summer reading project: 2017 incoming sophomores · pdf file1 summer reading project: 2017...

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Summer Reading Project: 2017 Incoming Sophomores

Dear Incoming Sophomores,

In this packet you will find the instructions for your Summer 2017 Reading Project. As a team,

your English teachers believe that summer reading is a valuable way for you to carry on learning

independently and to prepare you for the content and expectations you will have during the new school

year.

As sophomores, you are continuing to develop and understand both yourselves and the world in

which you live. With this in mind, we will be focusing all year on answering the question:

How do you fit into the world?

In order to best answer this, we will spend the upcoming year understanding the world in which

we currently live, and looking at how characters fit into their worlds and societies.

This all begins this summer for you! YOU WILL READ 2 BOOKS. First, we have chosen a

nonfiction book, Discovering Wes Moore or The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes

Moore, in which he tells his own story and the story of another young man with the same name who

lived nearby, but led a very different life. As you read his story, think about how he and the other Wes

Moore both fit into their societies, or not.

For the first book, please make sure that you:

Carefully read the directions for the Wes Moore Book Project on page 2.

Complete the reading journal found on pages 4-7.

Come prepared to take a quiz and discuss this novel on the first day of school in August.

You may use your double entry reading journal while taking the quiz. Your English

teachers will be ready for you!

In addition, you will select a second book based on the following criteria:

The book must be 150 pages or more.

It must be written at an appropriate reading level for high school students.

Other than that, what you choose to read for the second book is up to you! Ask your current

English teacher or your classmates for recommendations. Speaking of recommendations, we surveyed

students for their favorite summertime “good reads.” They came up with a list of over 100 titles. Check

pages 15 -16 to see what your classmates suggested.

When you have finished the second book, complete either Project A or Project B listed on pages 8-14.

Have questions? Need help? Email [email protected] for more information!

Happy reading!

Your Grade 10 English teacher team

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WES MOORE BOOK PROJECT

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

Discovering Wes Moore

DIRECTIONS: Please read the following directions to complete the Wes Moore Book Project.

1) Purchase one of the two following books: The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates or

Discovering Wes Moore. Both books are written by Wes Moore.

NOTE: Some resources for purchasing your book include: your local library (free!),

local bookstores, Amazon.com, thriftbooks.com and Goodwill/Salvation Army stores.

2) Read the book!

3) Complete the required assignment: a double entry reading journal. You may use the journal

that is provided in this packet or you can make your own using lined paper.

4) As you read, pay attention to passages that focus on these four areas:

Character development: What do we learn about the characters? How do they

change throughout the story?

Plot: What major events happen in the story?

Theme: What passages help the reader understand what the author is trying to

teach the reader about life, society, or growing up?

Vocabulary words: Find new words that you don’t know, but seem important to

the story.

5) When you find a passage that seems to fit one of these areas, do the following:

Step Action

1. On the left side of the reading journal, copy the passage

down along with the page number.

NOTE: Each quoted passage should be between 20-50

words in length.

2. On the right side of the reading journal, explain what the

passage means and why it is important.

3. Continue to jot down passages until you have written

20 total passages.

Need a visual? Check out the sample on page 3!

Have questions? Need help? Email [email protected] for more information!

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WES MOORE BOOK PROJECT SAMPLE

PASSAGE/QUOTATION (PAGE NUMBER) EXPLANATION

“I struggled to explain the purpose of my letter

and posed a series of naive questions that had

been running through my mind: Who are

you?” (xii)

Vocabulary Naive: adjective, showing a lack of

experience or wisdom

Wes (author) is explaining how he felt that his

questions for the other Wes were silly because

he didn’t know how to connect to someone

whose life is so different from his own.

“‘Listen,’ he went on. ‘Your father wasn’t

there because he couldn’t be, my father wasn’t

there because he chose not to be. We’re going

to mourn their absence in different ways.’” (3).

Character Development Both Wes Moores have grown up in a single

parent home, but for different reasons. Wes

Moore, the author, lost his father because he

died, but Wes Moore, the prisoner, had no

father because his father abandoned him.

These different circumstances change how

each man deals with the childhood they had

and how they understand how to be a father

and adult man themselves.

