Woodbridge Township School District
Dear Students,
Summer Reading 2015
Entering 11th Grade
As we approach the end of the school year, it is time to start thinking about the pleasures of
summer reading. The purpose of the summer reading program is to encourage the enjoyment
of reading and the development of our students’ independent reading skills.
All students entering ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade will either read at least one novel
or read a few short essays, and complete the corresponding assignment(s). All reading and
assignments will be completed prior to the first day of school in September. Please refer to the
attached instructions and rubric for further clarification and expectations.
The summer reading assignment will count as a minor assessment grade per assignment.
However, during the first few weeks of school, teachers will use the skills addressed during
class as a vehicle to introduce key literary concepts, and students may be required to complete
additional assignments at that time.
We encourage students to visit local bookstores and public libraries in order to find their books.
Students may also go online to purchase their books.
Happy reading!
John Bader
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Sarah Cice
Supervisor of English Grades 6-12 and Media Centers
District Test Coordinator
Entering 11th Grade S/R Track Summer Reading Assignment Option 1: Fiction Assignment Choose one novel from the list below. As you read, complete the attached graphic organizer to analyze characters, themes, and symbols. For each character, theme, and symbol you analyze, you must include textual evidence (direct quotes and page numbers) to support your response. Novels: (Select one) Bodega Dreams by Ernesto Quinonez The word is out in Spanish Harlem: Willy Bodega is king. Need college tuition for your daughter? Start‐up funds for your fruit stand? Bodega can help. He gives everyone a leg up, in exchange only for loyalty‐‐and a steady income from the drugs he pushes. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold "My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." So begins the story of Susie Salmon, who is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her ‐‐ her friends trading rumors about her disappearance, her killer trying to cover his tracks, her grief‐stricken family unraveling. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak It is 1939. 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. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser (free on the Kindle and Nook app) An 18‐year‐old girl without money or connections ventures forth from her small town in search of a better life in Theodore Dreiser's revolutionary first novel. The chronicle of Carrie Meeber's rise from obscurity to fame — and the effects of her progress on the men who use her and are used in turn — aroused a storm of controversy and debate upon its debut in 1900. Name_______________________________________ Summer Reading – Graphic Organizer Title of Book:______________________________________________ Directions: During your reading, use the boxes below to complete the graphic organizer. Each section of the graphic organizer is dedicated to characters, themes, or symbols. For each category, you must pull out direct quotes that reinforce characterizations, themes, and symbols. CHARACTER CHARACTER TRAITS TEXTUAL EVIDENCE (DIRECT QUOTES) – include page number 1. 2. 1. 2. 1. 2. 1. 2. 1. 2. 1. 2. THEME DEFINITION OF THEME TEXTUAL EVIDENCE OF THEME (DIRECT QUOTES) – include page number 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. SYMBOL SIGNIFICANCE OF SYMBOL TEXTUAL EVIDENCE (DIRECT QUOTES) – include page number 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. 1. 2. 3. Option 2: Non‐Fiction Assignment You will read articles and watch one video on a specific topic. After each, you will complete a SOAPSTone chart for each argument. Each section of SOAPSTone will need to include textual evidence (a direct quotation) that proves your analysis. At the conclusion of this assignment, you will have completed four charts. Topic: Do athletes get away with crimes? As Long As They're Rich and Harbored, Athletes Will Always Get Away With Murder Ray Rice Revulsion: How the media have let abusive athletes get away with it Mike Tyson rapes a Miss Black America contestant The myth about crime and the NFL All responses will be scored on use of textual evidence, depth of explanations, and proper usage and mechanics. SOAPSTone Chart The following questions are merely suggestions. It might not be possible to answer all of them for every piece of rhetoric, and you might need to consider other questions not listed. 
S = Speaker O = Occasion 
In what voice and/or point of view—what persona—has the speaker chosen to deliver his/her message? Why? How does the speaker hope to be viewed by the audience? 
What appear to be the speaker’s values, biases, and beliefs? 
Does the speaker appear trustworthy, credible, reputable, etc.? 
What is the time and place? 
Is there a particular historical context (either recent or remote) that influences the message, audience, or speaker? 
What specific set of circumstances motivated the writer/speaker to express this message? 
Who has the author intended will hear or read this message? 
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What biases or values does the intended audience hold? Are they similar to that of the speaker? How knowledgeable of the subject is the intended audience? Does the intended audience share any significant background experience? Will this intended audience be open to the message? 
What does the writer want the audience to know, understand, and/or do? 
Possible rhetorical purposes (not an exhaustive list): to convince, to win agreement, to persuade us to take action (or buy a product), to evoke sympathy, to entertain, to inform, to provoke, to celebrate, to put forth a proposal, to secure support, etc. 
What is this piece of writing or speech about? 
What is the main topic/message/idea? 
How is this subject significant for this audience? 
What is the dominant tone? (Look primarily at the author’s attitude.) 
What words, images, or figures of speech reveal the author’s attitude? 
How is this tone intended to impact the audience? 
Are there any shifts in tone within the document, and if so, what is the result? (context) A =Audience P = Purpose S = Subject T = Tone Name___________________________________________ SOAPSTone Chart In each box, include at least one piece of textual evidence—a direct quote or a specific paraphrase—to support your observations. Cite the time at which the evidence occurs in the video [ex: (3:45)]. Title of Article:_______________________________________________________________________________ S = Speaker O = Occasion (context) A =Audience P = Purpose S = Subject T = Tone