Middle School Required Novel Assignment

Directions for required novel:
Type/Write the answers to the following
A. Complete the Following Information:
Setting:[Be sure to include both time(s) and place(s)]
Conflict:(problem main character faces)
Climax:(how problem is solved)

Theme:(main idea, universal truth, moral, or message –-- Be careful – this is not plot! You should not mention specific names or places when discussing theme.)

B.Complete the following Character Trait information for your required novel. Use the example that follows as your model.

Main Character:
*3 Character Traits(not physical descriptions!)
*Supporting Evidence from Text FOR EACH TRAIT
(book)(Dialogue and excerpts taken from the text are best!)
*Page numbers where each piece of evidence is found.

Example:
Main Character: The third pig in The Three Little Pigs
Trait Evidence/Page Number:
intelligent He built his house out of bricks because he knew the wolf would not be able to destroy his house. (8)


C. Answer the following in complete sentences:
Describe your favorite scene and explain why it is your favorite.

Sixth Grade Summer Reading Experience

Directions:
Students will read two books over the summer. One will be the required title for the specific grade they are entering (see below), and the other will be the student’s choice selected from the attached list.

For each grade level’s required title, complete the assignment listed above. This will be collected on the first Monday after your return to school in September. You will write an extended response (essay) in class based on this packet as well as class instruction of the required novel.

For the additional novel of your choice, based on the list provided for your grade level or another title with your parent's approval, indicate your title and author and include your parent’s signature. A space for this is provided on the next page. Then be prepared to share with the class your opinion of the book and whether or not you would recommend it to classmates.

Required reading:
Shakespeare's Secret, by Elise Broach

Optional reading list (choose one):

Old Yeller Fred Gipson
Black Beauty Anna Sewell
The Face on the Milk Carton Caroline B. Cooney
Harriet the Spy Louise Fitzhugh
Monkey Island Paula Fox
Homecoming Cynthia Voight
Catherine, Called Birdy Karen Cushman
The Slave Dancer Paula Fox
The Upstairs Room Johanna Reiss
Steal Away Home Lois Ruby
The Bomb Theodore Taylor
Behind the Bedroom Wall Laura E. Williams
Julie of the Wolves Jean Craighead George
Hoops Walter Dean Myers
Call It Courage Armstrong Sperry
The House With a Clock In Its Walls John Bellairs
Behind the Attic Wall Sylvia Cassedy
Redwall Brian Jacques
The Phantom Tollbooth Norton Juster
Ella Enchanted Gail Carson Levine
The Chronicles of Narnia C.S. Lewis
Harry Potter... J.K. Rowlings (any in series)
Midnight Is a Place Joan Aiken
My Side of the Mountain Jean Craighead George
Island of the Blue Dolphins Scott O’Dell
Shane Jack Schaefer
Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery Russell Freedman
The Double Life of Pocahontas Jean Fritz
Jim Thorpe:20th Century Jock Robert Lipsyte
Winterdance: The Fine Art of Running the Iditarod Gary Paulsen
Bud, Not Buddy Chris Curtis
The Mighty Rodman Philbrick


For more information regarding the content of these novels, read summaries and reviews at amazon.com.

Seventh Grade Assignment

Directions:
Students will read two books over the summer. One will be the required title for the specific grade they are entering (see below), and the other will be the student’s choice selected from the attached list.

For each grade level’s required title, complete the assignment listed above. This will be collected on the first Monday after your return to school in September. You will write an extended response (essay) in class based on this packet as well as class instruction of the required novel.

For the additional novel of your choice, based on the list provided for your grade level or another title with your parent's approval, indicate your title and author and include your parent’s signature. A space for this is provided on the next page. Then be prepared to share with the class your opinion of the book and whether or not you would recommend it to classmates.

Required reading: The Call of the Wild Jack London

Optional reading list (choose one):

Cheaper By the Dozen Frank Gilbreth
Journey To the Center Of the Earth Jules Verne
The Time Machine H.G. Wells
When Heaven and Earth Changes Places Le Ly Hayslip
Sweetgrass Jan Hudson
Hoops Dreams: A True Story Ben Joravsky
Long Journey Home Julius Lester
Sing Down the Moon Scott O’Dell
Dogsong Gary Paulsen
Shabanu Suzanne Staples
After the First Death D. Cormier
Absolutely Normal Chaos Sharon Creech
All Creatures Great and Small James Herriot
Hiroshima John Hersey
A Circle Unbroken Sollace Holtz
Night Kites M.E. Kerr
The Silver Kiss Annette Klause
Many Waters Madeline L’Engle
Wolfling Sterling North
Secrets of the Shopping Mall Richard Peck
Where the Red Fern Grows Wilson Rawls
Wolf By the Ears Ann Rinaldi
The Duplicate William Sleator
Izzy, Willy-Nilly Cynthia Voight
The Pigman Paul Zindel
Skellig David Almond
Raise the Titanic Clive Cussler

For more information regarding the content of these novels, read summaries and reviews at amazon.com.

