Baker High School

Summer Reading 2010-2011

All students attending Baker High School are required to read a novel(s) and complete an assignment for summer reading that will be graded by the student's English teacher.  Please read the following instructions carefully.

Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) Students

Students enrolled in Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes should select and read two of the books (one of which must be a classic) from their appropriate grade level.  They will complete the notebook assignment on the non-classic book and be tested on the classic book. An essay will also be assigned for the classic book.

Regular Students

Students enrolled in regular classes should select and read one book from their appropriate grade level list.  They will complete the notebook assignment and be tested on this one book. 

Additional Reminders:

•      Tests will be given during the first week of class.

•      Notebooks are due the first day of class but will be accepted during the first week of class (with a daily point deduction)

•      Students are responsible for completing summer reading assignments for all English classes in which they are enrolled for the year.

*It is suggested that parents preview these books before allowing students to read them. 

Ninth Grade

Drivers Ed by Caroline Cooney

A Child Called It by Dave Pelzer

The Pearl by John Steinbeck (classic)

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (classic)

Tenth Grade

A Gathering of Old Men by E. J. Gaines

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper (classic)

Billy Budd by Herman Melville (classic)

Eleventh Grade

The Client by John Grisham

Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Night by Elie Wiesel (classic)

*Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (classic)

Twelfth Grade

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (classic)

Dracula by Bram Stoker (classic)

(Notebook instructions on back)

Notebook Instructions

*MUST BE HANDWRITTEN.

*NO SPIRAL NOTEBOOKS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

 In the notebook the student will answer questions about the following literary elements:

1. Characters: individuals involved in the story

1. Identify your favorite or least favorite character. Explain how the character develops throughout the book. Give specific details from the story.
2. Is the main character realistic or too good (or bad) to be true?  Explain your answer.

2.   Setting: time and place of the action

1. Where and when is the story set?
2. How does the setting play an important part in what happens to the characters in the story?  Explain.
3. Would you (or would you not) like to live at the time and place of the story?  Why?
4. How well is the setting described? Explain your answer.
5. Does the author use vivid language to create imagery? Cite examples from the text.

3.   Plot: the order of incidents in the story

a.     At the mid-point of the book, predict the outcome of the book. Include at least three events that you think will happen.

b.     List the ten most important events in chronological order. Which incident is the most memorable in the book? Why?

1. How interesting is the plot? Explain your answer.
2. Does the action in the story move along in a logical way? Why or why not?
3. Are there any complicating incidents that interfere with a quick resolution of the conflict? Explain your answer.
4. Does the author create suspense?  If so, how?  If not, why not?
5. What is the central conflict of the story?

4.  Theme: central idea or general truth about life

1. Can you name something important that a character learns about himself or herself through the events in the story? Explain.
2. Has the book changed your mind about something or made you see something in a new way? Explain your answer.
3. Name another book that has a similar message.  Which one is better?  Why

5.  Point of View: your book is told through one of the following perspectives:

-       1^st person- narrator is one of the main characters in the story

-       3^rd person limited- narrator only reveals what one character is thinking

-       3^rd person omniscient- narrator reveals what more than one character is thinking

Identify the point of view in the story and explain your answer.

6.  Quotation

If you could choose one quotation as the most significant one in the book, what would it be? Cite the quotation and page number.  Explain how the quotation represents the book as a whole.

7.  Vocabulary development

Copy and define 25 new words with which you may not be familiar. Keep a good dictionary or thesaurus with you when you read.

      Your child must turn in this notebook the first day of his or her English class. Ten points will be counted off for each day the notebook is late. NO NOTEBOOKS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER FOUR (4) DAYS.

"It is books that are a key to the wide world: if you can't do anything else, read all you can."

-Jane Hamilton, The Book of Ruth