Venn Diagram and compose a typed 3-4 paragraph response: What components of
the article and the book are similar? Which qualities are completely different? Why do you think this article was chosen
to be read along with your summer reading book? Each paragraph should be 5-7 sentences. Use two specific examples
per paragraph, cite each example with a proper page number. Use the following lines for prewriting, your response
must be typed in MLA format: size 12 font, double spaced, proper heading, and 1 inch margins.
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