Eighth Grade Summer Reading Experience

Directions:
Students will read two books over the summer. One will be the required title for the specific grade they are entering (see below), and the other will be the student’s choice selected from the attached list.

For each grade level’s required title, complete the assignment listed above. This will be collected on the first Monday after your return to school in September. You will write an extended response (essay) in class based on this packet as well as class instruction of the required novel.

For the additional novel of your choice, based on the list provided for your grade level or another title with your parent's approval, indicate your title and author and include your parent’s signature. A space for this is provided on the next page. Then be prepared to share with the class your opinion of the book and whether or not you would recommend it to classmates.

Required reading: Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, by Wendy Mass

Optional Reading List (choose one):

The Wanderer Sharon Creech
The Last Mission Harry Mazer
After the Rain Norma Fox Mazer
Rebecca D. Du Maurier
Little Women Louisa May Alcott
Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte
The Last of the Mohicans James Fenimore Cooper
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Count of Monte Cristo Alexander Dumas
Sea Wolf Jack London
The Yearling Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Murder on the Orient Express Agatha Christie
Listening Woman Tony Hillerman
Bull Catcher Alden Carter
The Crazy Horse Electric Game Chris Crutcher
The Contender Robert Lipsyte
Monster Walter Dean Meyers
Other Side of the Mountain Evans Valens
A Family Apart Jean Lowery Nixon
The Misfits - James Howe
Tangerine - Edward Bloor
Come Back to Afghanistan - Said Hyder Akbar
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon
Catalyst - Laurie Halse Anderson
A Girl Named Disaster - Nancy Farmer
I Wanna Buy a Vowel - John Welter
Esperenza Rising - Pam Munoz Ryan
Brian's Song - Wililam Blinn

For more information regarding the content of these novels, read summaries and reviews at amazon.com.

Ninth Grade Summer Reading Experience

* The summer reading assignment will provide students with the opportunity to select enrichment readings and allow them to prepare for the increased expectations that are inherent to upper level course work. * Parental input should be a component of students’ selections. Students should be sure to choose works that are right for them by consulting parents, teachers and local librarians for their recommendations. Parents can access book reviews using any Internet search engine (Yahoo, Search.com, Google), or by accessing any online book distributor. ** English 9 students will be required to read two (2) books: one require readings title and one work of the student’s choice from the attached list. The English 9 required title is: Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

** English 9 Honors students will be required to read TWO (2) required books.The English 9 Honors required titles are: Childhood’s End, Arthur C. Clarke; Once and Future King, T. H. White – Sections I (“The Sword in the Stone”) and IV (“The Candle in the Wind”). The middle sections may be read for extra credit.

Optional Titles for 9R Students: Great Expectations Charles Dickens Watership Down Richard Adams The Once and Future King T. H. White The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon Stephen King Ivanhoe Sir Walter Scott Around the World in 80 Days Jules Verne 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Jules Verne A Cry in the Night Mary H. Clark A Stranger is Watching Mary H. Clark Where Are the Children? Mary H. Clark Weep No More My Lady Mary H. Clark While My Pretty One Sleeps Mary H. Clark A Gift of Magic Lois Duncan Locked in Time Lois Duncan Third Eye Lois Duncan Hound of the Baskervilles Arthur Conan Doyle Lost Horizon James Hilton Rumblefish S.E. Hinton The Heart is a Lonely Hunter Carson McCullers Martian Chronicles Ray Bradbury Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir Frank McCourt Outsiders S.E. Hinton Pigs in Heaven B. Kingsolver Les Miserables Victor Hugo Beowulf (Raffel, B., trans) Anonymous Arabian Nights Kathryn Wesley

9R: Of Mice and Men Summer Reading Assignment

In at least 200 words discuss three quotations that represent key themes in the novel. Select quotes from the beginning, middle and end of the work and explain how these quotes are suggestive of some aspect of Steinbeck’s intent or purpose for writing the novel.
Do not repeat ideas of earlier posts, but you may expand on ideas previously mentioned.
Students are expected to write their entry using the conventions of standard written English.

