Bloomington High School s1

BLOOMINGTON HIGH SCHOOL COLTON JOINT UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

10750 Laurel Avenue Bloomington, CA 92316.2599 Phone 909.580.5004 ext. 3000 Fax 909.876.6326

“STEPPING INTO THEIR NEW MILLENIUM OF SUCCESS” Honors Literature (10th grade) Required Summer Work 2017

Dear Student:

Welcome to Honors English II at Bloomington High School. If you were successful in Honors English I or are willing to take on a new academic challenge, this is most likely the class in which you belong. Please read and strongly consider whether you are willing and able to devote the time and energy this class requires. We take an in-depth approach to the study of literature, analysis, poetry, and writing.  We expect you to be interested in the way that language is written from different perspectives and what it implies about the context in which it is written.  We expect you to be serious about applying grammar, mechanics, usage and syntax in your writing and speaking.  We expect you to follow directions so that you do not waste your time.  We expect you to put in time not only completing the work that is due, but in studying the material to mastery.  We expect you to be willing to take risks and to participate in class discussions.  We expect that you ask many questions, do more than what is asked of you and work together with your peers, teachers, and others to gain better understanding of the world through literature.  We expect you to be willing to work up to high standards; we know you are not experts in these areas.

“It’s not good enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what’s required. “ -Winston Churchill

****************************************************************************************** To help you prepare for the year, we have given you a summer reading assignment. There is required work that goes with the readings, which will be due the first DAY of school.

The summer reading assignment is Jostein Gaarder’s Sophie’s World . You must secure your own copy of the novel either by purchasing it or checking it out from the BHS library where there is a limited supply.

You should read the book carefully as you complete the required reading assignments. The assignments are meant to enrich and deepen your understanding of the novel. Copies are in most libraries and general bookstores. You can also search online Amazon.com or half.com. (Owning your own copies of the books we read throughout this year is beneficial to you, as you will be able to underline, highlight and use your book reading experience to the fullest.)

If you do a portion of the reading a day, the assignments will not seem so long. Pace yourself and stay on top of this. If you have questions, PLEASE e-mail me and I will be happy to help! “The only man who makes no mistakes is the man who never does anything.” Theodore Roosevelt How will reading or not reading this book and handout affect to my placement or grade in Honors English? . Failure to read the text and completing the assignment may result in your being placed in a non-honors class or having mandatory tutoring after school. . You will be tested on the texts during the first week of school and be completing an in- class project. . You will also be given a grade for the assignments which will be a portion of your quarter grade. . We will be using the novel as a part of many discussions and assignments throughout the first quarter. If you haven't read it, you'll be at a definite disadvantage. A Note about Plagiarism: Plagiarism is not acceptable. While you may (and are even encouraged to) consult outside sources and references to deepen your understanding of the works that you read, the work that you submit must be your own – your own thoughts and interpretations, in your own words. Any phrases from other sources should be properly cited in MLA form. No credit will be given for work that is plagiarized and any student who plagiarizes will be referred for removal from the course. ****************************************************************************** ******************** Please remember that the classes in the honors program prepare students to take and pass the Advanced Placement literature and language exams. Students need a solid grasp of details and facts from the works in order to make inferences to analyze the literature. We cover core works from the standard sophomore English course of study in addition to other works for in- depth study. Also remember you will have reading assignments over winter and spring breaks, so please come to class with a strong work ethic and a hunger for learning. If this course of study does not meet your needs, please enroll in an alternate class. Honors II is challenging, but it is interesting and fun when students come prepared to contribute and to learn. If you have ANY questions or concerns, I am more than happy to help you. That is what I am here for!

Sincerely,

Mr. Guiles Mr.Bowley [email protected] [email protected] 909-580-5004 x3179 x3063

Dialectical Journals, How & Why

Along with the summer reading assignment, dialectical journals require great effort on the part of the student; so why are they necessary? Journals benefit students for two reasons: 1) They lend to close reading, since it is actually easier to create dialectical journals after careful reading of the text than it is to attempt to create fake journal entries, and 2) They allow students an opportunity to engage with complex ideas in the text, introducing students to one of the greatest benefits of reading literature, namely, exchanging ideas with other thoughtful humans.

Journals are important for teachers as well, as they provide a simple method by which student engagement with the summer reading can be evaluated and rewarded, and they build student confidence, since diligent completion of a dialectical journal should result in better performance on the first reading test of the fall quarter.

Directions:

You must create two entries per chapter. For each entry, select a meaningful sentence and quote it in its entirety. Then respond to it in one of the following four ways:

(R)elate - Explain how you have experienced something similar to what the author is describing, and how the event affected you. (A)ppreciate - Explain why you find this passage impressive. Is worded beautifully? If it is full of meaning, what do you believe it means? If it is full of emotion, what emotion does it provoke? How? (D)issect - Explain in simpler terms what it author is saying, and why you find it interesting. (I)nfer - Based on evidence, guess about what will happen next to an important character. (C)orrect - Explain in detail why the author is wrong about something; this annotation requires that you provide a source, e.g., a website, book, or journal to support your disagreement with the author. (A)ha! - Explain why a passage has enlightened or educated you. (L)ament - Explain why an event has saddened you.

Journal

Quote Student Response “Once, men turned their thinking over to (R) This makes me think of the way that many machines in the hope that this would set them grocery stores now have automated cash free. But that only permitted other men with registers. They seem convenient, but each one machines to enslave them.” (17) replaces an actual human workers.

“It’s madness to go there without . . .caution (I) I’ll bet that this is foreshadowing intended in our minds. . .” (46) to prepare us for the challenge ahead of the main character.

“I’m the well-trained fruit tree, he thought. Full of (L) This makes me sad because he knows that he will never well-trained feelings and abilities and all of them be anything great, and that his destiny is to use his great grafted onto me -- all bearing for someone else to talents only to improve the education of the prince. It also pick.” saddens me because I can tell that he is thinking about betraying the prince.