Prince of Peace Christian School
Summer Reading 2015-2016
Eng. I – One book
The Odyssey by Homer, trans. Rouse; Signet Classics; Reissue ed. (Oct. 2007);
ISBN: 9780451530684
Please purchase a clean copy with the exact ISBN and copyright date to ensure the same edition
required for class discussion of the novel. We will be using the exact edition requested as an
essential part of the curriculum for the first several weeks of English. Please check the publisher,
the copyright date and the ISBN. The clean copy of the text allows the student to add his or her
own annotations. Previous annotations can be misleading, or keep you from reading for
yourself.
Carefully read and annotate The Odyssey. A general guideline for annotations includes marking
important passages about character, plot, and details. Aim for 1-2 significant annotations per
page. Be prepared to show your annotations to your teacher. DO NOT use outside sources such
as Spark Notes, Cliff Notes, Bookrags etc.
Choose ONE of the following values – deceit, beauty, hospitality, respect or self-control
– and select 2 key episodes from The Odyssey that reveal one character’s understanding
of that value. Then, write a well-developed paragraph (½ to one full typed page) in
which you explain how the two episodes reveal what your selected character understands
about the ONE value you choose.
Make sure you include both evidence and explanation of the significance of your
evidence. DO NOT merely retell or summarize the plot of the episode. Be prepared to
submit your typed paragraph to turnitin.com to check for plagiarism.
For all assigned summer reading books, there will be an objective quiz given the 1st week of
school. After the summer reading has been analyzed and discussed in class, a test will complete
the summer reading unit.
Eng. I PreAP- Two books
The Odyssey by Homer trans. Fitzgerald; Farrar, Straus and Giroux (November 1998)
ISBN: 978-0374525743
Mythology by Edith Hamilton; Mass Market Paperback, Reissue ed. (Jan. 2011)
ISBN: 978-0446574754
Please purchase a clean copy with the exact ISBN and copyright date to ensure the same edition
required for class discussion of the novel. We will be using the exact edition requested as an
essential part of the curriculum for the first several weeks of English. Please check the publisher,
the copyright date and the ISBN. The clean copy of the text allows the student to add his or her
own annotations. Previous annotations can be misleading, or keep you from reading for
yourself.
This summer, you will go on a voyage with the Greek hero Odysseus as he returns from the
Trojan War to his beloved Ithaca, his faithful wife, and his loving son. Before you begin, you
should read the background information on the Trojan War included in your copy of Edith
Hamilton’s Mythology, “Part Four: Heroes of the Trojan War,” including the chapters on “The
Trojan War,” ‘The Fall of Troy,” and “The Adventures of Odysseus”. As you read about each of
Odysseus’ adventures, consider the trials he must face. Odysseus’ character is portrayed in his
ability to handle dangerous situations.
The trials illustrate more than just temptations that he must overcome; they show a different man
at the end of the book than at the beginning. His adventures in his journey humble his pride,
reveal his cleverness, and prepare him, by giving him self-control, for the task of restoring order
to his household and to Ithaca. In each of the twelve adventures listed below, Odysseus is
tempted to display a negative character trait or to choose a false identity that he must reject, and
he is encouraged to demonstrate a positive trait. This is the basis of your summer essay. Choose
three of the adventures to discuss in your essay, including a brief summary of each, the negative
trait he must overcome or reject, and the positive trait that he embraces to succeed.
1. Begin with a brief thesis sentence that lists title and author, the three adventures, and the
idea of Odysseus’ choices. This sentence may be the only sentence in your first
paragraph.
2. In each of the following three paragraphs, you will summarize the adventure, discuss the
negative trait, and explain the positive character trait that Odysseus demonstrates.
3. Include a concluding paragraph that pulls your ideas together.
4. The essay will be submitted to turnitin.com to check for plagiarism.
Carefully read and annotate the following sections of Mythology by Edith Hamilton and then
complete the assignment.
1. Carefully read and annotate Part One, Chapters I and II of Mythology. According to
classical mythology, the universe began in chaos, which generated forces that led
eventually to the creation of the Titans, two of whom were Cronus and Rhea.
