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June 2013

Dear Honors Humanities Students,

Congratulations on completing your first year of high school! I am sure it was an exciting and yet tryingtransition for you, but you made it. You are probably quite ready for a little rest and relaxation beforeheading into what will likely be a challenging sophomore year. Even though tenth grade holds newchallenges for you, it also holds some fun and excitement as well. I am looking forward to our time inHonors Humanities 1-2 and hope you are, too.

While it is true that we all need some rest and relaxation after a hectic school year, it is equally true thatsummer presents a challenge of its own to every serious student. Studies show that students can lose 4 to12 weeks of learning over the summer break! In addition, it can take up to 3 weeks of instruction to gainback the lost learning. Wow, summer brain drain. Not good.

Fortunately there are some things that you can do not only to prevent the dreaded depletion of learningbut also to get ahead in your study of the humanities. Below are my suggestions for how you can spendyour time away from school judiciously. Take a look and you will see that these are some easy and, dare Isay, enjoyable ways to pass your time. Include your family. Include your friends. Students who havedone these assignments in the past have acknowledged their benefits. And, by doing these assignmentsyou will get a jump on your homework and ease yourself back into the swing of things!

• First… read, read, read. Yes, and read some more.Did you know that if you read about 20 minutes a day you will read 2 million words in a year! That’sawesome. And that’s what the state of California recommends students in grades 9 and 10 do – read 2million words annually. Not sure what to read? Take a look at 101 Great Books Recommended for CollegeBound Readers available in the “Boost Your Skills” section of the College Board website(http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/boost-your-skills/23628.html ). During the first week of HonorsHumanities 1, you will be able to post a book review on our discussion board. This book review willearn you a valuable bonus!

• Second… read ahead. You can read our first book – Homer’s The Odyssey .We will begin Honors Humanities 1 with The Odyssey by Homer. I have allotted only 2 weeks to readingand studying this book. That’s not a lot of time. By reading the book over the summer you will free upsome of your homework time in the fall, thus relieving some pressure. I recommend the prose translationby W.H.D. Rouse which is available in the DNHS library. Just ask the librarian for it. However, if you are upfor reading poetry, you may enjoy the translation by Robert Fagles. We will have the book test at theend of the second week of the trimester.

• Third… engage in a cultural experience.Humanities is the study of culture and the expression of meaning that mankind creates through art.

Textbooks can teach us much but they can’t teach us as well as experience, so go out and have anexperience with art! Personal visits are best but a virtual tour is perfectly acceptable. Try one of thefollowing:

o An art museum or gallery (Any type of art is fine.)o A live performance like a play, opera or ballet (Professional companies only, please.)o A concert (Any type of music is fine… just so long as it’s a live performance and a professional

performance)o

An architectural landmark (Be sure this is a man-made landmark such as a building, bridge,monument, etc.)o A classic or artistic film (While trips to trendy theaters like The Ken in Kensington are cool, DVDs

and video are perfectly acceptable. In fact, your local library probably has many landmark filmsavailable for you to check out, and you can always view on-line, as well. Not sure what wouldclassify as an important film? Check out the National Film Registry at the Library of Congressfor films deemed “culturally or historically significant” -- http://www.loc.gov/index.html ).

Keep a journal or record of your experience. In your journal …1. Describe the place, performance or work. Be sure to include details that allow the reader to picture

the place, performance or work perfectly.

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