Summer Reading 2013 Incoming Sophomore Honors
The proper study of mankind is books.
~ Aldous Huxley ~
Dear Incoming Sophomore Honors Students;
Welcome to Sophomore Honors. I look forward to meeting you in the fall and working with you in
your English studies. Success in an honors class is dependent on many different areas of learning. Your
first task as a Sophomore Honors student is to complete this summer reading project. Over this summer
you will be required to read two extended pieces and complete TWO assignments. Both books are
available online for purchase (Amazon.com) or at your local bookstore (Bookman’s, Half Price Books,
Barnes and Noble, Changing Hands Book store, etc.) OR your local library. Please follow the guidelines
below. The two books every incoming Sophomores Honors student needs to read are:
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
For the summer reading you must complete TWO assignments:
o Part I: Reading Journals for each of the 11 chapters for The Tao of Pooh ONLY
o Part II: Character Analysis Essay for The Good Earth ONLY
As you read, it is important that you take notes on what you read. For The Tao of Pooh, you must
complete reading journal entries on each chapter (11 entries). The criteria on how to set up your
Reading Journals follow this letter. Please read the criteria carefully. You must also complete a Character
Analysis for one character in The Good Earth. The directions are in this packet. Please keep in mind that
the reading journals and essay are due the first week back to school. Students who fail to complete the
assignment will not be allowed to stay in Sophomore Honors.
Should you have any questions please email me at larkin@phoenixunion.org.
welcome to sophomore honors and HAPPY READING!
Sincerely,
Ms. Larkin
Sophomore Honors English Teacher
Once again,
Part I: The Reading Journals
Criteria for Reading Journal:
For your 11 journals for each chapter, please do the following:
Chapter Plot Summary: Summarize in complete sentences what occurred in the chapter you are focusing on.
Discussion Questions: For each chapter develop 1-2 questions for that chapter. Please consider your gained skills
in Three Levels of Questioning or QAR. These questions need to be though-provoking, discussion like questions.
You may also ask questions of the text to gain a better understanding of it.
Quotes/Passages: Please copy and cite important passages and quotes from the chapter. These may be the
narrator says, does, thinks, etc. Consider what quotes made you stop and think about Taosim and its connection to
Winnie the Pooh.
SUMMER READING JOURNAL TEMPLATE
Directions: You must complete 11 reading journals for The Tao of Pooh ONLY. Much like the other
reading journals, this one incorporates summary, three levels of questions, Please be very detailed in
your summary, cite all passages and quotes from book in MLA format (Author’s last name page#). These
journals will aid you in studying for quizzes and the final test. More importantly they will guide our class
discussion.
TITLE OF TEXT________________________________________________________
AUTHOR__________________________________________________________
SCENE/CHAPTER NAME/#________________________________________
Scene/Chapter Plot Summary:
WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? HOW? No judging allowed in here!! Make it
detailed…and give page numbers so you can reference it later.
Discussion Question(s) (may be an open-ended, thought-provoking question
for the class OR something from the reading that didn’t make sense):
Why……What can we infer???
How come….What do you think???
What if…. Give examples of _________.
Analyze
I am confused….Is this…..
What does ___________ relate to ________________?
How does ____________ connect to______________?
Quote/Passage (with citation)
Give evidence for your discussion question. Give passages/quotes that are
important! Give a quote you felt was powerful! Cite correctly!
Part II: Character Analysis Essay:
Each student will write a ONE page TYPED essay analyzing a character for The Good Earth. You must
look closely at this character and explain his or her significance to the novel and the theme of the story.
Whatever you say about a character, you must support your answer with evidence from the story.
Direct Characterization is used when the writer tells the reader exactly who the character is by
description. The reader is not required to interpret the character. This should be very obvious!
Indirect Characterization requires the reader to interpret the character through inference, action and
detail. The reader learns about the character though their voice, actions, thoughts and other character’s
reactions to them.
Also remember that a static character remains the same, a dynamic character changes throughout the
story, and a flat character is usually in the story to fill a place. A flat character has very few personality
traits.
Use these questions as a guide:
o
o
o
o
o
o
What would a person just meeting this character say about them?
How does the reader discover this character? In what way?
What does the character do, say, think, etc. that makes a reader like them?
What does the character do, say, and think that would a make a reader not like them?
Why do you think the character looks this way? Why would the author give them this name?
How does this character interact with other characters?