June, 2016
Dear Families:
Research has shown how important it is for students to read and read often. The following points are
from Reading In and Out of Schools, a publication prepared by the Educational Testing Service for the US
Department of Education, and Patterns of Reading Practice, a publication of The Institute for Academic
Excellence:
 The amount of reading that students do for school, and do out of school are both positively related to
their reading achievement.
 Students who reported discussing their reading had higher average reading achievements than
students who reported never having this opportunity.
 When ranked according to the amount of reading they do, students in the top 5 percent read 144
times more than students in the bottom 5 percent.
 Students in private schools practice reading 67 percent more than public school students.
Because you have chosen Western as the institution to prepare your daughter for college, we take this
responsibility seriously. In an effort to help her become truly learned and to increase her standing among
many students with whom she will compete for college placement, Western’s English Department requires
that she continue to read and think over the summer.
Grade 10 College Prep
Oedipus at Colonus – Sophocles
The Joy Luck Club – Amy Tan
(ISBN 9780156027649)
(ISBN 9780143038092)
Your daughter will present her Summer Reading Assignments upon returning to school. Her marked
copies of each book and her reading response work will be collected for evaluation. Additionally, she should
be ready to take an assessment of her reading of the works and the responses outlined on the reverse side
of this sheet. The assigned literature may be purchased at most local bookstores; Greetings and Readings
and Barnes and Noble are the best sources.
Please ensure that your student has the summer reading texts as soon as possible so that reading and
response can be completed promptly. Because this preparatory assignment will be time-consuming, we
encourage your daughter to begin no later than early July.
We hope that the summer vacation will be exciting, refreshing, and productive. We applaud your
daughter’s successful completion of her work thus far, work that has enabled her to continue as a member
of the Western family. Additionally, we appreciate your support of this summer reading program, a must for
students planning to attend college. You may call the school’s main line (410-396-7040), if you have any
questions or concerns.
Sincerely yours,
Michelle White
Principal
Part I of the Study: Read and Annotate Each Book:
(1) Color code key: Create a color code and key by using different colored pencils to mark the development of the
different characters, or meaningful themes, or meaningful literary devices. This will be useful when you use your
book for in-class discussions, or future essay development. Put your color code key on the inside cover of the
book. DO NOT USE HIGHLIGHTERS AS THEY WILL BLEED FROM ONE PAGE TO ANOTHER.
(2) Annotate in the margins and through the text: In the text of each book, as you read you should use
underlining, double underlining, asterisks, stars, circles, brackets, or any other appropriately meaningful symbols to
respond to the book’s content. As you annotate, you may ask questions, make comments, and record your general
reactions to the text. You may also write down brief thoughts your observations in the margins.
Here are more annotation tips:
a. Characterization: Mark significant words or phrases that would help you understand and remember
meaningful information about the characters. Your use of the “S-T-E-A-L” acronym will help you to take notice
the characterization of the characters by following what characters say, what they think, the effects they have
on others, how they act, and how they look.
b. Other Literary elements and devices: Mark words and phrases that show how the author develops ideas and
themes using literary elements such as setting, conflict, imagery, symbolism, personification, metaphor, simile,
irony, etc.
(3) Consistency for the Annotation grade: NOTE! There should not be any significantly skipped sections (several
consecutive pages) in the book which are not annotated. Your annotation work will be scored through the use of a
Text Response Rubric.
PART II of the Study: Create Charts for Each Book:
You will use your annotations to complete the following charts for the texts below. These charts should be in a journal
that you will turn in on your return to school.
The Joy Luck Club
Character charts - (STEAL – Speech, thoughts, effects on others, actions, and looks). Complete eight character
charts, one for each mother and daughter in the book. Write quotes in the first column and cite the page numbers for
those quotes. Explain the significance of those quotes in the second column.
Conflict chart – complete one conflict/theme chart on the novel. You should focus on one internal and two external
conflicts. The chart should be complete, incorporating specific examples from the text in your chart and provide the
appropriate citation.
Oedipus at Colonus
Character charts - (STEAL – Speech, thoughts, effects on others, actions , and looks). Complete a chart for
Oedipus,Antigone, Ismene, Theseus, Polyneices, and Creon. Use quotes in your charts and cite the page numbers for
those quotes. Explain the significance of those quotes in the second column.
Conflict chart – complete one conflict/theme chart on the novel. You should focus on one internal and two external
conflicts. The chart should be complete, incorporating specific examples from the text in your chart and provide the
appropriate citation.
Part III of the Study: Write an In-Class Essay:
When you return from break, you will be expected to write an in-class essay on the summer reading. Your annotations
and charts will function as pre-writing for that essay.
METHODS OF CHARACTERIZATION
Title of Selection:
Author:
(Name of Character here)
Method
INDIRECT
CHARACTERIZATIO
N
The character is revealed
through his/her own Speech.
The character's private
Thoughts are revealed.
The author reveals what
other characters say/think
about the character.
(Effects on others)
The author shows what the
character does--how he/she
Acts.
The author describes how the
character Looks, dresses, etc.
DIRECT
CHARACTERIZATION
The author actually states
what kind of person the
character is: sneaky, honest,
innocent, etc.
Traits revealed
(Create a bulleted
list here)
Citations with page or line #s
Comments/Explanations, etc.
CONFLICT CHART
Title of Selection:
Author:
EXTERNAL
CONFLICTS
TYPES
(Who? What?)
CITATIONS
(with page or line
numbers, etc.)
EXPLANATIONS
(How each works and its
tie to ideas.)
TYPES
(Who? What?)
CITATIONS
(with page or line
numbers, etc.)
EXPLANATIONS
(How each works and its
tie to ideas.)
PERSON VS PERSON
PERSON VS
NATURE
(natural elements or
occurrences, time, etc.)
PERSON VS
SOCIETY
(state/government
institutions; groups;
formal religions/law;
rules, mores, taboos,
conventions, codes,
etc.)
INTERNAL
CONFLICTS
PERSON VS
HIM/HERSELF
(desires/wants vs
responsibilities,
commitments, oaths,
etc.)