Honors English 9 Mrs. T. Reeves, Facilitator Marion County Middle High School

Transcription

1 Honors English 9

2 Summer Reading Assignment Honors English 9 Fall, 2017 Dear Parents, As I prepare for instructing your son or daughter as a freshman at Marion County Middle/High School, I will be offering several novel choices as part of the summer reading program. For rising ninth graders, I require that they read two books during summer break. One book will be mandatory, and the second book will be chosen from a list of teacher-selected novels. All upcoming Honors English 9 students will be required to read The Pearl by John Steinbeck. Attached is a discussion guide. All questions should be answered thoroughly in essay format using MLA style. This guide will be taken up for a grade and a separate assessment on the novel will be administered the first week of school. In addition, rising Honors English 9 students will be required to read one of the following books during summer break. Students will write journal entries for each chapter of the book. See the attached journal instructions. The Book Thief The Adventures of Don Quixote The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde The Iliad The Old Man in the Sea Ender s Game By: Markus Zusak By: Miguel Cervantes By: Robert Louis Stevenson By: Homer By: Earnest Hemingway By: Orson Scott Card The summer reading books are easily found through local libraries, area bookstores, or online. I strongly suggest that your son or daughter keep notes on the following as he/she reads: setting, characters, and chapter by chapter summaries. Doing this will enable your child to be successful on an evaluation of the novels. I appreciate your cooperation in helping me help our students. I ask that you encourage your son or daughter not to procrastinate in doing the reading. I want our students to be successful, and reading will enable them to reach that goal. Respectfully,

3 Traci M. Reeves SUMMER REQUIREMENTS: 1. Read The Pearl. Complete the Discussion Guide Questions in MLA format. Take test. 2. Read novel from selection list. Create journal entries for discussion on the first day. All work must be completed by the time the student has arrived on the first day of school.

4 The Pearl Discussion Guide Instructions: Fully answer the overarching questions in well-organized developed paragraphs. Making sure to discuss each of the underlying questions will ensure you have provided a detailed answer. 1. Describe Kino and Juana s life before and after the discovery of the pearl. a. What did they value? b. What goals were important to them? c. What were their dreams? 2. Explain the theme of greed in The Pearl. a. How does greed affect Kino, Juana, and the villagers and townspeople? b. What lessons can be learned about being greedy? c. Did Kino and Juana learn any lessons about greed? 3. Analyze the main characters in The Pearl. a. Analyze the characters of the doctor, the priest, and the pearl merchants. b. How are they victims of greediness? c. Explain how these characters treat Kino and Juana before and after the discovery of the pearl. d. What judgments can be concluded regarding the fields of medicine (the doctor), religion (the priest) and business (the pearl merchants)? 4. Explain the pearl as a symbol. a. What does the pearl represent? b. How does the meaning of the pearl change during the course of the novel? c. How do the characters view this pearl in the beginning and end of the novel?

5 5. Explain Steinbeck s use of Kino s songs in The Pearl. a. What are the songs that Kino hears during the novel? b. What does each song represent? c. At what point does he hear them? 6. Analyze the ending of The Pearl. a. What do you think happens to Kino and Juana after they return to their village and throw the pearl into the ocean? b. Do you think they will be accepted or punished? Use examples from the novel to support your opinion. c. Do you think they will they run away once again? Use examples from the novel to support your opinion.

6 Honor English 9 Summer Reading 2 nd Novel Selection List with Synopsis I have provided a synopsis of each novel to assist in you selecting a novel more closely related to your interest. The Adventures of Don Quixote by: Miguel de Cervantes In Spain, in the sixteenth century, an elderly gentleman named Don Quixote has gone mad from reading too many books on chivalry. Proclaiming himself a knight, he sets out with his squire, Sancho Panza, to reform the world and revive the age of chivalry. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by: Robert Louis Stevenson In this harrowing tale of good and evil, the mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll develops a potion that unleashes his secret, inner persona- the loathsome, twisted Mr. Hyde. The Iliad by: Homer This is a story of the Trojan War and ancient Greeks. The Old Man and the Sea By: Earnest Hemingway This story is a deep and touching novel about an old man that has lost his luck for fishing. One morning he hooks a huge fish, but wonders if he s strong enough to pull it in. The Book Thief By: Markus Zusak Narrated by Death, the book is set in Nazi Germany, a place and time when the narrator notes he was extremely busy. It describes a young girl's relationship with her foster parents, the other residents of their neighborhood, and a young Jewish man who hides in her home during the escalation of World War II. Ender s Game By: Orson Scott Card Set in Earth's future, the novel presents an imperiled mankind after two conflicts with the "buggers", an insectoid alien species. In preparation for an anticipated third invasion, children, including the novel's protagonist, Ender Wiggin, are trained from a very young age through increasingly difficult games including some in zero gravity, where Ender's tactical genius is revealed.

7 Journal entries for each chapter should be 2 paragraphs in length. Your journals should include the following ideas: Setting Symbols Allusions- list, research and explain Conflicts- Go beyond identification; explain specifically External/ Internal Characters Name of the character Description/ explanation of how they contribute to the Central Motifs of the work of literature Central Motifs Name of the motif (ex: greed) (ex: dreams/ hopes)* Use quotations