Summer Reading Assignment
Pre-AP English II - Mr. Harrison
You will be required to read three books this summer, share intelligent comments in an online forum, and
complete a set of reading journals for one major text (White). As you read each book, you should carefully
annotate (take notes in the margin of) the text. For this reason, it is highly advisable for you to purchase a
personal copy of each book rather than borrowing a copy from a friend or the library. Your online postings will
be monitored by me during the summer and graded according to quality and depth of your comments. Your
complete set of reading journals will be turned in for a major project grade on the first day of school. Specific
instructions on how to post comments to our online page and how to complete a basic reading journal are
attached.
Your summer reading selections are:
1. How to Read Literature Like a Professor - Thomas C. Foster
What does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey? Shares a meal? Gets drenched in
a sudden rain shower? These incidents often convey a partially-hidden message by the
author. Subtitled A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, this book
is very informative and even entertaining as it discusses the allusions, archetypes, and
symbols that are most common in literature. You will be asked to post a series of
comments online on various parts of this book (deadlines and login instructions attached).
2. The Once and Future King - T.H. White
This is one of the most widely read versions of the Arthurian Legend. Based on Malory’s
Le Morte d’Arthur, this novel was originally published in four volumes, which trace King
Arthur’s life from childhood to kingship to downfall and death. This will be your major
summer reading, and a four-part typed journal is required for this title (see attached
instructions). Be sure to watch for connections to what you have learned from the Foster text,
especially regarding the archetypal hero and his quest.
3. A choice of (select one):
a. The Life of Pi - Yann Martel
b. In the Time of the Butterflies - Julia Alvarez
c. The Namesake - Jhumpa Lahiri
d. A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini
After reading one of these novels, you will be asked to go online once again and to make
comments that connect the novel with the archetypes, symbols, allusions, and ironies
detailed in the Foster book. You should be able to show me your annotation (notes) in the
margins of your book, but you do not have to type a journal.
Back to School Writings Be prepared to discuss with depth each of these readings when you return in the fall.
After class discussions, you will be writing on these selections during the first six weeks of school (HINT: Your
topic pertains to the hero’s quest and the archetype of initiation).
Suggestions Plan your summer reading carefully. Give yourself about two weeks for each selection (perhaps
three weeks for the White text). DO NOT SAVE ALL OF YOUR READING FOR THE LAST MONTH OF
YOUR VACATION. Copies of these books are available at Davis-Kidd on Perkins.
How to Post Comments to Your Classmates Online
As you read Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor, you will be required to make connections
between the information presented in certain chapters and movies, novels, and other stories you are already
familiar with. All that is required here is to make a comment like: “What Foster says about quests reminds me
of Hiro Nakamura from the NBC show Heroes. He’s always talking to his friend Ando about his ‘mission’ to
save the world.” It’s that simple. You may not use examples already given in the Foster text. You may
respond to what others say, but simply “piggybacking” on others’ comments does not qualify for earning your
credit; your contribution must be original.
Later in the summer, after reading the third book (your choice book), you will again connect the Foster text to
the novel you will have just finished. Before returning to school in the fall, you will have posted a minimum of
FIVE times. The following schedule shows your deadlines for each posting. I will monitor your participation
for a grade, and no credit will be given for postings made beyond the deadline. Also, posting comments that
would be inappropriate for the classroom will NOT be tolerated. Those who do so endanger not only their
grades on this assignment but also their conduct grades. This assignment will be part of your first major
test/project grade for the first six weeks (30% of your six weeks).
Online Posting Deadlines
June 12
June 19
June 26
July 3
Aug 1
HTRLLaP Ch. 1-3 (Heroic quests, meals, and vampires)
HTRLLaP Ch. 5-9 (Allusions)
HTRLLaP Ch. 10-15 and 18 (Symbols)
HTRLLaP Ch. 19-24 (Setting and character archetypes)
Connection between HTRLLaP and your Choice Book (ONE REQUIRED, but a second
connection may be made to make up ONE earlier missed deadline. This must be clearly
marked - as in “Make-Up Comment.” Again, ONE MAKE UP POSTING MAXIMUM.
IMPORTANT: You may post your connections and comments at any time prior to the deadline. In fact, you
can easily complete the Foster text and post on the first four topics within a week.
How and where to post comments? The site that we are using for this assignment is www.NiceNet.org. This
site is free for you to use and is devoid of obnoxious advertising.
1. Go to www.nicenet.org (please notice the .org - NOT .com).
2. Locate the box on the right that says, “New Users Start Here,” and click on “Join a Class.”
3. In the box labeled “Class Key,” type the following code: 8236823P64
4. Create a user name and password. Your user name must be your first name and your last name (for instance,
I would be “Scott Harrison”). Your password is entirely up to you, but I strongly encourage you to write
both of these down inside the front cover of your copy of the Foster book.
5. Click on “Conferencing” (on the left), locate the thread you wish to post to, and click on the topic for an
example of the type of posting that I am expecting. You may then add your own comment.
Why an online discussion? The best way to develop critical reading and rhetorical analysis skills, which are
the basis for college-level literary analysis, is through the experience of class discussions following readings,
both as a whole class and in smaller study groups. Unfortunately, summer schedules do not afford us the
opportunity to come together for such discussions. The online site that I have established is the most
convenient way for you to share ideas with your classmates over the summer months. I expect you not only to
post your original thoughts, but also to read and respond to the posts of others.
How to Keep a Reading Journal
Instead of writing a book report on your readings, you will keep a series of reading journals for T.H. White’s
Once and Future King. The reading journals will count as a major project grade and are all due on the first day
of school (25 points will be deducted for failing to meet this deadline). Points will be deducted for not
completing each part of each reading journal as described below.
How many journals? You must complete FOUR mini-journals for this novel (one for each sections of the
book: “The Sword in the Stone,” “The Queen of Air and Darkness,” “The Ill-Made Knight,” and “The Candle
in the Wind”).
What should a journal include? Each basic reading journal has five required parts
IMPRESSIONS/CONNECTIONS: Were there scenes in the book that reminded you of the situational
or character archetypes in the Foster text? What about symbols or allusions? Record anything that
reminded you of people, places, events, or situations from real life, from a movie, or from another
story. What lessons did you learn? Record a minimum of FOUR Impressions or Connections for each
journal. Use COMPLETE SENTENCES.
QUESTIONS: Good readers are involved in their reading. List any questions that come to your mind as
you read. Use question words such as who, what, when, where, how, and especially WHY. In the left
column, record the page number you were reading when the question occurred to you. Ask a minimum of THREE questions for each journal (at least one of your three questions must be a WHY or
HOW question).
INTERESTING PHRASING: Pay attention to the author’s use of words, especially the way people,
places, or events are described. Did White say something in a clever way? Does he reveal something
about a character using a simile or metaphor? Record at least FOUR brief quotes and the page number
where each can be found. Tell why you chose each and what you think that author means.
SIGNIFICANT QUOTES: Look for lines spoken by characters that reveal his or her thoughts about his
or her current situation. Watch for remarks that characters make about life or about dealing with
issues; these may reveal a major change or growth in the character. Sometimes the author may
directly tell us what the character has learned; at other times, the author tells us indirectly through
dialogue. Such quotes are usually related to themes in the book. In the left column, write the entire
quote (may be more than one sentence), identify the speaker of the quote, and cite the page number
where the quote may be found. You are required to cite THREE quotes minimum for each journal.
NEW WORDS: Locate and choose at least FOUR unfamiliar words to define from each section. Write
the entire sentence in which the word is found (cite page number), along with a brief definition or
synonym (use a dictionary). Also, tell whether the word is one that you have “never heard before”
or one that you have heard but are “uncomfortable using” yourself.
How should my journal look? The final sets of journals must be turned in TYPED. You should create a twocolumn format (similar to dialectical journals, for those of you who are familiar) with a direct quote in the left
column and your thoughts or comments in the right column. Each direct quote should be cited with a page
number. Since journaling is a habit I would like for you to develop as you read, you should make handwritten
notes in the margins of your book or in a column format in a notebook. Each typed journal should be headed
with your name, the title and author of the book, the title of the section read for that journal (e.g. “The Candle
in the Wind”), and the date you completed that section.
What if I have a question this summer? If you get stuck or do not understand the instructions, you may reach
me by e-mail at ascottharrison@yahoo.com . Also, I will be at White Station for most of June and part of July.