Bergen County Academies
American Literature II (Honors)
Summer Reading (2016)
DiAmico-King, Hathaway, Kouefati, Wilson, To Be Determined
As a rising sophomore, you are asked to read the following two novels in preparation for your American
Literature II (Honors) course.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
(ISBN 9781593080006 / Barnes and Noble Classics Edition)
My Antonia by Willa Cather
(ISBN-13: 9781593082024/ Barnes and Noble Classics Edition)**
**While we use the print versions listed above for work in class, there are many versions available
including free versions for Kindle and Nook, as well as library copies that you may use instead.
First and foremost, enjoy your reading!
Written Assignment:
Take notes as you read. Mark the text itself (if you own it) or adorn important passages with Post-it
notes. As part of this note-taking, you will create a dialectical (double-entry) journal in which you
identify important passages and briefly respond to them. (See the sample at end of this document).
Your journal should contain: 10 entries per novel/20 entries total.
Your responses should vary and must include discussions of literary elements, such as: narration,
diction, imagery, symbolism, metaphor/simile, punctuation, syntax, etc. and an explanation of how these
contribute to meaning. Also include any insightful, personal connections, thought-provoking questions,
etc. that the passage inspires. Your response must be written in complete sentences and in your own
words. Please type your responses.
While you may prepare your journal in any form, your final copy should be word-processed. Please
have your assignment completed by the first day of classes (Tuesday 9/6/16). Your individual teacher
will give you instructions on how to electronically submit your work on the first day that your class
meets.
Please arrive to school that first day with your notes and copies of the texts in hand (or on a screen, if
you bring a laptop or tablet to class). We expect a successful dialectical journal to have twenty entries
– ten for each book. We will use the rubric attached to this assignment to assess your journal. Most
importantly, we expect your journal to be meaningful and helpful for the tasks we work on in the
beginning of the year. This assignment will count for 20 towards "classwork."
Tri 1 Common Assessments: All sophomore students will take a multiple choice comprehension test
on both novels in the first days of school. These texts/novels will be the primary sources of our first unit
of work, including a first trimester common assessment: an in-class essay.
Assessment Rubric for Summer Reading 2015--American Literature II (Honors)
Level 4
(5 points)
Level 3
(4 points)
Level 2
(3 points)
Level 1
(2-1 points)
Has 19-17
entries; Covers
important points
in the text. Some
variety of entry
types.
Has 16-14
entries; Covers
only one portion
of the text. No
variety of entry
types.
Has 10 or fewer
entries; Much too
short to show a
complete reading
of the book.
Intelligent,
discusses themes
and the usual
ideas presented
by sources on the
books; Identifies
literary features
but doesn’t
explain how they
contribute to the
meaning
Insightful,
Some personal
personal
connections,
connections,
questions arise
thought provokingfrom the text
questions
Vague,
unsupported, plot
summary;
Occasionally
names literary
features but has
little discussion
of their
contribution to
the text
Plot summaries
and paraphrases;
Rarely
uses
literary language
On-time, neat,
organized
Handed into
teacher late;
lacking in
neatness or effort
20 entries;
Quotations &
Coverage of text Covers various
points in the text.
Good variety of
entries.
Interpretation
& Literary
elements
Questions and
connections
Presentation
and timeliness
Thoughtful,
avoids clichés
and overused
ideas; Discusses
diction, imagery,
syntax, etc. and
how these
contribute to
meaning
On-time, neat
and readable
Few connections; Few connections;
obvious questions no questions
Late and sloppy
Sample Dialectical Journal
Purpose:
These journal entries will help you to organize your reactions and thoughts about the material you've read
and will help you to develop more sophisticated ideas/themes about the work. You will use these entries
to generate ideas for your formal writing assignments and to study for tests, etc. You may use the format
below, or one that works for. Please be clear and consistent.
Sample format for dialectical journal:
1. Divide the page vertically, about 1/3 of the way across as follows:
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1/3
Date
2/3 Your Comments
Direct from text
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2. On the first 1/3 of the page, record the page number or chapter, or a short quote, if you wish. (You do
not need to copy the passages to which you are referring into your answer. Merely refer to them by
page number or chapter, and set them in their context when you write your response.)
3. On the remaining 2/3 of the page, respond in your own words to what you have just noted in your
journal. You must write your comments in complete sentences in your own words. No plot
summaries! Please type your responses.
If you have any questions, you may email any of the sophomore teachers listed below. Do not wait until
last minute to do so and allow ample response time:
[email protected] (Ms. DiAmico-King)
[email protected] (Mr. Hathaway)
[email protected] (Ms. Kouefati)
[email protected] (Mr. Wilson)