Dear Accelerated English I Student and Parents:
For admittance and continuation in the accelerated English program at D.C.H.S., students must
complete a summer reading project. Each grade level provides the title(s). Students are
encouraged to purchase the books (to underline, make notes, or highlight important passages).
The Daviess County Public Library should also have copies.
Please do not use CLIFF, BARRON, SPARK NOTES, PINKMONKEY, BOOKNOTES, or any other
reference work. Copying or paraphrasing from these or any other source is considered plagiarism
and will result in a “0” on the assignment; we want to know the thoughts and ideas of the student—
not someone else’s analysis. There only two portions of the project in which it would be necessary/
acceptable to seek outside help: 1) the historical information section, and 2) the literary genre
section (to investigate each genre’s detailed and varied characteristics). Any other parts of the
project must show the student’s unique interpretation/understanding of the work.
Be mindful that the requirements for projects vary from year to year and from class to class. Make
sure you have the appropriate directions/explanation handout and that you follow those guidelines
explicitly. You may download the project from www.dchs.dcps.org under “Accelerated English I
Summer Reading.” It is a Microsoft Word document. You must have the appropriate program to
read the downloaded material.
After submitting the project for a grade, papers will be returned so that students may prepare for
an objective/essay test over the novel read. If you have any questions, please contact Latricia
Clark or Brandon Dennis at D.C.H.S., 852-7300. (We will check our mailboxes periodically.) Please
do not leave a voice-mail. You may e-mail us at latricia.clark@daviess.kyschools.us or
dennis.brandon@daviess.kyschools.us . We will try to answer any questions when we check school
email.
As always, parents are invited to review any of the novels. If you consider any novel inappropriate
for your son or daughter to read, you may request another novel with no consequence, as per the
Daviess County Public Schools board policy. It is our goal to work with our parents to provide the
best education for our students.
Sincerely,
Latricia Clark
Brandon Dennis
Required Reading:
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
** Please keep this letter for further reference.
Accelerated English I
Summer Reading Project
Identify the genre of the book. List
characteristics of the genre and explain how
the novel exemplifies the genre:
Title: ____(Title of novel)_________________
Author: ______(Author of novel)___________
Date of Publication: ____(Date of novel)____
1.
Name the genre.
Historical Information about the period of
publication in connection with content or
purpose:
2.
List characteristics.
3.
Make connections between the characteristics and
events that occur in the novel.
1.
Include information that pertains to the time of
publication and/or time of the action of the story.
2.
Connect the events in history to the author’s
purpose and/or to the content of the novel.
3.
Do not write, “Oreos were invented in 1801”
unless you can make a connection between the
invention of Oreos and the novel.
Example:
Southern Gothic:
-- relies on supernatural, ironic, or unusual events and/or
characters to guide the plot: The grotesque and nearsupernatural qualities of Boo Radley and his house and the
element of racial injustice involving Tom Robinson
contribute to the aura of the Gothic in the novel
--often is suspenseful, explores social issues, and reveals
the culture of the American South: racial injustice and
inequalities in the South precipitate a life-or-death
situation for the defendant
Example: To Kill a Mockingbird was published in
1960, not long after the landmark 1954 Supreme
Court case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka,
Kansas. The ruling stated that racial segregation in
public schools was inherently unequal, and therefore,
illegal. Racial unrest was an issue in the United States,
particularly in the south where Harper Lee lived.
Bildungsroman:
--protagonist grows from youth to adult (coming of age):
The children, Scout and Jem, face hard realities and learn
from them.
--characters experience loss before embarking on journey
to maturity: Jem senses loss about how his neighbors have
disappointed him. As Jem says to their neighbor Miss
Maudie the day after the trial, "It's like bein' a caterpillar
wrapped in a cocoon ... I always thought Maycomb folks
were the best folks in the world, least that's what they
seemed like.”
