Somerville High School 2007/2008
Summer Reading for English/ELL and Social Studies, Science or Math
Reading and Writing Assignments due September 10, 2007
Credit for 1st Quarter Grade
To receive the full credit, or eight points, you need to write two essays, one for
English/ELL and one for Social Studies, Science or Math. Each essay is worth up to four
points. If you do not write the essays you will lose 4 points from your 1st quarter grade in
English/ELL and four points from one of your other classes.
Please print out this page to use as a cover sheet for your essays.
Parent/Guardian Signature_______________________
Date______________________________
Student fill out this part:
English/ELL: You may choose any age/grade appropriate title:
Title:_____________________________
Author:_______________________________
Social Studies, Science or Math: You must choose one title from the list provided
Title:________________________________
Author:________________________________
Students entering Grade 9
Choose one book from this list for your essay. Essay questions are at the end of
book list.
Social studies: Twelve Shots* by Harry Mazer
Thomas Jefferson: Author of America* by Christopher Hitchens
Science: Go Ask Alice anonymous
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Math: Mathematical Scandals* by Theoni Pappas
Longitude* by Dava Sobel
*nonfiction
Students entering Grade 10
Choose one book from this list for your essay. Essay questions are at the end of
book list.
Social studies: Hiroshima by John Hersey
Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War* by
Tony Horowitz
Science: Never Cry Wolf *by Farley Mowat
The Secret Life of Lobsters* by Trevor Corson
Math: Rich Dad, Poor Dad *by Robert Kiyosaki
Fermat’s Enigma* by Simon Singh
*nonfiction
Students entering Grade 11
Choose one book from this list for your essay. Essay questions are at the end of
book list.
Social studies: To Be a Slave* by Julian Lester
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
Science: 100 Scientists Who Shaped World History* by John Hudson Tiner
The Hot Zone* by Richard Preston
Math: The Millionaire Next Door* by Stanley and Danko
Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott
*nonfiction
Students entering Grade 12
Choose one book from this list for your essay. Essay questions are at the end of
book list.
Social studies: The Greatest Generation *by Tom Brokaw
Fire and Roses: The Burning of the Charlestown Convent, 1834* by Nancy
Schultz
Science: The World As I See It *by Albert Einstein
Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie* by Barbara Goldsmith
Math: Rags to Riches* by Liberman and Devine
Nickel and Dimed* by Barbara Ehrenreich
*nonfiction
Essay questions.
Write one essay of five or more paragraphs with 5-7 sentences per paragraph for your
English/ELL grade. Write a separate essay with five or more paragraphs for your Social
Studies, Science or Math grade. Choose one of the first seven questions for English/ELL.
Choose the same question, another question, or one of the non-fiction questions (8-11)
for your Social Studies, Science or Math essay. Titles marked with an asterisk (*) are
nonfiction.
1. Identify a character that has undergone a significant change. Describe the
character before the change, the events that brought about the change, and the
character after the change.
2. Describe the conflict, or problem involving a main character and explain the
outcome.
3. Discuss a traumatic or frightening event that a character dealt with and explain
how the character’s life was affected by his /her difficult experience.
4. Identify two minor characters and explain why each is important to the plot of the
book.
5. Describe two important characters and explain how they interact with one
another.
6. Describe an evil character. Explain what he/she does and his/her motivation.
7. Explain the development of a social issue from the beginning to the end of the
story.
Non-fiction Questions
8. Explain the author’s premise or main idea. How does the author back up his/her
argument? Do you agree or disagree? Give some examples for your opinion.
9. The author writes about a specific person. Write about some of the crucial events that
shaped that person’s life. How did his/her accomplishments contribute to humankind?
10. The author focuses on a particular period in history. What are some of the principal
events that are covered? How do those events impact the lives of the people involved?
How do the people in the book feel about the events of their lifetime?
11. Write about the animal that is the focus of this book. What unusual facts have you
learned about this animal? What myths about this animal has the author explored? How
do humans treat this animal and what is its future?