Summer Reading Assignment/Project The Book Thief by Markus Zusak PRE-AP ENGLISH I Putnam City North High School

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Summer Reading Assignment/Project The Book Thief by Markus Zusak PRE-AP ENGLISH I 2014-2015 Welcome to.

1 Summer Reading Assignment/Project The Book Thief by Markus Zusak PRE-AP ENGLISH I Welcome to. We are so excited to have you join us on a journey that will take you many places through the pages of books. The journey begins this summer, when you will read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and complete an assignment that you will bring with you on the first day of school. The Book Thief is a gripping tale told from a unique and disquieting point of view: It is Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can t resist books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul. From the Hardcover edition. What to do this summer: Read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. If possible, purchase your own copy so that you may make marginal notes and highlight important text. Complete a Character Motivation Analysis Chart for three different characters from the novel (one chart each for three characters = a total of three charts); include a typed Works Cited page in MLA format as a separate document (full instructions for the Character Motivation Analysis Charts and the Works Cited page are below). You will have a total of four pages for this particular assignment. Produce a creative piece of writing of words (full instructions below). Summer Reading Assignment Page 1

2 We have created an online classroom on Edmodo.com so that we can communicate with you over the summer. To join, go to Edmodo.com; click I m a Student ; and complete the sign-up page as follows: Enter the following Group Code: n6pkxg If you already have an Edmodo account, you do not need to create a new account; just join the new group by entering the group code. Create an account with a user name and password that you can remember. We will not have access to your password, so you must remember it. You do not have to enter an address, but you may do so. Enter your first name. Enter your last name. Check the box. Click Sign Up. Our classroom on Edmodo will be exclusive to students in. Check the site frequently for posts in the form of polls, assignments and quizzes. You may post comments and questions on the site; all other members of the class will be able to view these posts (as will we, your teachers). What to Bring to School on the First Day: 1. Assignment #1 (see below for complete instructions): Three Character Motivation Analysis Charts and a Works Cited page (all four pages typed and stapled together). 2. Assignment #2 (see below for complete instructions): A typed creative piece of writing of words. Assignment #1: Written Assignments Due on First Day of School Character Motivation Analysis Charts and Works Cited Page Personal Reflection on the Meaning of Books students will read The Book Thief and complete three (3) TYPED character motivation analysis charts by the first day of class. You will select three (3) different characters from The Book Thief and explore the motivating forces behind their actions and feelings. For each character you choose, you will need to identify the motivating force and three (3) pieces of textual evidence to explain how that motivating force impacts the character s life. You must choose three (3) different motivating forces from the list below, one for each of the three characters you choose. You must have one piece of textual evidence demonstrating each of three ways an author can help a reader understand his or her characters: o Critical action taken by the character that demonstrates something important. o Insight gained about the character from his or her own thoughts or feelings. Summer Reading Assignment Page 2

3 o Relationship or interaction of your chosen character with another character. Your selection must be no longer than three (3) complete, consecutive sentences. Ellipsis points ( ) are not allowed. You must set up each character motivation analysis chart following the example provided from To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Notice on the example chart (below) that the author s last name and the page number on which the quotation may be found in the book are typed in parentheses immediately after the quotation. This is called a parenthetical citation. It lets your reader know where the information came from. Whenever you quote something from the novel, you should list the author s last name followed by the page number. It would not be enough, however, just to list the author s last name and a page number if you did not include a Works Cited page. This is a separate page that is attached as the final page to your character motivation analysis charts. On the Works Cited page, you will fully identify the novel so that your reader could go and find the exact source you used. A Works Cited page follows a special format called MLA (which stands for Modern Language Association). You may find complete information about a Works Cited page by going to ttp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/06/. Your Works Cited page must be typed with 1 margins on all sides. Everything should be double-spaced. The font should be Times New Roman 12 pt. The title Works Cited should appear in the top center of the page. You will find the information for your Works Cited page on the title page and the copyright page of your book. After your heading, double space, then type your book information according to the following format (you will change your paragraph settings to a hanging indent of.5 ): Author s last name, Author s first name. Title of Book. City of Publication: Name of publisher, year of publication. Medium of publication. Example: Works Cited Rowling, J. K. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer s Stone. New York City: Scholastic, Print. Motivating Forces You must choose your three (3) motivating forces from the following list: love jealousy conscience affection compassion fear pride vanity loyalty shame guilt ambition anger survival envy friendship greed gratitude This is a sample Character Motivation Analysis Chart: Summer Reading Assignment Page 3

