City College Summer Reading    |   English Department, 2008.

Students should expect an objective test during the first days of school in all courses. Failure to complete summer reading in a thorough and diligent manner will likely result in a failure on the first quarter report card. All essays must be typed in Times New Roman, Size-12 font, and double-spaced.

Course

Required Summer Reading Texts

Assignments

10th Grade ALL (College Prep & Honors)

 

If you have any questions about your assignment, contact arosoff@bcps.k12.md.us

 

Two Total Required Texts:

Required

1. Kindred by Octavia Butler

Student Choice Requirement

2. In addition, choose one of the following novels, and obtain them from a store, website, or library:

·    The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

 

·    The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

1. Assignment for Kindred

Read the novels, and complete the following assignments:

A.       Choose an important character in Kindred.  Imagine you are that character and…

(1)     Write an entry from that character’s journal that he or she would write in the first part of the book. 

(2)     Then write a second entry that he or she would write in the middle of the book. 

(3)     Finally, write a third entry that he or she would write at the end of the book. 

B.       Choose one other character in Kindred. Imagine you are that other character and…

(4)     Write an entry from that character’s point of view about any situation that occurs in the novel.

You should have four journal entries total from Kindred.

Guidelines for Journal Entries:

1.                    Each entry must be at least one page in length, hand-written or typed double-spaced. 

2.                    Journal Entries should be about what’s happening in the novel and how the character feels about these events.

3.                    Journal Entries should be written from the character’s point of view.

2. Assignment for Second Book (the one you may choose)

Complete an essay of five or more paragraphs which follows the progression of a selected character from the beginning through the end of the novel. Consider if and how the character changes and, if so, whether the change is beneficial. You will also have a multiple-choice quiz and a presentation to complete on the novel in the first week of school! 

11th Grade

(College Prep)

 

If you have any questions about your assignment, contact tameka.taylor@gmail.com

 

 

Two Required Texts:

·    The Last King of Scotland  (Giles Foden)

·    How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines (Thomas Foster)

BASIC COURSE REQUIREMENTS

Students will read and text mark any three chapters from How to Read Literature Like A Professor (a text that will be used for analysis throughout the year), and read and text mark all of The Last King of Scotland.

STUDENT CHOICE ANALYSIS

·          Write an essay (minimum 500 words) that compares the novel to the film version of The Last King of Scotland.  Be sure to note at least five changes that were made and discuss why you think those changes affect the story.

OR

·          Create a 10-15 frame comic strip that depicts the symbolism, imagery, and/or characterization in The Last King of Scotland.  You must use dialogue and quotes in each frame and this should reflect a dedicated work effort (i.e. no stick figures, loose leaf paper, and/or computer/magazine generated images).

11th Grade IB

 

If you have any questions about your assignment, contact mr.miazga@gmail.com

 

Two Required Texts:

·    The Namesake

     (Jumpha Lahiri)

·    How to Read Literature Like a College Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines (Thomas Foster)

·          Text-mark The Namesake  as you read, noting important passages in the novel that impress you, confuse you, inspire you or challenge you.  Begin to look for patterns in each work as you read, in terms or repeated images, characterization, shift in tone, literary devices, etc. You should include one piece of insightful text-marking and commenting (your observation of an author’s choice, and its effect on meaning) per page; this will be graded in the fall on the first day of school.

·          Your summer reading essay will be to write a 1000-word essay in which you analyze how Lahiri employs a motif to convey meaning.

·          How to Read Literature Like a Professor is an auxiliary text that will help you with literary analysis, and perhaps give you an idea for your essay. Expect a reading quiz on both texts during the first week of school.

12th Grade College Prep

If you have any questions about your assignment, contact patrick.daniels@gmail.com

One Required Text:

 

The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)

Moral Ambiguity Essay - Write an essay of 6 or more paragraphs:

Morally ambiguous characters—characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good—play a pivotal role.  Write an essay in which you explain how a character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole.  Avoid mere plot summary.

12th Grade IB Required Texts

If you have any questions about your assignment, contact arosoff@bcps.k12.md.us

Two Required Texts:

·    The Handmaid’s Tale

     (Margaret Atwood)

·    The Heart of the Matter

     (Graham Greene)

·          Assignment for both texts: Choose a passage of approximately 40 lines in each text. Write a written commentary analyzing how the devices in the passage contribute to meaning. Each commentary should be between 2-3 typed pages. You must submit each with a copy of the passage.

12th Grade AP Required Texts

 

If you have any questions about your assignment, contact

 

marmenti@bcps.k12.md.us

 

               Or

 

jvparker@bcps.k12.md.us

 

Three Required Texts:

 

·    The Kite Runner

    (Khaled Hosseini)

 

·    The Things They Carried

     (Tim O’Brien)

 

·    Siddhartha

     (Hermann Hesse)

A. For each work of literature: Choose one literary device (i.e. figurative language, motif, foils, imagery or irony)  that plays a major role in creating meaning.  Maintain a double-sided journal of text support (quotation, chapter # and page #) and brief analysis that illustrates the ongoing importance of that element or technique.

B. Choose one of the following topics and write an essay of no more than two typed pages for the corresponding literature:

·    The Things They Carried:  In retrospect, readers often discover that the first chapter of a novel introduces some of the major themes of the work.  Write an essay that explains how the first chapter presents themes related to the complete work, referring to other scenes and chapters.

·    The Kite Runner:  Morally ambiguous characters— characters whose behavior discourages readers from identifying them as purely evil or purely good — play a pivotal role.  Write an essay in which you explain how the character can be viewed as morally ambiguous and why his or her moral ambiguity is significant to the work as a whole.  Avoid mere plot summary.

·    Siddhartha:  In some works of literature, a character who appears briefly, or does not appear at all, is a significant presence. Write an essay in which you show how such a character functions in the work.  You may wish to discuss how the character affects action, theme, or the development of other characters.  Avoid plot summary