Honors British Literature
Mrs. Bernardo/Mrs. Fairman
Summer Reading Assignment
Beaumont School, Summer 2013
SUMMER READING AND WRITING ASSIGNMENT
FOR HONORS and ADVANCED PLACEMENT BRITISH LITERATURE
Assigned Readings:
Atonement by Ian McEwan
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Assigned Film:
The Hours directed by Stephen Daldry; Starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman,
and Julianne Moore
NOTE: You may also watch the film adaptation of Atonement (2007, director Joe
Wright), but be aware that watching of the film cannot replace reading the novel. Both
Atonement and The Hours films are available on Amazon Instant Video and Netflix.
Students enrolled in Advanced Placement must also read:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Warning: Do not use study aides like Cliff's Notes, Spark Notes, Pink Monkey, Enotes,
etc. in place of reading the novels. Warning: Students have found gross errors in Spark
Notes and other such aides. A test, quiz, or additional writing assignment will most
likely be given at the beginning of the course to test your reading of the works.
Writing Assignment: In a well-developed, well-focused essay of 500 -750 words,
respond to the following prompt:
Within the three works assigned for Honors British Literature, each author writes about
the interconnectedness of our daily lives and how the choices we make, both large and
small, can affect those we encounter. How is this theme developed in each novel?
Which author develops this idea most effectively?
Be sure to provide specific text support from each work in the form of direct quotes and
summary. NOTE: Focus on the novels; you do not need to reference The Hours in your
essay. Please use MLA format for your essay both in formatting and for citations. A
Works Cited page should be included. This essay must be submitted with your summer
writing assignments on Friday, August 29, 2014. Additionally, this essay must be
submitted electronically to Turn It In; directions for Turn It In submission will be sent to
your school e-mail in August.
NOTE WELL: DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE END OF THE SUMMER TO
COMPLETE THESE ASSIGNMENTS. YOU ARE A SENIOR IN AN HONORS
CLASS. BE SURE YOUR WORK ETHIC REFLECTS YOUR STATUS.
1
Honors British Literature
Mrs. Bernardo/Mrs. Fairman
Summer Reading Assignment
Beaumont School, Summer 2013
Summer Reading Essay – Rubric
Name: _______________________________________________________
Attach this rubric to the back of your essay; Summer Reading Essay must be submitted
with your College Essay and Resume on Friday, August 29, 2014.
_____/ 5 MLA formatting; within limits for length (500-750 words)
_____/ 10 Clear focus on the theme: the interconnectedness of humans. Develops a clear
thesis that encompasses the theme and unifies the works; thesis unifies the essay
_____/ 25 Develops the thesis through exploration and comparison of the works,
including use of specific text support. Develops a clear opinion about the superiority of
one work in presentation of theme. Demonstrates careful and thoughtful reading of the
works.
_____/ 13Employs clear and effective transitions to connect ideas within and between
paragraphs; essay flows well overall.
_____ /12 Uses sophisticated language to develop a distinct, scholarly tone. Avoids use
of forbidden words, uses strong verbs, and presents a variety of sentence structures to
communicate ideas.
______/10Adheres to the accepted rules of Standard Written English for usage,
punctuation, agreement, spelling, and other mechanics. Evidence of careful
proofreading.
_____/ 75 points
_____ Deductions taken for late submission (5%/day), late submission to Turn It In
(5%), missing rubric (3 points), lack of citation (15%)
2