Friday, June 4Th the Reading Assignments Were Distributed

1 Friday, June 4th The reading assignments were distributed.

Wednesday September 1, 2010 The assignments are due.

Cleveland Heights High School 2010 Summer Reading Assignments

Students Enrolled in SENIOR ENGLISH ALTERNATIVES (2010-2011 School Year)

If you are enrolled in English 4, for the first semester of the 2010-2011 school year, you are to read two of the following books:

 Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt  Bird by Bird by Anne LamottThe Bond by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins and Rameck Hunt  Dark Sons by Nikki Grimes  Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama  Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift  Kindred by Octavia Butler  A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah  Mudbound by Hillary Jordan  On Writing by Stephen King  Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard  Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk  Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington  Wise Blood by Flannery O’Conner  The Writing Life by Annie Dillard

Read with purpose. Read for detail. Read for meaning. Read for clarity. Be able to describe the characters. Be able to relate the specific sequence of events that transpire in both works. Be ready to share your attitudes, opinions, and input surrounding issues that are discussed in the books.

1. Prepare to demonstrate your understanding of the two books. Both books must be read by Wednesday, September 1, 2010. An essay, a creative project, a presentation and/or a test may be assigned for both books. 2. Use Cornell notes to take notes on your reading of the books. The notes will not be collected; however, you may be able to use the notes for assessments that are assigned. 3. Remember to read both books. The summer reading assignments will be included in your first marking period grade.

2 Your assignment for me is:

Choose one of the two topics (choose one for each book):

 Choice One - Make connections to your own experience. Describe an event or a character from the book that reminds you of a situation from your personal life. Explain the similarities between the event or person from the novel and your personal example.  Choice Two - Identify the author’s tone, his or her attitude toward what he or she is saying. Copy the passage and explain how the words written indicate a specific attitude.  Choice Three - Make connections with other texts or concepts or events. Do you see any similarities between this material and other books that you have read? Does it bring to mind other issues or incidents or people or descriptions that are somehow related?  Choice Four - Identify at least two possible themes the book addresses. What issues does the book raise? Are there struggles the characters grapple with that can be viewed as universal?  Choice Five - Can you identify a specific message the author seems to convey through any of the characters or through the story itself? Can you make any links between the author himself and his choices he has made as a writer writing the book you read?

I. Evaluation

1. Summer reading scores will be averaged into the first marking period grade.

II. Rubric

1. Each facet of the written work may be assigned point valued based upon the following criteria:

a. Accuracy

(1) Does the writing adhere to the rules of Standard English?

(2) Is the writing free from repetitive grammatical or syntactical errors that impede comprehension?

(3) Is the work written using MLA guidelines if sources are cited?

(4) Does the work correctly address the questions raised in the prompt?

b. Completeness

(1) Does each response meet the minimum length requirement?

(2) Does each response fully answer questions raised in the prompt? Do they go beyond mechanical “yes” “no” answers? In other words, did the writer create commentary?

(3) Have all the prompts been attempted? 3 (4) Are the paragraphs fully developed? Do they each contain a specific topic sentence and adequate support?

(5) Do any concluding paragraphs exhibit an appropriate sense of closure?

c. Imagery

(1) Does the writing include sensory imagery?

(2) Has the writer used enough proper nouns, and proper adjectives to convey a clear image in the mind of the reader?

(3) Has the writer used specific quoted material taken directly from the novel to support his or her opinions about what he or she has read? Does the writing avoid using clichéd expressions and informal or ambiguous language that prevents the reader from forming a specific impression?

III. General Directions (Use the Modern Language Association format.)

1. If you handwrite your assignments, skip lines. Use dark blue or black ink only. Use loose- leaf paper. If you word process your assignment, use 12-point type and Arial or Times New Roman font type only. Double space. 2. Leave margins of one inch at the top, the bottom and on both sides of the text. 3. Write or type your assignments on one side of the paper only. 4. Write your last name one inch from the top and one inch from the right margin. The page number appears one space after your last name. 5. Title each section of the assignment. 6. Proofread and edit for grammar, spelling, capitalization and punctuation. 7. Use staples to fasten the pages.

Helpful Websites for the 2009-2010 School Year 4

 Heights High School Library Resources resources.chuh.org/chhslibrary

 Cuyahoga County Library http://www.cuyahogalibrary.org/

 Cleveland Heights- University Heights Library http://www.heightslibrary.org/

 Merriam-Webster - online Dictionary http://www.merriam-webster.com/

 ACT http://www.act.org/

 College Board (S.A.T. and Advanced Placement) http://www.collegeboard.com/student

 Modern Language Association Style Guide http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/

 Google Book Search http://books.google.com/