Harlingen High School South
9th Grade Pre-AP Summer Reading Assignment
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The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (available at http://www.epubbud.com )
Trifles by Susan Glaspell ( http://itech.fgcu.edu/faculty/wohlpart/alra/glaspell.htm )
Each of the literary selections listed are available free online in various formats but are also available in
bookstores for purchase or at the local library. Each student is to have read the following titles before the first
day of class.
Characterbook
Students entering English I Pre-AP and English I Pre-AP-TA should read The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan and
Trifles by Susan Glaspell. After completing the required summer readings, complete the following activity to show
that you have read the book and thought about it in a meaningful way. Assignments will be due on the first day of
school, August 27, 2012.
Activity Instructions: Use the handout that follows as a rough draft for your end product. Create a mock
Characterbook (Facebook) page for your favorite characters from your summer reading. The instructions are listed
below.
1. In the Photo column create/draw a picture of the character, draw and label pictures of people (other
characters) he/she knows, and create/draw two pictures that illustrate the setting of the story. You may
use magazine cutouts and/or computer graphics.
2. Under Basic information/Personal information choose a quotation to post as the character’s status that
is a valid representation of the character. Make sure when selecting the quotation, you consider the
character from the beginning of the novel to the end. Also, fill out the basic information, physical
characteristics (what he/she looks like), and hobbies.
o For Feelings, list 2 quotations (with page numbers) from the novel that best represent how the
character feels about his/her life.
o For About Me, list 2 quotations (with page numbers) from the novel that best represents what the
character thinks about himself/herself.
3. On the Wall list 3 quotations (with page numbers) from other characters along with your
reactions/reflections as a reader about those quotes. These characters are essentially ‘posting’ on your
character’s wall. Select quotes that are engaging and meaningful to not only the plot, but the author’s
purpose. In reflecting, students need to analyze the quote they have selected and explain how it relates
to the theme, character development, and author’s purpose. If done correctly, each post will highlight
the significance of the quote and how it relates to the novel as a whole.
4. Lastly, the Notes (blog) section requires you to make observations while reading, develop important
questions and provide thoughtful responses to what has been read. These could include but are not
limited to other characters’ actions/thoughts/situations, interaction across texts from mythological
characters to fairy tale characters, etc. or your own personal perspective on the novels.
Please make sure to answer and develop all portions of the project with scholarly diction, proper use and
control of conventions.
Note: Literary Criticism for this year will be Carson McCuller’s “The Heart is a Lonely Hunter” and The Importance
of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde and the Decathalon novel is Dr. Zhivago by Boris Pasternak.