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Date: _______________________
Literature 9
Summer Reading Project
Dear Class of 2024,
Welcome to your first assignment for Literature class! You will be reading one exciting text this
summer, in preparation for our first unit. This memoir provides a compelling story, unforgettable
characters, and timeless themes. We hope you enjoy reading it as much as we did!
In this packet, you will find guiding questions for the Literature summer reading book, The Other
Wes Moore by Wes Moore. Please complete this work in complete sentences, using black or
dark blue ink. This packet will be collected during your first week of school and will be graded.
In addition to this grade, you will have TWO other major assessments on the summer reading,
which are outlined below.
You will be assessed on the reading in the two following ways:
• A reading exam on the book during Prep Academy in August (absent scholars will get
automatic 0’s)
• An in-class essay at the end of Unit 1. Annotation packets and novels may be used
during this in-class essay.
If you have any questions about this assignment, please e-mail Ms. Nunes at
[email protected].
We look forward to meeting you, and we wish you a joyful and productive summer!
TheotherWesMoore
9th Grade Literature Summer Reading Assignment
“When it is time for you to leave this school, leave your job,
or even leave this earth, you make sure you have worked
hard to make sure it mattered you were even here.”
Two kids with the same name, living in the same city. One grew up to
be a Rhodes Scholar, decorated com­bat veteran, White House Fellow,
and business leader. The other is serving a life sentence in prison for
felony murder. Here is the story of two boys and the journey of a
generation. Wes just couldn’t shake off the unsettling coincidence, or
the inkling that the two shared much more than space in the same newspaper. After following
the story of the robbery, the man­hunt, and the trial to its conclusion, he wrote a letter to the
other Wes, now a convicted murderer serving a life sentence with­out the possibility of
parole. His letter tentatively asked the questions that had been haunting him:
Who are you? How did this happen?
Pre-Reading
Read the title and subtitle of the book. Based on the title, what do you predict this book might be about?
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The back cover says, “The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine. The tragedy is that my story could
have been his.” What do you think the author means by this quote?
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Essential Questions:
• Does the environment in which we live dictate who we become?
• How does education become a road to success and power for one of the Wes Moores?
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MAINCHARACTERS
Below, construct a character chart for each of the main characters in the novel.
Character
Description
Directions: For each chapter, answer the guiding questions. Please be sure to include at least one quote from the
text that you used to help you find the answer. Note the page number of each quote.
The Other Wes Moore (for simplicity’s sake, we will refer to the two Wes Moores as “Author Moore” (the
one who wrote the book) and “Other Moore” (the one who went to jail).
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Chapter One
1. Why does Author Moore’s mother react as she does to Moore hitting his sister? What does Author Moore learn
from this event?
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Author Moore
Supporting Quote (include page number):
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2. Why did Other Moore’s mother believe education was an escape? How does her struggle for an education
impact Other Moore?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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Chapter Two
1. Why did Other Wes find it difficult to take Tony’s advice on how to behave at home and at school?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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2. Why did Other Moore react so strongly and violently to the boy from the football game?
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Other Moore
Supporting Quote (include page number):
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3. How was Author Moore’s experience of playing sports in Chapter 2 different from Other Moore’s?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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Chapter Three
1. In this chapter, Author Moore describes the two different worlds in which he was living. Why was this situation
difficult for him? How did this tension cause him to make poor decisions?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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2. Why did Mary (Other Moore’s mother) decide to move the family again? What does this decision tell the
reader about Mary’s feelings about Wes?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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3. How did Other Moore’s first experience with alcohol impact his decision to sell drugs?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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Chapter Four
1. Why didn’t Other Moore pay attention to the warnings about selling drugs that he got from Tony and from his
mother?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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2. How did Author Moore react to being arrested? How is his reaction different from what Other Moore might
have done in the same circumstance?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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3. Who does Author Moore blame for his arrest? Why is this significant?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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Chapter Five
1. Why is the incident with Author Moore hitting Shani significant? Why will Moore hit his sister, but not his
mother?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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3. What does Author Moore’s mother’s willingness to sacrifice to send Moore to military school suggest about her
attitude towards her son? Why would she find the sacrifice worthwhile?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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4. How is Other Moore’s interaction with Ray similar to his reaction years ago to the football player? What does
his reaction suggest about Other Moore’s ability to learn from his mistakes?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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Chapter Six
1. Why did Other Moore choose to turn to drug dealing after he got out of juvenile detention?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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2. How did Other Moore react to his drug arrest? What does his reaction suggest about his ability to take
responsibility for his actions?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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3. How does Author Moore react to being attacked by the racist men in the car? What does his reaction suggest
about his ability to control his behavior and decision-making?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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Chapter Seven
1. How did reading books by Malcolm X and Colin Powell effect Author Moore’s path in life?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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2. What might Author Moore’s sky-dive symbolize in his life?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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3. Other Moore is very successful at Job Corp. Why does he return to illegal activity, despite his original success?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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Chapter Eight
1. How does Mary learn about Tony and Other Moore’s involvement in the robbery? What does this suggest
about her relationship with her son?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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2. Why does Author Moore credit Paul White for Moore’s acceptance into Johns Hopkins? What impact does he
feel his mentor has had on his life?
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Supporting Quote (include page number):
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3. How does his time in South Africa change Author Moore’s perspective on American poverty?
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Please choose ONE of the following essential questions to answer in a full paragraph (8-10 sentences):
Essential Questions:
• Does the environment in which we live dictate who we become?
• How does education become a road to success and power for one of the Wes Moores?
Please re-write your chosen essential question below in your own words:
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Begin paragraph here:
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