2014 De La Salle North Catholic High School
Summer Required Reading for Language Arts
Over the summer, students will be required to read at least one of the
following books below and complete the accompanying assignment packet,
although students are free to read as many books as they choose. 
Why?
 Enjoyment! Many people actually read books for this reason alone.
 We want to expose students to a variety of ideas, cultures, genres, authors, and characters.
 We want our students to start preparing for college! We are a college prep school and
students need to
be prepared for the increased amount of reading they will do in college.
Research shows: (http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/research.htm)
 Students who read over the summer do better in school in the fall.
 Students who do not read over the summer demonstrate academic loss in fall.
 Reading 5 books over the summer can prevent academic loss.
Will this be graded? Yes. You need to fill out the attached assignment sheets to the best of your ability. There
are separate assignments for each grade level. This will help your English teacher gauge your reading
comprehension. Each teacher will also have his or her own way to facilitate additional discussions or
assignments based on your readings once you return from break.
Incoming Freshman: Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
1. Read the book for the first time, reread the book, or listen to audio book (found on teacher’s web).
2. Answer the study questions attached to this packet or found on teacher’s web
http://teachersweb.dlsnc.org/ click on Go next to Maria Cabrera then select Ender’s Game folder.
3. Complete creative project for the book (described below).
4. You do not have to do dialectical journal entries.
Incoming Sophomores: The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
Incoming Juniors: (Pick one. See descriptions on next page.) The Jump-Off Creek by Molly Gloss, Trask by Don
Berry, or Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition,
and Survival by Peter Stark
Incoming Seniors: The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver
Assignments: Students will be required to fill out a dialectical journal while they read. Students are required to
have at least 10 entries (see attached) and a creative project that will be due when they return to school in the fall.
Creative Project Options:
1. Create a powerpoint (8 slide minimum) that covers what you believe are some of the key messages or
ideas presented in your book. This is NOT a plot summary. Be sure to include pictures and to proofread
all work for spelling and grammar errors.
2. Create a piece of artwork (painting, sculpture, or other medium) that represents your understanding of
what you believe are some of the key messages or ideas presented in your book. Include a typed 1-page
reflection that discusses your artwork and how it is related to your book.
3. Create a scrapbook (8 pages minimum) filled with objects and captions such as pictures, postcards, etc.
that relate to events, characters, plot details, messages, and themes in the book. This scrapbook should
include sufficient detail to demonstrate that you have read and understood the whole novel.
2014 Summer Reading Choices for
Incoming Juniors
Choose one of the below books:
The Jump-Off Creek by Molly Gloss
Amazon.com: “A reading group favorite, The Jump-Off Creek is the unforgettable story of widowed
homesteader Lydia Sanderson and her struggles to settle in the mountains of Oregon in the 1890s. “Every gritty
line of the story rings true” (Seattle Times) as Molly Gloss delivers an authentic and moving portrait of the
American West. “A powerful novel of struggle and loss” (Dallas Morning News), The Jump-Off Creek gives
readers an intimate look at the hardships of frontier life and a courageous woman determined to survive.”
Trask by Don Berry
Amazon.com: “Set in 1848 on the wild edge of the continent, in the rainforests and rugged headlands of the
Oregon coast, Trask follows a mountain man's quest for new opportunities and new land to settle. Elbridge Trask
is a restless man, a gambler with God, nature, and life itself. Yearning for change, he sets out with Wakila, a
young Clatsop Indian, and Charley Kehwa, a tamanawis man or spiritual leader of the tribe, on an extraordinary
journey of discovery. Trask is at once a gripping tale of adventure and a portrayal of one man's return to the
naked simplicity of life. Inspired by his belief in the transcendent power of nature, his fascination with Eastern
philosophy, and the lives of historical men and women, Don Berry created a story that is strongly imagined and
powerfully rendered-a landmark work.”
Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and
Survival by Peter Stark
Amazon.com: “In the tradition of The Lost City of Z and Skeleton in the Zahara, Astoria is the thrilling, trueadventure tale of the 1810 Astor Expedition, an epic, now forgotten, three-year journey to forge an American
empire on the Pacific Coast. Peter Stark offers a harrowing saga in which a band of explorers battled nature,
starvation, and madness to establish the first American settlement in the Pacific Northwest and opened up what
would become the Oregon trail, permanently altering the nation's landscape and its global standing. Six years
after Lewis and Clark's began their journey to the Pacific Northwest, two of the Eastern establishment's leading
figures, John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson, turned their sights to founding a colony akin to Jamestown on
the West Coast and transforming the nation into a Pacific trading power. Author and correspondent for Outside
magazine Peter Stark recreates this pivotal moment in American history for the first time for modern readers,
drawing on original source material to tell the amazing true story of the Astor Expedition. Unfolding over the
course of three years, from 1810 to 1813, Astoria is a tale of high adventure and incredible hardship in the
wilderness and at sea. Of the more than one hundred-forty members of the two advance parties that reached the
West Coast—one crossing the Rockies, the other rounding Cape Horn—nearly half perished by violence. Others
went mad. Within one year, the expedition successfully established Fort Astoria, a trading post on the Columbia
River. Though the colony would be short-lived, it opened provincial American eyes to the potential of the
Western coast and its founders helped blaze the Oregon Trail.”
Dialectical Journal (sophomores, juniors, and seniors only)
The “dialectic” was a method that Socrates used to teach his students; it helped them to be actively
engaged as they struggled to learn a new idea. In a dialectical journal, students divide their paper into two
columns; one column is labeled “Text,” and the other column is labeled “Response.” As you read, look for
passages that make you stop and think. This should be a collection of your favorite quotes from the book.


In the “Text” column, quote the passage that makes you stop and think. Be sure to include the page
number!
In the “Personal Response” column, write at least thirty thoughtful words. There are several ways that you
may respond:
?
ions to the text. How does it make you think or feel? Does it remind you of
your own experiences?
.
Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or a character
Complete the dialectical journal for 10 different passages from your novel.
TEXT
PERSONAL RESPONSE
1
1
2
2
TEXT
PERSONAL RESPONSE
3
3
4
4
5
5
6
6
TEXT
PERSONAL RESPONSE
7
7
8
8
9
9
10
10
(Incoming Freshmen only)
Name: _______________________________
Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game
Study Guide Questions – 54 Points
Write in full sentences.
Chapters 1-3
1. Who are the speakers in the beginning of every chapter?
2. The nurse tells Ender that it will not hurt when they remove the monitor and Ender says, "Sometimes lies were
more dependable than the truth" (2). Do you agree or disagree with this and are lies ever justified?
3. Should the government ever have the power to put a “monitor” on its citizens? Would it be justified if it helps
prevent terrorism?
4. What does it mean to be a "third"?
5. Why would the government make a law against “thirds”? Is a government ever justified involving itself in
family planning? (78). Is the force that Ender used on Stilson justified? Are there alternatives to violence? Why
does the government value Ender’s violent side?
6. What do you think of Peter? Do you know anyone like this? Is Ender like Peter? What makes him different?
Chapters 4-5
7. Explain the following quote from Chapter 4 of Ender's Game: "Isolate him enough that he remains creative otherwise he'll adopt the system here and we'll lose him."
8. Graff isolates Ender from the rest of the boys by praising Ender's skills. Graff believes that this will make
Ender stronger and help him develop into the leader that they need so he can save the world, but acknowledges
that this will emotionally break Ender at some level. In Star Trek, this idea is stated as “The good of the many
outweighs the good of the few.” Does this justify Graff’s actions?
9. Ender works hard to express his feelings in private and not show homesickness in front of any other person. Is
this healthy for him? What is positive and what is negative about showing feelings? What is positive and what is
negative about not showing feelings?
10. We are told that being homesick is not acceptable, because the boys leaving are supposed to be seen as
"heroes." Does this mean that "heroes" are not supposed to have the same feelings as other people or be beyond
having feelings? Do our heroes have to be stronger than the rest of us or are they “just human” as well?
11. Explain the following quote in relation to this story and to your own life: "Individual human beings are all
tools that the others use to help us all survive." Do you agree or disagree?
12. We are told Ender can have friends, but not parents. Do you think the outcome of this attitude will be good
for Ender or not? What happens to children who do not have parents or good parental role models?
13. Ender is only six years old when he is sent to Battle School? Today, do you think children being pushed too
soon? What is appropriate? (violin at 4, high-level sport’s training and expectations at 11, etc.)
14. Themes in the book so far?
Chapters 6-7
15. List the different coping mechanisms (ways of dealing with difficulties) Ender shows. For each one describe
whether the overall result of each is helpful or harmful to Ender.