Determined not to let any of his children usurp his power, Cronus ate them as soon as
they were born, but one of these, Zeus, fought his way out and freed his siblings.
They became the first of the Olympian gods. The Greek gods are not perfect; in fact,
they have all the flaws that characterize human beings, but much more power. Using
your mythology book as a reference, type a description of the characters listed below.
Include the Roman (Latin) name, symbols, and realm, if available. This typed
description will be turned in the first day of school; be prepared to submit the
description to turnitin.com to check for plagiarism. Be prepared for a quiz on these
figures during the first week of school. Include a description for the following: Zeus,
Poseidon, Hades, Hera, Hestia, Ares, Athena, Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes, Artemis,
Hephaestus, Demeter, Dionysus, Persephone, Cyclops, Calypso, and Circe.
2. Carefully read and annotate Part Four, Chapters I, II, and III of Mythology. These
chapters will give you a summary and overview of the Trojan War described in The
Iliad and The Odyssey and will be helpful as you read and write about The Odyssey.
For all assigned summer reading books, there will be an objective quiz given the 1st week of
school. After the summer reading has been analyzed and discussed in class, a test will complete
the summer reading unit.
English II – One book
Lord of the Flies by Golding; Perigee Trade; Casebook ed. (Sept. 1987)
ISBN: 9780399506437
Please purchase a clean copy with the exact ISBN and copyright date to ensure the same edition
required for class discussion of the novel. We will be using the exact edition requested as an
essential part of the curriculum for the first several weeks of English. Please check the publisher,
the copyright date and the ISBN. The clean copy of the text allows the student to add his or her
own annotations. Previous annotations can be misleading, or keep you from reading for
yourself.
Carefully read and annotate Lord of the Flies. A general guideline for annotations includes
marking important passages about character, plot, and details. Aim for 1-2 significant
annotations per page. Be prepared to show your annotations to your teacher. DO NOT use
outside sources such as Spark Notes, Cliff Notes, Bookrags etc.
Choose two of the following characters: Ralph, Jack, Piggy, Simon. Then choose a different
scene for each character that gives the most insight into their character. Write one welldeveloped paragraph for each of your 2 characters: a total of 2 paragraphs. Each paragraph
should be ½ to one full page. For example, if you selected Ralph, choose the one scene that
reveals the most about Ralph, noting both the details of the scene and their significance. You
will have 2 separate paragraphs (no “big” thesis tying it all together).
Make sure you include both evidence and explanation of the significance of your evidence. DO
NOT merely retell or summarize the plot of the episode. Be prepared to submit your typed essay
to turnitin.com to check for plagiarism.
For all assigned summer reading books, there will be an objective quiz given the 1st week of
school. After the summer reading has been analyzed and discussed in class, a test will complete
the summer reading unit.
English II PreAP – Two books
Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck ; Penguin (January 8, 2002) ISBN: 9780142000670
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley; Bedford/St. Martin's; 2nd ed., Case Studies ed. (April 14, 2000)
ISBN: 9780312191269
Please purchase a clean copy with the exact ISBN and copyright date to ensure the same edition
required for class discussion of the novel. We will be using the exact edition requested as an
essential part of the curriculum for the first several weeks of English. Please check the publisher,
the copyright date and the ISBN. The clean copy of the text allows the student to add his or her
own annotations. Previous annotations can be misleading, or keep you from reading for
yourself.
Carefully read and annotate your two books. A general guideline for annotations includes
marking important passages about character, plot, and details. Aim for 1-2 significant
annotations per page. Be prepared to show your annotations to your teacher. DO NOT use
outside sources such as Spark Notes, Cliff Notes, Bookrags etc.
Both of these works confront the reader with scenes of violence. Choose a key scene of violence
from both works: total of 2 specific scenes (spanning 1-3 pages each), one from each work. In a
well-organized essay, compare and contrast how these two scenes contribute to the meaning of
the entire work. Aim for a critical mass of 2 1/2-3 pages (Times New Roman 12, 1 inch margins,
all doublespaced).
Make sure you include both evidence and explanation of the significance of your evidence. DO
NOT merely retell or summarize the plot of the episode. Be prepared to submit your typed essay
to turnitin.com to check for plagiarism.
For all assigned summer reading books, there will be an objective quiz given the 1st week of
school. After the summer reading has been analyzed and discussed in class, a test will complete
the summer reading unit.
English III – One book
Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne; Dover Thrift (1994) ISBN: 978-0486280486
Please purchase a clean copy with the exact ISBN and copyright date to ensure the same edition
required for class discussion of the novel. We will be using the exact edition requested as an
essential part of the curriculum for the first several weeks of English. Please check the publisher,
the copyright date and the ISBN. The clean copy of the text allows the student to add his or her
own annotations. Previous annotations can be misleading, or keep you from reading for
yourself.
Carefully read and annotate The Scarlet Letter. Be prepared to show your annotations to your
teacher. DO NOT use outside sources such as Spark Notes, Cliff Notes, Bookrags etc.
The following is a list of symbols in the novel that will be the basis of your summer essay.
Choose the top 3 symbols you would like to explore and email your choices to Mrs. Ashcraft at
ashley.ashcraft@popcs.org. Since only two people can choose each symbol, the sooner you
choose, the more likely you will receive your first choice. Mrs. Ashcraft will reply with your
assigned symbol.
1. Doors/Thresholds
2. Weeds/Vegetation/Flowers
3. Forest/Town
4. 3 scaffolds
5. Color black
6. Color green
7. Color gold
8. Color red
9. Triads (groups of three)
10. Mirrors/Reflections
11. Sunlight/Darkness
12. Draperies and Curtains
13. Pearl
14. Steps
15. Water
Your essay should explore the symbols as follows:
1. Introduction including a thesis that draws a conclusion about Hawthorne’s purpose in
using the symbol and the theme represented by it.
2. Body paragraph about 2-3 appearances of the novel, using quotes and MLA
documentation
3. Body paragraph about the meaning of the symbol. How does the symbol convey the
theme and purpose of the novel and what effect does it have on the reader?
4. A concluding paragraph that answers the “so-what” question: how is the meaning of the
symbol “like life” or how is the meaning of the symbol universal?
The essay will be due during the first week of classes and will be submitted to turnitin.com to
check for plagiarism.
For all assigned summer reading books, there will be an objective quiz given the 1st week of
school. After the summer reading has been analyzed and discussed in class, a test will complete
the summer reading unit.
AP Language– Two books
Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne; Dover Publications (May 2, 1994) ISBN: 9780486280486
Language of Composition by Shea, Scanlon, and Aufses; 2nd ed. ISBN 9780312676506
Please purchase a clean copy with the exact ISBN and copyright date to ensure the same edition
required for class discussion of the novel. We will be using the exact edition requested as an
essential part of the curriculum for the first several weeks of English. Please check the publisher,
the copyright date and the ISBN. The clean copy of the text allows the student to add his or her
own annotations. Previous annotations can be misleading, or keep you from reading for
yourself.
1. Assignment for The Scarlet Letter: Respond to the following prompt in a well-developed
essay of no longer than 750 words (include a word count at the end of the essay). The
essay must be in 12 font, Times New Roman, double-spaced with MLA formatting.
Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter in 1850, during the age of Romanticism
and Transcendentalism. Hawthorne was a friend and neighbor of such transcendental
writers as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, who viewed man as
naturally good and who believed in the possibility of creating a utopian society. On the
other hand, Hawthorne was a product of his Puritan ancestors who believed that man is
naturally depraved and sinful; one of Hawthorne’s ancestors was Judge John Hathorne
who was a judge in the notorious Salem witch trials that took place in New England in
1692. Hawthorne chose Boston in 1642-49 as the setting for his novel. Write a wellorganized essay which addresses the possibility that a piece of fiction can be an
argument. Consider The Scarlet Letter as Hawthorne’s anti-utopian argument in response
to his transcendentalist contemporaries or his moral argument in response to his Puritan
ancestors.
