Honors English 10 Summer Reading Assignment
Welcome to Honors English 10!
Why Summer Reading?
Research shows that students who do not read and write over the summer can lose a substantial amount of
knowledge. It is recommended that you read as many books over the summer as you can. A “good” number of
books to read is four or five. In order to prepare for the upcoming school year, we would like you to complete
the following assignments before returning in the fall. Just to be clear – this completed assignment is DUE THE
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL.
• Purchase the memoir – Tuesdays with Morrie by
Mitch Albom.
• Read and Annotate the book . (See the MHS
annotation guide on the website if necessary.)
• Complete the Journal responses.
Are you asking yourself why you’re reading a Mitch Albom book… again?
One of the Ohio Academic Content Standards, Reading Applications: Literary Text, asks that students practice
two indicators focused on studying two works by the same author:
#5 Interpret universal themes across different works by the same author and different authors.
#6 Analyze how an author’s choice of genre affects the expression of a theme or topic. (The Five People
You Meet in Heaven is fiction; Tuesdays with Morrie in a nonfiction memoir.)
PART 1:
As you read, answer the attached questions using evidence from the book. Your responses must be typed
(size 12 font). Please bring your responses to class on the first day. Make sure your responses are accurate
and meaningful; cite specific page numbers and/or quotes from the text when appropriate.
PART 2:
An aphorism is a brief statement embodying a moral and/or a truth about life. For example: “Learn how to
live, and you’ll know how to die; learn how to die, and you’ll know how to live.” (from Tuesdays With Morrie)
Make a list of the aphorisms in the book (there are many!). Bring this list with you on the first day of school,
as there will be an additional assignment regarding aphorisms during your first week of class.
Questions for Response
1. What type of class is Albom enrolled in?
2. How is life like a “classroom?” Describe a moment in your own life where you learned something outside of
the “classroom.”
“The Student”
3. Describe Albom’s life.
4. How did he come to be reunited with Morrie?
5. Describe a life changing moment for you.
“The Audiovisual”
6. Choose one of Morrie’s aphorisms and explain how you can apply it to your own life.
“The Orientation”
7. According to Albom, what was most important to him at that time?
8. Why do you think we choose to make such decisions even though we seem to know the “better choice?”
9. Write about a “good” teacher you had. Explain what made him/her exceptional.
“The Classroom”
10. Why does Morrie have a great deal of friends? How does this strike you?
11. Reflect on Morrie’s comment, “Dying….is only one thing to be sad over, Mitch. Living unhappily is
something else.”
12. “Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else.
Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn’t. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you
should never take anything for granted.” What do you think of this statement?
“The First Tuesday”
13. Pick a quote and explain how it could be applied to your life.
“The Second Tuesday”
14. In what ways do you agree or disagree with Morrie’s perspective on self-pity?
“The Third Tuesday”
15. What do you regret?
16. Who is close to you? What makes him/her important?
“The Fourth Tuesday” (Answer this question after finishing the chapter.)
17. “Learn how to die, and you learn how to live.” What does this statement mean?
“The Fifth Tuesday”
18. How is Morrie’s family important to him? According to Morrie, why is family important?
In what ways is your family important to you?
“The Sixth Tuesday”
19. Pick a statement said by Morrie that you find to be important. Write down the quote/page number, and then
explain why you find it to be important.
“The Professor”
20. What can we learn from Morrie in this chapter?
“The Eleventh Tuesday”
21. What does Morrie mean by, “People are only mean when they’re threatened….and that’s what our culture
does.” Explain how you find this statement to be true.
“The Twelfth Tuesday”
22. How can you apply Morrie’s concept of forgiveness to yourself?
“The Thirteenth Tuesday”
23. According to Morrie, how are we different from plants and animals? Do you agree with him? Explain why
or why not.
If you have questions or comments concerning this assignment, please feel free to contact me at
j_rudlosky@marlingtonlocal.org.