Sophomores’ Summer Reading Books
The Contender / Robert Lipsyte
Available from LSA book store
Night / Elie Wiesel
Wave / Todd Strasser
(Available from LSA book store)
Staying Fat For Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher
(Available from LSA book store)
DIRECTIONS:
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All tenth grade students are expected to read the books from the above list before
school resumes in September.
Each student must record his response for each book to the questions at the
bottom of this page.
These notes will be helpful when your English teacher assigns a written
assignment or a short test, which will be evaluated.
In September 2011, a test on the readings will be administered and the grade
recorded for credit for the first marking period of the school year.
Students should also note that during the year, they may be asked to call upon
their summer reading in order to make connections to the issues and ideas being
presented in class.
Please make your notes according to the
following criteria:
Initial Response:
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What is your first reaction to the book?
What questions, opinions, ideas, feelings do you have about what you have just
finished reading?
Quotation:
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Select a quotation or passage that you think is an important part of the book.
Explain what you think it means and why you selected it to be important?
Associations:
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While you were reading the book, what did you think about?
What new memories, associations, ideas occurred to you?
Why do you think the book inspired your thinking?
Problem / Conflict:
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Describe the problem or conflict in the book
Explain why or how the problem / conflict developed
Is this an important idea to read about?
Important Event:
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Choose an event from your reading that you think is important.
Describe the event and discuss why you selected it as important
Characters:
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Can you identify with any of the characters? Why or why not?
Are any of the characters related or unrelated to your own life, your experiences
and your understanding of the world around you?
Setting:
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Where and when is the story taking place?
How important is the setting to the character/s, theme and plot?
Literary Techniques:
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What literary techniques does the author use to convey his/her theme?
What effect do the techniques have on the characters, setting, plot and theme?
What effect do the techniques have on you as the reader?
Does it help you to understand the novel?
Ideas:
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How does this book challenge or support an idea that you already had?
Good Literature:
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Should this book be considered “good literature”?
Develop a definition of what makes a book “good literature” and explain how this
book does or does not fit your definition.