SUMMER READING 2017
Archbishop McNicholas High School
Students are required to read two books this summer, one for English and one for Social Studies*. To assist
with comprehension and recollection of specific details, students** are required to keep a dialectical journal
for their English book. It is due on the day they take their test. Please see the assignment below for the
reading and journal.
NEW FOR 2017: Students will have the option of taking the summer reading test for English during the
summer (either June 30 or July 28 @ 10 a.m.) or in their English class on the Friday of the first week of school
(August 25). Students who wish to take their summer reading test during the June or July date, must register
via this link at least two days prior to the test date. Please remember that the dialectical journals are due on
the day students choose to take their English summer reading test. Summer testing dates do not apply to AP
students nor students in the Summer Reading, Unplugged two week sessions.
*Social Studies summer reading requirements will be published on the website/newsletter by May 26.
**AP students and freshman students taking Summer Reading, Unplugged will have a different requirement.
Questions? Contact English Department Chair Angie Noble at [email protected].
For AP English questions, contact AP teacher Julie Muething at [email protected].
REQUIRED FOR ENGLISH CLASS
FRESHMEN
All freshmen will read Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
SOPHOMORES
Honors: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
CPI: The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
CPII: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
JUNIORS
Honors: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
CPI: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
CPII: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
SENIORS
Honors: First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung
CPI: Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt
CPII: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Or for SENIOR AP ENGLISH
Click here for the assignment
English Summer Reading
Dialectical Journals
50 points
Assignment: As you read, consider the conflict that the main character has within him or herself, as well as the conflict that the main
character has with the greater society. Complete a dialectical journal that charts your thinking as you read.
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Complete your journal independently. Be sure your reasoning is unique and original.
Journals will be collected the day you take the test (Summer dates June 30 or July 28; or August 25).
What is a Dialectical Journal?
The term “Dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer.” Think
of your dialectical journal as a series of conversations with the text. The process is meant to help you develop a better
understanding of the texts we read. Use your journal to incorporate your personal responses and connections to the texts, and your
ideas about the themes covered in the novel. You will find that it is a useful way to process what you are reading, prepare yourself
for group discussion, and gather textual evidence for a future assignment.
PROCEDURE:
 As you read, choose passages that stand out to you and record them in the left-hand column of the chart (ALWAYS include
page numbers). This must be completed in a notebook (1 subject, college-ruled). Your journal should include at least 10
quotes as evidence paired with coded reasoning (see below). The quotes (evidence) must span the entire book. For
example, all 10 quotes cannot be from the first three chapters. They need to represent the beginning, middle, and end of
the book.
 In the right-hand column, write your response to the text (how you connect with the text, ideas/insights, questions,
reflections, and comments on each passage).
 You must label your responses using the following codes:
o
o
o
o
o
(Q) Question – ask about something in the passage that is unclear
(P) Predict – anticipate what will occur based on what’s in the passage
(C) Clarify – answer earlier questions or confirm/disaffirm a prediction
(R) Reflect – think deeply about what the passage means in a broad sense – not just to the characters in the
story/author of the article. What conclusions can you draw about the world, about human nature, or just the way
things work?
(E) Evaluate - make a judgment about what the author is trying to say.
Sample Dialectical Journal entry: “Beyond the Yellow Highlighter”:
Evidence
(Quotes)
Pg#/¶
1. "The yellow marks in my college textbooks...did not help
me very much.”
p. 82,
1
2. "Annotations do make me read a lot slower and I wish I
didn't have to do them. It is so much harder to fake read if
you have to annotate like we have to do now. So now I
actually read, because it's too hard to fake annotate"
p. 87,
2
Reasoning
(Explanation and Code)
(C) I can relate since I often used to highlight what I
thought was important and then end up with most of the
page highlighted.
(C) It is harder to fake annotate--it almost takes more time.
(R) People are prone to find the easy way to do something.
Since there's really no easy way to annotate--fake or real-it makes sense to really read and think about the texts.
(Q) Is it really
harder to fake read if you have to annotate? Or does it just
take longer?
How your Dialectical Journal will be graded:
A- to A+: Identifies rich quotations for analysis. Provides thoughtful interpretation of and commentary on the
text. Demonstrates knowledge of literary devices and how each contributes to the meaning of the text. Makes
insightful personal connections and asks thought-provoking, insightful questions. Coverage of text is complete
and thorough. Journal is neat, organized and professional looking; student has followed directions in creation of
journal.
B- to B+: Less detailed, but strong quote selections. Some intelligent commentary; addresses some thematic
connections. Includes some literary devices, but demonstrates weaker understanding of how they contribute to
the meaning of the text. Asks pertinent questions and makes some personal connections. Adequately addresses
all parts of reading assignment. Journal is neat and readable; student has followed directions in the organization
of journal.
C- to C+: Identifies some good details from the text. Most of the commentary is vague, unsupported, or simple
plot summary. Simply identifies literary elements; with little discussion of meaning. Limited personal
connections; asks few, or obvious questions. Addresses most of the reading assignment, but is not very long or
thorough. Journal is relatively neat, but may be difficult to follow. Student has not followed all directions
perfectly.
D or F: Includes very few details from the text. Notes provide nothing more than simple plot summary or
paraphrasing. Includes very few literary elements with virtually no discussion of their meaning. Notes include
limited personal connections, and demonstrate little to no effort to ask or answer questions. Coverage of the
text is incomplete or minimalistic. Student has failed to carefully organize the journal; making it difficult to read
or follow.
AP English Literature and Composition – Summer Reading
Ms. Muething
Overview
Incoming AP Literature students are required to read several books over the summer in preparation for the course and
subsequent AP exam. One portion of the AP exam, the Free Response essay, demands that students have a wide range
of challenging literary works on which they can draw when writing that essay. The goal of this summer’s reading,
however, is not only to prepare you for the exam, but also to initiate you into the conversation about ideas through
books by both contemporary and classic authors.
AP Literature is college; it is not a preparation for college. If you are looking for ways around this reading assignment,
you should not enroll in this class.
Students who do not complete the summer reading – all of it, as spelled out by these guidelines – will not be eligible to
take the course.
If you have any questions, write to me at [email protected].
Requirements
Each student must do the following:
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Choose one play and novel pairing from the following list. (While all Shakespeare plays are available online free
of charge, I recommend finding a physical copy so you can be sure to have the complete, unabridged play as well
as helpful footnotes and explanations of archaic words. Folger editions are excellent, but not required.)
Read the chosen works, taking notes or annotating as needed to help you do well on the in-class essay on these
books. These notes are for you; I will not collect or evaluate them.
Purchase, read, and annotate How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. (Note: There are
many used copies of this book on Amazon.com for only a couple dollars.)
Take a test on the Shakespeare play in class on Friday, August 25. Summer test dates are not available for AP.
Write an in-class essay on the works in which you use the ideas from Foster’s book as a guide to analyze the
literature you read.
Titles
The following play and novel pairings comprise a conversation that should take place between you, the authors, and
their characters. The works share a common idea that should be clear enough by the time you finish reading them.
While there is no required order, you might consider reading Foster’s book as a way of preparing to read the play and
novel.
1. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
King Lear by William Shakespeare
2. Atonement by Ian McEwan
Othello by William Shakespeare
3. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
The Tempest by William Shakespeare