10th Grade
Summer Reading Assignments 2016
Due: September 7, 2016
Mr. Appleton [email protected]
Mrs. Hogan [email protected]
Mrs. Beckwith [email protected]
Ms. Wachter [email protected]
Read ONE fiction and ONE non-fiction from the following choices. They must be books you have not previously read:
Fiction:
• Snow in August by Pete Hamill
• The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• Looking for Alaska by John Green
Non Fiction:
• The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
• A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
• The Graves County Boys: A Tale of Kentucky
Basketball, Perseverance and the Unlikely
Championship of the Cuba Cubs by Marianne
Walker
**For brief descriptions of each book, please visit amazon.com. Or, go to your local bookstore and check them out before
buying! ** Disclaimer: Topics appearing in the nonfiction texts may seem offensive or controversial, so please carefully select a book to read
based on your level of comfort. Before making a final decision, discuss your book choice with your parent(s) and/or guardian(s).
SUGGESTIONS FOR ACTIVE READERS:
Annotating Text: One of the key skills you will be expected to perform for the duration of high school (and college) is
annotating text. If you do not own the book or like to write in your book, post-it notes can be used instead.
A Reader’s Guide to Annotation
“Marking and highlighting a text is like having a conversation with a book – it allows you to ask questions, comment on meaning, and mark
events and passages you want to revisit. Annotating is a permanent record of your intellectual conversation with the text.” Laying the foundation:
A Resource and Planning Guide for Pre-AP English
As you work with your text, think about all the ways that you can connect with what you are reading. What follows are some
suggestions that will help with annotating.
~Plan on reading most passages, if not everything, twice. The first time, read for overall meaning and impressions. The
second time, read more carefully. Mark ideas, new vocabulary, etc.
~Begin to annotate. Use a pen, pencil, post-it notes, or a highlighter (although use it sparingly!).
*Summarize important ideas in your own words.
*Add examples from real life, other books, TV, movies, and so forth.
*Define words that are new to you.
*Mark passages that you find confusing with a ?.
*Write questions that you might have for later discussion in class.
*Comment on the actions or development of characters.
*Comment on things that intrigue, impress, surprise, disturb, etc.
*Note how the author uses language. A list of possible literary devices is attached. *Feel free to draw picture when a visual connection
is appropriate
*Explain the historical context or traditions/social customs used in the passage.
*If you feel really creative, or are just super organized, you can even color code your annotations by using different color post-its,
highlighters, or pens.
~Suggested methods for marking a text:
*Brackets: If several lines seem important, just draw a line down the margin and underline/highlight only the key phrases.
*Asterisks: Place and asterisk next to an important passage; use two if it is really important.
*Marginal Notes: Use the space in the margins to make comments, define words, ask questions, etc.
*Asterisks: Place and asterisk next to an important passage; use two if it is really important.
*Marginal Notes: Use the space in the margins to make comments, define words, ask questions, etc.
*Underline/highlight: Caution! Do not underline or highlight too much! You want to concentrate on the important elements, not
entire pages (use brackets for that).
*Use circles, boxes, triangles, squiggly lines, stars, etc. as you note literary terms.
~Literary Term Definitions:
*Alliteration – the practice of beginning several consecutive or neighboring words with the same sound: e.g., “The twisting
trout twinkled below.”
* Allusion – a reference to a mythological, literary, or historical person, place, or thing: e.g., “He met his Waterloo.”
* Flashback – a scene that interrupts the action of a work to show a previous event.
*Foreshadowing – the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest future action
*Hyperbole – a deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration; it may be used for either serious or comic effect:
e.g., “The shot heard ‘round the world.”
*Idiom – an accepted phrase or expression having a meaning different from the literal: e.g., to drive someone up the wall.
*Imagery – the words or phrases a writer uses that appeal to the senses.
*Irony – there are three types:
-verbal irony – when a speaker or narrator says one thing while meaning the opposite; sarcasm is a form or verbal
irony: e.g., “It is easy to stop smoking. I’ve done it many times.”
-situational irony -- when a situation turns out differently from what one would normally expect; often the twist is
oddly appropriate: e.g., a deep sea diver drowning in a bathtub is ironic.
-dramatic irony – when a character or speaker says or does something that has different meaning from what he or she
thinks it means, though the audience and other characters understand the full implications: e.g., Anne Frank looks
forward to growing up, but we, as readers, know that it will never be.
*Metaphor – a comparison of two unlike things not using “like” or “as”: e.g., “Time is money.”
*Mood – the atmosphere or predominant emotion in a literary work.
