Summer Reading Assignments

Read the following novels:
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Dracula by Bram Stoker
**both can be found at Barnes & Noble

1. For each of the novels you read, you should keep a reading journal.
Format the journals as follows:

A) For every two chapters in the novel, write a short summary (it should not be a word-for-word copy of the internet novel summaries - yes, I'll check.
B) Also for each two chapters, you should pick at least two phrases, sentences, etc, to discuss. You should write the quote from the book, and also, in parentheses, the page number. Then you should discuss why you picked this particular phrase - for example, what is important to the development of the story, or did you find it extremely funny or interesting? Be specific.

2. Expect that there will be an essay test on the first day of the 2009-2010 school year.

3. In addition to the novels, you should also begin a quote book that you will use your entire senior year. I want you to collect quotes that provoke you to think, or to laugh, or both. On the first day of school, you should have 50 quotes. You may collect the quotes from books, movies, songs, friends, family, etc. Please do not go to a quote page and simply copy from alphabetical order the quotes listed there. This quote book is a lot of fun, and I encourage you to really try and find some original quotes.

*** You will need to purchase two separate notebooks - one for your journals, and one for your quote book.

Should you have any questions during the summer, you can contact me by email at the following address? cynthia@laneyfarms.com

Have a great summer! See you next year,
Mrs. Laney

As you read each novel look for the following elements: (For each chapter write your answers in a composition or spiral notebook - a different notebook for each novel. Look for examples of each element in each chapter. Label each chapter and label each element. Be prepared to take a test on both books and turn in the journals on the first day of class.)

1. Characters: Introduce each character as you read each chapter. Note how the character changes, if at all. Cite how the character plays a role in the novel. Give physical & personality traits. Tell if the character is the protagonist or antagonist. Tell if certain characters symbolize a quality or idea.

2. Setting: Tell where the story takes place. Describe the location: temperature, season, sunny, etc. How does the setting affect the plot of the story? How does the setting set the tone or mood of the novel? Does the setting change?

3. Point of View: What is the point of view in the novel? How does it affect the novel? How would the story be different if written in another point of view? This can be listed at the end. You do not have to write this for each chapter.

4. Irony: Cite instances of irony in the novel. Remember irony can be verbal, situational, or dramatic. (Verbal irony is when a character says one thing but means another. Situational irony occurs when the opposite of what we expect happens. Dramatic irony occurs when we know something the character does not know.) How does irony affect the novel in the development of the novel and the final outcome?

5. Symbolism: How do the characters serve as symbols? How do recurrent objects serve as symbolic functions? Be sure to write these as you find them; it is easier to locate them now than when preparing for a test, and you just can't remember where you saw them.

6. Conflict: What is the conflict in the story? Is it internal or external? Is it both? Cite specific examples of conflicts within the story. If external, write specifically which conflict, for example man vs. man, man vs. society, etc. What is the main conflict throughout the novel? How or is it resolved?

7. Theme: What is the theme of the novel? Cite specific examples to support the theme. This will be done at the end. You do not have to find a theme in each chapter, but there may be multiple themes in each book.

11th GRADE
Read the following novel: East of Eden by John Steinbeck **book can be found at Barnes & Noble
The literary elements and the reading responses can be combined in the same notebook for the novel. The notebook is due the first day of class. Be prepared to take a test on the novel the first day. A. Reading Response: Complete a reading response for each chapter. Reading responses should consist of YOUR response to the novel. How do you feel about what is taking place in the chapter? What questions do you have about events to follow later in the novel? What is your opinion of the characters in the chapter? Reading responses are NOT summaries! The teacher knows what happens in the novel; she wants to know what YOU think about it! This is not a formal essay. Write as if you are having a conversation with the teach about the books. The reading responses should be one page each in length and labeled by chapter. B. Literary Elements: As you read look for the following literary elements. Label a page for each element and keep a running list as items are introduced or change. As this happens, cite them and the chapter in which this takes place. 1. Characters: Introduce each character as you read each chapter. Note how the character changes, if at all. Cite how the character plays a role in the novel. Give physical & personality traits. Tell if the character is the protagonist or antagonist. 2. Setting: Tell where the story takes place. Describe the location: temperature, season, sunny, etc. How does the setting affect the plot of the story? How does the setting set the tone or mood of the novel? Does the setting change? 3. Point of View: What is the point of view in the novel? How does it affect the novel? How would the story be different if written in another point of view? 4. Irony: Cite instances of irony in the novel. Remember irony can be verbal, situational, or dramatic. (Verbal irony is when a character says one thing but means another. Situational irony occurs when the opposite of what we expect happens. Dramatic irony occurs when we know something the character does not know.) How does irony affect the novel in the development of the novel and the final outcome? 5. Symbolism: How do the characters serve as symbols? How do recurrent objects serve as symbolic functions? Be sure to write these as you find them. 6. Conflict: What is the conflict in the story? Is it internal or external? Is it both? Cite specific examples of conflicts within the story. If external, write specifically which conflict, for example man vs. man, man vs. society, etc. What is the main conflict throughout the novel? How or is it resolved? 7. Theme: What is the theme of the novel? Cite specific examples to support the theme.

10th GRADE
Read the following novels: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte Of Mice & Men by John Steinbeck **both can be found at Barnes & Noble
As you read each novel look for the following elements: (For each chapter write your answers in a composition or spiral notebook - a different notebook for each novel. Look for examples of each element in each chapter. Label each chapter and label each element. Be prepared to take a test on both books and turn in the journals on the first day of class.) 1. Characters: Introduce each character as you read each chapter. Note how the character changes, if at all. Cite how the character plays a role in the novel. Give physical & personality traits. Tell if the character is the protagonist or antagonist. Tell if certain characters symbolize a quality or idea. 2. Setting: Tell where the story takes place. Describe the location: temperature, season, sunny, etc. How does the setting affect the plot of the story? How does the setting set the tone or mood of the novel? Does the setting change? 3. Point of View: What is the point of view in the novel? How does it affect the novel? How would the story be different if written in another point of view? This can be listed at the end. You do not have to write this for each chapter. 4. Irony: Cite instances of irony in the novel. Remember irony can be verbal, situational, or dramatic. (Verbal irony is when a character says one thing but means another. Situational irony occurs when the opposite of what we expect happens. Dramatic irony occurs when we know something the character does not know.) How does irony affect the novel in the development of the novel and the final outcome? 5. Symbolism: How do the characters serve as symbols? How do recurrent objects serve as symbolic functions? Be sure to write these as you find them; it is easier to locate them now than when preparing for a test, and you just can't remember where you saw them. 6. Conflict: What is the conflict in the story? Is it internal or external? Is it both? Cite specific examples of conflicts within the story. If external, write specifically which conflict, for example man vs. man, man vs. society, etc. What is the main conflict throughout the novel? How or is it resolved? 7. Theme: What is the theme of the novel? Cite specific examples to support the theme. This will be done at the end. You do not have to find a theme in each chapter, but there may be multiple themes in each book.