“The idea of becoming a father depressed Wes,

but he wasn’t sure why. He didn’t have to

worry about feeling alone or like a pariah. Wes

and Alicia’s situation was anything but

exceptional.” (100)

Plot Wes (prisoner) has just found out that his

girlfriend, Alicia, is pregnant. They are both

just teenagers at this point, and this is a huge

change for him, but he isn’t really sure why

because he hasn’t ever seen what fatherhood

really entails.

“As I started to think seriously about how I

could become the person I wanted to be, I

looked around at some of the people who'd had

the biggest impact on my life. Aside from

family and friends, the men I most trusted all

had something in common: they all wore the

uniform of the United States of America.”

(132)

Theme In this section, Wes is identifying one of the

major themes that discipline allows people to

rise above their circumstances. Instead of

being drawn to violence and money, Wes

(author) is looking up to men who have

discipline and structure.

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WES MOORE BOOK PROJECT JOURNAL

Name:__________________ Teacher_______________ Week___ Period__


1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

5




6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

6




11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

7




16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

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BOOK #2 PROJECT A


Title and Author________________________________ Page Count _____

DIRECTIONS:

In the left column, write down five interesting, exciting, or thought-provoking passages.

Make sure you choose passages that are spread evenly throughout the beginning, middle and

end of your book. Include page numbers for each passage.

(Five passages of no less than 20 words – two points each) ____/10

In the right column, provide your own explanation about how the passages in the left-hand

column captured your interest. In what way are these passages interesting, exciting, or

thought-provoking? Be specific.

(Five explanations of no less than 20 words – two points each) _____/10

GREAT QUOTES FROM YOUR SUMMER

READING BOOK. PROVIDE 5 PASSAGES

OF AT LEAST 20 WORDS EACH.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS

PASSAGE? WHAT DID YOU NOTICE?

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT IT?

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GREAT QUOTES FROM YOUR SUMMER

READING BOOK. PROVIDE 5 PASSAGES

OF AT LEAST 20 WORDS EACH.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS

PASSAGE? WHAT DID YOU NOTICE?

WHAT DID YOU LIKE ABOUT IT?

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BOOK #2 PROJECT A: SAMPLE



DIRECTIONS:

In the left column, write down five interesting, exciting, or thought-provoking passages.

Make sure you choose passages that are spread evenly throughout the beginning, middle and

end of your book. Include page numbers for each passage.

(Five passages of no less than 20 words – two points each) ____/10

In the right column, provide your own explanation about how the passages in the left-hand

column captured your interest. In what way are these passages interesting, exciting, or

thought-provoking? Be specific.

(Five explanations of no less than 20 words – two points each) _____/1

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BOOK #2 PROJECT B



DIRECTIONS:

For each box:

Choose a quotation (sentence from the story)

Explain, in two or more sentences, how your quote represents this part of the story.

Draw a picture to represent your explanation and label the parts of your picture.

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BOOK #2 PROJECT B



Name: Title: Author:

Exposition (Introduction & Setting) Quote & Page #:

Explanation:

Climax (Turning Point) Quote & Page #:

Explanation:

Complication (Problem) Quote & Page #:

Explanation:

Resolution (Solution) Quote & Page #:

Explanation:

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BOOK #2 PROJECT B SAMPLE



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In 2017, we surveyed students for recommendations.

Here’s what you picked as “good summer reads.”

A Child Called It by

David Pelzer

Heaven is for Real by

Todd Burpo and Lynn

Vincent

Necronomicon by H.P.

Lovecraft

The Adoration of Jenna

Fox by Mary E. Pearson

Almost Home by Joan

Bauer

Hidden Figures by

Margot Lee Shetterly

Nerve by Jeanne Ryan The Book Thief by Mark

Zusak

Alone by Scott Sigler Hitchhikers Guide to the

Galaxy by Douglas

Adams

No One Else Can Have

You by Kathleen Hale

The Burn Journals by

Brent Runyon

An Abundance of

Katherines by John

Green

How to Hang a Witch by

Adriana Mather

On the Fence by Kasie

West

The Cabin by Natasha

Preston

Animal Farm by George

Orwell

I Was Here by Gayle

Forman

Orr: My Story by Bobby

Orr

The Chocolate War by

Robert Cormier

Artemis Fowl by Eoin

Colfer

I Will Always Write Back

by Martin Ganda and

Caitlin Alifirenka

Paper Towns by John

Green

The Choice by Nicholas

Sparks

Before I Fall by Lauren

Oliver

If I Stay by Gayle Forman Peak by Roland Smith The Collector by Victoria

Scott

Behind Enemy Lines by

Marte Cohn

Iggie's House by Judy

Blume

Perks of Being a

Wallflower by Stephen

Chbosky

The Curious Incident of

the Dog in the Night-time

by Mark Haddon

Between Shades of Grey

by Ruta Sepetys

Island of Blue Dolphins

by Scott O'Dell

Rainbow Six by Tom

Clancy

The Fifth Wave by Rick

Yancey

Brian's Winter by Gary

Paulsen

It's Kind of a Funny Story

by Ned Vizzini

Ready Player One by

Ernest Cline

The Finest Hours by

Michael J. Tougias and

Casey Sherman

Cain's Blood by

Geoffrey Girard

Jurassic Park by Michael

Crichton

Roses are Red by James

Paterson

The Forgotten Soldier by

Guy Sajer

Children of Eden by

Joey Graceffa

Just Friends by Billy

Taylor

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan

Maberry

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Clockwork Orange by

Anthony Burgess

Kick by Walter Dean

Myers and Ross

Workman

Rules by Cynthia Lord The Great Gatsby by F.

Scott Fitzgerald

Code Talker by Joseph

Bruchac

Kingdom Keepers by

Ridley Pearson

Sara, Book 1 by Esther

Hicks and Jerry Hicks

The Honest Truth by Dan

Gemeinhart

Divergent by Veronica

Roth

Life of Pi by Yann Martel Say it Ain't So by Josh

Berk

The Hunger Games by

Suzanne Collins

Eleanor and Park by

Rainbow Rowell

Lone Survivor by Marcus

Luttrell and Patrick

Robinson

Silence by Natasha

Preston

The Longest Ride by

Nicholas Sparks

Every Day by David

Levithan

Looking for Alaska by

John Green

Snow Falling on Cedars

by David Guterson

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Fault in our Stars by

John Green

Lord of the Rings by

Tolkein

Soul Surfer by Bethany

Hamilton and Rick

Bundschuh

The Martian by Andy

Weir

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Flawed by Cecilia Ahern The Ever After (May

Bird) by Jodi Lynn

Anderson

Speak by Laurie Halse

Anderson

The Maze Runner by

James Dasner

Forget Me by K.A.

Harrington

Message In a Bottle by

Nicholas Sparks

Struck by Lightning by

Chris Colfer

The Miseducation of

Cameron Post by Emily

M. Danforth

Glass Sword by Victoria

Aveyard

Midnight For Charlie

Bone by Jenny Nimmo

Suicide Notes from Pretty

Girls by Lynn Weingarten

The Mortal Instruments

Series by Cassandra Clare

Goodbye Rebel Blue by

Shelly Coriel

Miss Peregrine's Home

For Peculiar Children by

Ransom Riggs

Things Not Seen by

Andrew Clements

The Red Queen by

Victoria Aveyard

Handbook for Boys: A

Novel by Walter Dean

Myers

Monster by Walter Dean

Myers

Thirteen Days: A Memoir

of the Cuban Missile

Crisis by Robert F.

Kennedy and Arthur

Meier Schlesinger

The Song of Achilles by

Madeline Miller

Harry Potter Series by

J.K. Rowling

Time Between Us by

Tamara Ireland Stone

Wonder by R.J. Palacio The Summer I Turned

Pretty by Jenny Han

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen To Kill a Mockingbird by

Harper Lee

Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee The Tenth Circle by Jodi

Picoult

Watchmen by Alan

Moore

Townie by Andre Dubus Twilight by Stephanie

Meyer

The Time Keeper by

Mitch Albom

Welcome to Night Vale

by Joseph Fink and

Jeffrey Cranor

Travel Team by Mike

Lupica

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