Honors American Literature (HAMLIT) Summer Reading Assignments

HONORS AMERICAN LITERATURE (HAMLIT) SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENTS MRS. HOLLAND/ MRS. TAIT

HAMLIT is an advanced level course and can be described as a learning environment of increased rigor and high expectations. The summer reading assignments are designed to set the foundation for our course of study as well as prepare you for ideas and skills that will be developed throughout the course. Furthermore, we are firm believers that critical reading and learning should be an on-going process and should not be limited to the 180 days of the school year. Our hope is that the assignments will help highlight and reinforce the importance of year- round (and life-long!) reading and learning.

Both 1st and 2nd semester HAMLIT students are expected to complete the summer reading assignment. You will be required to obtain your own copy of the texts for the purpose of annotating and for revisiting the texts throughout the course. If you foresee this being a problem, please alert your nearest friendly HAMLIT teacher as soon as possible so we can make arrangements. It should go without saying, but DO NOT rely on the movies, Sparknotes, eNotes, Wikipedia, or any other alternative sources for your understanding of the texts. Also, DO NOT wait until the last minute to complete assignments. They will be due during the first week of the semester—no exceptions.

Email one of us if you need help or have any questions! Mrs. Holland: [email protected] Mrs. Tait: [email protected]

ASSIGNMENT #1 SUMMATIVE GRADE: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND TEST Part One: The Crucible Read and annotate The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Follow the annotation guide that is provided and be as in-depth and detailed as possible. More is always better, but be sure you and your teacher can read them later! The play will be used as a parallel text in our first unit of study, so be prepared to discuss and write about the major elements of the text. This text will be used throughout the semester, especially during the first unit.

Part Two: Research and Annotated Bibliography You will need to research and take notes on the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and the Joseph McCarthy hearings of the 1950s. You will need at least a total of four credible Internet and/or book sources (i.e. not Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers, etc.) for your research. You will also have to create an annotate bibliography (information, examples, and rubric are attached). There is no requirement for the organization or format of your research notes, but they need to be accessible for you to easily reference during the first unit. You may use these notes during the Assignment #1 Test. ASSIGNMENT #2 SUMMATIVE GRADE: TIMED ESSAY HAMLIT is divided into three thematic units. You will choose, read, and annotate a substantial work of literature (fictional or non-fictional) that you feel correlates with one of our three themes of your choosing. Again, follow the annotation guide that is provided while you are reading. While this assignment is all about choices, there are some stipulations. For one, your selection must be by an American author. Secondly, your selection cannot be one of our anchor or supplemental texts that we will read together during the course (see list below). Thirdly, your selection must be book-length (not short story) and have a Lexile Level of at least 1170 (i.e. 11th grade level). You can find the Lexile Level of books by using the resource links provided. Lastly, it is your responsibly to ensure your selection relates directly to one of the three themes that we will study in this course. Be sure to do your research and make a commitment to this choice. It will serve as a focus for a summative writing assignment at the beginning of the semester as well as a reference throughout the course.

HAMLIT UNIT THEMES & DESCRIPTIONS: Unit 1: The Burdens of our Background In this unit, we will explore the cause of anxieties and fears seen throughout the history of American Literature and uncover the effects of these burdens during the time and how they still affect our society today. We will explore various themes, including multiple themes with a text, and develop our informative/explanatory writing skills.

Unit 2: The Ambiguities of War and Politics In this unit, we will analyze the literature that emerges as a result of great conflict: war literature, and the political opinions that surround it. We will also study argumentative techniques, rhetorical strategies, and logical fallacies that surround war and politics. We will also write an argumentative research paper as well as a nonfiction narrative.

Unit 3: The Realities and Illusions of the American Dream In this unit, we will conduct an in-depth examination of the traditional American Dream. We will trace its origins through literature as well as discover how it has evolved overtime and what has influenced this evolution. Additional texts will include seminal U.S. documents.

