Pre-AP 9th Grade Summer Reading Assignments
Ms. Halada ([email protected]) & Mrs. Miller ([email protected])
Due Date: Friday, August 7, 2015
Congratulations on your enrollment in the 9th Grade Pre-AP Literature & Composition class for the 2015-2016
school year! This Pre-AP class includes a summer reading component with required reading and responding.
Getting started in the summer provides you with initial preparation for the course you will take next year and
allows you the flexibility to work on your own schedule at your own pace; however, do not wait until the last
minute to complete the three assignments!
Regardless of when you have the class, 1st or 2nd semester, these three assignments are due by August 7th.
Please turn in your assignments to Ms. Halada, room 6102 or Mrs. Miller, room 6104. Completed
assignments may be submitted early at the BHS Back to School Open House Thursday, August 6th.
1. Book Cards for Animal Farm by George Orwell
2. Double-Entry Journal based on a Pre-AP Summer Reading “Book of Choice”
3. Pre-AP Literary Vocabulary Flash Cards
Purchasing Animal Farm is not required but strongly suggested, so you can make annotations inside your own
personal copy while closely reading the novel. The annotation process can often become tedious and time
consuming; however, if notations are purposefully done, you should experience greater success with insight
and understanding of a literary work. WE ANNOTATE EVERYTHING WE READ IN PRE-AP.
If purchasing the book is not possible due to financial hardship, a limited number of copies of the book may
be checked out on a first come, first serve basis from Carol Widner, Secondary Literacy Coach at Bainbridge
Middle School. The books will be turned back in with the summer reading assignments. If the book has been
damaged in any way or has been written in, the student is then responsible for the cost of the book.
Animal Farm is a classic and can also be found online for free download from various websites. Students may
also check out a copy of the novel from the public library.
***NOTE - Students are asked to use their own thoughts, observations, and words on these assignments. Copying
information from Sparknotes.com, Enotes.com, or any other source is prohibited and considered plagiarism and is
unacceptable. Students must remember that Mrs. Miller and Ms. Halada have access to these same sources and will be
checking.
We look forward to working with you in 9th grade Pre-AP English. ***Take risks with these assignments –
don’t worry about whether your reaction is the “right” one or not just let it be “yours” and not compliments of
Sparknotes. Have a great summer, and we look forward to meeting you in the fall. Please email one of the
Pre-AP Lit./Comp. teachers if you have ANY questions. Email addresses are given above.
Book Card Rubric:
Title, the author, student’s full name
Setting (times, places, social context)
Character Descriptions w/ 2 direct quotes
Craft & Structure
Theme
Plot summary
Total:
Pre-AP Summer Reading Assignment #1: Book Cards
4 pts.
6 pts.
25 pts.
25 pts.
15 pts.
25 pts.
100 pts.
ELACC9-10L1, ELACC9-10L2, ELACC9-10L3, ELACC9-10L4, ELACC9-10L5, ELACC9-10L6
Animal Farm by George Orwell
For the novel listed above, complete the book card assignment following the directions listed below.
*Use 4 X 6 index cards
*Handwrite in black ink – typed assignments will not be accepted.
*Observe paragraphing - Paragraph format with topic sentences – not bulleted points.
*Use your own words
*Use complete sentences on ALL cards.
*Place the cards in a zip-lock sandwich bag or use a rubber band to secure them.
Include the following cards:
1. Cover Card: Print the Title of the Book and the Author’s Name. Also, include your full name and the
name of the class., Pre-AP 9th grade Lit./Comp. (You may receive 2 extra points for creativity and/or artwork on cover.)
2. Setting Card: time period, place or geographical locations, social context (what’s going on in society)
3. Character Cards: Identify & Describe the Characters (at least 3 characters)
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At least one 4x6 card per character - Fill the card with descriptions and information about the character.
Also, identify whether or not the character(s) are the protagonist, antagonist, dynamic, static, flat, round, etc.
On the back of the card, include two important quotes as evidence of direct or indirect characterization.
Be sure to include the page/pages where the quotes are found in the book. Use MLA format for citations.
Please remember the difference between dialogue and a direct quote taken from text as evidence.
4. Craft & Structure – The writer’s distinctive manner of arranging words and phrases to suit his or her ideas
and purpose in writing is the use of elements of style. Students are to select only three specific elements found
in the novel and write a card for each.
 At least one 4x6 card per element explaining the representation and significance/meaning of the element
 Include two important direct quotes from the text as examples of the element.
 Be sure to include the page/pages where the evidence is found in the book.
Elements of style may include the use of the following:
 Tone: speaker’s attitude
 Point of View
 Figurative Language: metaphor, simile,
 Use of Time: flashback, framework, or flashpersonification, allusion
forward
 Imagery (words or phrases that express one or
 Symbols
more of the 5 senses)
 Mood
5. Plot Summary Cards – 4 to 6 cards summarizing the novel from beginning to end written in your own words.
Please do not write on the back of these cards.
6. Theme(s) Card(s): On the theme card or cards use the following format for each one:
“The ________________ by ___________ is about ____________________________ and reveals ____________________________.”
(genre + Title)
(Author)
(Topic/abstract concept)
(Opinion statement about
topic and its universality)
For example:
“The historical novel Night by Elie Wiesel is about the atrocities of the Holocaust
and reveals that the human spirit can prevail in difficult situations.”
Pre-AP Summer Reading Choice List:
Double-Entry Journal Assignment #2
Directions:
Read and select one book from the list of young adult books listed below. While you read a book of your
choice, you will complete a double-entry journal as outlined on the reverse of this assignment. The use of a
journal will help you discover meaning through the rethinking of what you have read. It is a place for you to
examine your own experiences, feelings, and values as well as a means to gain insight into a world different
than your own. Furthermore it is a way to begin to analyze the literary elements of literature, including
characterization, setting conflict, style, and theme. Choose a book that you have not read!
