District of South Orange and Maplewood English Language Arts Department 2013 Summer Reading Initiative for Grades 9-12 May 8, 2012 Dear Parent/Guardian, The English Language Arts Department is excited to announce a revised Summer Reading Initiative for all students entering Columbia High School next year based upon feedback from students, teachers, and parents. Summer Reading Initiative for incoming Grades 9 and 10: Students will be required to read at least two books. One book must be non-fiction, while the second book may be a book-of-choice (any genre, any book). Students must complete one different assignment for each of the two summer reading books (four assignment options are provided). Students should be prepared to talk about their books and to submit their written assignments to Turnitin.com when they return to school in September. The English Department uses turnitin.com software to provide an electronic database to store student work and to prevent plagiarism. Summer Reading Initiative for incoming Grades 11 and 12: To enhance students ability to compare, contrast, and synthesize information, students will be required to read at least two books by the same author, or on the same topic, or in the same genre. For the purposes of this assignment, students should not reread a book that was assigned in a previous course. Students must write a two page reflective journal response that compares and contrasts the ideas in the two texts. Students should be prepared to talk about their books and to submit their written assignments to Turnitin.com when they return to school in September. The English Department uses Turnitin.com to provide a database to store student work and to prevent plagiarism. Please note: Incoming Advanced Placement (AP) English students are not required to complete this assignment; the AP summer assignment meets this summer reading requirement. Although it is not required, all incoming Grade 11 and 12 students are invited to submit book reviews that will be considered for publication on the New York Journal of Books web site (see option #1 on the Grade 9-10 assignment). This is a tremendous opportunity to gain writing recognition in a highly-revered academic resource. Whether students purchase or borrow summer reading books, the Maplewood and South Orange Public Libraries have been briefed on the assignments and are interested in assisting with the book selection process. In addition, the summer reading initiative has been discussed in class by your child s current English teacher; to that end, current English teachers may assist in recommending books. The summer reading assignment and book recommendations are available on the Language Arts Department web site. By affording students the choice in their book selections and keeping the assignment short and meaningful, we hope that students find their reading pleasurable while staying connected with reading processes and behaviors. We hope this initiative will broaden your child s love of literature and increase his/her interest in the art of reading. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you, Janine Gregory Supervisor of Secondary English Language Arts jtgregor@somsd.k12.nj.us Columbia High School English Language Arts 2012
Grade 9 and 10: Incoming freshmen and sophomore students must complete two assignments (one different assignment for each book). Students may revise the assignments with the support of their English teacher or in our after school writing lab in September. The summer reading assignment will be given a quiz grade in the first marking period. 1. Book Review Write a book review to be displayed on your classroom wall during the first few weeks of school. The Purdue Online Writing Lab s Writing a Book Review may be used as a resource: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/704/1/. Students may also consult The New York Journal of Books site at: http://www.nyjournalofbooks.com/home_page. By completing this assignment, your book review will be considered for publication on The New York Journal of Books web site. This local organization is also interested in providing an internship to CHS students based on successful submissions. Please note that the web site values book reviews that exhibit a writer s voice and personality for newer books. 2. Letters about Literature Contest Submission Write a forthright letter to the author- in your own voice, as if you were having a conversation with the author. Tell him/her how the book affected you as a reader. A detailed explanation of the letter assignment is posted at: http://www.lettersaboutliterature.org/how_to_enter 3. Book vs. Movie Essay In a short essay, compare the book to its movie version. Demonstrate at least three points of comparison to the movie. For example, address the following: Did the movie do justice to the book? Did the movie provide the visual detail that the book did? Did the movie stay true to the book? Include an evaluation of the book vs. movie (which did you like better and why). 4. Discussion Questions and Answers Create six discussion questions with detailed answers that provide an in-depth study into the various aspects of the book (plot, characters, themes etc.). Use the following web site to create higher order questions that facilitate thought rather than just a reference to plot: http://www.bloomstaxonomy.org/blooms%20taxonomy%20questions.pdf. Grade 11 and 12: Incoming junior and senior students must write one reflective journal entry that compares and contrasts their two summer reading books. Students may revise the assignments with the support of their English teacher or in our after school writing lab in September. The summer reading assignment will be given a quiz grade in the first marking period. A writing rubric is available to students at: http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson-docs/compareandcontrastmaprubric.pdf Columbia High School English Language Arts 2012 Page 3
Students may select ANY two summer reading books (one must be non-fiction). The books below are not required readings; they are suggested titles for students who desire more direction in their book selection. Book Suggestions Incoming Grade 9 Selections: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown Close to Shore: a true story of terror in an age of innocence by Michael Capuzzo In My Hands: memories of a Holocaust rescuer by Irene Gut Opdyke Funny in Farsi: a memoir of growing up in America by Dumas Firoozeh The Jump: Sebastian Telfair and the high stakes business of high school ball by Ian O Connor Once Upon a Quinceanera: coming of age in the USA by Julia Alvarez Shadow Divers: the true adventure of two Americans who risked everything to solve one of the last mysteries of World War II by Robert Kurson 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey Incoming Grade 10 Selections: The Glass Castle: a memoir by Jeannette Walls Dreams from My Father: a story of race and inheritance by Barack Obama Tuesdays with Morrie: an old man, a young man, and life s greatest lesson by Mitch Albom One Writer s Beginnings by Eudora Welty Angela s Ashes by Frank McCourt Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand Incoming Grade 11-12 Elective Course Selections: American Literature: The Help; The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay; The Yiddish Policeman s Union; In Our Time; A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; Billy Budd, Sailor Contemporary Literature: The Life of Pi; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; The God of Small Things; Outliers; High Tide in Tucson; The Namesake Creative Writing and the Study of Literature: Freakonomics; A Thousand Splendid Sons; The Undertaker s Daughter; Brother, I m Dying; The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks; Einstein s Dreams Drama as Literature and Performance: night, Mother; Noises Off; Anna in the Tropics; Madame Butterfly; Ma Rainey s Black Bottom Essentials of Language and Literature: The Savage City; The John Carlos Story Journalistic Writing and Analysis: Enriques Journey; The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America s Great Migration Literature and Philosophy: Waiting for Godot; The Pre-Socrates Literature as Social Criticism: The Savage City; The John Carlos Story; Green Collar Economy Poetry Reading and Writing: poem crazy; Writing with Power; Leaves of Grass Research-based Debate: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier; Blink; Unbroken Shakespearean Literature: Contested Will: Who Wrote Shakespeare; Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare World Literature: Little Bee; Purples Hibiscus; Reading Lolita in Tehran; The Space Between Us