English I Pre-AP Summer Reading Book Review Project What: You will read a book of your own choosing. The book must be written on a high school (or higher) reading level. The book can be any genre that you prefer. I m attaching a list of commonly read 9 th grade novels for your information. You do not have to select a book from this list, but it may help you to narrow down your choices. Please wait until next year to read the following books. They are on our potential reading list for the school year. To Kill a Mockingbird Anthem A Separate Peace Romeo and Juliet Fallen Angels The Final Product: You will present a book review in class detailing the following things about your book. The title and author of the book A little about the author and his/her other works Brief plot synopsis An analysis of the author s style (with examples from the text to support your analysis) Depending on the genre you choose, you may need to explain features of the genre. Highlight an assortment of literary devices that are present in the book (with examples from the text to illustrate) An explanation of the major themes of the book Ideas that the book sparked for you What did it cause you to wonder or think about? Favorite Passage share it, tell why it s your favorite, the overall significance to the book Rating for your book How does this book stack up against others you ve read? Why? Suggested audience Who would enjoy this book? What age level? What demographics? Literary merit Does this book have literary merit? Could it be studied at school? Would it be an educationally valuable book? Why or why not? Works Cited with any resources you used (see information below) The Presentation: You ll present your book review in class. You should have a power point presentation to accompany your verbal presentation. Thorough presentations ought to be between 4-8 minutes.
Tips for a Good Presentation: Prepare and practice Speak clearly and loudly enough to be understood Look sharp Know your stuff Have an attractive and easy to read power point (Use bullet points, not paragraphs. You may quote portions of the text on your power point as it is written in the book.) Do NOT read from the power point (other than passages from your text) Speak in an engaging way to the audience Make eye contact with the people in your audience and smile Relax Be able to take questions from the audience Due Date: We ll begin presenting on Monday, August 31 st and continue on Tuesday, September 1 st until we are finished.
Frequently Asked Questions What Do You Mean By Works Cited? I d like the last slide of your power point presentation to be a Works Cited slide. You should prepare a citation for the book that you select. You should also cite any sources you consulted to gather information about the author of your book. Here are some example citations. For a book with a single author: Last name, First name. Title of the Book. City of Publication: Publisher, Year of Publication. Medium of Publication. So, that would look like: Knowles, John. A Separate Peace. New York: Scribner, 1959. Print. For a page on a website: Article Name. Title of the Website. Publisher. Date of Publication. Medium of Publication. Date of Access. So, that would look like: John Knowles. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encylopaedia Britannica, Inc. n.d. Web. 14 May 2015. **If no publisher is listed, put n.p. If no publication date is listed, put n.d. What Do You Mean By Author s Style? As you are reading the book you ve selected, think about the author as a writer. One of my goals is for you to begin to read like a writer. Writers are artists that use words as a medium instead of paint or clay. Notice the tools that the author uses to craft the novel. Some questions to ask yourself might be: What impact does the author s artistry have on the novel? What impact does it have on you as a reader? How would you describe his/her writing style? Does the author write in long, complicated sentences or short simple ones? How does the author build sentences? (syntax) How would you describe the author s word choice? Are there trends in the types of words that are used? Is there technical or time period specific jargon? (diction)
Frequently Asked Questions (continued) What Do You Mean By Literary Devices? I mean things like: Similes/metaphors Symbolism Foreshadowing Personification Conflict (internal/external) Puns Sarcasm, satire, humor, parody Characterization or character development Irony Allusions Setting Hyperbole Plot development Consider how these might be important to the book. Be sure to find an assortment of devices and include them in your presentation. Can you tell me again, what is theme? The theme of a novel is a truth that it tells about life, human nature, society, etc. Themes are not usually explicitly stated. You discover theme as you read closely and make observations about the meaning of the story. Reading for theme requires making inferences and analyzing the foundational truths that run underneath the plot of a story. How Can I Get In Touch Over the Summer if I Have a Question? My email is jedwards@smithvilleisd.org. I am happy for you to email me if you have a question about your project or want to run an idea by me. I ll be out of town the entire month of July, but I ll have intermittent email access during that time and I ll be checking it periodically. Once August comes and school approaches, I tend to work in my classroom quite a bit. So, you re welcome to stop by room 409 when you re at the school for two-a-days or summer band.
