May 14, 2015 Dear Parents and Guardians: This summer, we are requiring students to participate in our summer reading program by choosing and reading one book from the appropriate grade level list. The purpose of Bishop Noll’s summer reading program is to improve students’ ability to read and comprehend complex texts independently and proficiently. As detailed in the BNI student handbook, all incoming and returning students must complete the book before the first day of school and participate in assessment activities and other assignments based on the reading when the school year begins. Students who planned to transfer to another school but return to Bishop Noll are not exempt from summer reading. No extra time will be given to these students; if they choose not to complete the reading prior to the beginning of the school year, they run the risk of failing the assignment. Students are required to complete a reading journal in a 70­page spiral notebook over their chosen book and turn it in on the first day of school. Thirty or more thoughtful notations and analytical responses are required for a reading journal to be marked satisfactory. See the attached reading journal sample on the back of this letter to use as an example. All work must be completed in ink and must be legible. If a teacher can not read the work, no grade will be assessed. A writing assessment and other assignments and projects will follow during the first few weeks of school. Books may be borrowed from the public library or purchased at Amazon.com, Half Price Books (​
www.hpb.com​
), or at local bookstores. Please encourage your child to read not only their chosen book during summer vacation, but other works of non­fiction and novels as well. Research shows that students who keep their minds active during the summer often perform better when the school year begins. Please encourage your child to thoughtfully complete their summer reading, which will help them transition into the 2014­2015 school year with confidence. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding summer reading. Many thanks, The Bishop Noll English Department 1519 Hoffman Street • Hammond, IN 46327 • (219) 932­9058 • (773) 768­1778 • FAX (219) 853­1736 • www.bishopnoll.org NOTEBOOK EXPECTATIONS: 2 column: In the left hand column, the student will write: ­­ ​
Direct quotes: ​
(Quotes longer than a sentence may contain the first few words of the quote, an ellipsis, and then the last few words of the quote.) Direct quotes will be followed by chapter number and, if applicable, page number (some electronic versions of the text may not have page numbers). The goal is that the student should be able to quickly find the quote in the original text if asked. ­­ ​
Paraphrased sections:​
Large sections of the text which need to be discussed. Identify where, chapter number and page number, the summary is occurring. The goal is that the student should be able to quickly find the section in the original text if asked. EXAMPLE: ​
The Outsiders ​
by S.E. Hinton “Stay gold pony boy, stay gold” (148) Word I did not know before In the right hand column, the student will write the analysis of the chosen quote or paraphrase. Remember, this is NOT a “Reader Response” journal: Plot
Exposition (setting / introduces characters)
Rising Action
Climax
Falling Action
Resolution
Character Analysis
Protagonist
Antagonist
Character Traits / Personality
Conflict
Person vs. Person
Person vs. Society
Person vs. Self
Person vs. Technology (etc)
Symbols
Important Themes
Figurative Language
EXAMPLE: Losing Johnny in chapter 9 is the climax of the story. The message in his last words to Ponyboy are powerful; Johnny wants his friend to maintain his innocence and all the moral and virtuous aspects of his character. Definition Summer Reading Book Choices
1. ​
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian ​
by Sherman Alexie
Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation, is determined to take his future into his own
hands. Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian
is the school mascot. Heartbreaking, funny, and beautifully written, ​
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian​
, which
is based on the author's own experiences, coupled with poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney, that reflect the
character's art, chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy as he attempts to break away from the
life he was destined to live.
1519 Hoffman Street • Hammond, IN 46327 • (219) 932­9058 • (773) 768­1778 • FAX (219) 853­1736 • www.bishopnoll.org 2. ​
Monster ​
by Walter Dean Myers
Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon, a teenage boy in juvenile detention and on trial. Presented as a
screenplay of Steve's own imagination, and peppered with journal entries, the book shows how one single decision can
change our whole lives.
Fade In: Interior: Early Morning In Cell Block D, Manhattan Detention Center.
Steve (Voice-Over)
Sometimes I feel like I have walked into the middle of a movie. Maybe I can make my own movie. The film will be the
story of my life. No, not my life, but of this experience. I'll call it what the lady prosecutor called me ... Monster.
3. ​
Speak ​
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Melinda Sordino busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops. Now her old friends won't talk to her, and people she
doesn't even know hate her from a distance. The safest place to be is alone, inside her own head. But even that's not safe.
Because there's something she's trying not to think about, something about the night of the party that, if she let it in, would
blow her carefully constructed disguise to smithereens. And then she would have to speak the truth. This extraordinary first
novel has captured the imaginations of teenagers and adults across the country.
4. ​
Bruiser ​
by Neal Shusterman
"There’s a reason why Brewster can’t have friends – why he can’t care about too many people. Because when he cares
about you, things start to happen. Impossible things that can’t be explained. I know, because they're happening to me."
When Brontë starts dating Brewster “Bruiser” Rawlins – the guy voted “Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty” her twin
brother, Tennyson, isn’t surprised. But then strange things begin to occur. Tennyson and Brontë’s scrapes heal unnaturally
fast, and cuts disappear before their eyes. What at first seems like their good fortune turns out to be more than they
bargained for…much more.
5. ​
Between Shades of Gray ​
by Ruta Sepetys
Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one
night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from
her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north,
crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig
for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions. Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great
risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know
they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible
strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives.​
Between Shades of Gray​
is a novel that will steal your breath and
capture your heart.
1519 Hoffman Street • Hammond, IN 46327 • (219) 932­9058 • (773) 768­1778 • FAX (219) 853­1736 • www.bishopnoll.org