2018 Summer Reading Assignment: Honors English I

Required Novel: House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, 1984 House on Mango Street is a coming-of-age novel made up of vignettes. A vignette is short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment like a snapshot.

Part One: Read the Entire Novel Yes, you must read a book this summer. Research proves time and time again that avid reading yields better writers and expands vocabulary. Consequently, I suggest that you read multiple books this summer, but you are only required to read this one novel for class. I suggest you either purchase and annotate your own copy or check out a copy from WFHS or the library and annotate with sticky notes. You must read this novel by the first day of school, August 16th. Your reading will be assessed throughout the first two weeks of the school.

Part Two: After you reading – Complete the Three Levels of Reading Assignment After you finish reading the novel, choose your favorite vignette (chapter) and complete the following three levels of reading assignment. Below are detailed instructions and examples

We are excited to have you as part of our Honors program at WFHS. Enjoy your summer, and we will see you in August!

A Matter of Presentation – Please remember that you are given the entirety of the summer to complete these assignments. Assignments that are turned in carelessly drawn on lined notebook paper, stained and crumpled, hastily torn out of a notebook, etc. do not put forth the effort and professionalism expected of a Pre-AP/Honors student. Academic Honesty – These assignments are independent work. While discussing your interpretation of the novel is encouraged, the assignment is individual work. Highlights and wording of annotations must be unique. To ensure that your work is unique, do not work in groups for these assignments.

PART TWO Directions:

1. Across the top of the paper, write the title of the work and the author’s name.

2. Draw three large concentric circles (one circle inside another circle inside a larger circle).

3. For the innermost circle, concentrate on the concrete level of meaning – reading on the lines.

a. Write the most significant word from the vignette you chose.

b. Quote the entire sentence in which the word appears. Document the page number of the quotation in parenthesis.

c. Write multiple dictionary definitions of the word (denotation).

d. Explain why the word is important to the meaning of the work by placing it in the context of the narrative.

Example for inner circle:

Scream: to cry out loudly and shrilly as from pain or fear; a long, loud, piercing cry.

In this scene, young Billy and his new coonhounds sleep in a cave, where

they hear the frightening screams of a

mountain lion.

“The high pitch of the scream shattered the silence of the quiet night…It screamed its way into the cave and rang like a blacksmith’s anvil against the rock walls” (45).

4. In the middle circle, concentrate on the abstract level of meaning – reading between the lines.

a. Referring to the text, draw four images from the assigned part of the reading. These images must be hand drawn and colored.

b. Write an explanation of the link between each image and the word you have written in the innermost circle.

Example for middle circle:

This is the kind of cave that Billy was in when he heard the screaming. A cave would make the scream echo and seem even more

frightening.

The boy pup bawls

back at the mountain Inner lion, which is his way Circle This illustrates the of screaming. Even as a Primal way that

puppy he has the humans react when instinct for protecting threatened by a wild his pack – Billy and the animal. Billy little girl pup. is screaming inside as he hears the cat Scream outside.

The scream of the cat is the catalyst for the

whole episode, causing the consternation of the boy and his dogs.

5. In the outer circle, concentrate on the thematic level of meaning – reading beyond the lines. Write two thematic statements drawn from the significant word you wrote in the innermost circle and the images you drew in the middle circle. These should be universal thematic statements and should not refer directly to the text.

Writing a thematic statement: 1. Select an important topic from your chosen vignette. Topic ideas include: freedom, love, trust, death, forgiveness, and many others. 2. Now finish the statement by adding what the author reveals about the topic. 3. Both parts of the thematic statement relate to the inner and middle circle you’ve already completed.

Example: The topic is bolded.

Human beings can overcome their fear and act courageously, even when threatened by extreme danger.

Middle Circle

Inner Circle

Emotions such as fear reveal the primitive, animalistic side of human beings.

How to Write a Thematic Statement

Determine a Thematic Idea: What universal idea is present in your story? Use the list of suggestions below, but if you don’t know what a word means, skip it.

Compassion Age Alienation Competition Appearance vs. Reality Betrayal Courage Beauty Cruelty Family Coming of Age Despair Forgiveness Death Disobedience Freedom Dreams Evil Friendship Duty Fear Happiness Experience Grief Heroism Escape Guilt Honesty Identity Hardship Individuality Journey Loneliness Justice Obedience Lying Kindness Popularity Prejudice Love Pride Rebellion Loyalty Religion Revenge New Experiences Responsibility Violence Trust Power War Wisdom Fate Temptation

Thematic Statement Template:

______(Thematic idea) (Statement about thematic idea)

______. Qualifying clause (limitation of statement in the form of a subordinate/dependent clause)

Thematic Statement Examples:

Courage allows people to attempt difficult tasks in their lives even when there is a chance of failing. Thematic Idea statement about thematic idea qualifying clause

Independence is necessary to grow up, though it can be scary at times. Thematic Idea statement about thematic idea qualifying clause