Summer Reading 2014 High School Assignments ALL SUMMER READING WORK IS DUE WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 RD, 2014. For all incoming 11 th and 12 th graders: 1. Read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer ISBN # 978-0618329700 2. Complete the attached assignment after reading the book. (Handout #1) 3. View the film, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Warner Brothers, 2012, PG-13) 4. Complete the attached assignment after viewing the film in its totality. (Handout #2) 5. Complete the attached writing and research assignment. (Handout #3) 6. Bring in the parentally signed document with all other items. (Handout #4) For all incoming 9 th and 10 th graders: 1. Read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer ISBN # 978-0618329700 2. Complete the attached assignment after reading the novel. (Handout #5) 3. View the film, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Warner Brothers, 2012, PG-13) 4. Complete the attached assignment after viewing the film in its totality. (Handout #6) 5. Bring in the parentally signed document with all other items. (Handout #4)
Handout #1 Literary Information Grades 11 and 12 Please compete all of the following: (you may design the delivery of this information in a creative way-poster, newsletter, slides, or other, but it must be in writing and your own original work!) ***Paraphrases and direct quotations taken from the text should be properly cited according to MLA format. *** 1. Title: Author: Date of Publication: 2. Biographical details about the author: 3. Information about the period (literary, historical, artistic, philosophical, etc.): 4. Identify the genre and specify how this work fits its characteristics: 5. Major event (conflict): Impact on character(s): 6. Identify and explain the use Cite and quote one example of and effect of three literary each: techniques: 7. Cite and quote three Explain the significance of each significant passages: passage: (i.e. how it relates to the work as a whole) 8. Characters Record information for each significant character in the work Name: Role in the story: Adjectives: (Significance or Purpose) 9. Identify and explain the theme(s), key metaphors, symbols, or motifs: 10. Write at least three questions or topics for class discussion:
Handout #2 Film and Fiction Information Grades 11 and 12 Part 1 Directions: Complete the venn diagram below (or another on a separate piece of paper) comparing the novel to the film. Part II Directions: Pick an element from one scene of the film (sound/music, lighting, costume, cinematography) that you can directly compare to the same scene as it is written in the book. In about a page, write a reflection about the choices the filmmakers made, and how you visualized the scene in the book differently or similarly, depending on your preferences. Explain what changes you would have made and why.
Handout #3 Research and Writing Grades 11 and 12 Directions: After reading the novel and viewing the film, find an archived article from a newspaper or magazine only from the month of September (after the 11 th ) and the year 2001. You may use the internet, but your source must be a website from a newspaper like The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, etc., and a magazine like Time, Newsweek, People, etc. ( I do not want any Wikipedia.org, about.com, etc!) Perhaps you can even get your hands on a first edition of either (an actual copy of the newspaper or magazine). Regardless of what you choose, please do the following: 1. Bring in an ANNOTATED copy of the actual article or edition. 2. Complete a one page bulleted list of why you chose the article, the important points, what the article s focus was, etc., and be prepared to explain the full article (and your thoughts) to the class. 3. Using the theme of unsung hero, pick a person that you could write from the perspective of in a two page diary-style narration. You might be a member of the NYPD or FDNY, a waitress serving coffee one minute and dragging someone out of rubble the next, a rescue working running into danger, an office worker who carried people to safety, etc. Think about the courage, audacity, and selfless sacrifice your chosen person must have made that day in the face of horror we cannot imagine. Write two pages from that person s point of view (using I ) in a somewhat futile attempt to envision and imagine the lengths unsung heroes actually went to on that date of September 11, 2001.
Handout #4 Grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 Directions: Keep a log of when you read and how many pages throughout the summer. Please have your parent or guardian initial each day of reading and sign the bottom of the page. This MUST be turned in with your other assignments to receive any credit for summer reading work. Date: Pages read: Parent (from and to) initials: My son or daughter read Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (without the use of internet sources)by Jonathan Safran Foer and completed all assignments as directed. X (I can be reached at crowther@saratogacatholic.org if needed)
Handout #5 Grades 9 and 10 Directions: Answer the following questions based on your reading of the novel by neatly writing or typing your answers on separate paper. Bring your completed work to English class on the first day of school. 1. Characters: Who are the protagonists in the story? Who are the antagonists in the story? How do the characters influence the plot of the novel? 2. Setting(Time/Place) What is the setting of the novel? 3. Mood/Tone: Describe the tone(author s attitude toward the subject) of the novel. Describe the mood(feeling created in the reader) of the novel. How does the mood/tone affect the novel? 4. Plot: Briefly summarize the plot of the novel. What is the climax of the text? 5. Theme: List and explain at least one theme in the novel. 6. Symbolism: List and explain at least two symbols found in the text. What do they symbolize?