2. Assignment #2 Activity and quiz on Chapter 1 of The Language of Composition:
Carefully read and annotate chapter one of your text book, The Language of
Composition. Complete the Activity on page 6. Type a SOAPS analysis of the “9/11
Speech” by George W. Bush. This analysis will be turned in on the first day of class.
Also, be prepared for a quiz on the “Glossary of Rhetorical Terms,” pages 36-38 to be
given the first day of class.
For all assigned summer reading books, there will be an objective quiz given the 1st week of
school. After the summer reading has been analyzed and discussed in class, a test will complete
the summer reading unit.
English IV - One book
King Lear by Shakespeare; Signet Classics; Revised ed (1998) ISBN: 9780451526939
Please purchase a clean copy with the exact ISBN and copyright date to ensure the same edition
required for class discussion of the novel. We will be using the exact edition requested as an
essential part of the curriculum for the first several weeks of English. Please check the publisher,
the copyright date and the ISBN. The clean copy of the text allows the student to add his or her
own annotations. Previous annotations can be misleading, or keep you from reading for
yourself.
Carefully read and annotate King Lear. Aim for 1-2 significant annotations per page. Be
prepared to show your annotations to your teacher for a daily grade on the first day back in the
fall. DO NOT use outside sources such as Spark Notes, Cliff Notes, Bookrags etc. DO USE the
overview, the footnotes on each page, and a good dictionary. Think carefully and critically about
each line and section before moving to the next.
While reading King Lear, identify and collect examples of “madness” using page markers or a
notebook. For each of the five acts, write a one-page journal entry (5 pages total) that includes
the passage(s) you find that exemplify madness in some way followed by an explanation in your
own words about how or why you believe this action, word or character could qualify as an
example of madness (delusions, illusions, extreme actions or reactions, nonsensical rantings,
etc.). Provide the act, scene and line for each quote. Please use MLA format, double-spaced,
Times New Roman, 12 pt. font.
For all assigned summer reading books, there will be an objective quiz given the 1st week of
school. After the summer reading has been analyzed and discussed in class, students will recite
select passages. Finally, a test on King Lear will complete the summer reading unit.
AP Literature - Two books
King Lear by Shakespeare; Folger, Simon & Schuster (2004) ISBN: 9780743482769
Heart of Darkness by Conrad; Norton critical ed.; 4th ed (Dec. 2005) ISBN: 9780393926361
Please purchase a clean copy with the exact ISBN and copyright date to ensure the same edition
required for class discussion of the novel. We will be using the exact edition requested as an
essential part of the curriculum for the first several weeks of English. Please check the publisher,
the copyright date and the ISBN. The clean copy of the text allows the student to add his or her
own annotations. Previous annotations can be misleading, or keep you from reading for
yourself.
1. Assignment for King Lear: Respond to the following prompt in a well-developed essay
no longer than 750 words (include a word count at the end of the essay): In many plays a
character has a misconception of himself or his world. Destroying or perpetuating this
illusion contributes to a central theme of the play. From King Lear, choose a major
character to whom this statement applies, and write an essay in which you consider the
following:
A. What the character’s illusion is and how it differs from reality as presented in
the play.
B. How the destruction or perpetuation of the illusion develops a theme of the
play.
Do not merely summarize the plot.
2. Assignment for Heart of Darkness: Respond to the following prompt in a welldeveloped essay no longer than 750 words (include a word count at the end of the essay):
Works of literature often depict acts of betrayal. Friends and even family may betray a
protagonist; main characters may likewise be guilty of treachery or may betray their own
values. From Heart of Darkness, consider such an act of betrayal. Then, in a well-written
essay, analyze the nature of the betrayal and show how it contributes to the meaning of
the work as a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
For both essays, make sure you include both evidence and explanation of the significance of your
evidence. DO NOT merely retell or summarize the plot. Be prepared to submit your typed essay
to turnitin.com to check for plagiarism. The essay must be in 12 font, Times New Roman,
double-spaced with MLA formatting.
For all assigned summer reading books, there will be an objective quiz given the 1st week of
school. After the summer reading has been analyzed and discussed in class, a test will complete
the summer reading unit.