Summer Reading 2017 You know it, you love it, you look forward to it every year. Well, here it is. Sure, catch some rays and zzz s; see the world and take selfies, but then, get the books, and do the work or else your brain might dissolve and trickle out of your ears, and we can t have that, can we.
Rising Juniors: 11A5 and 11A6 SUMMER ASSIGNMENT Read Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. After reading this novel, you will write two short interviews AND an essay. Please write two short interviews with each of the two main characters: George and Lennie. Each interview should be in a question and answer format and include four questions and answers for each of the two characters (total of 8 Q &A). Some of the topics you may want to address in your questions may include: 1. time period/lifestyle of the characters 2. the role of George as guardian of Lennie or Lennie s childlike characteristics 3. an event that happened in the book 4. things that the characters enjoy (ex: rabbits, etc.) Feel free to focus on any other recurring themes, symbols or character traits that you notice while reading the novel Try to imitate the character s voice. For example, for Lennie, you would make his answers sound more simplistic since his character is childlike. We will be using the novel as our starting point for in-depth exploration of symbolism this coming year. Examples of appropriate Q & A: For George: Q: What do you think most people like best about Lennie s personality? A: One of Lennie s best characteristics is that he is like a big, lovable teddy bear. In some ways, he s like a big kid since he s full of innocence and wonder. That s hard to find in this tough, cruel world. Due to his childlike personality, I try to protect him as much as I can. For Lennie: Q: Who is your best friend and why? A: George is my best friend. He always looks out for me and makes sure I do not get into trouble. He finds us jobs that help keep us fed. I like it when George tells me about the rabbits -- I really love that story at bedtime. I don t know what I d do without him. Examples of NOT appropriate Q & A: For George: Q: What do you think most people like best about Lennie s personality? A: He s a good friend. (Note to student: While this statement is correct, your answer needs more details than this.)
For Lennie: Q: Who is your best friend and why? A: George, because he s nice. (Note to student: Your answer needs more details than this that show you know what George is like.) After writing your two short interviews, please write one detailed essay-style paragraph regarding whether it is ever acceptable to kill someone out of compassion. If so, in what cases? If no, why not? Please use: 1. examples to support your writing 2. complete sentences (no run-on sentences) 3. transitions between ideas.
11A1-A5: One Flew Over the Cuckoo s Nest, by Ken Kesey While reading this novel, we would like you to practice close reading skills. Close readers read a text carefully and thoughtfully, thinking about how the details in the text contribute to the meaning of the entire work. For this assignment, find three themes of the novel and supporting evidence from the text. The term theme is usually defined as an underlying message or understanding of a text. An author can present theme through a character s actions or reactions, dialogue between characters, or even setting. Step 1 Identify three (3) prominent themes that you have found in the book. Step 2 Find textual evidence (3 quotes for each theme) from throughout the entire novel. Step 3 Write a few sentences analyzing, not summarizing, the quotation. Here is an example from a text you might be familiar with (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone). Theme #1 - Bravery - a willingness to make self-sacrifices Quote Analysis Harry knew, somehow, what to do. He leaned forward and grasped the broom tightly in both hands, and it shot toward Malfoy like a javelin. p. 118 In chapter nine, Harry risks his own safety and deliberately breaks the school's rules to protect a vulnerable student, Neville. Neville is not a close friend of Harry s, and Neville is often the target of teasing and bullying. Harry, to save Neville s Remembrall, flies on his broomstick, a task he has never done. Harry was breaking school rules by flying before having been formally trained, and he put his life in grave danger. For his acts of bravery, Harry is not only able to return Neville s Remembrall, but he is also given a spot on the quidditch team for natural flying abilities.
I ve got to be taken. You ve got to make some sacrifices! Ron, Harry s best friend, volunteers to play the life size game of chess, recognizing that his chess skills could help save the Sorcerer's Stone. To win and get Hermione and Harry through, Ron must sacrifice himself. Ron realizes that his own safety is not as important as the greater good: saving the Sorcerer's Stone. For this act of bravery, Gryffindor is awarded fifty points at the end of the novel. p.227 It takes a great deal of brave to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom. p.247 At the end of the novel, Neville Longbottom is the reason Gryffindor wins the house cup. Neville is perhaps the least likely character at the beginning of the novel to be considered brave. Neville is often anxious, forgetful, and one step behind the rest. Unlike Harry, Hermoine, and Ron, Neville does not face a beast or monster; instead, Neville shows his bravery by standing up to his friends, who are breaking the rules. Standing up to your own friends is a difficult task for a young man. Throughout the novel, Neville desperately wants to be accepted by his peers, but he does not let this stop him from doing the right thing.
11H One Flew Over the Cuckoo s Nest, by Ken Kesey The Things They Carried, by Tim O Brien While reading these novels, we would like you to practice close reading skills. Close readers read a text carefully and thoughtfully, thinking about how the details in the text contribute to the meaning of the entire work. In these novels, you will be exploring setting, narrative voice, and character change or development. For each novel, you will identify three examples of: moments when the setting affects the events in the text or exerts an influence on the character situations in which the narrative voice intrudes upon or affects the progression of the plot or the reader s understanding. a character change and supporting textual evidence of the changed. For each example, please write a short paragraph (5-6 sentences) about each one of these instances. Please include the page numbers. If it would help, you could use a similar format used above for the A level summer reading.