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Honors English I: Summer Reading 2024

All students entering ninth grade honors must read a text of their choice from the list below and complete the written assignment. Please contact Mrs. Afanasiw at nafanasiw@slrsd.org if you have any questions.

Book Choices:

• The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley

 

• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

 

• A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Your Task:  Create five (5) two-column Dialectical Notes entries to showcase your understanding of your chosen summer text. The term “dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer.” Think of your dialectical notes as a series of conversations with the text. For this assignment, you should select five (5) quotations from your chosen reading.

Procedure: As you read, choose passages that stand out to you and record them in the left-hand column of the chart. Look for quotes that seem significant, powerful, thought provoking or puzzling. For example, you might record: 

• Effective &/or creative use of literary devices (think simile, metaphor, symbol, diction, imagery, tone)
• Passages that remind you of your own life or something you’ve seen before (be sure to explain in detail how your life connects)
• Examples of motifs: recurring ideas 
• ¾ÅÉ«ÊÓƵ you find surprising or confusing 
• Passages that illustrate the growth or shift of a particular character 

In the right column, write your response/reflection to the text, using at least two (2) of the prompts below. Your right column reflection should run 4-8 complete sentences, and you should label the types of response from the categories (A, Q, C, CL, R, and E).

(A) Analyze – Break down and explain the value of the language (individual words and phrases) and explain their significance to that passage and/or the work over all

(Q) Question – ask about something in the passage that is unclear 

(C) Connect – make a connection to your life, the world, or another text 

(CL) Clarify – answer earlier questions or confirm/disaffirm a prediction 

(R) Reflect – think deeply about what the passage means in a broad sense – not just to the characters in the story or author of the text. What conclusions can you draw about the world, about human nature, or just the way things work? 

(E) Evaluate- make a judgment about what the author is trying to say

All work must be original as explained in the high school’s Academic Integrity policy (found on the high school website in the Student Handbook); the main idea is that you must not present ideas from another source or classmate as your own. Please number your responses.

Please Note: This course requires a summer reading and writing assignment. Summer work will be due by the second Friday after school begins.

Example:

Summer Reading Honors English II 2024

All students entering into sophomore honors English must read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. To help you prepare for the reading, writing, critical thinking, and analysis you will experience in this course, it is recommended that you take notes (post-it notes are helpful for note-taking) and consider important scenes, characters, “big ideas” and key takeaways (themes), as well as questions raised.

From Goodreads: “In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women, mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends, view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.” (The story takes place in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s, and the novel was published in 2009.)

Some essential questions to consider:

*How do courageous actions trigger responses and change society?

*How does literature mirror the human experience?

*By viewing the world through a different perspective or someone else’s lens, what can we learn about ourselves?

*What can we do today to make a difference in the society in which we live?

Post-Novel Assessment: Socratic Seminar discussions will take place during one of the first class meetings.

Be prepared for an in-class analysis essay during the second full week of class.

AP Language Summer Reading 2024

(as noted in the Program of Studies: “This course may include summer preparatory and enrichment assignments. Summer work will be due by the second Friday after school begins.”)

Please select one of the following texts:

Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell

In this stunning book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different?

The Art of Happiness by Dalai Lama

The Art of Happiness is the book that started the genre of happiness books, and it remains the cornerstone of the field of positive psychology. Through conversations, stories, and meditations, the Dalai Lama shows us how to defeat day-to-day anxiety, insecurity, anger, and discouragement. 

The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir by Kao Kalia Yang

The Hmong are an ethnic group who fought on the side of the United States in the Vietnam War and also provided intelligence about the movements of communist forces to the American armed forces. Following the pullout of American forces, the new communist regimes of both Vietnam and Laos murdered thousands of people who had assisted the US. Yang’s memoir tells of her family’s journey from Laos, to a Thai refugee camp, and eventually to the United States as refugees. Despite arriving speaking no English and living in extreme poverty, Yang eventually earned degrees from both Carleton College and Columbia University and became a writer and a college professor- a story of true grit.

 

Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals

In this compelling autobiographical account by one of the Civil Rights Movement’s most powerful figures, Beals explores the evils of racism, but also the more powerful ideals of equality and justice. Beals’ memoir demonstrates personal courage and resilience in the face of monumental challenges. You are expected to read the original version, not the YA adapted version.

Assignments:
1. As you read, you will take handwritten notes to support an open response to the following question, which will be written on demand during class after summer reading is due. Be sure to include parenthetical citation for any quoted material in your notes as you will need it for your response (Beals 243): 

What is the overarching message that the writer wishes to convey to the audience in this text? Is this message valuable for emerging adult readers- why/why not? Each of your claims must be supported by multiple moments from the text.

2. Please answer the following question in a well-written paragraph.  As a reminder, this requires:

• a topic sentence which makes a claim that responds to the prompt
• sufficient evidence to support your answer as well as analysis/discussion of that evidence
• attention to editing and revising- free of run-ons/fragments; correct spelling, capitalization, and punctuation; varied sentence structure

Discuss a personal connection or observation about the text. Explain how this text helped you learn something new, think about something in a different way, or connect to something else you have read, observed, or experienced. Responses must be handwritten.

