Honors English II Required Summer Reading

Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians:  

We are pleased that you have committed yourself to a challenging academic year by enrolling in Honors World Literature (English II).   It is our hope that this rigorous course will be an exciting and intellectually stimulating experience.   In preparation for the class you will complete a summer reading assignment that has been designed to expand your academic abilities and foster a deeper appreciation of world literature.  

The summer reading selection this year is All But My Life, a moving memoir written by Gerda Weissman Klein.   You will be assessed on your comprehension of this text in two ways: a formal exam and an essay.  Whether you are registered for the fall or spring semester, you will take the exam at 2:45 on either August 25^th or 26^th (students who need to ride a late bus home should plan to take the test on the 26th).  You will turn in your essay at the exam session.  Students who do not turn in an essay or who do not pass the exam will be strongly discouraged from taking the course: during the first weeks of class, those who have not read will be unable to participate in discussions and projects related to the novel.  

If you have any questions about these assignments, please contact us through email at (donna.bowles@carteretk12.org or jennifer.gainey@carteretk12.org ).  

Sincerely,

The Croatan High English Department

Required English II-Honors Summer Reading Essay Assignment

Literary analysis is an important skill that is developed over time by both reading complex text and writing thoughtful essays in response to the reading. The memoir All But My Life lends itself well to thematic analysis. While reading the text take notes on events, passages, and quotes that point to the themes of humanity, hope, and friendship. After completing the reading of the memoir write a five paragraph essay explaining the lessons this memoir teaches about humanity, hope, and friendship. This paper is due to be turned in when you take your objective test during the first week of school.*

Requirements:

• Notes are to be handwritten, in ink, on lined notebook paper. These notes will be turned in with your typed essay. The notes should span the entire memoir. Skimpy notes receive a skimpy grade. Notes should include the page(s) numbers that the notes were taken from in the memoir and the theme it addresses.

                                     Example: Theme           Page(s)               Event/Quote

                                                     Humanity          27                  Gerda secretly helps

                                                                                                       Mr. Pipersberg after

                                                                                                       his beating by the 

                                                                                                      Germans.

• The Essay must be typed using MLA format:
  • Every line is double spaced (including your name, date, etc,)
  • Type every word in font-size 12,  Times New Roman (including title)
  • 1 inch margins all four sides
  • Titled (don’t bold, don’t underline)
  • Staple in upper-right corner (include handwritten notes behind essay)
  • Upper-right corner, ½ inch down from paper edge) includes a header (last name only and page number). Instructions on how to create a header are on Mrs. Bowles’ website, under Other Stuff, “How to Create a Header  for MLA Formatting”

                       Example: Brown 1

• Your Name, the teacher’s name, English II-semester 1 or 2, and date in the upper-left corner. 

                       Example:  Sue Brown

                                         Teacher’s name

                                         English II-Semester 1 (or 2)

                                         25 August 2010

• The Five Paragraph Essay is structured using this design:
  • Five separate paragraphs
    • The 1^st paragraph is the introduction that includes your thesis sentence. You might want to use a quote, statistic, or brief story to begin this paragraph.
    • The 2nd-3rd and 4^th paragraphs are middle paragraphs. These paragraphs include numerous   DETAILS/EXAMPLES from the memoir. You might use specific phrases/quotes, or detailed descriptions of events in the memoir. These paragraphs might each discuss one of the three themes.
    • The 5^th paragraph is the concluding paragraph. This paragraph refers back to the original opening used in the introductory paragraph and the thesis sentence. Try to leave the reader with a thought pondering idea.

*Note: Along with turning in the hard-copy, printed essay, students may also be required to register/submit their essays in the school’s plagiarism checker software program, Turn-It-In. They will receive the needed instructions and information at their testing session. Plagiarism is not tolerated at CHS. Any cheating will result in a “0” for the essay & test.