Name: _________________________________________________
Grainer
Date: __________
English IV
English IV
Summer Reading Assignment 2014
Introduction: Welcome to English IV! I’m so looking forward to diving into the work with you
all in August. This summer assignment is designed to help prepare you for the subject matter and
style of English IV. Our class will focus on the purpose of storytelling and its relationship to
personal history, analyzing how stories and literature affect our lives and how our lives affect the
way we read and write stories.
We’ll write essays that analyze literature, as you have in every English class, but we’ll also do a
great deal of personal and creative writing, including poetry and fiction. The books assigned for
summer reading deal with personal themes and the way our lives are affected by the world
around us, and that is why I chose them for you to read in preparation for our class.
Additionally, these are beautiful, incredible books that I think will continue to engage you and
deepen your thinking over summer break.
Reading Assignments – Choose from one of the following:
 Maus I + II by Art Spiegelman
 Persepolis I + II by Marjane Satrapi
We have provided the text that you can write in the book. Please mark the margins of your book
with your comments, observations, and questions.
* Please see the note on plagiarism and academic integrity at the end of this document!
You will complete two close reading assignments for the book of your choice:
 PART A  Reading Journal
 PART B  Response
PART A  Reading Journal
What is a reading journal?
A reading journal is a supplement to the annotations inside your book. As you read, use the
journal to keep track of significant quotes and powerful moments for each chapter. These
journals help you to process what you’re reading and begin to analyze the text as you read,
rather than waiting until you’ve finished to begin breaking down the important moments of the
book.
How many quotations should I have?
Two per assigned chapter. Make sure to include the page number for at the end of each quotes
(see format below).
What exactly constitutes a meaningful quotation?
A quotation can be narration OR dialogue. You are NOT limited just to what the characters say.
Find passages that you think help us better understand the author’s subject matter,
characterizations, attitude, and especially THEMES (messages/”big ideas”). If you find yourself
simply repeating what the quotation says, you might want to select a different quotation or
reevaluate how you are approaching the response. NO SUMMARIES!
Grainer
English IV
Reading Journal Layout
Your Name
Book Title
Chapter Number
Meaningful Quote 1:
Amir said, “Quote from the
reading” (11).
Questions you have about the quote:
List your questions
What does this quote reveal about the
characters/setting/plot/theme?
Explain what this quote reveals.
Meaningful Quote 2:
Hosseini introduces the scene,
“Really long quote… from the
reading” (11).
Questions you have about the quote:
What does this quote reveal about the
characters/setting/plot/theme?
After reading Maus or Persepolis
Maus I + II / Persepolis I + II PART B  Response
Choose ONE of the following topics and respond after you finish reading your chosen
summer reading book.
Use the questions in each category to guide and prompt your thinking. The questions for each
category are meant to guide you. Please do not answer every question listed for each section.
Choose a focus and address it completely. Provide examples from the text, but no more than
25% of each response should be quotes.
1. Three Significant Moments: Identify three significant moments from the book. For each
moment, write a paragraph describing why this moment was significant. How did it
impact the characters? Does it speak to the theme(s) of the book? In what way?
THEN: Choose three significant moments from your own life. Describe each moment in
detail in at least one paragraph per moment, and create an illustration for each moment.
Your illustration can be a drawing, collage, photograph, or sculpture. You will not be
assessed on the quality of your artistic skills, but you will be assessed on evidence of
effort and time spent on your project.
Grainer
English IV
2. Art and Story Analysis: In a five paragraph essay, respond to the question How do the
visuals and story work together in this book to convey the author’s message? You should
identify the theme or message of the book in a clear thesis statement. Then, use the
remainder of the essay to analyze the ways the author uses both words and images to
communicate that message/theme. Is there a purpose to the way the art looks in the book?
Why did the author choose to use images? How do the words make the images more
powerful, and vice versa?
3. Illustrated Memoir: Using your summer reading book as inspiration, create an
illustrated memoir that is at least three pages long. You may use images of varying
shapes and sizes, or create a simple comic book set-up with squares in chronological
order. The memoir should tell a particular story from your life. For example, you could
write a memoir about the day your nephew was born, but do not attempt to write a
memoir about your nephew’s entire life. Choose one day or event to focus on.
Your illustration style can be as simple or as complex as you want. Stick figures are
definitely okay. Express the moment with words and the images in the memoir. You must
use color in your illustrations.
THEN: Write a one-page response to the question Why do you think the author chose to
write their illustrated memoir, and why did you choose to write about this memory for
your own memoir?
You will have an assessment on your summer reading book on the first day of school.
If you need assistance or have questions, please contact Ms. Grainer at
sgrainer@noscihigh.org (email) or 504-942-6777 (cell phone).
I look forward to working with you and reading your stories!
Happy Summer,
Ms. G
* Note Regarding Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
It is my expectation that you will not use outside sources, such as study guides (Internet or
otherwise), to aid you in producing your summer assignments. However, if you do choose
to visit such sources for help or to affirm your own thinking it is absolutely imperative that
you properly document any sequence of ideas or direct quotations that you may take from
them. Failure to do so is an act of plagiarism and a violation of SciHigh’s academic integrity
policy. This violation will result in a permanent zero on the assignment!
Sign here to acknowledge you’ve read the above statement and have not plagiarized or otherwise
acted without integrity on this assignment:
X________________________________________