If students have any questions about the assignment or general concerns please email Ms. Molloy at: http://www.blogger.com/molloyj@northsalem.k12.ny.us

* This assignment will be collected during the first week of school.

9 Honors Assignment

English 9 Honors
Summer Reading Assignment

* Using the link, http://www.seancovey.com/pdf/teens/The_Great_Discovery.pdf , students should prepare to create a personal mission statement for one character from each required book (Childhood's End and sections I and IV of The Once and Future King) by answering the ten questions in the persona of one character. Be certain that your answers SHOW INSIGHT into that individual and what motivates him/her.

* Students should be sure to use appropriate standard English, and proof /correct any errors.

* Students may choose to create their own personal mission statement as extra credit.

* If students have any questions about the assignment or general concerns please email Mrs. Vilkas at: vilkask@northsalem.k12.ny.us

* The assignment will be collected during the first week of school.
* Writing should be done independently, and the mission statement must be original.

Tenth Grade Summer Reading Experience

* The summer reading assignment will provide students with the opportunity to select enrichment readings and allow them to prepare for the increased expectations that are inherent to upper level course work.
* Parental input should be a component of students’ selections. Students should be sure to choose works that are right for them by consulting parents, teachers and local librarians for their recommendations. Parents can access book reviews using any Internet search engine (Yahoo, Search.com, Google), or by accessing any online book distributor.

* English 10 students will be required to read two (2) books: one require readings title and one work of the student’s choice from the attached list.
* The English 10 required title is:
The Color of Water, by James McBride

* English 10 Honors students will be required to read three (3) books: two required reading titles and one work of the student’s choice from the attached list.
* The English 10 Honors required titles are:
The Color of Water, by James McBride
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

Tenth Grade Optional List:
Demian Hermann Hesse
Ordinary People Judith Guest
Animal Farm George Orwell
Metamorphosis Franz Kafka
Into Thin Air Jon Krakauer
Joy Luck Club Amy Tan
Bluest Eye T. Morrison
Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albom
The Things They Carried Tim O’Brien
The Good Earth Pearl Buck
Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston
The Laughing Sutra Mark Salzman
The Two Towers J.R.R. Tolkien
Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
Terminal Man Michael Crichton
This Boy’s Life Tobias Wolff
Frankenstein Mary Shelley
Ethan Frome Edith Wharton
The Power of One Bryce Courtney
The Life of Pi Yann Martell

English 10 Assignment

Post a 200-word response to the following prompt. You should not repeat ideas, but you may expand on an earlier post. Be sure to proof all work before posting.
The first line of Color of Water is: “I’m dead”(McBride 1). Also, Ruth reveals on the next page that, “She had to die in order for me, the rest of me, to live”(McBride 2). What types of death can people suffer? Are they all negative?
At the end of the novel, how do these types of death define and redefine the main character, James?

10 Honors

Grapes of Wrath
Please read and annotate the article “The Grapes of Wrath: In Light of Modern Critical Theory” by B. R. McElderry, Jr.

After annotating the article, write an essay analyzing McElderry’s claim that Steinbeck’s intent is to “express his basic faith in mankind” in his novel, The Grapes of Wrath. In other words, is that claim true of Steinbeck’s work? Use both the article and the novel to validate your thesis.
Article link:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/370844?&Search=yes&term=%22Grapes+of+Wrath%22&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3D%2522Grapes%2Bof%2BWrath%2522%26wc%3Don%26x%3D0%26y%3D16&item=12&ttl=2150&returnArticleService=showArticle

JSTOR:

login: northsalem
password: nstigers


Please have both the annotation and the essay on the first day of class.

If you have any questions, email Mr. Vitiello at: vitiellog@northsalem.k12.ny.us

Eleventh Grade Summer Reading Experience

* The summer reading assignment will provide students with the opportunity to select enrichment readings and allow them to prepare for the increased expectations that are inherent to upper level course work.
* Parental input should be a component of students’ selections. Students should be sure to choose works that are right for them by consulting parents, teachers and local librarians for their recommendations. Parents can access book reviews using any Internet search engine (Yahoo, Search.com, Google), or by accessing any online book distributor.
* English 11 students will be required to read two (2) books: one require reading title and one work of the student’s choice from the attached list.
* The English 11 required title is:
Fahrenheit 451, a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury
* Students will complete the attached assignment for each book read.
* Students’ assignments on the readings will be collected on the first Monday after the start of school.

