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2016 Summer Reading for English 11 Honors ~ Kanak

Step 1: Choose a thematic pairing. See attached choices, p. 3-4.

Step 2: Choose 1 non-fiction and 1 fiction selection within your chosen thematic pairing--that’s two books total.

Step 3: Read through the writing choices and pick the prompt that you feel best suits your writing style and strengths.

Keep in mind that all types of papers have a thesis; all essays prove a point.

● Write a narrative that connects your life with the thematic tie, being sure to directly connect your life with specific excerpts

from the 2 works. Remember good narratives contain lots of imagery; show don’t tell. Helpful link:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/04/

● Pull out passages from both texts that showcase the thematic ties in an exceptional way. Use these passages to compose an

argumentative text justifying why these selections should or should not be on next year’s list. Helpful link:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/685/05/

● Compose a traditional literary analysis, comparing and contrasting the twin books. A literary analysis takes a close look at the

author’s techniques/craft (use of figurative language, structure, character development). The writer (you), then, takes a critical

look at how well these techniques were manifested in the twin books as a whole. Strong literary analyses use a combination of

textual examples and critical commentary. In the end, it should be clear which book was more effective in delivering its

message(s). Helpful link: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/697/1/4

Step 4: Read the books, keeping notes (see attached, pp. 5-6) of quotable material that will be useful. These notes

are due on August 10 with your essay to Google Classroom; the join code is ak5mjg--see p. 8 for further instructions.

Feel free to simply copy and paste the charts on pp. 5-6 and start your own Google Doc for easy submission.

Step 5: Using the reading notes you took, compose the essay. The essay is due via Google Classroom by August 10.

Make it your goal to compose about 2 ½ pages. All paper formatting should adhere to MLA standards. No

handwritten papers will be accepted; you have 11 weeks--that’s 77 days--which is plenty of time to arrange a means

of typing and submitting your paper. The staff at the Kankakee Public Library has been more than accommodating to

all KHS students, including those with fines and/or no library cards.

*Please, for the love of everything good and holy, don’t submit your rough draft as your final draft. Read through your

paper several times and size it up to the attached rubric, p. 2.

What if I need help throughout the summer?

If you find yourself having questions, please contact me using email angela-kanak@ksd111.org or Google Classroom--instructions on

p. 8. In addition, you can message me using the Remind app, which I strong encourage you to download--see directions on p. 7.

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Summer Reading Holistic Rubric

4: Very thorough. You addressed all parts of the writing task. The passages you selected clearly support the subject and you explanation of the development of the subject is very thorough. The quality and development of ideas, organization, relevance, wording and phrasing, grammar, punctuation, and style were all excellent and appropriate for an honors student at your grade level. You clearly worked hard on this and your strong effort is appreciated. You are on your way to success in Honors English!

3: Expectations were met. You addressed all the parts of the writing task. The passages you selected support the subject and your explanation of the development of the subject is included, but is not very thorough. You need to work on better explaining how the subject develops throughout the reading. Your writing is appropriate, but may need some more work to be considered an exemplary level. Your writing was organized and there were few errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. You will need to apply yourself more in order to receive an A in Honors English for your grade level, but your potential for success is evident.

2: Writing skills are emerging. You addressed all parts of the writing task. The passages you selected do not completely support your subject; therefore, they leave your explanation of the development of the subject lacking. You need to select better passages to support your subject and work on explaining how the subject develops throughout the reading. Your style of writing is common and not engaging. You should focus more on the quality and development of ideas, organization, and making sure what you are writing about is relevant to the topic. There may be several errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. Expect to work harder this year, but don’t give up!

1: What happened? You have not covered all the requirements of the project and your work shows little effort. You have not selected passages from the book to support your subject and/or your explanation of the development of the subject is, therefore, not evident. Your writing is below average for an honors student at your grade level. In order to keep up with the level of your peers, you will need to work on organizing your writing, developing quality ideas, and improving the wording and phrasing of your writing. There are too many errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling. You will need to work much harder in order to maintain an average grade in Honors English for your grade level.

0: A submitted paper can receive a zero if the following errors occur:

● Plagiarism o This includes not citing sources, including the assigned books. o Using a paper (or a portion of) that has been submitted by a student from previous years. o Using parts (or all) of an online summary/analysis source, such as Sparknotes without properly citing it.

● Assignment instructions were not followed. o Paper was far off topic or didn’t fit into one of the three options. o The errors are so abundant that the paper is too difficult to read for content. o The paper was handwritten.

