Lawrence North High School English Department
Summer Reading for Sophomore Courses—2014
LNHS requires summer reading for all English classes. Below is a brief description of the summer reading
expectations for grade 10 classes. More specific assignment details can be found on the school website. Please
be sure to complete the summer reading assignment for the English class you are scheduled to take in the fall.
Course Name
English 10
English 10
Honors
English 10 GT
(Lyceum)
Expected Title(s)
Two books of the student’s
choosing. See website for list of
suggested titles.
Author
Student Choice
Choose one of the titles below
See below
The Power of Myth
Joseph Campbell
Assignment
Complete the
“One-Pager Reflection”
assignment for each book.
See assignment guidelines
below or the school
website for details.
Yes, see the assignment
guidelines below or the
school website for details.
Yes, see the assignment
guidelines below or the
school website for details.
ISBN
See below
978-0385418867
~English 10 Summer Reading One-Pager Reflection~
Title of Book ___________________________________________Author ______________________________
Date I started reading _________________________ Date I finished reading __________________________
On a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest), I give this book a rating of ______ because: _____________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. Choose five (5) of the following sentence starters and write a brief reflection for each on your own sheet of paper.
Your reactions should be thoughtful and must relate to the text.
ct the character faced was…
***Note: Each of your responses
should be thoughtful, well-developed,
and at least one to two paragraphs in
length. In addition, your responses
should be written in “final draft
format”. This means typed or neatly
handwritten in blue or black ink.
2. Explain the Author’s purpose:
3. Explain the Intended audience(s):
ACADEMIC HONESTY
Summer
Reading
English
Honors:
By signing below,
I amAssignment
indicating that for
I read
the book,10
and
the information on this page is accurate.
Student Signature ______________________________________________________________ Date ________
Summer Reading Assignment for English 10 Honors:
Students will choose one of the following five books and complete ten detailed journal entries over the selection. The
journal entries must be typed, double-spaced, 12 pt. font, and will be due the third day the class meets.
Book Selections:

The Bell Jar. Sylvia Plath. 2006. (Lexile 1140)
ISBN-10: 0061148512
ISBN-13: 978-0061148514

What I Know for Sure: My Story of Growing Up in America. Tavis Smiley. 2008.
ISBN-10: 0385721722
ISBN-13: 978-0385721721

Freedom Writers Diary. Erin Gruwell. 1999. (Lexile 900)
ISBN-10: 038549422X ISBN-13: 978-0385494229

Autobiography of a Face. Lucy Grealy. 2003. (Lexile 1200)
ISBN-10: 0060569662
ISBN-13: 978-0060569662

Breaking Night: A Memoir of Forgiveness, Survival, and My Journey from Homeless to Harvard. Liz Murray. 2010
ISBN-10: 1401310591 ISBN-13: 978-1401310592
Journal Entries:
Make sure to read instructions for each entry carefully. Your responses should focus on being insightful to showcase your
learning and understanding. Therefore, pay particular attention to your word choice; be specific and detailed, not vague or
generic. Your responses should clearly reflect your reading of the book you read for this assignment (not any book).
Additionally, when writing about a text, make sure to keep verbs in the present tense [EXAMPLES: Smiley writes
about..., The children discover their father..., Although she disagrees with her mother, they come to a compromise...).
As you read and/or after you read, complete the following 10 journal entries:
Write a brief summary of the book’s plot. Include the italicized title and the author’s name, the setting, the main characters,
examples of conflict, and the resolution. (½-1 page)
2. Focus on the first chapter of the book (or first section; there might be a break in the text, not a formal chapter division). What
is significant in this opening chapter? Why might the author have chosen to start here and not at another point? Keep in mind
the author is writing his/her personal experiences so he/she gets to choose where the book starts. ( ½ page)
3. Identify a passage from the text which conveys a theme of the book. Type the passage and parenthetically cite it [put the
author’s last name and the page number of the passage in parentheses: (Lee 29)].Then, discuss how this passage conveys the
text’s theme. ( ½ page)
4. Identify 3 passages from the text that include some use of figurative language: simile, allusion, analogy, metaphor, and
personification. Type each passage, parenthetically cite it, and discuss the purpose of the figurative language in each
quotation. ( ½ page)
5. Identify a passage that gives you insight into the narrator (the author). Choose a passage that is intriguing or maybe even
confusing—not something obvious and straightforward. Type the passage, parenthetically cite it, and discuss your impression
of the narrator based on the passage. ( ½ page)
6. Identify a passage from the text that focuses on characterization of someone other than the narrator. Choose a passage that
is intriguing or maybe even confusing—not something obvious and straightforward. Type the passage, parenthetically cite it,
and discuss your impression of the character based on the passage. ( ½ page)
7. Identify a passage that represents the author’s writing style. Type the passage, parenthetically cite it, and discuss what you
notice about the author’s writing style. Consider mentioning the sentence structure, word choice and vocabulary, tone
(formal, objective, etc.), use of figurative language. (½ page)
8. Identify a passage that you were able to relate to or connect with personally. Type the passage, parenthetically cite it, and
discuss the connection you made. (½ page)
9. After reading the entire book, reflect on how the author chose to structure the story. Consider the beginning, how it
progresses, when/where there are chapter divisions or breaks in scenes, what scenes the author skips, what scenes are told in
great detail, when (if any) there is flashback, foreshadowing, and/or flash forward, how/when the book ends. (1 page)
10. Rate the book on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the highest). Account for your rating. Make a recommendation for what kind of
readers might enjoy this book. (½ page)
1.
Summer Reading Assignment for English 10 GT (Lyceum):
-Declamation Speech Assignment: Students are to procure a declamation speech of 7-10 minutes in length
originally presented by the author of said speech. There must be humor in the speech; however, stand-up
comedy routines are not of the Declamation genre. Example speeches include TED Talks, book talks,
commencement speeches, eulogies, acceptance speeches. Students will be asked to present the speech using one
3x5 note card (50-word maximum) in the second week of class.
-Reading, Research, & Thinking Assignment: Students are required to screen George Lucas’ original Star Wars
Trilogy (A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, Han Solo’s Revenge) prior to the first day of class. In the first
week of class, students will be asked to respond in writing to an in-class qualitative and diagnostic prompt
relating The Star Wars mythology and Joseph Campbell’s theories to a present day cultural phenomenon.