*Oxymoron a form of paradox that combines a pair of opposite terms into a single unusual expression: e.g. “sweet sorrow” or
“cold fire.”
*Paradox – occurs when the elements of a statement contradict each other. Although the statement may appear illogical,
impossible, or absurd, it turns out to have a coherent meaning that reveals a hidden truth: e.g., “Much madness id divinest
sense.”
*Personification – a kind of metaphor that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics: e.g., “The wind cried
in the dark.”
*Rhetoric – the art of using words to persuade in writing or speaking.
*Simile – a comparison of two different things or ideas using words such as “like” or “as”: e.g., “The warrior fought like a
lion.”
*Suspense – a quality that makes the reader or audience uncertain or tense about the outcome of events.
*Symbol – any object, person, place, or action that has both a meaning in itself and that stands for something larger than itself,
such as a quality, attitude, belief, or value: e.g., a tortoise represents slow but steady progress.
*Theme – the central message of a literary work. It is expressed as a sentence or general statement about life or human nature.
A literary work can have more than one theme, and most themes are not directly stated but are implied: e.g., pride often
precedes a fall.
*Tone – the writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward a subject, character, or audience; it is conveyed through the author’s choice of
words (diction) and details. Tone can be serious, humorous, sarcastic, indignant, etc.
*Understatement (meiosis, litotes) – the opposite of hyperbole. It is a kind of irony that deliberately represents something as
being much less than it really is: e.g., “I could probably manage to survive on a salary of two million dollars per year.”
Definitions from: Laying the Foundation: A resource and Planning Guide for Pre-AP English
Part I: Examining Nonfiction
Choose one of the nonfiction texts and create a reading log (dialectical notes) to be used for an in-class writing assignment on Wednesday
September 7, 2016.
Non Fiction:
• The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore
•
•
A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
The Graves County Boys: A Tale of Kentucky Basketball, Perseverance and the Unlikely Championship of the Cuba Cubs by Marianne Walker
INSTRUCTIONS for creating a reading log for your NONFICTION work:
You must complete the following, it will be attached to your in-class writing assignment:
1. Choose six (6) passages or quotes from your book. These passages or quotes can be significant to the story or you
as the reader, but they must reference the beginning, middle, and end of the nonfiction work you select.
2. In your log, include the title, author, the page range from your reading session, and the passage or quote making
sure you write the page number in the MLA style. On that same page, select at least TWO (2) of the following
reading prompts for EACH passage or quote. Copy the passage/quote, the first selected reading prompt then
your response. Each response must consist of at least 5-8 sentences. You will answer twelve (12) prompts for the
book. Your total number of prompts must equal twelve (12).
READING PROMPT QUESTIONS
1) Who is speaking? Where does this particular scene take place (setting)? Explain the character’s thoughts, motives,
and actions (i.e. What does the person mean?).
2) How would you summarize the idea expressed here?
3) What does this excerpt reveal about the character(s) or ideas in this book? What is your opinion of the character(s)?
Use textual evidence to substantiate your claim.
4) What literary device/technique (i.e. symbolism, flashback, irony, metaphor, simile, personification, allusion,
hyperbole, etc.) does the author use to convey meaning?
5) I really don’t understand why....
6) I agree/disagree wholeheartedly with the idea/statement that....
7) I think the message the author is trying to convey is....
8) This passage is similar to a time in my life when.... OR: This passage reminds me of the character
_____________________________ from the literary work entitled, ___________________________. (Include the
character’s name and the title of the literary work.) Explain
9) If I were (include the character’s name), OR If I were (specify the situation/dilemma, etc.), I would have
said/done......
10) This passage, quote, or excerpt is significant.
PLEASE NOTE: A sample of the reading log for the novel 1984 is attached. While this work is fiction, you will be creating a
reading log in the same fashion using the nonfiction work of your choice. YOU ARE REQUIRED TO CHOOSE ANY TWO
OF THE TEN PROMPTS PER PASSAGE; AVOID USING THE SAME PROMPTS FOR EACH PASSAGE OR
QUOTE.
READING LOG FOR FICTION (Sample of a STRONG
READING LOG FOR FICTION (Sample of a WEAK
Response)
Response)
Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Page Range: 1-73
Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Page Range: 1-73
Entry #1: “The frightening thing, he reflected for the ten
thousandth time as he forced his shoulders painfully
backward... If the Party could thrust its hand into the past
and say of this or that event, it never happened—that,
surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death”
(Orwell 34).
