Summer Reading Assignment for all MHSIS Students Due: September 9, 2013
Why should I read during the summer? Research has consistently found that learning declines for students over the summer: “…low-income and minority children fall behind their more advantaged classmates during the summer...” At Marble Hill, we know our students can avoid the “summer slump” and we want to show you how!
How can I find books? Goodreads.com: Create a Goodreads.com account. (You can also login to Goodreads.com through a Facebook or Google account). Then join the group for your year. To find the group, search in “Groups” for “MHSIS 2016” (if you’re going to be a sophomore), for “MHSIS 2015” (if you’re going to be a junior), or for “MHSIS 2014” (if you’re going to be a senior). You will see posts, discussions and polls for you to respond to during the summer!
Talk to your teachers: In addition to looking at book lists on Goodreads, you can talk to any English teacher if you need a book recommendation and/or a copy of a book! It’s a good idea to borrow books from MH before you leave for the summer! Of course, the NY Public Library is always a great option for finding books as well.
Lexiles: If you know your Lexile score (a number based on your reading ability), you should look for books with a # from 100L below to 50L above your Lexile measure. For example, if your Lexile measure is 800L, you should read books from 700L to 850L.
How do I find out the Lexile measure of a particular book? Search for the title in the “Quick Book Search” at http://www.lexile.com.
How do I get a list of books in my Lexile range and on topics that interest me? Go here: http://www.lexile.com/fab/
How will I be graded? Your Summer Reading Assignment will count as a Homework grade for 10% of your first marking period grade for English.
Can I turn in the Summer Reading Assignment late? Summer Reading Assignments will NOT BE ACCEPTED after Friday of the first week of school (September 13th).
What is expected of me in terms of READING? Read at least TWO works of fiction (novels or plays only). There is excellent nonfiction out there and we encourage you to read it, but for this assignment, you’ll need to read works of fiction.
What is expected of me in terms of WRITING? Write TWO responses. You decide which response to do for which book. You must do one of each.
Response #1 Write a response of 3 full paragraphs (if possible: typed in size 12 Times New Roman font and double-spaced). Guidelines: • DO NOT summarize the book’s plot! • Paragraph 1: Introduce the book and author briefly. Explain what you found appealing or not appealing about the book. • Paragraph 2: Analyze the author’s use of a literary technique (some good ones: metaphor, foreshadowing, imagery, symbolism, paradox, foils, allusion, etc.). This analysis should be based on specific textual evidence. WHY does the author use the device? For what EFFECT? • Paragraph 3: Analyze at least one important quote from the book. Explain the context of the quote (Who says it? To whom? When? Why?) Why is the quote significant to the book’s themes or characters? What is the author trying to convey?
Response #2 Write a creative response of 1-2 pages (if possible: typed in size 12 Times New Roman font and double-spaced). Choose ONE of the following: 1. Write a eulogy (speech at a funeral) for a character spoken by another character in the book. What will s/he be remembered for? What stories will be told about him/her? 2. Write a letter from one character in the book to another (or to a character mentioned, but not present in the book). 3. Write a memory one of the characters has that you invent for him/her (it doesn’t take place in the book). 4. Write a scene between two characters in the book. The characters should be talking about something they HAVE NOT talked about in the book. The scene should have a beginning, middle and end. 5. Write a scene between two characters: one should be a character from your summer reading book; the other should be a character from a book you have read in an English class. The scene should have a beginning, middle and end.
Is there an opportunity for Extra Credit? Of course! Post to your class’ group page on Goodreads (must be appropriate and relevant) to earn extra credit on your Summer Reading Assignment.
Sample Summer Reading Assignment (for rising juniors or seniors)
Student Name Date
Summer Reading Response #1
This summer, I read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The novel shows the life of Okonkwo, a leader and local wrestling champion in Umuofia. The novel describes Okonkwo’s family and personal history, the customs and society of his people the Ibo, and explores the influence of British colonialism and Christian missionaries on the Ibo community during the late 1800s. What I found appealing about the novel was the way it showed me how people lived in Nigeria in the late 19th century—something I knew nothing about. I was especially interested in how Achebe shows Ibo rituals and beliefs (I couldn’t believe they thought twins were evil!). What I found not appealing was that sometimes the novel got a little boring and it seemed like nothing was really happening with the plot. For example, there are several chapters about Okonkwo’s exile that I didn’t find very exciting. One of the literary techniques Achebe uses in the novel is symbolism. For example, the locusts that descend upon the village foreshadow the arrival of the white settlers, who will take advantage of the resources of the Ibo. The fact that the Ibo eat these locusts highlights how harmless they take them to be. Similarly, those who convert to Christianity fail to realize the damage that the culture of the colonizer does to the culture of the colonized. The language that Achebe uses to describe the locusts indicates their symbolic status. The everywhere-ness of these insects hints that the white settlers will surprise the Ibo and take over their culture. The narrator of the novel writes that “Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten” (32). This quote shows the Ibo’s sophisticated way of communicating. The Ibo prefer “beating around the bush” using metaphors and proverbs, rather than being direct. They consider being direct to be rude and bad for communication. Since the British colonizers value directness in communication, they will judge the Ibo as silly and inefficient for communicating this way. This difference in beliefs about communication will be part of the reason why the Ibo and the British misunderstand each other so often.
Due: September 9, 2013
Why should I read during the summer?
Research has consistently found that learning declines for students over the summer: “…low-income and minority children fall behind their more advantaged classmates during the summer...” At Marble Hill, we know our students can avoid the “summer slump” and we want to show you how!
