Summer Reading 2012-2013 English 11 and English 11 Honors

Summer Reading 2012-2013
English 11 and English 11 Honors
Required Reading - Read BOTH:
 How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining
Guide to Reading Between the Lines Thomas C. Foster (READ THIS
BOOK BEFORE THE OTHER TWO BOOKS)
 Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury
Choice Reading - Choose ONE:
 A Farewell to Arms Ernest Hemingway
 The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison
 The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath
 The Joy Luck Club Amy Tan
 Maus Art Spiegelman AND The Storyteller Jodi Picoult
(graphic novel)
All of these books are available through the Erie County Library System or can be
purchased at Barnes and Noble, amazon.com, or your local bookstore. You may also
purchase the books on an e-reader, but make sure you bring your device to class with you
and that it is fully charged. From the student handbook: E-readers and tablets (no pop-up
lid devices) with e-reader applications may be used in class with the permission of the
classroom teacher. Accessing the internet on personal devices is not permitted during the school
day. If you borrow these books, please be aware that you MUST have the choice book with
you during the first two weeks of school. You will need Fahrenheit 451 and for up to one
month after school begins. You will need How to Read Literature Like a Professor:
A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines for the entire
year.
There are assignments for each book assigned attached to this sheet. Please look up
any words in the directions (and in the books) that you do not know so that you can
successfully complete each assignment.
If you have any questions about the books or the following assignments, please e-mail
[email protected]
Assignment for
How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and
Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines
As you read the book highlight and annotate ideas that you find interesting or
applicable to literature you have previously read.
As you read Fahrenheit 451 and your choice book, apply what you learned from
How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Annotate the novels and make
connections between the literature and the how to guide. Write a 2-3 page essay
that focuses on the connections between How to Read Literature Like a Professor
and 451 or your choice novel. This essay must be typed and in MLA format
(Times New Roman, size 12, double spaced, 1 inch margins). Make sure you have a
thesis statement and topic sentences as well.
English 11 Regents and Honors Required Reading
Fahrenheit 451
“You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
– Ray Bradbury, author of Fahrenheit 451
Themes to look for:
Censorship and government power
Conformity vs. individuality
Distraction vs. happiness
Taking action vs. standing by (and vice versa)
Identify these themes as you read. Annotate or use post-its when you recognize an example, so you can refer to it
later.
Write at least one fully developed paragraph (7-10 sentences) for each question after you have finished reading. Read
these questions before you begin your reading so you can formulate answers as you go. This should be completed
neatly on loose leaf paper and will be handed in on the first day of school.
1. The New York Times said, "Frightening in its implications, Mr. Bradbury's account of this insane world, which bears
many alarming resemblances to our own, is fascinating." What are the "frightening implications", and what "alarming
resemblances" does Montag's world have to our own?
2. According to Merriam-Webster, a dystopia is "an imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful
lives." How does this definition apply to Farenheit 451? Give at least three specific examples from the book.
3. How were the characters stereotyped? Pick two characters. Give three examples for each character.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected]. Have a great summer!
Reader Response Charts for Choice Novel
English 11 Regents and 11 Honors
What are reading response charts?
They are a tool for you to analyze and connect with the text. The important
part is that you, the reader, are reading something and then responding
to it with your feelings and ideas.
Directions:
Divide each journal entry in half with a T shape. Choose a quotation from
anywhere in the novel and write a reflection as to how it relates to the subject
of the journal topic (characterization, setting, plot, author’s intention) AND
to the novel as a whole. You should identify some possible quotations are
you read the book, and then pick the one that you feel best represents the
book as a whole when you are finished. Annotate as you read and be
prepared to share the other options you considered.
Worth: 100 points
Due date: On the first day of class.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected]. Have
a great summer!
CHARACTERIZATION
Left Side (Quote)
From the assigned reading, choose a
passage or line about a character or by a
character; it can be dialogue, description,
narration, interior monologue, etc.
→Include the page/line number(s) of
your example
Right Side (Response)
Write one paragraph (approximately 35 sentences minimum, more if you are
able) explaining the quotation’s context
(what’s happening at that point in the
story), what the quote tells us about the
character, and how this quote shows us
characterization (what specific words let
us know). What does it reveal about the
character’s gender or social class?
SETTING
Left Side (Quote)
From the assigned reading, choose a
passage or line that tells us something
important or insightful about the setting.
→Include the page/line number(s) of
your example
Right Side (Response)
Write one paragraph (approximately 35 sentences minimum, more if you are
able) explaining the quotation’s context
(what’s happening at that point in the
story), what the quotation tells us about
the setting (does it symbolize anything?),
and how it tells us something about the
setting. How does the setting reflect the
people that live there?
PLOT
Left Side (Quote)
From the assigned reading, choose a
passage or line that serves as a pivotal
moment in the plot or tells us something
insightful about the plot.
→Include the page/line number(s) of
your example
Right Side (Response)
Write one paragraph (approximately 35 sentences minimum, more if you are
able) explaining the quotation’s context
(what’s happening at that point in the
story) and what the quotation tells us
about the plot so far. Then provide a
personal reaction:
How did the conflict, foreshadowing,
plot complication, or character actions
reveal something about society or other
characters?
If you have any questions, please email [email protected]. Have
a great summer!
AUTHOR’S INTENTION
Left Side
In the assigned reading, pick an example
of the author conveying his tone, mood,
or message through a literary form or
technique
→Include the page/line number(s) of
your example
Right Side
Write one paragraph (approximately 3-5
sentences minimum, more if you are
able) answering some of the following
questions:
How did the author convey his or her
tone, mood, or message? Explain.
(Examples: through irony,
foreshadowing, figurative language,
imagery, symbolism, or hyperbole)
How did the author’s style affect you?
Does the material remind you of
anything you have read before? Might
these author’s be similar?
If you have any questions, please email [email protected]. Have
a great summer!
Rubric for Response Journals:
(A): Demonstrates a thorough understanding of the novel/play/poem in terms of
comprehension, interpretation, and evaluation as is shown by perceptive and
insightful reflective thinking about the text. Supports this thinking with specific
evidence in the text (significant quotes are noted and parsed) and outside
experience (using historical, political, philosophical, psychological, or other literary
lens). Displays judgments about the literary quality of the text and also
supports these judgments well with specific evidence from the text and by
using outside information from other disciplines or prior knowledge.
(B): Displays a complete and accurate understanding of the novel/play/poem in
terms of comprehension and interpretation but does not extend the meaning of the
text through imagination or the use of an unusual lens. Supports thinking with
specific evidence from the text (significant quotes) and outside experience using a
literary/philosophical lens. A less effective, but nevertheless good and
conscientious attempt is made to connect the text through references outside
the text from other disciplines or prior knowledge.
(C): Displays an incomplete understanding of the novel/play/poem in terms of
interpretation. Does not look beyond the surface of a discussion of plot or makes
some misconceptions about the interpretation of the book. General observations are
not supported through the use of significant quotes and analysis of those
quotes. Does not support thinking with specific evidence from the text and/or
outside experience or makes generalizations and suppositions that are
unsupported.
(D): Demonstrates misconceptions about the plot in terms of comprehension. Close
reading skills need sharpening. Makes no attempt at analysis, and basic plot is
summarized. Vague generalizations are used to avoid specific details. Work is
done with no attempt to fulfill the expectations for this Honors class. In other
words, you waited until the last minute and then wrote down anything you could
think of to “get by.” .
(F): Minimal, unacceptable effort is expended.
If you have any questions, please email [email protected]. Have
a great summer!