Eleventh Grade Optional List
Growing Up Russell Baker
Pilgrim at Tinker Creek Annie Dillard
Cold Mountain Charles Frazier
When I Was Puerto Rican Esmeralda Santiago
A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry
The Moon is Down John Steinbeck
The Bridge of San Luis Rey Thornton Wilder
For Whom the Bell Tolls Ernest Hemingway
Age of Innocence Edith Wharton
The Woman Warrior Maxine Hong Kingston
The Sun Also Rises Ernest Hemingway
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water Michael Dorris
Silas Marner George Elliot
The 100 Yard Lie Rick Telander
Arms and the Man G.B. Shaw
The Five People You’ll Meet in Heaven Mitch Albom
Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare
House of Mirth Edith Warton
A Bell for Adano John Hersey
Our Town Thornton Wilder

Billy Budd Herman Melville

11 R Assignment

Students entering English 11R
should complete the following:
In 100-200 words, comment on a key theme from the work and how that theme is still relevant today. You may comment on ideas previously posted, but you should try to post original thoughts.

AP English Language (Grade 11) Summer Reading Experience

English 11 AP Language students will be required to read three (3) books: two required reading titles and one work of the student’s choice from the attached list.

The English 11 AP Language required titles are:

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, by Barabara Ehrenreich

Into the Wild, by John Krakauer

Optional titles (choose one):
Fahrenheit 451-Ray Bradbury
Wait Till Next Year Doris Kearns Goodwin
Uncle Tom's Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe
When I Was Puerto Rican Esmeralda Santiago
A Raisin in the Sun Lorraine Hansberry
Winter of Our Discontent John Steinbeck
The Bridge of San Luis Rey Thornton Wilder
For Whom the Bell Tolls Ernest Hemingway
Age of Innocence Edith WhartonT
The Woman Warrior Maxine Hong Kingston
The Sun Also Rises Ernest Hemingway
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water Michael Dorris
Silas Marner George Elliot
The 100 Yard Lie Rick Telander
Arms and the Man G.B. Shaw
The Five People You’ll Meet in Heaven Mitch Albom
A Farewell To Arms Ernest Hemingway
House of Mirth Edith Warton
The Glass Menagerie Tennessee Williams
Our Town Thornton Wilder
Billy Budd Herman Melville

AP English Language: Into the Wild

Krakauer's haunting tale detailing Chris McCandless's odyssey across the continental United States and ultimately to Alaska is not only a great story, but it also a wonderful exemplar of narrative technique.

Rife with historical, literary, and cultural allusions, as well as Krakauer's anecdotes chronicling the investigation into McCandless's life and death and the self reflection it inspired, Into the Wild is an evocative look at the adventurous, ambitious, and idealistic spirit that is unique to the American identity.

Krakauer notes in the Author's Note preceding the novel that reader response to the the initial article, published in Outside Magazine, was "sharply divergent": "Some readers admired the boy immensely for his courage and noble ideals; others fulminated that he was a reckless idiot, a wacko, a narcissist who perished out of arrogance and stupidity [...]."

Your task: What do you think? As a group, create a threaded discussion evaluating Chris McCandless as an iconic figure, or John Krakauer--his storyteller-- as a writer.

Rather than post isolated responses, react to your classmates' observations, questions, and conclusions with your own. Feel free to expand the current discussion or change its direction.

Each student should post twice (not consecutively, please).

-2 posts per student
-50-75 words per post (yes, that's all you get)
-Make reference to specific scenes from the text
-OK to support and expand -or- respectfully refute classmate's points
-Is the discussion getting redundant? Change its direction!

AP English Language: Nickel and Dimed

Nickel and Dimed is contemporary muckraking journalism at its finest. Ehrenreich, a New York Times Best Selling author, immerses herself in her subject, the roughly four million Americans who toil daily making $6-7 an hour as waitresses, hotel maids, house cleaners, and even Wal-Mart salespeople. The author’s firsthand accounts of attempting to survive in the “lowliest” of occupations serve as an excellent prompt for content and craft: Ehrenreich’s subjects generate both sympathy and scrutiny; her rhetorical approach is ripe for analysis and critique.

Your task: As a group, create a threaded discussion regarding how Ehrenreich's expose reinforced, contradicted, transformed, even awakened your belief system.

Rather than post isolated responses, react to your classmates' observations, questions, and conclusions with your own. Feel free to expand the current discussion or change its direction.

Each student should post twice (not consecutively, please).

-2 posts per student
-50-75 words per post (yes, that's all you get)
-Make reference to specific scenes from the text
-OK to support and expand -or- respectfully refute classmate's points
-Is the discussion getting redundant? Change its direction!

