PRE-A.P. ENGLISH 10: Required SUMMER ASSIGNMENT
Welcome to Bothell High School! Here is your summer reading and journal assignment. Please pay
close attention to the requirements, including format, of this and all future assignments. In addition, be
prepared for an essay and/or test on these texts immediately in the fall.
I.
READ OF MICE AND MEN AND FRANKENSTEIN
You will read John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, keeping a separate
Dialectical Journal on each novel based on a guiding question. Students in Pre-A.P. English 10 are
expected to purchase their own books, and are encouraged to practice interactive reading skills such as
highlighting significant passages and writing in the margins.
II.
COMPOSE T WO SEPARATE DIALECTICAL JOURNALS AS YOU READ (ONE FOR
EACH NOVEL)
A Dialectical Journal (DJ) is a double-entry note-taking process completed while reading any genre of
literature. A DJ externalizes the reader’s interior monologue, in the form of two columns that relate to
each other. In the left column, students quote passages from the text. In the right column, they write
commentary on the excerpt they have quoted.
How do I select passages to quote in the left column?
The individual’s relationship to society is a common theme in literature. Part of growing up involves
learning to balance one’s desires with responsibilities to the larger community. Sometimes people focus
too much on themselves, at the expense of others. On the other hand, sometimes people can’t achieve
their potential because they’ve been denied by others. You should have approximately one quote per
every 10-15 pages of text, depending on the length of the text and assignment. Approximately two
quotes per journal page, single-spaced, reflect the length of a response that goes sufficiently in depth.
GUIDING QUESTION: As you read Frankenstein and Of Mice and Men, consider the following
question/sub-questions. Do the characters pursue goals that are good for themselves AND society?
Do they meet those goals? Why or why not? Choose passages that relate to this issue as it is
played out throughout each story (plot, characters, setting, narrative structure, etc.). Note that
each novel has more than one main character. Each entry should address the guiding question.
What do I write in the right column?
The right column is NOT for summarizing plot or paraphrasing the quote. Reflect on how the passage
relates to the guiding question. Analyze interesting language, literary devices and other techniques.
Make predictions, weave connections, ask questions, share feelings. Interact closely with the text to
demonstrate how the author uses words to communicate his or her overall message. Remember that all
work must be your own; outside sources (such as Sparknotes) are not permitted.
How many DJ entries do I need & how long should my journal be?
1. Of Mice and Men -- Find a passage to comment upon AT LEAST every ten pages. This means a
minimum of 10 quotations.
2. Frankenstein -- A minimum of 15 quotations are required for this Dialectical Journal. Since editions
vary, divide the length of your book by 15 and comment on a passage at least once within each of those
sets of pages. NOTE: the novel starts with letters from Robert Walton; be sure to start at the beginning!
- Your quotation may be short, but your commentary should show IN-DEPTH REFLECTION. You
might have a quotation of two lines, but a commentary of half a page.
- Recommended Length of Entries: At least half a page (so two entries per page) should allow for in
depth analysis and reflection.
What are the format requirements and due date?
Due first day of class (not Link Day)
TYPED, 12 point font, single-spaced
Use Proper M.L.A.* heading & citations (Student Name, Pre-A.P. English 10 & Period, Date, Teacher
Name)
*M.L.A. guidelines can be found on the Purdue OWL Website:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
Additionally, students will be required to submit their dialectical journals to the website turnitin.com soon after
the first day of class. Instructions and passwords will be provided in class.
SAMPLE DJ ENTRIES
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Quote
Response
“In that brief glance Vronsky had time to notice the
restrained animation that played over her face and
fluttered between her shining eyes and the barely
noticeable smile that curved her red lips. It was as if a
surplus of something so overflowed her being that it
expressed itself beyond her will, now in the brightness
of her glance, now in her smile”(59).
Tolstoy makes Anna seem like the perfect woman. She
is well off in life, is in a prestigious marriage, and is the
definition of society what with her manners and grace.
Of course that was not the object of Tolstoy’s book. In
the passage we see Anna as what she really is: human.
She has faults like the rest of mankind. When Tolstoy
writes that there is “restrained animation,” he implies
that she is attracted Vronsky, though her place in
society keeps her from prompting him on. Not to
mention the fact that she is married. Tolstoy gives an
effect of “love at first sight” in a way. Could someone,
in a permanent relationship, find love in someone else?
Technically Anna’s relationship with her husband is
built up around society and their duties. Yes she has
respect and care for him, but there is no romantic
foundation. We, as the reader, find ourselves in a
position where the character’s decision can go either
way.
“‘Do this for me: never say such words to me, and let Anna’s personality is very strong. Every action is never
us be good friends.’ These were her words, but her eyes regretted as her mind is made. In the quote we are able
said something different” (139).
to see two sides fighting inside of her: the Anna that
has feelings for Vronsky and wants to act on them, and
the Anna that is aware of society and reputation
hanging precariously over her. Social image was really
important at the time, and Anna was a married woman.
An affair would ruin her entire life. Interestingly we see
Anna choose society over (as Disney as this may
sound) her heart. This shows Anna’s ability to conform
to society, as was the case of most people at the time.
But this conflict has not made up her mind.
TEXTUAL NOTE: Finally, we’d like to make a brief comment on the text of Of Mice and Men. The novel concerns migrant laborers
during the Great Depression. Harmful stereotyping based on gender, race, and mental ability is depicted and condemned in this story. To
create a historically accurate record of the discrimination faced by men and women of the day, Steinbeck occasionally invokes pejorative
language, including the “n”-word. Please let us know if you have any further questions on this.
Jacob Crouch, Mary Simmons, & Cynthia Bentzen, Pre-A.P. English 10 Teachers
[email protected], [email protected], [email protected]