How can I find books?
Goodreads.com:
Create a Goodreads.com account. (You can also login to Goodreads.com through a Facebook or Google account). Then join the group for your year. To find the group, search in “Groups” for “MHSIS 2016” (if you’re going to be a sophomore), for “MHSIS 2015” (if you’re going to be a junior), or for “MHSIS 2014” (if you’re going to be a senior). You will see posts, discussions and polls for you to respond to during the summer!
Goodreads also has lots of great book lists for reading suggestions.
For example:
“Best Young Adult Books” (http://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/ya)
or “Must Read Classics” (http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/44...)
or “Best Books for Teen Boys”
(http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/45...)
Talk to your teachers:
In addition to looking at book lists on Goodreads, you can talk to any English teacher if you need a book recommendation and/or a copy of a book! It’s a good idea to borrow books from MH before you leave for the summer! Of course, the NY Public Library is always a great option for finding books as well.
Lexiles:
If you know your Lexile score (a number based on your reading ability), you should look for books with a # from 100L below to 50L above your Lexile measure. For example, if your Lexile measure is 800L, you should read books from 700L to 850L.
How do I find out the Lexile measure of a particular book?
Search for the title in the “Quick Book Search” at http://www.lexile.com.
How do I get a list of books in my Lexile range and on topics that interest me?
Go here: http://www.lexile.com/fab/
How will I be graded?
Your Summer Reading Assignment will count as a Homework grade for 10% of your first marking period grade for English.
Can I turn in the Summer Reading Assignment late?
Summer Reading Assignments will NOT BE ACCEPTED after Friday of the first week of school (September 13th).
What is expected of me in terms of READING?
Read at least TWO works of fiction (novels or plays only). There is excellent nonfiction out there and we encourage you to read it, but for this assignment, you’ll need to read works of fiction.
What is expected of me in terms of WRITING?
Write TWO responses. You decide which response to do for which book. You must do one of each.
Response #1
Write a response of 3 full paragraphs (if possible: typed in size 12 Times New Roman font and double-spaced). Guidelines:
• DO NOT summarize the book’s plot!
• Paragraph 1: Introduce the book and author briefly. Explain what you found appealing or not appealing about the book.
• Paragraph 2: Analyze the author’s use of a literary technique (some good ones: metaphor, foreshadowing, imagery, symbolism, paradox, foils, allusion, etc.). This analysis should be based on specific textual evidence. WHY does the author use the device? For what EFFECT?
• Paragraph 3: Analyze at least one important quote from the book. Explain the context of the quote (Who says it? To whom? When? Why?) Why is the quote significant to the book’s themes or characters? What is the author trying to convey?
Response #2
Write a creative response of 1-2 pages (if possible: typed in size 12 Times New Roman font and double-spaced). Choose ONE of the following:
1. Write a eulogy (speech at a funeral) for a character spoken by another character in the book. What will s/he be remembered for? What stories will be told about him/her?
2. Write a letter from one character in the book to another (or to a character mentioned, but not present in the book).
3. Write a memory one of the characters has that you invent for him/her (it doesn’t take place in the book).
4. Write a scene between two characters in the book. The characters should be talking about something they HAVE NOT talked about in the book. The scene should have a beginning, middle and end.
5. Write a scene between two characters: one should be a character from your summer reading book; the other should be a character from a book you have read in an English class. The scene should have a beginning, middle and end.
Is there an opportunity for Extra Credit?
Of course! Post to your class’ group page on Goodreads (must be appropriate and relevant) to earn extra credit on your Summer Reading Assignment.
Sample Summer Reading Assignment (for rising juniors or seniors)
Student Name
Date
Summer Reading Response #1
This summer, I read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. The novel shows the life of Okonkwo, a leader and local wrestling champion in Umuofia. The novel describes Okonkwo’s family and personal history, the customs and society of his people the Ibo, and explores the influence of British colonialism and Christian missionaries on the Ibo community during the late 1800s. What I found appealing about the novel was the way it showed me how people lived in Nigeria in the late 19th century—something I knew nothing about. I was especially interested in how Achebe shows Ibo rituals and beliefs (I couldn’t believe they thought twins were evil!). What I found not appealing was that sometimes the novel got a little boring and it seemed like nothing was really happening with the plot. For example, there are several chapters about Okonkwo’s exile that I didn’t find very exciting.
One of the literary techniques Achebe uses in the novel is symbolism. For example, the locusts that descend upon the village foreshadow the arrival of the white settlers, who will take advantage of the resources of the Ibo. The fact that the Ibo eat these locusts highlights how harmless they take them to be. Similarly, those who convert to Christianity fail to realize the damage that the culture of the colonizer does to the culture of the colonized. The language that Achebe uses to describe the locusts indicates their symbolic status. The everywhere-ness of these insects hints that the white settlers will surprise the Ibo and take over their culture.
The narrator of the novel writes that “Among the Igbo the art of conversation is regarded very highly, and proverbs are the palm-oil with which words are eaten” (32). This quote shows the Ibo’s sophisticated way of communicating. The Ibo prefer “beating around the bush” using metaphors and proverbs, rather than being direct. They consider being direct to be rude and bad for communication. Since the British colonizers value directness in communication, they will judge the Ibo as silly and inefficient for communicating this way. This difference in beliefs about communication will be part of the reason why the Ibo and the British misunderstand each other so often.