Sophomore Summer Reading Assignments

Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians:  

     We are pleased that you have committed yourself to a challenging academic year by enrolling in Honors World Literature.   It is our hope that this rigorous course will be  an exciting and intellectually stimulating experience.   In preparation for this class,  you will complete two reading assignments that have been designed to expand your academic abilities and knowledge of World literature while simultaneously providing you with an enjoyable experience to foster a deeper love of literature.  

     Each student will read two novels.  One of the texts, The Kite Runner, will be read by all students.  The exam on The Kite Runner, which will be given on the first day of English class (either first or second semester), will count as a major grade.  You may choose the second novel from the list below.   You will turn in an analytical reading journal  for the self-selected novel on the first day of class.   Directions for completing the journal are on the back of this page.  Students who do not turn in a reading journal on the self-selected novel or who do not pass the exam on The Kite Runner will be strongly discouraged from taking the course. 

     If you have any questions about these assignments, please contact us by phone (252-393-7022) or through email dbowles@chs.carteret.k12.nc.us

Sincerely,

The Croatan High English Department

Everyone must read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.  You will be tested on this novel on the first day of class.

Everyone must also pick one novel from the list below.  You will complete an analytical reading journal for this novel and turn it in on the first day of class. 

• Life of Pi                                                              Yann Martel                                Canadian

• The Fountainhead                                              Ayn Rand                                    Russian

• Cry the Beloved Country                                  Alan Paton                                  African

• Things Fall Apart                                                Chinua Achebe                         African

• All Quiet on the Western Front                        Erich Maria Remarque             German

• Cyrano de Bergerac                                            Edmond Rostand                      French

• 100 Years of Solitude (won the Nobel Prize)              Gabriel Garcia Marquez          Columbia             

• The House of the Spirits                                    Isabel Allende                            Chilean

• The Namesake (won the Pulitzer Prize)                      Jhumpa Lahiri                            India

• Snow Country (won the Nobel Prize)                         Yasunari Kawabata                    Japan

Analytical Reading Journal Directions

As you read your self-selected novel, pay special attention to the author’s use of literary techniques. You will also want to be aware of how the author structures the text, portrays and develops characters, describes the setting, employs different points of view, and develops themes.  You will create a reading journal in which you record your observations and insights about the text.  Entries should be made whenever a natural pause in the reading occurs so that the flow of the novel is not interrupted constantly. This is a crucial part of your learning, as it engages you with the texts critically and thoughtfully.  Good journals look beneath the surface of the text; they explore its ideas, patterns, and implications; they identify the use of literary devices and explain how and why they work; they demonstrate a mind engaged with the text.  Bad journals are unacceptably brief, show little or no depth of thought, tend to merely summarize the plot, or simply identify the use of techniques without explaining their significance. 

Details

• Do not wait until you have finished the novel to begin your journal.  This assignment is designed to actively engage you with the text as you read. 

• Reading journals are due on the first day of English class (first or second semester).  No late journals will be accepted. 

• Your log should have at least 15 entries, evenly spaced throughout the text. 

• Journals must be typed

• This project will count as a major grade. 

• Journals must be pledged as completely original work.  Any evidence of plagiarism or copying from any source, including your peers, will result in a zero for the assignment-a decidedly bad way to begin the year. 

• Entries should be in chronological order. 

• Use the example below as a guide. 

• A link to a glossary of literary terms is available on the main summer reading website if you need it

Sample Entries

Please use the MLA format (Modern Language Association) for heading your paper and numbering each page.  I have included the instructions to use:

How to create a Header for page numbering:

1. Click on VIEW in tool bar
2. Click on Header/Footer in drop down menu
3. Click on Right justification in TOOL BAR- (picture right of center justification )
4. Type last name and hit the space bar once (ex. Smith )
5. Go to boxes below and click on # (insert pages) (ex. Smith 1)
6. Close
7. The header will appear light in upper right corner of each page, but it will print in black.

Heading Information

On the first page only

Use 1” margins and double space

Upper left corner

Your Name

Teacher’s Name (ex. Mrs. Bowles)

Class Name (ex. Honors English I or II or III or IV

Example:

Smith 1

Jane Smith

Honors English II

Mrs. Bowles

25 August 2008

Reading Journal