Handout #6 Grades 9 and 10 Directions: After reading the novel Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, view the movie by the same title. Then, write a 1-2 page analysis noting the similarities and differences between the two pieces. Your analysis is due in English class on the first day of school. Remember to follow the conventions of MLA format including: MLA Heading/Header Text is double spaced Text is Times New Roman Size 12
The following two documents (Handouts #7 and #8) are for reference. Handout #7 For this particular project, you will need to cite the novel. You may need to cite the film as well. Any other citations you may encounter, please research using https://owl.english.purdue.edu/ Citing can get very complicated so this sheet is for this project only. MLA format requires citations for directly quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing any work that is not your own. To cite a novel: There was a lifebuoy in the boat with a rope tied to it (Martel 98). This parenthetical citation shows a direct quote from the novel, Life of Pi and the author s last name and page number are in parenthesis. This is an example of directly quoting from a novel. Pi had some tools to use, one in particular was a buoy and a rope (Martel 98). This is an example of summarizing what the book says, and citing the author is still required. A tied rope with a lifebuoy was in the boat (Martel 98). This is an example of paraphrasing because it is what the book states exactly with change of words, still referencing the author. To cite a film: The use of lighting was critical to the film composition (Lee, Life of Pi). The director of the film followed by the film title is in italics to attribute the source. After your summer work is completed, you would then provide a Works Cited Page with full citations listed alphabetically from your sources. It would be on its own page, and look like this: To cite a newspaper or magazine article: Ang Lee s film debuted in 2001 (Buchman 28). Both magazines and newspapers require the author of the article s last name and page number in parenthesis. After completing your work, you must include a Works Cited page. See the next page for a representation of this.
Works Cited Buchman, Dana. "A Special Education." Good Housekeeping Mar. 2006: 143-48. Print. Krugman, Andrew. "Fear of Eating." New York Times 21 May 2007 late ed.: A1. Print. Life of Pi.. Dir. Ang Lee. Perf. Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain. Fox, 2012. DVD. Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. New York: Houghton Mifflin Press, 2001. Novel.
Handout #8 LITERARY ELEMENTS AND TECHNIQUES ELEMENTS OF PLOT All fiction is based on conflict and this conflict is presented in a structured format called PLOT. Exposition: The introductory material which gives the setting, creates the tone, presents the characters, and presents other facts necessary to understanding the story. Foreshadowing: The use of hints or clues to suggest what will happen later in the story. Catalyst: The event or character that triggers the conflict. Conflict: The essence of fiction. It creates plot. The conflicts we encounter can usually be identified as one of four kinds: Man vs. (1) Man; (2) Nature; (3) Society; or (4) Self. Rising Action: A series of events that builds from the conflict. It begins with the catalyst for conflict and ends with the climax. Crisis: The conflict reaches a turning point. At this point the opposing forces in the story meet and the conflict becomes most intense. The crisis occurs before or at the same time as the climax. Climax: The climax is the result of the crisis. It is the high point of the story for the reader. Frequently, it is the moment of the highest interest and greatest emotion, and the point at which the outcome of the conflict can be predicted. Falling Action: The events after the climax which close the story. Resolution: Rounds out and concludes the action. ELEMENTS OF CHARACTERIZATION MAJOR CHARACTERS: Almost always dynamic or three- dimensional characters. They have good and bad qualities. Their goals, ambitions and values change. A dynamic character also changes internally as a result of what happens to him, and he grows or progresses to a higher level of understanding in the course of the story. MINOR CHARACTERS: Almost always flat or two- dimensional characters. They have only one or two striking qualities. Their predominant quality is not balanced by an
opposite quality. They are usually all good or all bad. Such characters can be interesting or amusing in their own right, but they lack depth. Flat characters are more often referred to as static characters because they do not change during the course of the story. ELEMENTS OF POINT OF VIEW FirstPerson: The narrator is a character in the story who can reveal only personal thoughts and feelings and what he or she sees and is told by other characters. He can't tell us the thoughts of other characters. ThirdPerson Objective: The narrator is an outsider who can report only what he or she sees and hears. This narrator can tell us what is happening, but he can't tell us the thoughts of the characters. ThirdPerson Limited: The narrator is an outsider who sees into the mind of one of the characters. Omniscient: The narrator is an all- knowing outsider who can enter the minds of more than one of the characters. ELEMENTS