English I
Kerr Summer Reading
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Summer Reading Checklist
Cornell Notes over How to Read Literature Like a
Professor
Responses to myths in Mythology
Hero Card of a mythical hero
Two-Column notes over literary elements of novel
Media Presentation over character or book trailer
Purpose:
Throughout your English I course, you will be required to read and analyze literary works, as well as, read
several nonfiction articles. Analysis requires you to read carefully, think deeply, and explain your reasoning. As
you read literature, you will focus on the following literary elements: characters, conflict, setting, and theme; as
well as, examining the way an author uses words, details, imagery, and sentences. When you read nonfiction,
focus on the evidence the writer uses to support their opinions and ideas. In order to sustain knowledge you’ve
received in middle school and help you review these concepts, your summer reading assignment will be
focusing on these same elements.
Kerr HS is on accelerated block schedule. This means that you will have English for only one semester during
the school year. Due to this fact, you will have a test over the summer reading at the end of the second week
of school (September 4, 2015), EVEN IF YOU DON’T HAVE ENGLISH DURING YOUR FIRST
SEMESTER. You will not be able to make up the test unless you have an excused absence. You must turn in
your Summer Reading Journal and the copy of your article with annotations on the day of the test. You
will be allowed to use them during the test.
Required Reference Reading (get both books)
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
Mythology by Edith Hamilton
Reading Choices (choose one):
The Berlin Boxing Club by Robert Sharenow
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Red Glass by Laura Resau
Please e-mail if you have questions! I will be checking e-mail
frequently this summer to see if I can help. Here is my home email: arandrews@consolidated.net
You can also try my school e-mail: aandrews@ga.aliefisd.net
Kerr High School / English I
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March 2015
Directions: Read the novel and keep a dialectical journal of quotes as you are reading. You must have at
least three significant quotes for each of the following literary concepts: setting, characters, external
conflict, internal conflict, and theme from the beginning, the middle, and the end of the novel. Your journal
should consist of two columns. The first column should include the quotes and their page numbers; the second
column should provide your detailed explanation/commentary for each quote. Look for quotes that illustrate
specific word choice, contain expressive imagery and striking details, and reflect literary concepts.
Reading Journal Example
Julie Nguyen
Ms. Andrews
English I
29 August 2014
Quote + page number
Commentary/explanation
Setting (the time and place of a work of
literature): “Kino awakened in the near dark.
The stars still shone and the day had drawn
only a pale wash of light in the lower sky to
the east.” p. 1
This very romantic and poetic description
creates an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.
This contributes to the portrayal of a happy life
that the main character leads in the beginning
of the novel.
Character: “Kino had wondered often at the
iron in his patient, fragile wife. She, who was
obedient and respectful and cheerful and
patient, she could arch her back in child pain
with hardly a cry.” p.7
This quote suggests that, even though Kino’s
wife is a quiet and seemingly obedient wife,
she has a lot of strength inside. This strength is
more transparent under dire circumstances.
Kino admires this quality in his wife.
External Conflict (a struggle between the
character and opposing force): “’Have I
nothing better to do than cure insect bites for
‘little Indians’? I am a doctor, not a
veterinary.’” p. 11
Kino’s son will die if the doctor doesn’t help
him, because he was bitten by a scorpion. The
doctor looks down upon Kino and his people.
When the doctor refuses to help, he creates an
external conflict.
Internal Conflict (a struggle within the
character): “Kino hesitated for a moment.
This doctor was not of his people… And as
always when he came near to one of this race,
Kino felt weak and afraid and angry at the
same time. Rage and terror went together.” p. 9
Kino is faced with a tough decision: he resents
the doctor, yet he has to ask him for help or his
son will die. He has to overcome his hate in
order to safe his child’s life.
Theme (a major, central idea in a work of
literature): “In Kino’s head there was a song
now, clear and soft, and if he had been able to
speak of it, he would have called it the Song of
the Family.” p. 2
“In his mind a new song had come, the Song of
Evil, the music of any foe of the family, a
savage, secret, dangerous melody, and
underneath, the Song of the Family cried
plaintively.” p. 5
Family is sacred to Kino and his people. It
soon becomes obvious that the happiness of
Kino’s family is threatened. It is the struggle of
the main character to save his family that
reveals one of the major themes of the novel.
“The Song of the Family” and “the Song of
Evil” are symbolic because they represent the
two opposing forces that are involved in the
main conflict of the novel.
