CENTER FOR THE
HUMANITIES
Dear Humanities’ Student in the Class of 2016,
You are, no doubt, anticipating another summer of fun-filled adventures that your
enthusiastic teachers have created just for you! Well, my winsome cherub, await no
longer. You will find within these next few pages assignments that will astound and
amaze you—we hope. As always, if you should have any questions, please email the
appropriate teacher at the following addresses:
Ms. Clare Tilton, Coordinator, clare_tilton@ccpsnet.net
Mr. Matt Ehret, English 10, matthew_ehret@ccpsnet.net
Ms. Sarah Ehret, World History II, sarah_ehret@ccpsnet.net
Due Dates:
M. Ehret, English= Sept. 5th
S. Ehret, World History= Sept.5th
There is no Perspectives assignment.
Please do not leave these for the last week of August to insure that you have plenty of
time for thoughtful consideration for each given assignment. Generally, you have
reading assignments and points to ponder this summer. If you should have any
problems finding these works, please contact the particular teacher or email me. Good
luck and have a relaxing summer!
Sincerely,
Clare Tilton, Coordinator
SUMMER ASSIGNMENT: HUMANITIES 10
https://docs.google.com/a/ccpsnet.net/document/d/1jqQm25Qgk9JWOoJZuJH3r8tSUXtc
ahTyWXYI_Jw40U4/edit?usp=sharing
Hi,
Welcome to English 10! I look forward to meeting each of you when school resumes. I
have worked on a summer assignment that each of you will learn something from, and
hopefully, enjoy. The directions below should be read carefully. Note that there are two
grading levels for the assignment. If you would like to complete two novels rather than
one, the assignment will count roughly two test grades. If you would like to read one
novel, it will be counted out of one test grade. Your percentage grade will not change,
only how much it is worth. There is no pressure to complete two. In fact, many of you
would be better served starting on the “during the school year” required reading, which is
also listed below. I look forward to seeing genuine thought from all of you. To that end,
you will entirely avoid such websites as Sparknotes. Thanks in advance for your efforts.
Mr. Ehret
LEVEL ONE—Complete both 1 and 2. Do any two of numbers 3-7.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Pick a novel to read in its entirety. (Descriptions of each are on the back.) Cormac
McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses; Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God;
Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees; Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner.
Either: (a) read the first 30 pages of a 2nd book from the list, or (b) watch the movie
version of a 2nd book from the list. Compare and contrast its meaning with your primary
book.
As you read, keep a list of 30 great or unfamiliar words to look up and familiarize
yourself with. You may pick these words ahead of time if you find a website that helps
guide you. Make note of the page numbers you found each word on.
Pick two particularly evocative quotes that you feel are related somehow. Type out the
quotes and then elaborate on their meaning and their relationship.
Read the first part of the chapter on “Symbol” in How to Read Literature Like a Professor
and talk about potential symbols in your book. (Sometimes being “wrong” is the only
way to both become a great reader and also show me that you are thinking for
yourself.)
Find a poem from a poet who is included in any reputable anthology that relates to
your book somehow. Discuss.
Write an extended paragraph about the universal truth or theme the author portrays.
What is he or she really saying we are as humans? About how should we live this life?
LEVEL TWO—COMPLETE ABOVE FOR YOUR SECOND NOVEL.
ASSIGNED NOVELS FOR DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR AND APPROXIMATE DUE DATES:
1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Due in November
2. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. Due in January.
DESCRIPTION OF NOVELS
*Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses; Coming of age. Quest. Boy seeks to be a
cowboy in Mexico. Falls in Love. Consequences. Deep and moving and very literary.
*Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God; classic novel of love and loss, of
the right man and the wrong man.
*Barbara Kingsolver’s The Bean Trees; A small-town girl escapes, only to be saddled with
a baby. Funny and serious. Coming of age.
*Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. A parable about friendship and betrayal and
redemption in Afghanistan and America.
10th Grade World History Assignment
Summer 2013
Mrs. Ehret
Greetings!
I am very excited to meet you all in the fall! We are going to have a terrific year! We
will begin our course with a review of the Renaissance and Reformation. The ideas that
are born from this time period will carry us through our first semester of learning.
Is this summer assignment, you are asked to compose one essay. You must use prior
knowledge, books, and the internet as sources. You must do your own work. Plagiarism
will not be tolerated. You must have a typed, double spaces, and correctly formatted
bibliography (MLA style). Please proof read your work before you hand it in. This
assignment will be worth 20 points.
Please make sure you answer the question
completely.
I hope you are having an enjoyable summer! If you have any questions, please feel free to
contact me at sarah_ehret@ccpsnet.net. 
I. Renaissance
"Renaissance" literally means "rebirth." It refers especially to the rebirth of
learning that began in Italy in the fourteenth century, spread to the north,
including England, by the sixteenth century, and ended in the north in the midseventeenth century (earlier in Italy). During this period, there was an enormous
renewal of interest in and study of classical antiquity.
Yet the Renaissance was more than a "rebirth." It was also an age of new
discoveries, both geographical and intellectual. Both kinds of discovery resulted
in changes of tremendous import for Western civilization. In fact, Renaissance
thinkers often thought of themselves as ushering in the modern age, as distinct
from the ancient and medieval eras.
(http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/ren.html)
Why did the Renaissance begin in Italy? In what ways did the
Renaissance move Europe away from the medieval and toward the
modern? Please fully analyze at least three examples from literature
or art that demonstrate the influence of humanism during the
Renaissance.
Lastly, think about the Reformation. How did the Renaissance
influence the break from the Roman Catholic Church?