--process of maturing difficult and gradual: Scout emerges
from her childhood experiences with a clear sense of her
place in her community and an awareness of her potential
power as the woman she will one day be.
The Scottsboro Trials in 1931 closely parallel the plot
of the novel (which is set in the 1930s). The real life
defendants were nine black men who were accused of
rape by two white women. The case was heavily
reported and the author would surely have been
familiar with the facts of the case.
Other incidents which illustrate race problems in the
US during the time the author would have been
writing the novel include the following:
1955: Rosa Parks arrested for refusing to give up her
seat to a white man
1955: Boycott of Montgomery County city busses
begins
1956: Home of Martin Luther King, Jr. bombed
Name1957:
________________________________
Federal troops sent to Little Rock, Arkansas, to
enforce court-ordered desegregation of schools
NOTE: This section will require research. Document
sources here.
Johnson, Claudia.” Historical Background.”
http://library.thinkquest.org/12111/SG/SG5.html.
05 May 08.
NOTE: This section will require research. Document
sources here.
Johnson, Claudia.” Historical Background.”
http://library.thinkquest.org/12111/SG/SG5.html.
05 May 08.
2
Symbols and/or motifs in the novel:
This section should include ONLY what YOU noticed
while reading the novel. Provide at least THREE
examples of symbol and/or motif AND explain your
rationale. DO NOT RESEARCH this section. I am
VERY familiar with the online analyses of these terms in
relation to the novels.
1. List the symbol/motif.
2. Explain what it is symbolic of or the significance
of the recurring motif.
Symbol: a word or object that stands for another word or
object. The object or word can be seen with the eye or
not visible. For example a dove could stand for peace.
Motif: a recurring object, concept, or structure in a work
of literature. A motif may also be two contrasting
elements in a work, such as good and evil. In the Book
of Genesis, we see the motif of separation again and
again throughout the story.
Setting:
1. DESCRIBE the setting, both time and place
2. Provide one quote to support your description.
Include page number.
3. EXPLAIN what you believe the significance of
the setting is.
--Why do you think the author intended for
the story to take place where and when it
did?
--How do you think the story would have
been affected if the setting had been
different?
--What about this time/place was important
in relation to the events of the novel?
DO NOT RESEARCH this section. Include only
YOUR thoughts.
Opening and Closing Scenes:
1. DESCRIBE each scene.
2. Provide one quote for opening and one for
closing to support your descriptions.
3. EXPLAIN the significance of both the opening
and the closing scenes.
Think about the opening and closing scenes.
--What is the significance of these?
--Why are they important in relationship to the events
and/or characters and/or setting of the novel?
--Why are they important in relation to each other?
DO NOT RESEARCH this section. Include only
YOUR thoughts.
Quotes:
List FIVE quotes with page numbers.
As you read, write down quotes you
believe are important in some way to the
theme of the novel.
Significance of quote to theme(s) of narrative:
Explain how the quote is important to the theme of the novel.
Do not simply interpret or rephrase the quote. Make sure you
have explained what its connection to the theme is.
DO NOT RESEARCH this section.
Include only YOUR thoughts.
Importance of the novel:
Write an analysis regarding the importance of the novel. You may comment on the importance of the novel to society
and/or to you personally. What is the novel’s impact on you and/or society? Provide specifics from the novel to support
your position. You may also find it helpful to connect ideas from this novel to others you’ve read.
In this section you may argue that the novel is not important to society or you. Provide support to prove your argument.
DO NOT RESEARCH this section. Include only YOUR thoughts.
Accelerated English
Summer Reading Project
Title:_____________________________
Author:___________________________
Date of Publication:_________________
Historical Information about the period of
publication in connection with content or
purpose:
Name ________________________________
Identify the genre of the book. List
characteristics of the genre and explain how
the novel exemplifies the genre:
Symbols and/or motifs in the novel:
Setting:
Opening and Closing Scenes:
Quotes:
Significance of quote to theme(s) of narrative:
.
Importance of the novel: