Madison Public Schools - Summer Assignment
World History Honors
Ms. Fellows
Assignment rationale/Objective:
This assignment should be of help in making the transition from an 8th grade heterogeneous
environment to a 9th grade homogeneous one. I hope you find it interesting and helpful.
The assignment involves reading a biography and completing activities designed to guide your
thinking and reflection. As students, you will be expected to begin the year with some mastery over material
relevant to the curriculum, confident that you will have valuable contributions to make during our
introductory Socratic dialogue (a type of discussion). Furthermore, the skills and content contained within
the assignment will be woven in throughout the year. This assignment is designed to allow us to “hit the
ground running!”
Your completed work will also help me to adjust, alert, and give appropriate help and advice early
on in the year. Each section is designed to give me valuable information. This assignment has proven to be a
reliable indicator of a student’s readiness for the rigor, independence, and enthusiasm required when taking
Honors World History 9.
Overview instructions: The assignment involves reading a biography and completing activities designed to
guide your thinking and reflection. The activities to be completed are contained in this packet.
Estimated time for completion/Suggested pacing: The time it will take to complete this assignment will
vary according to the biography chosen, depth of response, and reading level. However, I estimate parts 2-5
will take three hours and reading the biography approximately ten hours.
Number of points: The work you hand in: 30 points/ the contributions you make in class based on this
work: 10 points
Percentage of first marking period grade: As directed by administration, approximately 13 percent
Process for requesting help over the summer:
If you have questions, you may contact me via e-mail:
fellowsf@madisonpublicschools.org
If I cannot be reached, please reach out to Dr. DeBiasse, the Humanities Department Chair. Thank you.
Madison High School
World History
9th Grade Honors
Ms. Fellows
Summer Assignment
Note for those accessing this assignment from the lesson
plan folder: As indicated in the following assignment, the
Gustavson reading (#5 in the assignment) is attached to
this packet when handed to students. A copy has been
given to the Humanities Dep’t Head; extra copies have
been given to Guidance, and I have copies. The reading is
out of print and does not scan well.
Dear Parents and Students,
The following assignment should be of help in making the transition from an 8th grade
heterogeneous environment to a 9th grade homogeneous one. I hope you find it interesting and
helpful.
The assignment involves reading a biography and completing activities designed to
guide your thinking and reflection. As students, you will be expected to begin the year with some
mastery over material relevant to the curriculum, confident that you will have valuable
contributions to make in class. Furthermore, the skills and content contained within the
assignment will be woven in throughout the year. This assignment is designed to allow us to “hit
the ground running!”
Your completed work will also help me to adjust, alert, and give appropriate help and
advice early on in the year. Each section is designed to give me valuable information. This
assignment has proven to be a reliable indicator of a student’s readiness for the rigor,
independence, and enthusiasm required when taking Honors World History 9. Therefore, this
assignment will be collected the first day of class. In that way, I will be able to help you as soon
as possible.
The time it will take to complete this assignment will vary according to the biography
chosen, depth of response, and reading level. However, I estimate parts 2-5 will take three hours
and reading the biography approximately ten hours.
The assignment, as directed by administration, will count for approximately 13% of your
first marking period grade.
I hate to end in this manner; however, I must inform you that failure to complete the
assignment by the date due will, barring any unforeseen circumstances, cause you to be moved to
the Enriched level.
If you have questions, you may contact me via e-mail:
fellowsf@madisonpublicschools.org
If I cannot be reached, please reach out to Dr. DeBiasse, the Humanities Department Chair.
Thank you.
Please enjoy, I’m not kidding
Ms. Fellows
The Assignment:
1. Read a biography of your choice.
Note the following constraints:
 The biography must be from the adult section of the library or bookstore.
 The historical figure you select must be European and have been active roughly between
1300 and 1600 C.E..
 The biography you choose should be one you will enjoy! That means you must make your
selection carefully. I suggest you become familiar with the time period indicated – any general
European or World History book will get you on your way. You could also go to any of a myriad
of on-line biography sites. Then go to the bookstore and/or library and plan on spending some
time there. The best way to choose a biography for this assignment is to actually sit and read
parts of several biographies. If you find yourself zoning out while reading, put it back. If the
book is too difficult, put it back. The book you find yourself actually reading and enjoying is the
one to select. It may take awhile, but you will be glad you invested the time.
2. Create a Venn diagram to illustrate the similarities and differences between you and your chosen
historical figure. The diagram should be on an 8 ½ by 11 inch piece of paper. Your diagram should be
organized, including categories of information.
3. Select and Xerox your favorite part of the biography. On the back of the Xeroxed copy explain
why this portion of the book is your favorite. The length of your selection does not concern me.
4. Answer the following questions. Questions and answers should be typed on an 8 ½ by 11 inch piece
of paper. Please use a size 12 font. Thank you.
a) In what ways was the life remarkable?
b) In what ways was the life admirable?
c) In what ways was the life despicable?
d) What human qualities were most influential in shaping the way this person lived and influenced
his or her time?
e) Which quality or trait proved most troubling and difficult?
f) Which quality or trait was most beneficial?
g) Did this person make any major mistakes of bad decisions? If so, what were they, why did they
make them, and could they have been avoided?
h) What, in your opinion, was the best decision this person made? Explain the decision and defend
your opinion.
i) What are the two or three most important lessons you or any other young person might learn
from the way this person lived?
j) Do you think the quote below applies to your historical figure? Why or why not? Please explain.
Make sure any analysis you give is supported by evidence.
“Men make their own history, but not of their own free will.”
~Karl Marx
k) Do you think the quote below applies to your historical figure? Why or why not? Please explain.
Make sure any analysis you give is supported by evidence. Thanks.
“History is often made by the right man at the right time.”
~Carl G. Gustavson
l) What biography did you choose? Who wrote the book? What is their background?
m) Did you like the book? Why or why not?
Parts 2-4 will be evaluated using a four point scale. Please see the rubric below:
Evidence
4 Abundant, accurate specific evidence; may contain insignificant errors
3 Some accurate, specific, and relevant information
2 Descriptive data which is limited in depth and/or quality
1 Inappropriate or erroneous information.
Critical Thought
4 Shows analysis of relationships of events and people, cause and effect, continuity
change, similarities and differences
3 Analyzes information; uses evidence to support ideas; recognizes cause and effect,
change and continuity, similarities and differences
2 Limited understanding of the problem; largely descriptive or narrative.
1 Analysis is incorrect.
and
Writing Style
4 Effective organization and clear language
3 Adequately organized; generally clear language.
2 Weak organizational and writing skills which interfere with comprehension
1 Erratic organization; grammatical errors interfere with comprehension.
5. Read the “The Individual in History” by Carl G. Gustavson. The reading is included in this
packet. Highlight the key ideas in this reading with a yellow highlighter. If you wish, you may also make
notations on the reading with a pencil.
Important note regarding #5: Please do not randomly highlight. I carefully read what
you have highlighted and your notations. Your work gives an indication of how efficiently you read and
whether you have any subject area reading comprehension issues. If it appears that you have had
difficulty with the material, I will be meeting with you individually to discuss your work.
6. Please bring in your completed work on the first day of school. If you did this assignment early
in the summer, please review the reading and your work before you come to class. Thanks.
By the way: I have found it quite enjoyable to watch a movie about some historical
event or person and then read a book about that event or person. It is fun to
compare and contrast the book and the film. If you have some time, try it. Enjoy
your summer!