OF CONFLICT Conflict is the essence of fiction. It creates plot. The conflicts we encounter can usually be identified as one of four kinds. Often, more than one kind of conflict is taking place at the same time. In every case, however, the existence of conflict enhances the reader's understanding of a character and creates the suspense and interest that make you want to continue reading. Man versus Man: Conflict that pits one person against another. Man versus Nature: A run- in with the forces of nature. On the one hand, it expresses the insignificance of a single human life in the cosmic scheme of things. On the other hand, it tests the limits of a person's strength and will to live. Man versus Society: The values and customs by which everyone else lives are being challenged. The character may come to an untimely end as a result of his or her own convictions. The character may, on the other hand, bring others around to a sympathetic point of view, or it may be decided that society was right after all. Man versus Self: Internal conflict. Not all conflict involves other people. Sometimes people are their own worst enemies. An internal conflict is a good test of a character's values. Does he give in to temptation or rise above it? Does he demand the most from himself or settle for something less? Does he even bother to struggle? The internal
conflicts of a character and how they are resolved are good clues to the character's inner strength. LITERARY TECHNIQUES FORESHADOWING: An author's use of hints or clues to suggest events that will occur later in the story. Not all foreshadowing is obvious. Frequently, future events are merely hinted at through dialogue, description, or the attitudes and reactions of the characters. Foreshadowing frequently serves two purposes. It builds suspense by raising questions that encourage the reader to go on and find out more about the event that is being foreshadowed. Foreshadowing is also a means of making a narrative more believable by partially preparing the reader for events which are to follow. IRONY: Irony is the contrast between what is expected or what appears to be and what actually is. Verbal Irony: The contrast between what is said and what is actually meant. Situational Irony: This refers to a happening that is the opposite of what is expected or intended. Dramatic Irony: This occurs when the audience or reader knows more than the characters know. TONE: The author's attitude, stated or implied, toward a subject. Some possible attitudes are pessimistic, optimistic, earnest, serious, bitter, humorous, and joyful. An author's tone can be revealed through choice of words and details. MOOD: The climate of feeling in a literary work. The choice of setting, objects, details, images, and words all contribute towards creating a specific mood. For example, an author may create a mood of mystery around a character or setting but may treat that character or setting with an ironic, serious, or humorous tone. SYMBOLISM: A person, place or object which has a meaning in itself but suggests other meanings as well. Things, characters, and actions can be symbols. Anything that suggests a meaning beyond the obvious is a symbol. Some symbols are conventional, generally meaning the same thing to all readers. For example: bright sunshine usually symbolizes goodness or health, and water usually symbolizes rebirth or cleansing. IMAGERY: Language that appeals to the senses. Descriptions of people or objects stated in terms of our senses. Details and diction that create an "image" in the mind. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: Whenever you describe something by comparing it with something else, you are using figurative language. Any language that goes beyond the
literal meaning of words in order to furnish new effects or fresh insights into an idea or a subject is also considered figurative. Simile: A figure of speech which involves a direct comparison between two unlike things, usually with the words like or as. Example: The muscles on his brawny arms are as strong as iron bands. Metaphor: A figure of speech which involves an implied comparison between two relatively unlike things using a form of to be. The comparison is not announced by like or as. Example: The road was a ribbon of moonlight. Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds occurring at the beginning of words or within words. Alliteration is used to create melody, establish mood, call attention to important words, and point out similarities and contrasts. Example: wideeyed and wondering while we wait for others to waken. Personification: A figure of speech which gives the qualities of a person to an animal, an object, or an idea. It is a comparison that the author uses to show something in an entirely new light, to communicate a certain feeling or attitude towards it, and to control the way a reader perceives it. Example: A brave handsome brute fell with a creaking rending cry. The author is giving a tree human qualities. Onomatopoeia: The use of words that mimic sounds. They appeal to our sense of hearing and they help bring a description to life through a string of syllables that approximates the real sound. Example: Caarackle! Hyperbole: An exaggerated statement used to heighten effect. It is not used to mislead the reader, but to emphasize a point. Example: She's said so on several million occasions.