web viewmay 25, 2016. dear future freshman, first, congratulations for choosing honors english! this...

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May 25, 2016 Dear Future Freshman, First, congratulations for choosing Honors English! This choice will mean lots of hard work, extensive reading and writing, and perhaps some blood, sweat, and tears (don’t worry - we mostly mean in the figurative sense), but it will also mean that you are taking a big step to ensuring success in your future. You’re taking charge of your education and challenging yourself. We take our hats off to you. We can’t wait to meet you in August, but beforehand we want to give you a summer assignment. Don’t worry, just like you, we love summer vacation and do not want to steal all your free time. However, we also really value the importance of reading. Taking two months off from reading can drop your reading level significantly (which makes your future teachers sad), so all we ask from you is to try reading continuously over break. You will need to: Please find at least 2 fiction books roughly over 200 pages each (one in the last week of break) or one book over 400 pages in which one of the main characters is different from you in race/ethnicity, gender, religion, ability, etc. We have provided a list of sample novels, but it is not exhaustive. You may read another book if you choose, but please keep the contrasting character in mind. You may not choose a book for which a movie has been made or which you read in middle school. We recommend annotating: it is a great way to stay engaged as a reader. Try to challenge yourself and find books that are at or above your level. You can check book levels at http://www.renlearn.com/store/quiz_home.asp? c=MP+04%3A2+2102%2F31%2F6 . We will ask you to bring your book(s) to class during the first week of school so we can discuss the books. You will also need to prepare a visual on poster board for one of the novels you read to present in class. Please address the following information on the poster board: 1. A T-chart of yourself compared to a character from the book. You need to include specific characterization including appearance, personality, hobbies, attitude toward life, inner thoughts, motivations, etc. 2. A section that highlights the purpose of the book. What theme, or lesson, did the author want to convey? Was his/her intention to inform, entertain, or persuade? Which audience was he/she trying to reach? Was he/she successful? Be ready to have a discussion with the class about your book’s message and your critique of the author. 3. You should have both textual and visual representations on this poster. Remember to design your board in a manner that is easy for all to read (bulleted points usually highlight and separate ideas easily). Have fun with it and be creative! We also ask that you take the plagiarism certification test from Indiana University. Plagiarism will not be tolerated at Reed High School and can result in an F and up to a three-day suspension. The Plagiarism Quiz and Tutorial were produced for the Indiana University School of Education. The tutorial provides examples of both word-for-word and paraphrasing plagiarism. Take your time and review

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Page 1: Web viewMay 25, 2016. Dear Future Freshman, First, congratulations for choosing Honors English! This choice will mean lots of hard work, extensive reading and

May 25, 2016

Dear Future Freshman,

First, congratulations for choosing Honors English! This choice will mean lots of hard work, extensive reading and writing, and perhaps some blood, sweat, and tears (don’t worry - we mostly mean in the figurative sense), but it will also mean that you are taking a big step to ensuring success in your future. You’re taking charge of your education and challenging yourself. We take our hats off to you. We can’t wait to meet you in August, but beforehand we want to give you a summer assignment. Don’t worry, just like you, we love summer vacation and do not want to steal all your free time. However, we also really value the importance of reading. Taking two months off from reading can drop your reading level significantly (which makes your future teachers sad), so all we ask from you is to try reading continuously over break. You will need to:

Please find at least 2 fiction books roughly over 200 pages each (one in the last week of break) or one book over 400 pages in which one of the main characters is different from you in race/ethnicity, gender, religion, ability, etc. We have provided a list of sample novels, but it is not exhaustive. You may read another book if you choose, but please keep the contrasting character in mind. You may not choose a book for which a movie has been made or which you read in middle school. We recommend annotating: it is a great way to stay engaged as a reader. Try to challenge yourself and find books that are at or above your level. You can check book levels at http://www.renlearn.com/store/quiz_home.asp?c=MP+04%3A2+2102%2F31%2F6.

We will ask you to bring your book(s) to class during the first week of school so we can discuss the books. You will also need to prepare a visual on poster board for one of the novels you read to present in class. Please address the following information on the poster board:

1. A T-chart of yourself compared to a character from the book. You need to include specific characterization including appearance, personality, hobbies, attitude toward life, inner thoughts, motivations, etc.

2. A section that highlights the purpose of the book. What theme, or lesson, did the author want to convey? Was his/her intention to inform, entertain, or persuade? Which audience was he/she trying to reach? Was he/she successful? Be ready to have a discussion with the class about your book’s message and your critique of the author.

