A.P. Language & Composition
Summer Reading Assignment 2015
DUE DATE: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3.
This is the Thursday BEFORE school starts. There will be a box for submissions in the main office, labeled with
your teacher’s name (either WRIGHT or NEU). Late assignments will earn 60% credit.
Required supplies for the summer reading assignment and the class:
1. Fahrenheit 451. ARHS has lots of copies, so you don’t need to purchase a copy. You may check out a
copy through the ARHS library (They will allow you to keep the book over the summer). You will need
your book through the end of September.
2. A 200+ page spiral bound notebook (8 ½ x 11). Write your name on the front cover. You will use this
notebook for your journal entries and as a notebook this year. Your summer assignment MUST be
written in this journal or you will lose 10% off the assignment.
3. You will also need a 1.5- 2 inch binder for the class for your readings and assignments. Please bring
this the first day of school.
Journal requirements:
1. Each entry must be written in your journal. If you don’t use a journal, you will lose 10% of your grade.
2. Begin each new entry at the top of a new page.
3. Label and highlight the title of each journal entry.
4. Write at least one full page per entry. We reward thoughtful, developed ideas.
5. Write neatly. We do read each entry.
What are the learning targets?
When you are finished with this assignment, you should be able to say “I can . . .”
 Use and explain strong and thorough evidence to support an idea.
 Explain how two themes or arguments are developed in the book.
 Explain how words and phrases are used in the book.
How much is the summer work worth?
Your completed notebook is worth a total of 100 points. Each entry is worth 20 points. We will read each
entry, so write neatly. Be sure your work is an accurate representation of your thinking and your skills.
Part 1: “The Hearth and the Salamander”
Journal Entry 1 (pages 3-35; this is from the beginning of Part 1 until the end of the paragraph that ends with “…their
mighty metal thunder!”)
1. As you read this section, look for a short 5-10 line passage that you think best captures each of the following
characters: Montag, Clarisse, and Mildred. Then, for each passage,
a. Identify the page and paragraph where the passage is found.
b. Summarize the content of the passage.
c. Explain what we learn about the character in this passage; in your explanation, identify and highlight significant
words that help describe the character.
Journal Entry 2 (pages 35-70; this reading is the rest of Part 1)
1. List 10 very short lines (1-4 word phrases) from the book (beginning with the first description on page 24: “The
Mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep…”) about the Mechanical Hound. Then write a response about how the
Hound is being described. To what is it being compared? Why?
2. Carefully reread pages 37-38 (from “Books bombarded his shoulders…” until “She shook her head” on page 38). List
five words or short phrases that describe the books as they are burned the description isn’t about them being
burned, but about them being discovered and pulled from hiding and thrown into piles. To what are they being
compared? Why?
3. Look up and paraphrase the definitions of hearth and salamander. Why do you suppose the first section is called
“The Hearth and the Salamander”?
Part 2: “The Sieve and the Sand”
Journal Entry 3 (pages 71-110: all of Part 2)
1. How would you describe Faber? How is he similar to and different from Montag? What is his function or purpose in
this section? Use six excerpts from the book in your response. Highlight them.
2. Look up and paraphrase the definition of sieve. Why do you think this section is called “The Sieve and the Sand”?
Use excerpts from the text in your response. Highlight these excerpts.
Part 3: “Burning Bright”
Journal Page 4 (pages 113-165: all of Part 3)
In these pages Montag moves between his old life and his new life after he crosses the river. Find a passage of 5-8 lines
of text describing his life in the new world (which begins when he emerges from the river). Then,
1. Identify the page and passage you are analyzing.
2. Explain what is happening in this section, as well as how it relates to what has happened before and after this
moment.
3. List six words or phrases that stand out to you.
4. Explain why these words or phrases stood out you. What image do these words form in your mind about this
new world?
5. Explain what these words or phrases say about Montag and new environment.
6. How is this particular passage important and necessary to the book?
Journal Page 5 (pages 145-165: from the paragraph beginning with “Half an hour later…”)
1. What book does Montag become? Do some research and describe what you learn about this book. How does
Montag “fit” this book?
2. Why is the final section of the book is called “Burning Bright”? How is this image developed throughout the third
section?
3. How does symbolism of the Phoenix relate to the story and the message of Fahrenheit 451?