PART ONE: The Gods, the Creation, and the Earliest Heroes

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1 Ninth Grade HONORS English Summer Reading Assignment /H Read Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton (Grand Central Publishing) ISBN# and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (Grand Central Publishing) ISBN# NOTE: You are required to purchase your own copy of each book. Parents, please pay particular attention to the ISBN#; these are new editions, and students are required to have the same text in class. At least three major grades will come from your summer reading. Your mythology lists and novel questions will receive a homework grade. Plan on having this material with you the second day of class. You will also have a reading comprehension test over the novel, as well as an in-class essay assignment that will count as a composition grade, both of which will occur within the first two weeks of school. MYTHOLOGY GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS: * Follow specific instructions when given. For the most part you will be identifying gods, goddesses, creatures, and places in list format. * Read the following sections/chapters. * With the exception of the 12 Great Olympians, compile your list on notebook paper. * Please use only one side of the notebook paper, and skip one line between each item. * Begin each new list on a new page (A new list is designated by bold, underlined type). * Write in blue or black ink. * Read only the following sections/chapters: PART ONE: The Gods, the Creation, and the Earliest Heroes Introduction to Classical Mythology. This will provide important background for the rest of your reading (This is for you to read only; there are no listings for this section). CHAPTER 1: The Gods The Titans and the Twelve Great Olympians *Identify each of the following TITANS in a list format. Write the name, and beside it, list any important characteristics Edith Hamilton offers on these pages. Cronus Zeus Ocean Tethys Hyperion Mnemosyne Themis Lapetus Atlas Prometheus

2 *Create a chart for the 12 GODS OF OLYMPUS. Print the handout entitled The 12 Great Gods of Olympus and compile your information there. Include the Roman name, the realm of reign, the symbols, and any unique description/fact about each god/goddess. Be as thorough as possible, for you will use this chart to help prepare for the test once we return in August. CHAPTER 2: The Two Great Gods of Earth Demeter Persephone Dionysus CHAPTER 3: How the World and Mankind Were Created Chaos Light & Day Giants Epimetheus Night Earth Erinyes Pandora Erebus Cyclops Typhon Love Titans Prometheus PART TWO: Stories of Love and Adventure CHAPTER 1: Cupid and Psyche Cupid Venus Love Psyche Zephyr Soul PART THREE: The Great Heroes before the Trojan War CHAPTER 3: Hercules Hercules The Second Labor The Ninth Labor Theseus The Third Labor The Tenth Labor Amphitryon The Fourth Labor The Eleventh Labor Alcmena The Fifth Labor The Twelfth Labor Princess Megara The Sixth Labor Prometheus Eurystheus The Seventh Labor Admetus The First Labor The Eighth Labor Deianira ********************************************* continued

3 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Assignment #1: Chapter Questions Create one plot-related question (with answer) for each of the 31 chapters. The purpose of this Q&A will be to remind you of the chapter s plot when we begin discussing the novel in August. Specifications: 1. Write in ink on lined notebook paper. 2. Distinguish between your questions and answers by writing the questions in one color ink and the answers in another. 3. Skip one line between each Q&A pair. 4. Write only on the front side of the paper. 5. Number your questions by chapters (1 31). Assignment #2: Character Chart Create a character chart of the novel s major characters. The chart will be linked under Summer Reading on the school s website by the end of school. In one column, you will list the full name of the character. In the middle column, you will choose and copy one quotation that you think best illustrates the personality/nature of each character. In the third column, you will choose two adjectives that describe the character. Use a thesaurus, if necessary, to choose appropriate SAT-level adjectives. Specifications: 1. Your list will take up more than one page. Use the same chart for any consecutive pages. 2. Write in blue or black ink. 3. Looking left to right, be sure to line up each character s name with the beginning of each quotation and adjectives. 4. List the following characters: a. Jean Louise Scout Finch b. Atticus Finch c. Jeremy Atticus Jem Finch d. Arthur Boo Radley e. Nathan Radley f. Mr. Walter Cunningham g. Walter Cunningham h. Bob Ewell i. Mayella Ewell j. Charles Baker Dill Harris k. Miss Maudie Atkinson l. Calpurnia m. Aunt Alexandra n. Tom Robinson o. Mrs. Henry Lafayette Dubose p. Mr. Dolphus Raymond q. Heck Tate continued

4 Assignment #3: Narrative Essay We all have special people in our lives who have invested in us with great love and care and who teach us lessons about life that we will carry with us forever. For Jem and Scout, that person is their father, Atticus. In a 4-6 paragraph narrative essay, describe an instance in your life when you learned something very valuable from someone very important to you. Remember to narrate (tell the story) of a particular instance when your interaction with this person taught you an important life lesson. Specifications: (See Student Guide to Turning in Essays for an example of the following): 1. Type your essay in black ink on white paper. 2. Double space the essay in 12 point, Times New Roman font. 3. Your heading should be at the top left, in MLA format. 4. Include a creative title, centered below the heading. Tips for writing a narrative essay: In Short Takes: Models for Composition, Elizabeth Penfield writes, Shaping narrative draws on some of the same skills used in description: keen observation, careful selection of details, and coherent sequencing. But to turn description into narration, you have to add two other elements: conflict, and resolution. A story with no point is indeed pointless. One with no conflict is no kind of story at all, and one with no resolution leaves the reader up in the air. In drafting your essay, 1. Know your purpose: to describe a specific instance in your life when you learned something very valuable from someone very important to you. 2. Make sure your first sentence is a keeper. It must be interesting enough to make your reader want to read the rest of your narrative! 3. Establish the setting. When in your life did this happen? Where? 4. Introduce people; they are the characters of your narrative. What person was/people were important to the story you are telling? 5. Pay attention to sequence of events in your story. Most narratives are chronological, and all good stories have a climax. 6. Don t forget to add a concluding paragraph. Every story has an ending. 7. As this is a personal narrative, the use of the first person ( I ) is allowed; however, use it frugally. 8. Print a copy of the Writing: Personal Narrative evaluation rubric to help guide you through the drafting process. Questions? Mrs. Mann at kmann@strong-rock.com OR Mrs. Moss at bmoss@strongrock.com

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