AP English Language: Optional Book

Why should your peers read this book, or why shouldn't they? Substantiate your evaluation of the novel with brief but specific evidence. 50-75 words.

Twelfth Grade Summer Reading Experience

* The summer reading assignment will provide students with the opportunity to select enrichment readings and allow them to prepare for the increased expectations that are inherent to upper level course work.
* Parental input should be a component of students’ selections. Students should be sure to choose works that are right for them by consulting parents, teachers and local librarians for their recommendations. Parents can access book reviews using any Internet search engine (Yahoo, Search.com, Google), or by accessing any online book distributor.

* English 12 students will be required to read two (2) books: one require reading title and one work of the student’s choice from the attached list.
The English 12 required title is:
Cat’s Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut
* Students must post a comment for the two book under the appropriate discussion topics.
Optional Twelfth Grade List
Snow in August, Pete Hamill
Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut
Moby Dick, Melville
Walden, Thoreau
Oedipus, Sophocles
Lesson Before Dying, E. Gaines
Siddhartha, Herman Hesse
This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Travels with Charley, John Steinbeck
Catch 22, Joseph Heller
Born on the Fourth of July, Ron Kovic
Native Son, Richard Wright
Debt of Honor, Tom Clancy
Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison
One True Thing, Anna Quindlen
Seize the Day, Saul Bellow
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig
Down These Mean Streets, Piri Thomas
Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield
In the Year of the Bull... Rick Telander
The Great Santini, Pat Conroy
Time Line, Michael Crichton
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Tom Stoppard
Junction Boys, Jim Dent
My Losing Season, Pat Conroy

12th Grade: Cat's Cradle

Cat's Cradle

A study of human nature would suggest that man has an insatiable appetite for knowledge and understanding -- sometimes devoid of logic or reason. As Vonnegut contends: "Man got to tell himself he understand...," even when he does not. Post a comment explaining your position on this issue and attempt to relate your observations to the novel Cat's Cradle. What do you think the phrase "See the cat, see the cradle" means. Be sure to proof your work and do not repeat ideas, but you may expand a concept presented previously.

12th Grade Optional Book

In 200 proofed words, discuss how the author of the book you selected broadened your understanding of the human condition.

* Try to relate your observations to thoughts introduced in early posts. You may also call on references from other works of literature or popular culture to support your assertions.

AP English Literature (Grade 12) Summer Reading Experience

* The summer reading assignment will provide students with the opportunity to select enrichment readings and allow them to prepare for the increased expectations that are inherent to upper level course work.
* Parental input should be a component of students’ selections. Students should be sure to choose works that are right for them by consulting parents, teachers and local librarians for their recommendations. Parents can access book reviews using any Internet search engine (Yahoo, Search.com, Google), or by accessing any online book distributor.

* A.P. English students will be required to read three (3) books: two required reading titles and one work of the student’s choice from the attached list.
* The A.P. English required titles are:
1. Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad
2. Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse (NO BLOG POST FOR THIS BOOK)
3. Optional Book from list below
* Students should post a comment for Heart of Darkness and the optional book only.

Optional Twelfth Grade List
Snow in August, Pete Hamill
Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut
Moby Dick, Melville
Walden, Thoreau
Oedipus, Sophocles
Lesson Before Dying, E. Gaines
This Side of Paradise, F. Scott Fitzgerald
Travels with Charley, John Steinbeck
Catch 22, Joseph Heller
Native Son, Richard Wright
Debt of Honor, Tom Clancy
Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison
One True Thing, Anna Quindlen
Seize the Day, Saul Bellow
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert Pirsig
Down These Mean Streets, Piri Thomas
Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield
In the Year of the Bull... Rick Telander
The Great Santini, Pat Conroy
Time Line, Michael Crichton
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Tom Stoppard
Junction Boys, Jim Dent
My Losing Season, Pat Conroy

AP Lit: Heart of Darkness

In 100 proofed words discuss the following:
Describe one key event and how it relates to Conrad's overall theme. Be specific and substantiate your answer with textual references and quotes.
* Do not repeat the ideas posed in earlier posts.
* You can use outside sources to support assertions, but be sure to cite them.
* You will be assessed on content, language use/conventions, originality of thought and conceptual insights.

AP Lit: Optional Book

In 200 proofed words, discuss how the author of the book you selected broadened your understanding of the human condition. Use specific references to text and quotes to substantiate your assertions.

* Try to relate your observations to thoughts introduced in early posts and other works of literature you have read in previous years.