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12th

Grade Summer Reading Assignments

Regular or ESOL Level (page 2) Honors Level (page 3)

AP English Literature (pages 4-6) IB English (page 7)

*Due dates vary by course. Read carefully. If no due date is

specified, work will be collected the second week of school.

Complete the assignment for the English class you are registered to enter next year.

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Grade 12- Regular and/or ESOL

Read The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. After reading the novel, complete any two of the assignments below.

1. Write a total of five journal entries (include at least one from the beginning, middle, and end of the book). Each entry should include the following:

a quote from the book, utilizing the author’s exact words, which inspired your comments.

the page number on which the quotation appears

a three to five sentence summary written in the “voice” of a character other than the narrator. Write the way he/she would speak.

three to five sentences explaining why you selected this quote.

2. Illustrate an important scene from the same book. Include the page number where this scene appears.

You may draw, cut out pictures, and/or use computer art.

You might want to design a collage for the scene.

Write a three to five sentence caption that explains what the illustration is about.

3. Imagine that you are the literary agent working to get this novel published. Write a letter to the

publishing company and persuade them to publish the book. What arguments would you use?

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Grade 12 Honors Select two teacher assigned books to read over the summer break.

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama Brian Piccolo: A Short Season by Jeannie Morris

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden Please Don’t Kill the Freshman: A Memoir by Zoe Trope

Funny in Farsi- A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas The Soloist by Steven Lopez

For one chosen book, complete the following activities:

1. Write five journal entries in the voice of one of the characters. 2. Illustrate and caption three important scenes from the story.

For the second chosen book, complete the following:

1. Compose an argument of three to five paragraphs using the following content elements: a. Make a claim supporting your position on whether this book should be read by high school seniors. b. Elaborate by using specific content references.

Introduction o Did you enjoy reading this biography/novel? o Briefly explain why reading this book was or was not a positive experience for you.

Body o Select any two of the following four questions below to answer within your essay.

What elements were interesting and believable? Did you have a favorite? Did the author do a good job of creating realism?

Was the author able to hold your interest throughout the entire narrative? How did he or she manage to do this?

Which were your favorite recollections in this work? Explain why you enjoyed them. What changes, if any, would you have made to this book?

Develop each of these topics into a full, rich paragraph.

Conclusion o You should choose two or three of the following questions below.

What did you learn from reading this biographical work? Did it inspire you? Or teach you anything about the human predicament?

Is this a book you would recommend to your friends? Why or why not? Should this be a book on everyone’s reading list? Or at least as a required book for a

high school English class?

Develop each of these into a full conclusion.

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AP English Literature

*THIS SUMMER, procure 1-highlighters or colored pencils, 2-1.5 inch Clear View binder, 3-five dividers for DAY ONE.

Please order ONLY the DOVER THRIFT PUBLICATIONS (pictured below) of

Wuthering Heights and Oedipus Rex

*Purchase these from the PTSA before the 2016-2017 school year ends or online before the end of June.

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Assignment #1: Read, highlight, and annotate WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte.

As you read the novel, you will need highlighters or colored pencils. HIGHLIGHTED BOOKS ARE DUE DAY ONE.

Your first grades depend on your ability to highlight, identify and discuss these quotes and literary elements:

Green: Elements of setting. Consider descriptions of: 1 - Weather, 2 - The Moors, 3 - The Two Houses. Pink: Elements of Gothic literature that you learn from your summer study of the genre. Yellow: Significant quotes or “lovely language” that drives the plot forward. In other words, the quotes that strike you as being important or memorable. Purple: Introduction or description of characters as the plot progresses. Blue: Critical scenes or turning points for characters or the plot. Orange: Changes in the narrator. *One fades away as another takes over the telling of a new story.

Assignment #2: CREATE a detailed FREYTAG'S PYRAMID for the novel on paper no smaller than 8.5 x 11 and no larger than 8.5 x 14. It must be computer generated or completed in ink. Use all the lines allotted, especially for the ongoing rising action of the novel. (Do not use glitter.)