4 CHARACTER #1: Atticus Finch MOTIVATING FORCE: Loyalty Passage #1: Character s Action I never went to school, he said, but I have a feeling that if you tell Miss Caroline we read every night she ll get after me, and I wouldn t want her after me (Lee 38). Passage #2: Character s Thoughts/Feelings This case, Tom Robinson s case, is something that goes to the essence of a man s conscience Scout, I couldn t go to church and worship God if I didn t try to help that man (Lee 113). Passage #3: Relationship with Another Character Before Jem looks at anyone else, he looks at me, and I ve tried to live so I can look squarely back at him (Lee 288). By choosing to make a secret pact with Scout to keep reading every night at home despite the disapproval of her teacher, Atticus demonstrates both his loyalty to Scout and his commitment to learning and education. With this simple act of rebellion, Atticus proves that he does not care what others think of him as long as he knows he is doing what is right for his family. (68 words) Above all, Atticus is loyal to truth and justice. He believes that Tom must have a fair trial no matter his race. Even though defending Tom causes Atticus to be hated by many in Maycomb and causes Scout and Jem to be teased, Atticus never abandons his support for Tom. This loyalty will eventually lead Atticus to put his life in danger for Tom s sake the night a lynch mob shows up at the jail. (75 words) Atticus proves that his deepest loyalty is to his children when he argues that Jem must be held accountable for the suspicious death of Bob Ewell. Because only Scout, Jem, and Boo Radley truly know what happened during the attack, Atticus feels passionately that the truth must come out, even if it might incriminate Jem. Atticus cannot live with himself as a father unless he sets an example of honesty. He is fiercely devoted to raising Jem and Scout to be ethical individuals. (83 words) Summer Reading Assignment Page 4

5 Grading Criteria You will use the model above to create your character motivation analysis charts, and your teacher will use this model in evaluating your work. You will identify the character and his or her motivating force at the top of each chart (2 points per chart = total of 6 points). Please notice that in the left-hand column, you will cite verbatim passages from the novel and include quotation marks and page numbers according to the prescribed MLA format. o Points will be deducted on the left-hand side for failure to document accurately and completely according to the model provided (2 points each = total of 18 points). Your purpose on the right-hand side is to explain how the passage you selected is an example of the impact of the motivating force on the character s life. o Your analysis of the passage s connection to the motivating force must be at least 60 words in length, and you must identify the word count at the end of each response (see model). o Each analysis should be written using complete sentences with your best language skills, and it should be thoughtful and well developed. o Your analysis should be your own work. Do not consult outside sources or work with other students. o Points will be deducted on the right-hand side for superficiality, incompleteness, and the use of summary instead of analysis (7 points each = 63 total points). In addition to supplying your teacher with a hard copy of your charts, you will be expected to submit your assignment to turnitin.com, an online tool to help teachers and students avoid plagiarism and ensure academic integrity. Your teacher will provide you with more specific instructions on how to submit to turnitin.com once the new school year has begun (13 points total). You are required to have a total of nine (9) passages: 3 passages for each of the 3 characters. Be sure the nine passages are representative of the entire book. The entire assessment is worth 100 points in the project/essay category (a category that constitutes 20% of your overall average). Assignment #2: In a creative written work of no less than 300 words and no more than 500 words, write about your relationship with books. You are free to explore the topic in any written way you choose (essay, poem, anecdote, short story, etc.), but you must use a first person point of view. Your writing should be personal and reflective of what books mean to you and should not be a mere definition of what a book is. Grading criteria: the writing uses first person point of view (20 points); the writing is a personal reflection that clearly shows the connection between the writer and the subject (20 Summer Reading Assignment Page 5

6 points); the writing exhibits creativity and originality (20 points); the writing uses conventions appropriate to the style of writing (20 points); the writing reflects a distinctive voice (unique to the writer in tone and style) (20 points). This assignment is worth a total of 100 points in the project/essay category. Bring a printed copy of this assignment on the first day of school. Your teacher will provide you with specific instructions on how to submit your writing to turnitin.com once the new school year has begun If you have any questions, please contact one of the teachers for assistance: 1. Kristi Romine (kromine@putnamcityschools.org) 2. Nicole Albauer (nalbauer@putnamcityschools.org) Summer Reading Assignment Page 6

7 Any format that generally resembles the one below will be acceptable. Character Motivation Analysis Chart CHARACTER: MOTIVATING FORCE: Passage #1: Character s Action Passage #2: Character s Thoughts or Feelings Passage #3: Relationship with Another Character Summer Reading Assignment Page 7

Incoming 9 th Grade Pre-IB English

Incoming 9 th Grade Pre-IB English Evans-----English I PIB Summer Reading Novel Selections Students are highly encouraged to purchase their own copies of the novel. This will allow you to make notes in the text and annotate while you read.