Kerr High School / English I
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March 2015
Required Reference Reading: How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster and Mythology
by Edith Hamilton. Please purchase both of these books! You will need them for all four years of school, and
they can also be helpful if you decide to attend college. I would look for used versions of these books to save
money. (You can get any of the versions, and you might be able to find an online version of Edith Hamilton’s
Mythology.)
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How to Read Literature Like a Professor: You must read Chapters 1, 10, and 12 in and take Cornell
Notes over these chapters. You can type your Cornell Notes or write them neatly on lined paper. If you
need a refresher that explains how to format Cornell Notes see this link:
http://coe.jmu.edu/learningtoolbox/cornellnotes.html
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You must have at least 5 bullets in your record section, a recall section, and a 2-5 sentence summary in
your reduce section. These Cornell Notes will be due on the same day as your Summer Reading
Journal (September 5, 2014). An example of Cornell Notes has been provided below.
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You must read “The Quest for the Golden Fleece,” “Four Great Adventures,” and “Hercules” from
Mythology. Write a brief response to each of the myths. This response should be about a page long.
Choose one of the Greek “heroes” from these myths and create a “card” for that hero. Your card should
include a picture of the hero, a brief list of notable facts about that hero, and a specific quote from the
myth that could be used as a “motto” for that hero.
Cornell Notes Example
Julie Nguyen
Ms. Nys
English I
29 August 2009
Topic: “Ch 2: Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion” from How to Read Literature Like a Professor
RECALL
Eating = Communion
Eating reveals aspects of
Characterization
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Example given (Tom
Jones)
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RECORD
Whenever people eat together = communion
Communion not always sensual
Almost all religion has some sort of communion ritual
Not all communion is holy
Communion = act of sharing
Communion = intimacy
Act of communion can sometimes be the opposite of sharing (e.g.
Mafia set-ups)
Eating = shows how characters are getting along or not getting along
Tom Jones – meal reveals base desires
Tom Jones—meal replaces sensuality because of censorship in the
60s
REDUCE
Whenever eating is featured in a literary work, it is an act of communion. Communion is usually an
intimate act of sharing that reveals how the characters are getting along, but sometimes the idea of
communion is blasphemed to reveal the evil in particular characters. For example, in some classics like
Lord of the Flies, eating reveals the destructive nature of the people partaking in the meal. In Tom Jones,
eating had sensual symbolism that the reader was expected to figure out based on the details used to
describe the characters actions while dining.
Kerr High School / English I
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March 2015
Required Technology Presentation over your novel: Choose one of the following methods to create a
presentation to share with the class during the second week of class. (If you have English during the second
semester then you can sign up to stay after school one day and show your presentation.)
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Voki (www.voki.com) Use your school e-mail or home e-mail to set up an account. Create an avatar
for your favorite character. Write a speech (one page long) for your character describing their role in the
novel, and record that speech in the program. This will be about 30 seconds long. You can then present
your avatar during class. Keep the speech to turn in.
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Animoto (www.animoto.com) Create a book trailer for the novel. Use one of the following usernames
and password combinations. (Please do not delete any other person’s work that may be in the folder!
Save your video as your name!) Experiment and see how creative you can be! (Your video should be
about 3 minutes long.)
You are in group 9 if your last name begins with these
letters: a-c
o Assigned e-mail: arandrews44+9@gmail.com
o Assigned password: password9
You are in group 10 if your last name begins with these
letters: d-g
o Assigned e-mail: arandrews44+10@gmail.com
o Assigned password: password10
You are in group 11 if your last name begins with these
letters: h-m
o Assigned e-mail: arandrews44+11@gmail.com
o Assigned password: password11
You are in Group 12 if your last name begins with these
letters: n-ng
o Assigned e-mail: arandrews44+12@gmail.com
o Assigned password: password12
You are in Group 13 if your last name begins with these
letters: nh-o
o Assigned e-mail: arandrews44+13@gmail.com
o Assigned password: password13
You are in Group 14 if your last name begins with these
letters: p-r
o Assigned e-mail: arandrews44+14@gmail.com
o Assigned password: password14
You are in Group 15 if your last name begins with these
letters: s-t
o Assigned e-mail: arandrews44+15@gmail.com
o Assigned password: password15
You are in Group 16 if your last name begins with these
letters: u-z
o Assigned e-mail: arandrews44+16@gmail.com
o Assigned password: password16
Kerr High School / English I
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March 2015