3. You should have both textual and visual representations on this poster. Remember to design your board in a manner that is easy for all to read (bulleted points usually highlight and separate ideas easily). Have fun with it and be creative!

We also ask that you take the plagiarism certification test from Indiana University. Plagiarism will not be tolerated at Reed High School and can result in an F and up to a three-day suspension. The Plagiarism Quiz and Tutorial    were produced for the Indiana University School of Education. The tutorial provides examples of both word-for-word and paraphrasing plagiarism. Take your time and review the examples before taking the quiz. The quiz consists of ten multiple-choice items. When you have completed it with an acceptable pass rate, a certificate will be issued. To confirm that you successfully completed this quiz, you will need to print this certificate with your name printed on it to class the first day of school. You can find this test by going to the following address: https://www.indiana.edu/~istd/definition.html or by googling Indiana State Plagiarism Certification Test.

The final thing we ask you to do is create a GoodReads account (https://www.goodreads.com). If you do not have an account, please sign up for one. You will need to “friend” both of us on GoodReads, so we can see your reviews. It is free and a great way to discover new books, which will be important this year because we will expect you to be continuously reading in your spare time, in addition to the books we read in class. We also expect you to write reviews of the books you read over the summer. You should have at least 2 book reviews in GoodReads by the end of the summer. If you read one novel over 400 pages during the summer, please review another book you’ve recently read. Be ready to share your thoughts with the class.

We will end with one final quote from Atwood H. Townsend: “No matter how busy you may think you are, you must find time for reading, or surrender yourself to self-chosen ignorance.”

If you need to contact either of us this summer, please feel free to email us at [email protected] or [email protected].

Have an amazing summer,

Rachelle Rogers and Johnna Campbell

Page 2: Web viewMay 25, 2016. Dear Future Freshman, First, congratulations for choosing Honors English! This choice will mean lots of hard work, extensive reading and

Supplies to have the first day of school:

English binder (devoted solely to English) with five dividers and binder paperComposition Book (not a spiral notebook, but the smaller usually black and white ones)Writing Utensils (preferably blue or black pens and pencils)Sticky Notes

Book Suggestions*You may also choose your own book.

Characters of Color The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker Kindred by Octavia E. Butler Pym by Mat Johnson Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo Engraved on the Eye by Saladin Ahmed Fledgling by Octavia E. Butler Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles Chain Reaction by Simone Elkeles Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmeralda Santiago House on Mango Street by Sandra Ciscneros The Chaos by Nalo Hopkinson Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson

Characters with Metal Illness Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath I Never Promised You a Rose Garden by Joanne

Greenberg (pen name: Hannah Green) Disturbing the Peace by Richard Yates Ordinary People by Judith Guest She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb The Hours by Michael Cunningham The Passion of Alice by Stephanie Grant The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Characters with Disabilities Wonder by R.J. Palacio Carry the Ocean by Heidi Cullinan Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin Shaking the Sugar Tree by Nick Wilgus Farsighted by Emlyn Chand Ethan, Who Loved Carter by Ryan Loveless Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick

Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin Rules by Cynthia Lord Fighting Silence (On the Ropes, #1) by Aly

Martinez El Deafo by Cece Bell

Rainbow List: LGBT Characters Cinnamon Toast and the End of the World by Janet

E. Cameron Tell Me Again How a Crush Should Feel by Sara

Farizan I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson Far From You by Tess Sharpe Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith Secret City by Julia Watts Sweet Tooth by Tim Anderson, Tim Ethan, who Loved Carter by Ryan Loveless Some Assembly Required by Arin Andrews None of the Above by I. W. Gregorio

Books for Boys No More Heroes by Nicholas Chapman Liberty or Death (The Soldier Chronicles

Series#1) by David Cook The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian

by Sherman Alexie Mexican White Boy by Matt de la Pena Monster by Walter Dean Myers Beast by Walter Dean Myers Most books by Gary Soto (such as The Afterlife)

Dystopian Literature Control by Lydia Kang Legend by Marie Lu The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson Orleans by Sherri L. Smith Stranger by Rachel Manija Brown/Sherwood Smith The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf by Ambelin

Kwaymullina Vessel by Lisa Cresswell Emancipated by M.G. Reyes The Porcupine of Truth by Bill Konigsbe

Page 3: Web viewMay 25, 2016. Dear Future Freshman, First, congratulations for choosing Honors English! This choice will mean lots of hard work, extensive reading and

Good Examples of Past Posters