English III Honors/Pre-AP Outside Reading Policy
Mrs.Carrie Joyce, MAT
Cjoyce@dcbe.org
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to English III Honors!! I look forward to having you in class, and I am excited to be
your instructor. English III is an American literature survey and will align closely with US History.
For this reason, many of the texts we will read and the assignments we will complete will look
(almost) identical to that of your US History Honors/AP class. We will focus our study around
two central ideas: What does it mean to be an American? and Have we realized the “American
Dream”?
Please think about these questions and let them guide your reading and discussion throughout
this course. Summer reading, weekly essays, discussion, public speaking, outside reading,
Socratic seminars, and a year-long research capstone are all essential elements of this course.
The following titles are the anticipated outside reading books for 2016-2017. This list does not
include the fiction and non-fiction titles which will be read in class. Students are expected to
procure the books in advance of reading deadlines. Should a title or deadline change, students
and parents will be notified in advance via Remind101 and our classroom app, Schoology.
SUMMER READING
Summer reading is a hallmark of any college preparatory course because it requires the student
to show independent work ethic apart from the instructor. The following titles have been
selected and approved by the Dickson County Board of Education as required reading material
for college preparatory English III. These titles align with both state English and history
standards and are common titles on college book lists.
Academic Expectations
Students are expected to have read, annotated, and fulfilled the summer reading assignments
prior to the first day of school 2016. All assignments will be graded the first week of school and
will count as a majority of the student’s first quarter grade. Late work will not be accepted except
in the event of extreme circumstances. Because Honors work is always spiraling, students will
be expected to discuss, incorporate, analyze, and refer back to all titles read throughout the
course of the year. Therefore, students are encouraged to procure personal copies of each
book if possible. Digital books are discouraged.
Maturity Expectation
*College preparatory English students will discuss mature themes such as but not limited to
morality/ethics, racism & discrimination, human slavery and bondage, world religions, local and
international politics, war, death, and human sexuality. Parents who object to the required
reading materials for any reason are expected to email the instructor within 1 week of the
assignment so she may arrange for a comparable assignment. Please keep in mind, however,
that all of the titles read at the 11th grade Honors level are district approved and serve as
prerequisites for English IV Dual Enrollment.
Students who have not completed the summer assignment will not be exempt from the course
or its material as per the Dickson County High School Honors policy.
Transfer students must procure a copy of the reading assignment and contact the instructor
upon registration. Depending on the date of registration, transfer students may be allowed up to
2 weeks from their registration date to complete the summer reading expectation.
Any student/parent may contact Mrs.Joyce prior to August 10th at: cjoyce@dcbe.org. After
August 10th all classroom instruction and management will be the maternity leave teacher’s
responsibility. While I am on leave, concerns may also be forwarded to English Department
Chairperson, Robyn Miller at robynmiller@dcbe.org or Junior’s Assistant Principal Melinda
Fortner at mfortner@dcbe.org. I will return as regular instructor after fall break, and I thank you
in advance for allowing my newborn and me privacy during this time.
1. Summer Break Reading
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
In the 1940s, Jefferson, a young black man, is wrongly accused of murder and sentenced to
death row.
ISBN#978-0375-7027-09
Due August 3
2. Fall Break Reading
This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women, edited by Jay
Allison and Dan Gediman
Americans from all walks of life discuss their personal belief structures.
ISBN#978-0-8050-8658-4
Due October 24
3. Winter Break Reading
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
(With notes and preface by Matthew J. Bruccoli)
Self-made man Jay Gatsby pursues his American Dream during the decadent and
debaucherous 1920s.
ISBN#0684801523
Due January 6
4. Spring Break Reading
AP Literature choice book. Must be approved by instructor.
Due March 20
Summer Break Assignment:
A Lesson Before Dying: Annotate the book using a pen or pencil. NO HIGHLIGHTER.
Comprehensive test based on guided questions and lesson objectives handout.
WHAT TO MARK:
-Examples of potential themes
-Significant Quotations that identify characters and their motivations
-tone shifts
-allusions
-symbolism
-irony
-new vocabulary
-Confusing passages
-interesting Passages
-Write brief summaries for each chapter
***About Annotating...
Only students who properly annotate will be allowed to use their book on the summer reading
test. Annotations must be physically hand-written in the text margins or on post it notes attached
to the margins and must be written in pencil or ink. NO HIGHLIGHTERS. Extraneous notes not
in text margins will not be accepted. Students who try to use Sparknotes as their annotations
will not receive credit as this is considered cheating. Annotations must be original and
demonstrate academic integrity and close reading skill.
Fall Break Assignment:
Write your own “This I Believe” essay. You may use the thisibelieve.org website to help you.
http://thisibelieve.org/guidelines/. Your essay should be approximately 500 words. This is a
personal narrative, so it should be in 1st person, reflect your values and morals, and mimic the
style of your favorite TIB essay. A comprehension test over selected essays from the anthology
will also be administered in conjunction with the personal narrative.
Winter Break Assignment:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Comprehensive test and Argument essay
Spring Break Assignment:
Choice novel from AP Literature book list
Rhetorical Analysis essay
Essay Formatting:
All outside essays will be 12 pt font, Times New Roman with standard 1 inch margins. MLA
citation and formatting rules apply. See Harbrace or any MLA formatting guide.
Grading:
All essays will be graded on an AP college essay scale and will count as test grades. If
students are given a ‘split score’, then an average of the two grades will be applied. For
example, 7/8 split score= 90/95=92.5
Grading Scale
9
8
7
6
5.5
5
4
3
2
1
Numeric Scale
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
65
60
55
Letter Grade
A+
A-
B+
B-
C+
C-
D
F
F
F
✂️✂️✂️--------------------------------------------------PLEASE CUT, CHECK, SIGN, AND RETURN TO YOUR SOPHOMORE ENGLISH TEACHER.
THANK YOU! CJ.
_________I have read and agree to the English III Honors Reading Policy.
STUDENT NAME PRINTED:
____________________________________
STUDENT SIGNATURE:
____________________________________
PARENT SIGNATURE:
______________________________________
DATE: _______________