Continued on next page…

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Analyzing a story's plot: Freytag's Pyramid

Continued on next page…

1. Exposition: setting the scene. The writer introduces the characters and setting, providing description and background.

2. Inciting Incident: something happens to begin the action. A single event usually signals the beginning of the main conflict. The inciting incident is sometimes called 'the complication'.

3. Rising Action: the story builds and gets more exciting.

4. Climax: the moment of greatest tension in a story. This is often the most exciting event. It is the event that the rising action builds up to and that the falling action follows.

5. Falling Action: events happen as a result of the climax and we know that the story will soon end.

6. Resolution: the character solves the main problem/conflict or someone solves it for him or her.

7. Dénouement: (a French term, pronounced: day-noo-moh) the ending. At this point, any remaining secrets, questions or mysteries which remain after the resolution are solved by the characters or explained by the author. Sometimes the author leaves us to think about the THEME or future possibilities for the characters.

You can think of the dénouement as the opposite of the exposition: instead of getting ready to tell us the story by introducing the setting and characters, the author is getting ready to end it with a final explanation of what actually happened and how the characters think or feel about it. This can be the most difficult part of the plot to identify, as it is often very closely tied to the resolution.

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Assignment #3: Prior to reading OEDIPUS REX,by Sophocles, define these Greek Tragedy terms in your binder: Tragedy Hubris Hamartia Tragic hero (and his characteristics) Tragic flaw Tragic fall Catharsis

_____________________________________________________________________________ Assignment #4: Using a highlighter (in the specified color), identify:

Pink: Elements of Greek Tragedy that you learn from your summer study of the genre. Yellow: Foreshadowing or Significant quotes about fate that drive the plot forward. In other words, the quotes that strike you as being important or memorable. Purple: Introduction or description of characters as the plot progresses. Blue: Critical scenes or turning points for characters or the plot. Purple: Introduction or description of characters as you progress through the text. Orange: Symbols that you recognize as you follow the eponymous character through his ordeal. Green: Allusions to Greek Mythology accompanied by your annotation __________________________________________________________________________________________ Bring both books with you on the first day of school. Do not procrastinate. If you wish to earn a passing grade during the first nine weeks of school, these books must be read in their entirety over the summer, and annotations and assignments must be completed. Pace yourself.

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IB English HL (Language A) Summer Work – 2017-2018

Read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, any version is fine, as long as it is not an abridged or “Junior Classic” Version.

Purchase a Composition Book or One Subject Spiral which will be your IB English Journal for the year.

The first section of your Composition Book will be devoted to Pride and Prejudice.

You will create a set of charts in the following order. These charts will become part of your study guide as the year progresses.

The work needs to be legibly handwritten. (If you type it, you may paste it into your notebook.)

Chart 1: A family tree, which will include the Bennett family and the Darcy family (even if your book includes this tree, copy it

into your notebook.)

Chart 2: A list of at least 10 characters with at least 2 examples each of direct and indirect characterization from the novel

(with citation – either page number or chapter number).

o Direct Characterization: something the narrator says specifically or directly about the character

o Indirect Characterization: something that is hinted at or implied by author about character, based on what

character says, does, and how others react to him/her

Example:

Name Description Indirect

Characterization

Direct Characterization

Chart 3: A map of signification locations (minimum of 4) in the novel and an explanation of what/who they represent.

(Tracking the movement of the characters is also helpful.)

Chart 4: Conflicts: List the (internal and external) conflicts in the novel (minimum of 5) and write how they are resolved

throughout the novel.

Written Reflection: Write a well-written two-page review of Pride and Prejudice, supported by evidence from the novel –

comment on its success as a novel and whether or not it should be continued to be taught in 21st century American schools.

*Your assignments will be due for a grade on the second day of school.