English 10
Summer Reading and Anthem
Overview and Background
“The question isn't who is going to let me; it's who is going to stop me.” ― Ayn
Rand
“Freedom (n.): To ask nothing. To expect nothing. To depend on nothing.”
― Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead
In your summer reading novels, you most likely read novels who portrayed some sort of individual identity.
Whether they had to fight against injustice in society, within their own family, or their school, or whether they were simply
on a journey of self-discovery, your novel likely had a protagonist, or main character, who displayed a type of individualism.
We will, in this unit, try to make connections between you as an individual as well as the individual identity and journey of
that of your novel’s protagonist.
Close to the end of September, we will switch gears and begin with Ayn Rand’s Anthem. It is an exciting and
inspiring story, with heroic characters risking their lives for their ideals. It has mystery because it takes place in a dystopic
science-fiction world sometime in the future. It challenges readers to think about what the world should be like. Anthem also
raises ethical and political issues because as you get older, these issues will become of greater importance. We may ask you
to consider: Who am I? Is it possible to stand on my own? The book asks basic question about society: If we could choose
what kind of society to have, what should we choose? What is the moral and just society? Does my life belong to the
group, or as we’ll call it, the collective whole? Do I have the right to pursue my own happiness? Can a society without
freedom be productive?
Although Ayn Rand was Russian-born and raised under Communist decree, Anthem serves as an introduction to
her thoughts on society. Anthem is not just a story about the individual being swallowed by the collective. It is also an
identification of how that can happen and what ideas people must first accept before such a totalitarian society can take
hold. Anthem is not merely a story about the horrible, depressing life of people in a collectivist society; it is also about the
triumph of the individual’s independent spirit, the triumph of those who reject the ethics of collectivism. Ayn Rand’s
fiction is dubbed as Realist because she deals with real problems of normal people (not monsters, superhumans or robots),
and with her through this text is the idea of the individual as the hero and her character’s triumph will resonate with any
individual’s spirit.
Organizing Principles to Consider
The novel is structured around a number of organizing principles.
Some of its organizing principles are:
 Individualism vs. collectivism

 Life in the natural world vs. life in society

 The individual vs. society and the social

 The innocent, uneducated vs. the experienced, educated
Note: This syllabus may be revised as needed.
Date
Assignment due
at the beginning of class
Tu, 9/3
W, 9/4
M, 9/9
Tu, 9/10
W, 9/11
Th, 9/12
Signed Syllabus/Course Expectations
Considering these will help us tease apart the novel’s themes.
Outcasts vs. respected members of society
Personal Identity vs. Conformity
Heroism and Courage
Work in class
Norms
Ice breakers
Syllabus/expectations
Ice breakers, cont.
Reading Interest Survey
Syllabus/expectations
Summer Reading Guided Writing Assignment
Group Non-fiction Reading
Reflective journal
Small group/whole group discussion
Harrison Bergeron with Guided Reading
Questions
Watch Harrison Bergeron
F, 9/13
Grammar Pre-Quiz
Our Country Project Intro
M, 9/16
Meet the
Teacher
Night
Tu, 9/17
Our Country Project work time
SSR Book Selection in LMC
ENROLL in my class on TURNITIN.COM
SSR time and Our Country Work Time
Work Time
W, 9/18
Th, 9/19
F, 9/20
Homecoming
Pep Assembly
Our Country Presentations
Wrap up Presentations
M, 9/23
Tu, 9/24
W, 9/25
Th, 9/26
Ch. 1-4
F, 9/27
M, 9/30
Ch. 5-8
Tu, 10/1
W, 10/2
Th, 10/3
F, 10/4
Ch. 10-11
Creating five reading questions
M, 10/7
15 Discussion Q’s filled out
Tu, 10/8
W, 10/9
Th, 10/10
F, 10/11
Extended Analysis of One Discussion Questions
Due by midnight tonight to turnitin.com
Intro Anthem with notes
BW
Begin Ch. 1 in class with annotations
SSR – Evidence / interpretation / reading guide
PREVIEW SSR Assignments
Grammar
BW
Ch. 1-4 PID Walk Through
Discussion
BW
Discussion of names of Characters and
importance
BW
Discuss Ch. 5-8 with guiding questions
Non-fiction connection piece
BW
PID Ch. 5-8
Annotate Ch. 8
SSR
Grammar
BW
Read Ch. 9/Discuss
BW
Ch. 12 as a class
Invictus poem/novel’s ending + quotes/go over
q’s
Assign Discussion Q’s
Large Group Discussion
Ch. 9-12 Quiz
ACT Style Essay Intro
Concept Mapping
Work time in lab for Extended Analysis
Watch Smoke Signals (may begin introducing final
Anthem/Summer Reading Essay prior to movie)
Smoke Signals/essay connections
Niemoller Poem