AN ‘ENGLISH’ HOLIDAY!
1) HOLIDAY READING PROJECT 2014
Pick a novel to read in the summer holidays! Do not pick a novel you have read already!
Three or more students will read the same book/a book by the same author.
Find a selection of books on display in the library. A list is provided below.
Browse through them, consult with other students, make a choice.
Note:
1) No lone wolves: at least three students will read a book/books by the same author.
2) You can only choose books which are not on the list if you find at least two other
students who would like to read the book, and if I agree with the choice ;-)
Enter your choices in the list provided in the library.
You will be assigned your books by next Tuesday.
Tasks
Each member of the group will focus on a different aspect. Agree on the aspects before you
start reading
Aspects: see handout ‘OVERVIEW:STORY ELEMENTS/PARTS OF A STORY’
Choose from the following:
 Plot/Key Events/Conflict
 Character/Point of View/Characterization
 Symbolism/Setting
Mark important passages while reading, make some notes on your aspect after each
section/chapter …
For your notes, work with the handout mentioned above and the graphic organizers on the
‘Literature’ website: http://samde.wikispaces.com/Literature
Make a list of interesting vocabulary/language chunks for each chapter.
Note: Just pick a few phrases for each chapter, but try to remember and learn them.
Do at least two writing activities (length: about 150 words each).
Think of an aspect you would like to write about or choose from one of the activities below:
Things to do with a text
a) Dramatic monologue for a character in a scene:
Write down what is going on in their minds during this scene: what is s/he thinking /
feeling at that moment? Why?
b) Point of View:
Write the story or a journal from the point of view of another character / a character
that is not involved in the story and show us what they see and think from their
perspective. How would it change the story?
c) Adjective-itis: pick five adjectives for the character(s), and explain how they apply.
d) The Kuglemass: Woody Allen wrote a story in which the character can throw any book
into a time machine and it takes you inside the book and the era. What would you do,
say, think if you "traveled" into the story you are reading?
e) Reader Response: pick the most important image/object/event in the section and
explain why you chose it; be sure to support all analysis with examples. You may
also choose more than one.
f) Speculation: based on everything you know now in the story, what do you think will
happen and why do you think that?
g) Character Analysis: describe a character as a psychologist or recruiting officer might:
what are they like? Examples? Why are they like that? Focus on the I-narrator!
h) Draw!:
- translate sections into storyboards and cartoons; draw the most important scene in
the chapter and explain its importance and action in writing.
- Create a mini-comic book relating to a chapter of the book.
i) Open Mind: (some people use a bathtub instead). Draw an empty head and inside of it
draw any symbols or words or images that are bouncing around in the mind of the
character of a story; follow it up with writing or discussion to explain and explore
responses.
j) Fictional Friends: who of all the characters would you want for a friend? Why? What
would you do or talk about together?
k) The Woody Allen: in Take the Money, Allen interviews the parents of a man who
became a bank robber. Write an imaginary interview with friends and family of a
character whom they try to help you understand.
l) Write a letter to the first-person narrator /one of the characters asking questions,
protesting a situation, and/or making a complaint and/or a suggestion.
m) Notes and Quotes: draw a line down the middle of the page; on one side write down
important quotes; on the other comment on and analyze the quotes.
After the holidays, you will have do a speaking (week 1) and a writing (week 2) task related
to the text.
Choice of Books (* a bit longer/more demanding)
John Boyne
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
Tracy Chevalier
Girl With a Pearl Earring*
Ernest J. Gaines
A Lesson Before Dying
Alex Garland
The Beach*
William Golding
Lord of the Flies*
John Green
The Fault in Our Stars
Looking for Alaska
Mark Hadden
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
S.E. Hinton
The Outsiders
Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner*
Aldous Huxley
Brave New World*
Ken Kesey
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest*
Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird*
George Orwell
1984*
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Heat and Dust*
2) Getting ready for CAE
a) Practise with Flo-Joe every day: do the CAE word banks and take notes!
http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/cae/students/wordbank/index.htm
b) Work through ‘Spotlight Paper 3’:
http://www.flo-joe.co.uk/cae/students/strategy/index.htm
Note: leave Part 4 out: it is no longer part of the exam!
3a) More Options 1: TED Talks
Go to http://www.ted.com/talks/browse
Watch and listen to a TED talk once in a while!
What topics are you interested in? Search the talks by topic!
Note:
You can also click on English subtitles
… or you can open a transcript of the talk
3b) More Options 2:
Check out ‘Words in the news’ on the ‘BBC Learning English’ website once in a while.
There is a new article every week. You can also browse through the archive.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/
TIP:
Keep a vocabulary notebook!
With any reading activity, always note the title and 10 or more words/’language chunks’ you
want to remember.
Go back to the notebook regularly and practise using them in context.
Go to www.macmillandictionary.com for more info about words in English!
Enjoy your holidays