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English 11 Honors Summer Reading Options for Kanak

Non-fiction Thematic Tie Fiction Thematic Choice #1

David and Goliath by Malcom Gladwell Society’s obsession with rooting for the underdog

Choose 1 ● Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher

● Ender’s Shadow by Orson Scott

Card

Thematic Choice #2

Choose 1 ● Decoded by Jay-Z

● How Music Works by Talking

Heads’ David Byrne

Using music/poetry as a means of understanding the world, expressing feelings, and surviving hardships

Choose 1 ● Nick and Norah’s Playlist

by Rachel Cohn and David

Levithan

● Eleanor and Park by Rainbow

Rowell

● Guitar Notes by Mary Amato

● Adios, Nirvana by Conrad

Wesselhoeft

● Struts and Frets by Jon Skovron

Thematic Choice #3

Choose 1 ● The New Jim Crow by Michelle

Alexander and Cornel West ● Divided: The Perils of Our Growing

Inequality by David Cay Johnston

Injustice and prejudice in the criminal justice system

Choose 1 ● Lockdown by Walter Dean Meyers

● Black and White by Paul Volponi

Thematic Choice #4

Choose 1 ● Persepolis: The Story of a

Childhood by Marjane Satrapi ● Slave: My True Story by Mende

Nazer/Damien Lewis

Stories of bravery and hardships in male-dominated cultures

Choose 1 ● Sold by Patricia McCormick

● A Thousand Splendid Suns by

Khaled Hosseini

Thematic Choice #5 Choose 1

● My Bloody Life by Reymundo

Sanchez

● Always Running by Luis J.

Rodriguez

● Lady Q by Reymundo Sanchez

● Once a King Always a King (Sequel

to My Bloody Life) by Reymundo

Sanchez

The allure of gang-life in Hispanic-American culture

Choose 1 ● Buried Onions by Gary Soto

● Romiette and Julio by Sharon

Draper

● Behind the Eyes by Francisco Stork

● Any book in the Perfect Chemistry

series by Simone Elkeles

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Thematic Choice #6

Choose 1 ● The Bond by Sampson Davis, George

Jenkins, and Rameck Hunt

● Father Fiction by Donald Miller

● Longing for Daddy: Healing from the Pain of an Absent or Emotionally Distant Father by Monique Robinson

Growing up with negligent or absent fathers

Choose 1 ● Tyrell by Coe Booth

● Begging for Change by Sharon Flake

● Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Thematic Choice #7

Choose 1 ● Odd Girl Out by Rachel

Simmons

● Queen Bees and Wannabees

by Rosalind Wiseman

Treatment of girls in society, specifically female-female (unhealthy) communication/socialization

Choose 1 ● Some Girls Are by Courtney

Summers ● Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Thematic Choice #8

Choose 1 ● Columbine by Dave Cullen

● Why Kids Kill: Inside the Minds of School Shooters by Peter Langman

● Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings by Katherine S. Newman, Cybelle Fox, et al.

The obsession with knowing the why behind school shootings

Choose 1 ● Give a Boy a Gun by Todd

Strasser ● Nineteen Minutes by Jodi

Picoult

● The Hate List by Jennifer

Brown

Thematic Choice #9

Choose 1 ● Flirting with the Monster

by Niki Burnham and Ellen

Hopkins

● A Million Little Pieces by James

Frey

The mystery of addiction and how it destroys

Choose 1 ● Crank by Ellen Hopkins

● Glass by Ellen Hopkins

● Fall Out by Ellen Hopkins

Please Note…

Required Note Taking Log for my _____________________ Essay

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You must record (at minimum) 10 direct quotations combined from both the books—it need not be 5 each. In addition, you will not be required to use all 10. I simply need to see that you’re capable of taking notes as you read-- an important close reading skill. To begin taking notes, simply make a comparable chart on Word or Google Docs--you may also make a copy of this document. See the example at the end of this chart if you’re struggling with this concept.

Quotation with citation Commentary Potential usefulness in my

essay

Quotation with citation Commentary Potential usefulness in my essay

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Join Kanak’s Remind

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Join Google Classroom

1. Log-in to your SCHOOL Google account.

2. Click on the set of small squares--or the waffle as many people call it. It looks like this and is in the upper

righthand corner of the screen.

3. One of the apps that will unfold in the menu is Google Classroom--you may have to click the “more” link at the

bottom of the apps to make it appear.

4. Click on the addition sign on the top gray bar next to your email address.

5. Choose “join a class” and enter the code ak5mjg.