To: English II Seminar Students, 2017-2018

From: Mrs. Wallace, Room 1108

Re: Summer Reading and Assignments

ALL Seminar and AP English students are required to participate in the summer reading program at East Forsyth High School. Depending on the year and level, students may have one or more books to read and also must complete assignments on the reading(s). Due dates, book titles, and assignments are all given by the instructors for the individual courses: Seminar English II, Mrs. S. Wallace, AP Language and Composition, Ms. M. Agee, and AP Literature, Mrs. F. Hilton. Please speak with Ms. Agee or Mrs. Hilton to better understand the expectations for the AP courses that follow English II Seminar.

Seminar English II Information and Dates:

Currently both English II Seminar classes are scheduled for Spring Semester, 2018. The Summer assignments are due to Mrs. Wallace in room 1108 by 4:00pm on August 28, 2017. Student work will be graded and returned by late November to allow students to prepare for an assessment the first day of Seminar II in the Spring. Please understand that no late work will be accepted.

Students may check out a copy of A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah from the EFHS Media Center between May 22-May 25, or on afternoons once exams have been completed. Students who do not retrieve a copy from the Media Center are responsible for acquiring their own over the summer.

English II Assignments:

1. Complete 10 Dialectical Journal entries. Instructions and example are on the attached page.

2. Annotate the Informational text attached, using the instructions on the attached Close Reading handout.

Instructions for Dialectical Journal

The dialectical journal is a double-entry note taking system. It helps one to read critically and encourages the habit of reflective questioning. It is a place to record and explore ideas using writing as a tool for learning, to arrive at some profound truth (or truths) while engaging in a “conversation” of sorts with the text.

Instructions:

1. Draw a line down the middle of the paper, making two columns. You may create an electronic table.

2. The left column will be used to record 10 insights from the assigned reading – direct quotations from the reading that provides an interesting or profound perspective into the author’s craft, style, message, and the article’s connection to the themes present in A Long Way Gone. These quotes/insights should be the most compelling observations you made while interacting with the text.

3. The right column is used for commenting on the insights recorded in the left column. Personal reactions to the notes on the left go here. The comments on the right may include:

a. what the passage prompts in thinking or memory associations

b. feelings toward the author’s words

c. words or passages no understood d. words or passages that look important e. questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text f. agree or disagree with the author’s point(s) g. ways in which the article connects to the novel and/or the themes English II Seminar: Non-Fiction Close Reading Procedures

1. Read through the article once without making any notes so that you are familiar with the information.

2. Go back and highlight and label (make notes; give explanations) the following:

a. Highlight unfamiliar vocabulary and define the terms in the margin

b. Ask at least 2 questions of the author. For example, ask a question about something that shocks/surprises you.

c. Underline examples that demonstrate the author’s tone with explanations. There may be more than one tone, so read for shifts.

d. Put a bracket around the passage most significant to you and explain its significance.

e. Highlight any literary devices and explain why the author chose to use them. For example: alliteration, metaphor, repetition, diction, allusion, simile, understatement, oxymoron, et cetera. (NOT an exhaustive list)

3. Answer the following questions in complete sentences:

a. What is the author’s claim?

b. What is the author’s purpose? How do you know? You MAY NOT say only to persuade, inform, or entertain. You must dig deeper.

c. What is your review of the article? Did the author accomplish his/her purpose? Why?