Rising Scholars Academy

8th Grade English I

Summer Reading Project

The Alchemist

By Paulo Coelho

Welcome to 8th grade English I! Summer is a time where you can relax and

have fun, but did you know you may also experience learning loss over the

summer months if you do not continue to practice your reading? In order to

maintain the literacy skills you gained in seventh grade, you are required to

read The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho and complete the study guide provided. Attached you will find the study guide you will need to help you process the

events and the important themes presented in the novel. You must have the

novel and study guide completed by the first day of school to prepare for you for

the topics we will be discussing and writing about during our first weeks back at

school. Make sure you have a copy of the novel (either a physical copy, or digital)

with you for class.

Have a great summer and see you in August!

-RSA English Language Arts Department

Name_ _Date

The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

Do Now: Write a dream you want to follow or reach in your life. ✓ What is this dream? ✓ How did it start for you? ✓ How do you think you can reach or make it there?

Pre-Reading 1) What is the title of your new book?

2) Who is the author?

3) Based only on the title and the picture, what do you think this story might be about?

4) Read the blurb on the inside cover of your book. Based on the title, the cover and now the blurb, what do you expect this story will be about?

5) Come up with least 2 questions that you have about your book that you would like to see answered. a)

b)

Alchemy – the medieval science of transforming rock into gold.

Part One 1) What is the name of the Shepherd boy, and how long has he been a shepherd?

2) Why does he want to be a shepherd, rather than a priest like his family wanted?

3) How does Santiago’s father react when his son tells him that he wants to travel?

4) Why does the old fortune teller tell Santiago that his dream is difficult to understand? Why is Santiago suspicious of her?

5) King Melchizedek tells Santiago that when we are children, ‘everything is clear and everything is possible’, but as time goes on there are mysterious things that convince to give up on our dreams. Do you think this is true? Explain why or why not. What are these mysterious things that hold us back from our dreams as we grow older?

Directions: Below, create a visual of the setting from the opening of the Alchemist. Also, underneath that: explain how (so far) the setting has affected the main character Santiago.

Do Now: Write about a time you had to choose between going on an adventure (or doing something dangerous) and not doing it at all.

✓ What was it specifically? ✓ What did you choose? ✓ Why did you make the choice you did? ✓ Are you glad or not about the decision you made? Explain. ✓ What do you think might have happened if you had chosen

the other option?

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1) What does Melchizedek give Santiago to help him on his journey? And how does he tell the boy to use this gift?

2) Melchizedek tells Santiago the fable of the oil and the spoon. Santiago believes he understands the moral of the story. What do you think is the moral of the story? Explain.

4) Santiago eventually realizes his mistake in dealing with the thief. What was his mistake, and how will he need to change in order to find his treasure?

5) What happens when Santiago asks the stones to tell him if he will find his treasure? What might it mean?

6) Describe 3 things that Santiago sees now that he had never noticed before.

a) ___________________________________________________________________

b) __________________________________________________________________

3) How is Santiago’s money stolen in Tangiers?

c)____________________________________________________________________

7) Make a prediction for what you will think happen to Santiago as he continues his journey. Explain why

you think that is what will happen to him.

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8) Make a prediction for what you will think happen to Santiago as he continues his journey. Explain why you think that is what will happen to him.

Directions: Below, list Santiago’s strengths and weaknesses as a character.

Santiago

Strengths Weaknesses

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The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

Do Now: Write about a time you had to work extremely hard for something, and you were finally rewarded.

✓ What did you work so hard at? ✓ Why did you work like this? ✓ What were you rewarded with? ✓ Was all your hard work worth it in the

end?

Part Two

1) What lessons does Santiago learn by working at the crystal shop?

2) How is Santiago different from the shop’s owner?

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3) What is the Englishman searching for?

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4) While traveling, the Englishman reads over his books trying to learn the secrets of alchemy. Santiago decides to throw away his book and chooses to watch the desert and listen to the wind. Why do you think he does this? What does he think this will do for him?

5) The author says ‘the secret of life is to fall seven times and get up eight times’. What do you think he means by this? Do you agree or disagree? Explain.

Directions: Below create a visual description of Santiago. What is thinking? Feeling? Saying?

Name_ _Date

The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

Do Now: What is a lesson you have learned in your life that is very important to you and that you try to follow a lot.

✓ What is the lesson? ✓ How did you learn the lesson? ✓ How has this lesson helped you?

Part Two

1) When the Englishman asks Santiago what he has learned about alchemy from reading his books, Santiago sums it up in a few sentences. What does Santiago says he has learned?

2) The Englishman says ‘It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary; only wise men are able to understand them’. Do you agree or disagree with the Englishman? Explain why.

3) On pages 84-85, Santiago is has a conversation with his new friend, the camel driver. What life lesson is the camel driver trying to pass along to Santiago?

4) How does Santiago feel when he meets Fatima? How does he know this is love?

5) Who finally shows Santiago how to find The Alchemist? Why is it important that it is this person who shows him?

6) Santiago believes he has seen an omen in the desert. What has he seen, and what does he this it represents?

7) According to the camel driver, why would God allow Santiago to see this vision of the future?

Directions: Complete the chart below based on what you have learned about Santiago.

Respond to….. Santiago

How would you describe Santiago thus far?

Is he a likeable character? Why or why not?

What text-self connection can you make to either the book, or to Santiago?

The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

Do Now: Write about at time when your mind was telling you to do one thing, but your heart was telling you to do something else?

✓ What was your mind telling you? And your heart? ✓ What was the situation? ✓ What eventually happened? ✓ Are you happy with the decision you made? ✓ Or would you change it at all?

Part Two 1) The two dead hawks are an omen. What do you think they represent?

2) Santiago encounters the Alchemist, who terrifies him at sword-point. What sort of test is he giving Santiago? After the test is over, what reason does the Alchemist give for testing Santiago in this way?

3) When Santiago encounters the Alchemist, he wants to give up his journey because he thinks he has already found his treasure. According to Santiago, what does this treasure include?

______________________________________________________________________________________

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4) What does the Alchemist tell Santiago to try and convince him to go on?

______________________________________________________________________________________

5) The Alchemist says that for the boy to find his treasure, he must listen to his heart. Why does the Alchemist feel the heart is more important (and trustworthy) than the mind? Explain why.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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6) Why do you think the Alchemist chose to befriend Santiago, even though he knew it was the Englishman who was looking for him?

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Write a caption for a map of Santiago’s journey:

Do Now: Write about a time you were in deep trouble, but found a way to get out of it at the last minute. • What trouble were you about to get in? • Why were you in trouble? • How did you get out of it? • What wound up happening? • What did you learn from this experience?

Part Two

1) How come the tribesmen don’t take anything from Santiago or the Alchemist?

2) Why does the alchemist tell the tribesman that Santiago can destroy the camp with the force of the wind? Why would he make up this story?

3) How does the wind help Santiago? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

4) How do you think the tribesman felt after they saw Santiago standing all the

way on the other side of the camp?

5) If the Alchemist is supposed to be a kind of teacher to Santiago, why does he always put him in dangerous situations?

6) Prediction: Predict what you think will happen to Santiago in the last section of the book. Why do you think that is how the story will end.

Directions: Imagine you are seeing things from Santiago’s point of view, and create three illustrations from the reading for this section. Add a short caption for each describing what he has seen.

The Alchemist By Paulo Coelho

Do Now: Write about a time when you worked your hardest to achieve or reach a goal.

• What were you working towards? • What did you have to do? • How did you feel when you got it/made it there? • What was more important for you – the journey you took to reach it, or the end result?

Part Two

1) Why did Santiago have to go through all of these dangers in order to reach the Pyramids?

2) At the very end of the journey, why does the Alchemist leave Santiago alone to complete it?

3) Why is it significant that Santiago’s treasure is buried not at the Pyramids but back in Spain at the abandoned church where his journey began?

4) What does Santiago realize about himself and his journey at the end of the story?

5) What is the meaning of the fact that Santiago learns this from a man who also had a dream but refused to follow it?

Reflection

6) Above, color in how many stars you would rate The Alchemist. Below: Overall, explain what you thought about The Alchemist. What did you like or dislike? Be specific.