Your double-entry journal must include a minimum of eight direct quotations taken from the book and
a reflective response for each of the quotations.
1. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
2. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
3. Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
4. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
5. **The Chosen by Chaim Potok
6. **Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Anna Burns
7. **The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
8. Eleanor & Park by Rowell Rainbow
9. Half a King by Joe Abercrombie
10. **The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
11. **Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
12. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
13. Lord of Opium by Nancy Farmer
14. Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
15. **The Outsiders S.E. Hinton
16. Red Rising by Pierce Brown
17. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
18. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupis
19. **Summer of My German Soldier by Bette Greene
20. This One Summer by Jillian & Mariko Tamaki
Books indicated with ** are books you may check out from your teacher and will not have to purchase;
however, you are not allowed to write in them or damage them in any way or will have to pay for them.
Double-Entry Journal Directions:
As you read your novel of choice, you will make connections to the text. You will then
compose eight journal entries: four personal connections and four intertextual
connections with explanations for each. Following the model from “The Story of the Three
Bears” below, number each entry, write the quotation including page and paragraph number,
identify the type of connection, and compose a response of at least two sentences.
Personal Connection Contemplate how the quotation connects to some aspect of your
personal knowledge and experience. The quotation may remind you of a situation you have
been in, seen, or read about.
Intertextual Connection Think about how the quotation connects to another text (literature,
film, media, music, or art). Consider similarities that the two texts share (characterization,
mood, plot, setting, theme, tone), and discuss how the two texts relate to one another.
Sample: Double-Entry Journal
”The Story of the Three Bears”
Quotation
Connection
Explanation
1 “If Goldilocks had remembered what
personal
As a child, I had—and still do have—a
strong memory. I did not, as Goldilocks
does, forget my mother’s advice. I simply
chose to ignore it often and make my own
decisions. Thus, negative consequences
were often crucial learning experiences for
me.
2 “Then Goldilocks went upstairs into
intertextual
Despite being warned repeatedly about
politeness by her mother, Goldilocks
cannot seem to control her selfish desires.
The story suggests that Goldilocks, fast
asleep, may be punished for her lack of
self-control, much like the thoughtless and
greedy suitors are punished by Odysseus
for attempting to steal his wife Penelope
and his kingdom of Ithaca (Homer’s
Odyssey).
her mother had told her, she would
have waited till the Bears came
home, and then, perhaps, they would
have asked her to breakfast; for they
were good Bears--a little rough, as
the manner of Bears is, but for all
that very good-natured and
hospitable. But Goldilocks forgot, and
set about helping herself” (1,
paragraph 2).
the bed-chamber in which the Three
Bears slept. And first she lay down
upon the bed of the Great Huge Bear;
but that was too high at the head for
her. And next she lay down upon the
bed of the Middle-sized Bear, and that
was too high at the foot for her. And
then she lay down upon the bed of
the Little Small Wee Bear; and that
was neither too high at the head nor
at the foot, but just right. So she
covered herself up comfortably, and
lay there till she fell fast asleep” (1,
paragraph 5).
Pre-AP 9th Grade Literature & Composition
Summer Assignment #3: Flash Cards
The process of making flash cards helps commit the information to memory. Use 4 x 6 index cards and print
(very neatly) the word on one side of the card, and on the other side, print a definition of the term.
Write with consistent, clear handwriting on blank cards. Use a highlighter or pen to underline the key
words in longer definitions or answers. (Test your pen or marker on a spare card to make sure the ink is
clearly visible but does not bleed through the paper.)
The Pre-AP terminology listed below comes from the 9th Grade Skill Progression Chart for AP Vertical
Teaming and the CCGPS Recommended Vocabulary for Teaching and Learning grades 9-10:
1. Annotation
2. Generalization
3. Archetypes
4. Epiphany
5. Colloquialisms
6. Diction
7. Connotation
8. Denotation
9. Understatement
10. Euphemism
11. Oxymoron
12. Allusion
13. Motif
14. Syntax
15. Antithesis
16. Juxtaposition
17. Asyndeton
18. Polysyndeton
19. Ellipsis
20. Anaphora
21. Epistrophe
22. Parallelism (used in writing)
23. Fallacy
24. Synecdoche
25. Metonymy
26. Assonance
27. Iambic Pentameter
28. Character Foil
29. Parody
30. Satire
Study the flash cards before starting school in August. These academic vocabulary
words, along with the terms you have already acquired in middle school, will be utilized
in the close reading, application, and stylistic analysis of more complex reading,
grammar, and composition.
Bainbridge High School
Pre-Advanced Placement Literature & Composition
Summer Reading Acknowledgement
9th Grade
Date:__________________________
8th Grade Reading Teacher:_______________________Team Name:__________________
I understand that I have chosen to be enrolled in Pre-Advanced Placement 9th Grade Literature
& Composition for the 2015-2016 school year. I understand that I must complete the attached
summer reading requirements and that the assignments will be graded. I understand that if I cannot
purchase the books, that I may check them out from the teacher or the public library. I understand
that I will use the information in the assignments in class next school year. I also understand the
assignments are due to my teacher by August 7, 2015. Failure to complete the assignment will
negatively affect my grade and my performance in the class. I understand that according to the BHS
English Department policy, for every day the assignments are late, 15 points will be deducted from
each assignment, and after three days, the assignment will not be accepted at all. I understand that I
may contact Mrs. Miller ([email protected]) or Ms. Halada ([email protected]) if I have any
questions regarding the assignments.
________________________________
Student Signature
________________________________
Parent Signature