High School Required Summer Reading 2012
Students are required to read two or more books for his or her grade level and complete the accompanying assignments, which are due the first day of school. During the first week of school, students will take a two-part test on one of the books, which will be recorded as the first test grade of the year.
We would also like to encourage parents to get involved with their child's "vacation education" by reading the book(s) along with them. This will encourage students to read and will create discussions about the ideas, themes, and the characters found in these literary classics. It can never be emphasized enough: reading builds students' minds.
Requirements for all summer reading:
For each novel, record brief information on 4'x6" index cards (maximum front and back of two cards). Use the following format for all index cards:
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Title, author (dates of birth and death and place of residence)Publication date of work (original date, not the date of current edition)
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Setting (place and time)
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Theme or main idea (message that the author intends to communicate)
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Brief plot synopsis (incite indedints/deveolpments/climax & & resolution of the story)
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Characters with brief descriptions (characteristics/actions/purpose)
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Identify protagontis (main character) and atagonist (opposing the main character)
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Major elements of symbolism (image, object, character or action that stands out)
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Narrator's pont of view (perspective from which a story is told)
For each essay question, please type on 8 1/2 x 11 paper, one page double-spaced, 12 point Times Roman font.
English 9
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmunska Orczy
Essay Question: Discuss the political situaiton in France in the late 1700's.
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Essay Question: Oliver Twist is full of thievery. Some is commited by criminals like Sikes against respectable people like the Maylies. Some is committed by criminals like Mrs. Mann and Mr. Bumble against the poor. How are these two types of thievery differnt? What do they have in common?
English 9 Honors
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Essay Question: Some critics may say that a possible theme of The Hiding Place is that God is faithful through even the hardest situation. Defend this statement.
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmunska Orczy
Essay Question: Discuss the polictial situation in France in the late 1700's.
Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Essay Question: What is heroism to you? Describe an act of heroism you have witnessed in real life, in a movie or aon a television show. Would Setphen Crane agree with your defintion? Why or why not?
English 10
Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Essay Question: According to the novel's perspective, it is wrong for Henry to run from battle? What about when he abandons the tattered solder? Does teh novel's perspective on "right" and "wrong" fit a typical view?
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Essay Question: What problems do the Ten Booms have coexisting within their Christian faith and a s members of the Reisitance Movement? How does Corrie respond to such dilemmas? How does Betsie respond?
English 10 Honors
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Essay Question: "Satire" is defined as "an artistic work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision and wit" ("satire" American Heritage). How is the book The Great Gatsby a satire of the Roaring Twenties or the Jazz
Age (the 1920's)? Develop a clear thesis and support it.
Our Town by Thornton Wilder
Essay Question: Discuss teh character of the Stage Manager. How does he fit into the world of the play?
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Essay Question: What are the socialist goals that Sinclair describes in the novel? What is class consiousness?
English 11
The Great Gatsby by Upton Sinclair
Essay Question :Compare and contrast the characters of Gatsby and Tom (note their differences and similarities). What might have influenced Daisy to remain with Tom instead of leaving him for Gatsby?
The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Essay Question: Despite the rumors surrounding his past, is Clifford Pyncheon a good or bad person? How candhis goodness or malice be seen in his interactions with his sister, Hepzibah, and his cousin, Phoebe?
English 11 Honors
Oedipus Rex (Oedipus the King) by Sophocles (translated by Paul Roche)
Essay Question: Does it seem fair for Oediput to call himself "the worst of men"? Why or why not?
The Screwtape Letters by C.S.Lewis
Essay Question: This novel is telling a story about Christian faith, not from a Christian point-of-view, but from the perspective of a devil trying to secure the damnation of one man's soul. Why is this strategy so effective? What does it
allow Lewis to accomplish that would have been impossible in a more straightforward approach?
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
Essay Question: Discuss the importance of each of the three major settings of the novel: Ashby, Torquilstone, and Templestowe.
English 12
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
Essay Question: Discuss the importance of each of the three major settings of the novel: Ashby, Torquilstone, and Templestowe.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
Essay Question: How important is the role of the father in the novel? Is David affected by the absence of his father in his life? If so, how? If not, how does he manage to overcome this?
English 12 AP
Antigone by Sophocles (translated by Paul Roche)
Essay Question: Compare Antigone and Ismene and their roles in society. how are they similar and different?
The Odyssey by Homer (translated by Robert Fagles)
Essay Question: What role does fate or destiny play in this story?
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Essay Question: Trace the steps by which Tom Joad's character changes during his journey.
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott (optional)
