Summer Reading Assignment

 

As part of a district goal to expand reading opportunities for students, the English Departments at all the Plainfield High Schools – Central Campus, South, North, and East - are requiring that all students read a novel over the summer.  Because reading is vital to a student's success in school, we have set up this program to encourage it. As Stratford P. Sherman, author of America Won't Win Till it Reads More, declares and we agree, "Reading transcends the mere transmission of information: It fosters an imaginative dialogue between the text and the reader's mind that actually helps people think."

 

Your summer reading assignment asks and expects you to read the novel named below. After reading the novel, complete the written assignment (also below). The written assignment is to be turned into your English teacher on the first day of school. Ten points will be deducted per school day for work handed in late.

 

The entire summer reading list and the written assignment will be available online through the school English department website as well as the student resources page.

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Required Reading:

Incoming 9th graders:

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

 

Incoming 10th graders:

They Cage the Animals at Night by Jennings Michael Burch    

 

Incoming 11th graders:

Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (American Literature)

Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (English Literature)

 

Incoming 12th graders:

Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut  (Contemporary Literature)

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka  (Senior Seminar)   

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Required Reading:

Incoming Honors 9th graders:

Animal Farm by George Orwell        

 

Incoming Honors 10th graders: 

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury     -or-

Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

 

Incoming AP 11th graders: 

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison    
 The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien  (second required book)

 

Incoming AP 12th graders:

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller                                -or-

Brothers Karamazov by Fodor Dostoevsky

How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster (second required book)

Incoming Rhetoric Students must take and pass the COMPASS test as issued by JJC to be placed appropriately into the course and to receive dual credit.  Test can be taken more than once.

 

Acquiring the novels:

ü      Novels may be borrowed from the public libraries.

ü      Novels may be purchased at bookstores

ü      Novels may be purchased online (shipping will take several weeks, so please plan accordingly)

 

Written Assignment for non-honors / AP courses:

The written portion of the summer reading is to be handed in on the first day of school. 10 points will be deducted per school day for each day the assignment is late. Any written assignment that is plagiarized in part or in whole, will earn a grade of "0".

 

Written Requirements:

Complete the following for each novel: (responses should be typed)

Part I:

List the title, author, and main characters (protagonist and/or antagonist) of the novel.

Part II:

Support your answers to the following questions using specific details from the novel.  Responses should be a paragraph (minimum 8-10 sentences) for each.

1. What were your feelings after reading the opening chapter(s) of this novel? Why?

2. Do you like the way the novel ended? Why or why not? What do you think might happen next or what else would you like to learn?

Part III: 

Choose ONE of the following:

Responses should be a paragraph (minimum 8-10 sentences) for each.

Ø      DEVELOPING INTERPRETATION: Describe the situation of the main character at the end of the novel. Explain the changes that have taken place in his or her life and include attitudes and feelings of this character.

Ø      CRITICAL ANALYSIS: Explain what you would change about the novel and explain why.

Ø      GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING: Select one character from the story. Describe the character's quest or journey. Consider what goals and dreams drive the character's actions, what obstacles the character faces in seeking his/her goal, and the outcomes of the quest or journey.

Part IV: 

Complete the following:

You need to respond to three quotations.  Responses should be a paragraph (minimum 8-10 sentences) for each.

Ø      Find a part of the book (a quotation) that you find interesting or significant.

Ø      Write the page number and the quotation.

Ø      EXPLAIN, in detail what is happening at this point in the book, why you found this particular section interesting, does it have a deeper meaning, and what kind of connections to real life or other literature can you make?