LHHS Honors English 5-6
Summer Assignment
“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of
teachers.” ― Charles William Eliot
Incoming Honors American Literature Students:
In order to keep you reading over the summer--and for my first glimpse of your abilities in writing and
literary analysis, please read and annotate one of the non-fiction options offered below (#3) and bring the
completed activities to class on the first day of the new school year. Follow the guidelines provided as
you tackle this responsibility.
1. Read “How to Mark a Book” by Mortimer Adler. This short essay can be accessed online either at the
following site or at another one of your choice:
http://www.maebrussell.com/Articles%20and%20Notes/How%20To%20Mark%20A%20Book.html
2. Write a reflection (your first journal entry) on Adler’s essay. Be sure to defend your assertions and with
examples, anecdotes, or other details clarifying your comments. Generally, you should consider whether
you agree with his mindset and express how beneficial you’ve found annotating to be in past experiences.
3. Read and annotate one of the contemporary American works listed, understanding that literature
sometimes includes graphic descriptions or rough language necessarily for effect (e.g. for character or
theme development, realism, etc.). The parent/guardian signature section which indicates their approval of
your selection is due, along with your completed activities, on the first day of class.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
4. Choose three chapters that you marked-up most heartily, and write three separate journal entries about
those sections using your annotations. These should be approached as “mini literature analyses.”
LHHS Annotating Guidelines
Annotation is a key component of Close Reading, a strategy adopted by our school district to ensure that
students interact with the selections they read. The most common complaint about annotating while
reading is that it slows you down. Yes, it does! That’s the point. If annotating annoys you, read a chapter;
then go back and annotate. Reading text more than once is beneficial. Annotation is as personal as
reading, and there are many ways to annotate a book. For example, some people prefer to use colors to
differentiate elements, and some prefer to use "Post Its." The system bulleted below is simply the
approach LHHS has chosen to use—and the one that I’m requiring:
 Underline unfamiliar vocabulary and confusing sections. Use this method sparingly. Never
underline an entire passage. Doing so takes too much time and loses effectiveness. If you wish to
mark an entire paragraph or passage, bracket the text in the margin instead.
 Circle powerful expressions—effective word choice and figurative language examples.

Star
key passages—sentences or sections that affected you significantly or that you deem
notable in some other way.
 Write reflections/thoughts in margins, elaborating about the marks you make. I want to see
evidence of your thinking. Have a conversation with yourself as you read, and leave the physical
trail.
Annotation Guidelines
BEFORE READING, examine and comment on…
o the front and back covers
o the title and any subtitles
o any illustrations
o the print (bold, italic, etc.)
o the text organization
DURING READING, annotate…
o literary elements (symbolism, theme, conflict, point of view, tone, irony, allusion, etc.)
o vocabulary
o sections that intrigue, impress, amuse, shock, puzzle, disturb, repulse, aggravate—etc.—you
o lines/quotations which you consider especially powerful
o your agreement or disagreement with characters and/or the author
o events/predictions
o connections between ideas within the text and/or to those in other texts
o personal epiphanies
o anything you would like to discuss in class or do not understand
o the author’s writing style (word choice, imagery, sentence structure, repetition, etc.)
AFTER READING, examine and draw conclusions about…
o your annotations
o the introduction and conclusion
o any patterns/repetitions discovered
o the title
General Assessment
I. ANNOTATIONS: The quality of your annotations is dependent on the level of critical thinking that
went into your reading. Top-notch “products” will include thoughtful written notes tied to meaningful
parts of the book, along with regular markings that show recognition of the key literary elements.
II. JOURNAL ENTRIES: You should staple your four responses together—one from Adler’s essay and
three “mini analyses” based on your annotations. These should each be typed and approximately one page
in length for full credit.
Happy reading,
Ms. Johnson 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------My son/daughter, ______________________________________________________________, has my permission to
[STUDENT’S PRINTED NAME]
read ______________________________________________________________________________________________ for the
[BOOK TITLE]
Honors English 5-6 summer assignment.
___________________________________________________________________________
[PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE & DATE]