 AP Literature and Composition Required Summer Reading Assignment 2024

Please Note: This course requires a summer reading and writing assignment. Summer work will be due by the second Friday after school begins. 

This summer, the assigned text for AP Literature is Song of Solomon. To help you get ready for the reading, writing, critical thinking, and analysis you will experience in this AP class, you will need to read the novel and complete the assignment below. I hope you find this reading meaningful and enjoyable. I look forward to discussing important scenes, characters, “big ideas” and key takeaways, as well as questions raised.

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison   

Summary: Song of Solomon is a quintessential bildungsroman, or coming-of-age journey, for Macon “Milkman” Dead as he explores his family’s rich history and where he fits into the world. Along the way, he makes and loses friends, connects with eccentric family members, and breaks a few hearts. Ultimately, the reader is left to decide if Milkman ever grows up and earns the redemption that he is seeking. (The novel is written in two parts. Part I is Chapters 1-9 and Part II is Chapters 10-15. If you’re looking for a way to distinguish between the two, Part I is set in Michigan and Milkman is static or unchanged. Part II travels to Danville, Pennsylvania and Shalimar, Virginia where Milkman experiences some life-changing realizations. The time period is roughly the 1950s.) 

As you read, familiarize yourself with the list of motifs and symbols provided so that you can follow some of them. They will be found in works read throughout the year, and some will be the basis of a Literary Research Paper in the fall. 

Familiarize yourself with the list of motifs and symbols provided so that you can follow some while reading. 
Motif: An idea that recurs. The idea will come up over and over again throughout the text. 

• Race
• Gender/Gender roles
• Identity
• Mercy
• Justice
• Death
• Truth
• Parental Influence/Family
• Relationships/Friendships
• The Past/Memories
• Sex/Sexuality
• Abandonment/Isolation
• Independence/Dependence
• Religion/Higher powers/The supernatural
• Trust
• War/Fighting
• Traveling/Journeys
• Suffering/Punishment
• Direction
• Perspectives
• Gluttony/Greed

Symbol: Commonly an object, action, or color. It usually represents more than one idea or changes meaning over the course of the story. (Can come up one time and still be symbolic)

• Flying/Leaping/Jumping
• Flowers/Nature
• Money/Gold
• Houses/Caves
• Water (in any form)
• Fire
• Physical marks
• Animals/Birds (cats, peacocks, bears, etc.)
• Colors (blue, yellow, red, etc.)
• Songs
• Dreams
• Books
• Tracks
• Paper
• Rope
• Eyes

Assignment: For each chapter in the novel, please write 5-8 detailed bullet points of summary. This assignment must be typed in a Google Doc. I will share a document for posting before the assignment is due. 

*Important friendly reminder about the Academic Integrity Policy: Your work must absolutely be your own original writing. If you copy from another or plagiarize in any way, discipline measures will be taken, and you will not receive any credit for the assignment. 

Chapter One example: 

• Insurance agent (and Seven Days member) Robert Smith wears a pair of blue wings, goes to the roof of Mercy Hospital, and leaps.
• First Corinthians and Magdalene called Lena Dead drop their basket of red velvet roses and the crowd helps chase after the roses.
• Ruth Foster Dead goes into labor with Milkman (aka Macon Dead III).
• Pilate Dead is present and singing the Sugarman (later Solomon) song.
• A young Guitar Bains runs to get help from the all white Mercy Hospital. 
• Ruth is the first Black woman taken care of in the hospital and Milkman is the first Black baby born there.
• etc.

What to expect in class: We will have a Socratic Seminar discussion and an in-class essay assessment on the novel. This work will also be one of the texts used to write a Literary Research Paper in the fall. (Your bullet point summaries will be used in various ways.)

Please do not hesitate to email over the summer if you have any questions at hbates@slrsd.org.

AP Biology! 

Over the summer, I would like you to review some chemistry and biology. This is a form of enrichment, a way to keep you engaged with the content.  It is important for everyone to take a break from school, but it is also important for you to "brush up" given the fact that some of you had biology two years ago, and some of you are just now taking chemistry. 

Based on your experience you will be given a chance to choose your summer assignment from the parts listed below. 

Everyone will be completing Part 1. From there you can choose to either do Part 2, 3 or 4. (or all if you choose)

Part 2 is a video learning/review of major concepts that were covered in Biology your sophomore year. 

Part 3 is root word investigation, where you will be given the opportunity to look up and come up with definitions for the most used biology words, prefixes and suffixes.   

Part 4 is an essential chemistry review.  This is highly recommended if you have not had chemistry and you are currently enrolled in Honors Chemistry. 

The summer enrichment work is due during your first week of school (this work is not being graded).  You will have the chance to turn it in on Classroom once you log in (which will be on the first day or second day of school during your class period).

Can’t wait to see you!

Mrs. Vukovic