Book Ideas for 9 th Graders Disclaimer: The following books are either commonly read by 9 th grade students preparing to take a pre-ap course or popular books for this age group. You are not limited to choosing a book from this list. Some high school level literature may contain mature content and/or profanity. A Hitchhiker s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Animal Farm by George Orwell Ball Don t Lie by Matt De la Pena Big Mouth and Ugly Girl by Joyce Carol Oates Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin Black Boy by Richard Wright Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden Ender s Game by Orson Scott Card Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes Freedom Writers by Erin Gruwell Head Above Water by S.L.Rottman I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Keeper by Mal Peet Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel by Avi My Antonia by Willa Cather Prep by Curtis Sittenfield Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand Shakespeare Bats Cleanup Ron Koertge Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board by Bethany Hamilton Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros The Life of Pi by Yann Martel The Moves Make the Man by Bruce Brooks The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis The Things They Carried by Tim O Brien The Wave by Todd Strasser The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings Watership Down by Richard Adams White Fang by Jack London Wrestling Sturbridge by Rich Wallace
May 21, 2015 Dear Pre-AP Students (and Parents), I m so excited that you ve chosen to take English I Pre-AP. English I Pre-AP is designed for students who intend to take AP and dual credit level courses during their junior and senior years in high school. Students who plan to pursue this course of study must be prepared to perform college level work by their junior year in high school. Thus, English I Pre-AP is significantly more rigorous than a typical grade level English I class. Successful students tend to be self-motivated, avid readers, well-organized, and hard-working. I ve taught freshmen every year I ve been a teacher, and I can tell you that the freshman year is one of transition. Besides adapting to a more rigorous course load and academic expectations, students must also learn to balance the demands of their extracurricular activities and family responsibilities. Many students love the new social opportunities that high school presents, but there is inevitably some social adaptation that must happen as well. For example, a student may be in an elective class with students from all of the other grade levels. This exposure to the more seasoned high school students carries both challenges and benefits. Taking English I Pre-AP will not be an easy journey, but it will be a rewarding one. My standards are very high. I do not accept late daily work and I only accept major assignments one day late with a 20 point deduction. Almost all of the reading we do will be done outside of class, and you will be expected to demonstrate a mastery of the content when reading assignments are due. We write extensively both in class and outside of class, and we do quite a bit of SAT/ACT vocabulary preparation. To be successful in English I Pre-AP, you will need to be willing to do everything I ask you to do, to do it on time, and to do it with a good attitude. It s not uncommon for my students to have to manage concurrent assignments. So, good organizational and time management skills are imperative. Finally, because I respect you and your academic potential, I provide honest feedback on work that you submit to me. If you make an A, you have earned it. I thought it might be helpful for you to read what my current students impressions of me and the class were, so I ve included a sampling of their advice for you. It s attached on the next page. In closing, I love to teach, and I love my students. I m looking forward to getting to know you and learning with you next year. Sincerely, Mrs. Edwards
Advice from the Class of 2018 to the Class of 2019 You should definitely take English I Pre-AP if: you re smart and want to go to a decent college. Oakley because it will help you become better. Your vocabulary will expand and you have an awesome teacher. Patrick you like a challenge. Mary you care about your education and have thought previous classes were easy. James you re a hard worker. Andrew you can handle many projects at once. Trey you are going for high grades and you re college bound. Cally you like sharing what you think about the meaning of things. Karina you like to challenge yourself and want to get a head start academically. Marilla you like reading and don t mind doing a lot of it. Nomar you re excelling in English now and really enjoy the subject. Kayla you want to perform very well on the STAAR and you re into a lot of work and fast paced classes. Cody You should not take English I Pre-AP if: you don t do homework or don t like reading books. Latrell you re lazy, don t like reading or writing essays. Faubien you don t like to work hard. Marissa you struggle with essays. Trey you re not mature and don t take things seriously. Reece if you re a slacker and can t handle essays. Rhianna you don t like working. We never stop working. Claire you struggle in pre-ap English already. Cally you can t think for yourself. Karina you don t have a passion for writing or being able to write a well-written essay, even if you don t like it. Mariah if you re not a hard worker, I wouldn t be in it. Kayla
If you want to be successful in class you should: stay organized and focused. Keep your drive, and do all of your homework. Larinesha do your work on time and don t wait until the last second. Jose be willing to listen. Riley NEVER procrastinate. Projects will sneak up on you. Andrew always give 100%. Even if you don t do too well, Mrs. Edwards always appreciates effort. Marilla have an open mind. Mariah PAY ATTENTION. Callie listen to Mrs. Edwards advice. Hunter study, focus, don t talk, follow the classroom standards, never slack off. Cody always do your reading. Kayla You should know that Mrs. Edwards: doesn t like kids being mean to other kids. Netanya is willing to push you to be your best. Patrick is hilarious, but she is serious about teaching just like you should be serious about learning. Faubien gives a lot of work. Maggie is a tough teacher, but she s super funny. Marissa is a strict teacher who will have you working every day of the year. Harley is basically the English version of Mrs. Seidel. James will always grade hard, but fair. Andrew is very serious about teaching you stuff and doesn t like rude comments or interruptions. Reece appreciates a good work ethic. Eylissia will push you to do your best. She won t just give away good grades. She ll make you (and help you) earn them. Marilla doesn t take late homework. Not even 1 day! Mariah likes to joke around as long as it s respectful. Christian does not tolerate stupid and childish behavior. Callie is very kind and will help you if you re willing to help yourself. Kayla is tough, a little funny, and never off her ball. Cody is a wonderful teacher. Beau