16. How do Ender and his new friends deal with prejudice? Is it successful or not and why?
17. What is the purpose of the "Giant's" Game? How should Ender evaluate his success at this game? Is he a
murderer?
18. We learn in this chapter that there is a question of whether it is OKAY to sacrifice the well-being of a child in
order to save the world. What exactly is Ender having to sacrifice? How do you think he is being trained to save
the world?
19. We see that there are some traces or left-over signs of religion and "holiness." What are these? Why have they
become forbidden? What does it mean that some still secretly practice these signs despite their being illegal or
forbidden?
20. A snake appears as part of a game. How would you respond at this portion of the game on the screen? Why?
21. What is the "just living" mentioned in this chapter? Is it true that Ender has never done this? How would you
feel if you were he?
22. What is the difference between "hot" and "cold" anger as mentioned in this chapter? Have you experienced
both? If so, why?
23. In the book, why have people abandoned the practice of celebrating birthdays? What would your life be like
if your birthday were forgotten or ignored or if it is so now?
24. Explain the meaning of the nightmare Ender experiences.
25. Ender thinks out his evaluation of Bonzo's leadership qualities (or lack of them). Do you think the other boys
will agree with Ender's thinking or do you think this is just Ender's interpretation? Explain your answer.
Chapter 8
26. Discuss Battle Game strategies: Good strategies? Bad strategies? How should commanders utilize their toon
leaders? Should soldiers only follow orders?
27. In this chapter, there is information about the character Rose the Nose. What point or issue is Orson Scott
Card trying to make or address about our own society?
28. What about Dink?
29. What makes a good leader? A bad leader? Is fear a motivator for the troops? How does one rally the
troops?
Chapter 9
30. How would Valentine and Peter do in battle school? Was the military right to assume they wouldn't be
beneficial to the project?
31. Internet issues. At the time Orson Scott Card wrote this book, the internet didn’t exist. He does point out
some potential flaws of such an internet system if it did exist. What might those problems be that Peter has
already figured out?
a. What problems do we encounter with the internet? Are they the same or different that Orson
Scott Card’s concerns?
b. Valentine writes Ender a letter at Graff’s insistence? Does she do the right thing? Why or why
not?
Chapters 10-11
32. During Ender's Game, the administration of the battle school tossed away the rules of the battle room as they
applied to Dragon army. How did this affect the students, both in and out of Dragon army? Do you think this is
necessary / fair?
33. Do you think the school has made a mistake? If it is too stressful, will Ender or the other students break?
34. Why does Ender treat Bean like he was treated by Graff? Will this help Bean to be a better soldier or leader?
35. What is Ender’s leadership style? Does he make a good leader?
36. Can you compare this to the way that athletes are trained?
37. What sort of leadership is most helpful to sports teams? How much control should a coach or team captains
have?
38. What are some of the problems that teams have that keep them from being successful? How can coaches fix
these problems?
Chapters 12-13
39. Ender wins seven battles in as many days. How do the other commanders treat him? Why?
40. Why do Graff and Anderson decide not to interfere with the growing situation between Ender and Bonzo?
41. What finally happens between Ender and Bonzo? How does Ender react to this?
42. Is it fair what happens to Bonzo? Any sympathy for him? Does anyone ever deserve this?
43. The school withheld from Ender that information about Stilson and Bonzo. Was this the right thing to do?
Should Ender have been told?
44. At the end of Chapter 12, "The system is breaking up."What happens to Ender's army?
What happens to Ender?
45. After the 'system breaks up,' where does Ender go? Why does Graff take him to this place?
46. How does Graff once again use Valentine to 'help' Ender? Does she feel she helps Ender? Does Ender feel
he's been helped?
47. Where does Graff take Ender? Describe the voyage.
48. What does Ender learn about the buggers?
Chapters 14-15
49. Do you believe Ender is a hero? Why or why not?
50. How do you feel about the adults? Were they justified in deceiving Ender and the other children about the
fact that they were actually fighting the war rather than just doing war simulations? Why or why not?
51. What was the cause of the war with the buggers? Are the buggers evil?
52. Do you think it was a justifiable strategy to attack the buggers on their home world? Why or why not?
53. How do you think the people of Earth would react if they learned that Ender Wiggin was the author of the
book Speaker of the Dead?
54. Should Ender re-populate another planet with the buggers? What might be the future ramifications?