English I Honors University Summer Assignment
Please be aware that students will be held responsible for the assignments on the first day of the fall
semester. If a student chooses to change the level of course or class or program over the summer,
the student will be held responsible for the summer assignments for the courses reflected on the
schedule for the first day of school.
If you have questions regarding which course your student is enrolled in for the fall, please
contact your guidance counselor.
University English I Honors
1) Students read The Help by Kathryn Stockett and choose a journal format for responses (see attached).
2) Students read How to Read Literature like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster. As students read, fill out a
T-chart choosing two quotes from each chapter and reflecting on their meaning and significance.
3) Choose one of the following to take a Reading Counts quiz on during the first couple weeks of
school…
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne
Anne Frank: Diary of a young girl by Anne Frank
Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
Don’t Look Behind You by Lois Duncan
Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Night by Elie Wiesel
Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
Troy by Adele Geras
The China Garden by Liz Berry
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Naturals by Jennifer Barnes
Second Impact by David Klass
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Journal Responses
Assignment: Select a journal style to use as you read The Help. Use a composition book or loose-leaf
paper assembled in a binder / folder. Each assignment can take up several pages and there is no limit on
the maximum number of words. Before each assignment indicate the title of the novel and which
journal style you are using.
DIALECTICAL JOURNAL Select 3 meaningful passages of at least 25 words and copy one at a time on
the left side of the page. Use the right side of the page to respond, to question, to make personal
connections, to evaluate, to reflect, to analyze and/or to interpret. The response must be a minimum of
200 words.
PROBLEM-SOLUTION JOURNAL Identify a problem that exists within the chapter/the novel, then
suggest and explore possible solutions. Divide the paper in half. Label the left side “Problem(s)” and the
right side “Resolving the Problem(s)”. Brainstorm possible alternatives, discuss a probable solution,
anticipate stumbling blocks and propose arguments in favor of a proposed solution. Minimum 200
words.
SPECULATION ABOUT EFFECTS/PREDICTION JOURNAL Examine events and speculate about the
possible long term effects resulting from these events. Divide the paper in half. On the left side, record
“What Happened”. On the right side, speculate about “What might/should happen as a result of this”.
Make sure your answers are thorough and thoughtful, not obvious and/or superficial. Minimum 200
words.
SUBJUNCTIVE JOURNAL Express supposition or possibility about events or character. Begin with a
supposition: “If” a character had (or had not) done a certain thing. “Then” _________ would (or would
not have happened. Develop your supposition and support your assertion in a paragraph. Minimum
200 words.
OPEN MIND JOURNAL Analyze a character and speculate about the character’s thoughts and/or
motivations by drawing symbols or pictures that represent that character or what that character is
thinking about, what his or her priorities are, or how this character perceives himself or herself in his or
her own mind. Include a written explanation. Minimum 200 words.
DOUBLE OPEN MIND JOURNAL Analyze two characters in conflict with each other over a specific
event or issue that occurs at a strategic point in the novel. Follow the guidelines above. Minimum 200
words.
CHARACTER SOCIOGRAM Examine characters and their relationships in the novel. Write the names
of the characters in separate boxes or circles. Beside the arrows drawn between the boxes or circles,
discuss the relationship and feelings between the characters. No word limit.
PERSONAL REACTION STATEMENT Respond personally to characters, events, language or other
elements of the novel/chapter/story. Minimum 200 words.
“I USED TO BE. . .” POEM Analyze a character at a point where change is occurring in a poem that has
two parts: the first part begins, “I used to be. . .” and is followed by several lines dramatizing what the
character had been like; the second part begins, “But now I am . . .” and is followed by several lines
highlighting the changes the character has undergone. Observe the conventions of poetry. Minimum
14 lines.
For How to Read Literature Like a Professor
Fill out the double journal chart by writing two quotes and page numbers from each chapter of the book
in the left column; write a reflection of that quote in the right column.
Quote and Page Number
Reflection