Entry #1: “The frightening thing, he reflected for the ten
thousandth time as he forced his shoulders painfully
backward... If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and
say of this or that event, it never happened—that, surely, was
more terrifying than mere torture and death” (Orwell 34).
Reading Prompts:
Reading Prompts:
Question #2: How would you summarize the idea
expressed here?
Winston is participating in routine exercise in this part of the
book. Everyone has to do it and if you don’t you can get in
trouble. As he is doing the exercise, his mind wanders. He
begins to think that his government is too controlling and
gets off track. The woman in the Telescreen yells at him and
he gets back to exercising correctly. He thinks that the
control the Party has over people and history is worse than
death or torture.
Question #2: How would you summarize the idea
expressed here?
Question #3: What does this excerpt reveal about the
character(s) or ideas in the book? What is your opinion
of the character(s)? Use textual evidence to substantiate
your claim.
Question #3: What does this excerpt reveal about the
character(s) or ideas in the book? What is your opinion of
the character(s)? Use textual evidence to substantiate your
claim.
This part of the book shows that Winston, the protagonist,
seems to understand something others do not. Most people
fear death, but Winston fears the Party’s ability to control
what happens and what does not happen. He seems to
understand that the Party’s control is so absolute that they
are able to manipulate history and therefore manipulate the
citizens. I think that Winston is very rebellious, but is up
against a very harsh government. Earlier in the story,
Winston fears dying simply because he is writing “DOWN
WITH BIG BROTHER” in a notebook. The funny thing is
that not only is the idea banned, but so is simply owning the
notebook and writing individual thoughts into it.
This shows that Winston is against the Party. My opinion is
he is brave. I know he is brave because he buys a notebook in
the first chapter.
Question #5: I really don’t understand why...
I am really confused as to how Winston’s government got so
much control over everyone. It seems as if they are able to
see everything, but why would the citizens of Oceania allow
this? If no one is allowed to even think negatively about the
Oceania and Big Brother, does that mean they don’t have
freedom of speech? Are there other people like Winston, and
couldn’t they get together and overthrow the Party?
Winston is exercising. He thinks the Party is worse than
death.
Question #5: I really don’t understand why...
Why do they have to exercise?
Part II: Examining Fiction
Choose ONE of the fiction texts below then choose ONE of the assignment options below. Due Wednesday, September 7, 2016.
• Snow in August by Pete Hamill
• The Dead and the Gone by Susan Beth Pfeffer
• Looking for Alaska by John Green
Option A: EXTRA!!! EXTRA!!! Read all about it!!! For this assignment, you will be creating a
newspaper front page that captures your book's characters, plot, setting(s), and conflict(s). You may
use any format, though Word has a newsletter template and the attached websites have other possible
templates.
http://www.presentationmagazine.com/editable-powerpoint-newspapers-407.html
http://www.educatorstechnology.com/2013/03/wonderful-free-templates-to-create.html
http://webdesign14.com/powerpoint-newspaper-template.html
Your front page MUST contain the following elements and must be printed:
1. Masthead
• The masthead is the title of the newspaper. You will create a title that reflects the setting of your book or some other plot
element. Look at a newspaper for inspiration.
2. Lead Story
• On the front-page, write a multi-paragraph lead story that explains the plot of your novel in newspaper article style. Be
sure to include a headline! The article should include:
o the main characters,
o the main problem that they face,
o events that lead up to how the characters solve the problem,
o and how the book concludes.
3. World Events Story (relates to the novel’s setting):
• Research historical or modern day events that connect to your chosen book and write a short article that could somehow
relate to your novel.
4. Pictures and Images
• Where possible, add pictures reflecting characters, places, and conflicts in your book. Make sure that each picture is
NEAT, and add a sentence underneath each one to explain it. Captions are necessary!
Option B: Create a Soundtrack Prepare a soundtrack for your book. Like music used in movies, your songs will need to
relate to significant elements in the plot. You may create a CD, a PowerPoint presentation or record the lyrics to each song
and present in a video.
Your Soundtrack must include:
1. A cover for your soundtrack, which may include the title, characters, and/or any other ideas or concepts
significant to the book that you chose.
2. Six different songs, one pertaining to each of the following: *Must be school appropriate*
• A particular character
• The setting of the s t o r y
• The relationship between two or more characters
• A significant event in your story
• The prominent theme in the novel
• A specific conflict that the main character struggles with (either internal or external)
Additionally, you must write a one paragraph response to explain why you chose each song. Each response should clearly
connect to one of the six literary elements listed above. Each response must include at least one significant quote from your
novel for support. (Cite your quote using the page number in your book.)