HAMLIT ANCHOR AND SUPPLEMENTAL TEXTS (DO NOT CHOOSE LIST)  The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne  The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald  Our Town by Thornton Wilder  A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

LEXILE LEVEL RESOURCES:  http://lexile.com/fab  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/reading-level-reading-books-lexile/search.asp? cds2Pid=30223 Annotated Bibliography Information One of the more useful tools in conducting research is the annotated bibliography. An annotated bibliography combines the citations found in the References list at the end of documents in MLA/ APA format with annotations about each of the sources. For this assignment, you will construct an annotated bibliography based upon your research of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and the Joseph McCarthy hearings of the 1950s

Purpose: An annotated bibliography is an organizing tool that is helpful when working on a research project. An effective annotated bibliography is used to compile research sources in one location and provide the researcher with quick access to the information contained in each source.

Audience: This assignment should be directed at your scholarly peers, and you may assume that they have only a casual familiarity with your topic or issue.

Content/Subject: Your annotated bibliography will consist of the sources that you have deemed relevant to your topic and/or question(s) of inquiry. While you may encounter sources that are not relevant or do not fit the scope of your project while researching, for the purposes of this assignment, you will only include the ones that you find useful and relevant.

1. Cite the source in proper MLA/APA format. The citations should be organized in alphabetical order by author just as in an APA References page.

2. Follow with a brief annotation that summarizes the source (approx. 3-5 sentences). You may quote from the source, but do not copy and paste the abstract. Ideally, all of the annotation should be in your own words.

3. In 1 or 2 sentences, explain the source’s relevance and importance to your issue.

Constraints: The annotated bibliography is a fairly rigid genre. Your citations must adhere to MLA/APA format. This will be one of the central components of the grade for this assignment. Failure to follow MLA/APA format exactly will harm your grade. You may choose either format, but it MUST BE CONSISTENT THROUGHOUT!!

The annotations for each source should follow an academic style. This means that you must construct, with elevated and sophisticated language, correct grammatical sentences that effectively summarize what each source has to say. Additionally, you should explain how each source is relevant to the issue that you have selected and what it adds to your knowledge about your issue.

Specific guidelines to follow when completing this assignment are:  At least 4 credible Internet and book sources (Not Wikipedia, Yahoo Answers, etc.)  Sources focused around a narrowed issue or question of inquiry.  Adherence to MLA/ APA format for all citations.  Sources in alphabetical order according to author.  Thoughtful and complete annotations of 100-150 words.  Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

Assessment Rubric for Annotated Bibliography

CATEGORY A B C D F

Quantity of Document cites Document is Document is two Document is four Document is sources the number of either one source to three sources to five sources more than five sources outlined under the under the under the sources under the in the assignment.required number required number required number number of of sources. of sources. of sources. required sources.

10 pts.

Quality/ All sources cited Most sources Some sources canFew sources citedLittle or no Reliability of can be consideredcited can be be considered can be consideredreliable and/or Sources reliable and/or considered reliable and/or reliable and/or trustworthy trustworthy. reliable and/or trustworthy. trustworthy. sources cited. trustworthy. 20 pts.

Variety of Excellent variety Good variety of Adequate variety Poor variety of No variety of Sources of sources; cites sources; cites of sources; cites sources; cites two sources; cites more than four four types of three types of types of sources. only one type of 20 pts. types of sources. sources. sources. source.

Writing fluencyAll annotations Most annotations Some annotationsMost annotations All annotations of annotations are thoughtful, are thoughtful, are well written are lacking in are lacking in 25 pts. complete, and complete, and but some are completeness, completeness, well written. well written. lacking in thought, and/or thought, and/or completeness, writing quality. writing quality. thought, and /or writing quality.

APA and Citations are There are a few There are some There are many There is little or Documentatio formatted formatting errors formatting errors and/or frequent no adherence to n correctly in the in the document’sin the document’sformatting errors APA format in document. citations. citations. in the document’sthe document. citations.

25 pts. Rubrics are subject to minor revisions. Students will be notified of changes.