Summer Reading Assignments for MYP English
Rising Freshmen: Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Theme: Discovery
Guiding questions: What and how do we discover? What are the consequences of discovery?
Multi-genre report will be due before the end of the first nine weeks.
Podcast: Radiolab’s “New Normal?”
Assignments:
1. For Novel:
a. Five character journals—directions are attached
b. Three 1-page reflection journals commenting on the reading---reactions and
commentary, not plot summary
c. One Post-mortem of a protagonist
2. Article:
a. Find two articles that connect with the themes for our unit. Annotate the articles and
write a developed response to the article that discusses your connections and
reactions.
3. Podcast:
a. Listen to the assigned podcast (You can find it online or in iTunes). Explain what the
podcast reveals about the unit’s guiding questions in a one-page written response.
**When you return to school, you will have a group project and individual assessment based
on your reading**
Summer Reading Assignments for MYP English
Rising Sophomores:
John Steinbeck
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston or Of Mice and Men by
Theme: Identity and integrity in the face of adversity
Guiding questions: What is integrity? What is the American identity? How do we form and adapt
our identities to our surroundings?
Podcast: Coming to America from Snap Judgment
Assignments:
1. For Novel:
a. Five character journals—directions are attached
b. Three 1-page reflection journals commenting on the reading---reactions and
commentary, not plot summary
c. One Post-mortem of a protagonist
2. Article:
a. Find two articles that connect with the themes for our unit. Annotate the articles
and write a developed response to the article that discusses your connections and
reactions.
3. Podcast:
a. Listen to the assigned podcast (You can find it online or in iTunes). Explain what
the podcast reveals about the unit’s guiding questions in a one-page written
response.
**When you return to school, you will have a group project and individual assessment based
on your reading**
LTF: Post Mortem of a Protagonist
You will analyze a character of your choice from the novel. In your analysis,
you will be required to complete a rough draft , and you must answer each
question, provide two pieces of textual evidence from the text, explain each
quote in context of where it is in the story and what it means, and your last
explanation MUST create a rationale between how the evidence you utilized
proves and demonstrates your answer.
You are responsible for answering questions for six chosen body parts.
Write the page number of your evidence after each “quotation” (pageQuick
4). Answer Guide
Post Mortem of a Protagonist Rubric
Body Parts:
Quality of answers for body parts:
Head: You will analyze the intellectual side of the character.
0=not answered
5=incorrect answer
1. Does he/she analyze situations or just react?
2. Is he/she smart or intelligent?
10=adequate answer
15=exceptional answer
Eyes: You will analyze how observant the character is.
Body Part 1 ____________
1. What does he/she notice about others?
2. What does he/she notice about his/her surroundings?
Ears: You will analyze what others say about him/her.




Question 1 (15pts)
_______
Text Support w/ pg (5pt) _______
Question 2 (15pts)
_______
Text Support w/ pg (5pt) _______
Body Part 2 ____________
1. Why does he/she remember what others say to him/her?

2. How is he/she affected by what others say?


Question 1 (15pts)
_______
Text Support w/ pg (5pt) _______
Question 2 (15pts)
_______
Text Support w/ pg (5pt) _______
X3
Total _________________
Mouth: You will analyze what the character reveals when he/she speaks.
1. What philosophy regarding life and surroundings does he/she
reveal?
2. What idea or value does he/she assert or demonstrate is
important?
Hands: You will analyze how the character handles situations and events.
1. What kind of conflicts does he/she deal with?
2. How does he/she resolve or deal with conflicts?
Heart: You will analyze the emotional nature of the character.
1. How does the character feel about himself/herself?
2. How does the character feel about people who are different?
Torso/Legs: You will analyze the instinctive side of the character.
1. What brings the character pain?
2. How does he/she deal with emotional and physical pain?
Feet: You will analyze the character’s reactions to events.
1. When upset about something, how does the character react?
(fight, flight or freeze)
2. How is he/she affected by where he/she has been?
Wings: You will analyze the character’s potential.
1. What kind of future do you see this character having?
2. What do you think the character will value or reflect on when
approaching death? What will become important?
Character Analysis Journal
LEFT COLUMN:
 Record evidence about the character (WORDS, ACTIONS,
REACTIONS)
 Select evidence that directly describes a character, evidence that
shows what he or she does, how he or she acts or reacts, &
what others say about him or her.
 Use quotation marks and pages numbers (LTF 4).
RIGHT COLUMN
 Making inferences about the character based on evidence
 Write commentary that explains how and/or why the evidence
leads to this inference
Example from Things Fall Apart
Textual Evidence
But it was really not true that
Okonkwo's palm-kernels had
been cracked for him by
a benevolent spirit. He had
cracked them himself ( Achebe
27).
Context
The leaders of the clan were
meeting about the murder of
Udo’s wife.
Inference
Hard-worker, determined
Commentary:
This quotes reveals this trait because he
was not born into a rich family. All of his
success is a result of his own hard work
despite what the tribal men may say.