UCT ENGLISH II – EARLY AMERICAN LITERATURE ENGLISH II – AMERICAN LITERATURE
SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT 2015 EXPLANATORY LETTER
Dear Students of the Class of 2018:
Welcome to sophomore year! During this exciting and new academic journey, we will analyze the writings and lives of the people
inhabiting America in search of an answer to the essential question of who we are as Americans.
In order to embark successfully on our adventure in September, you will need to read the work(s) of one of the below-listed authors
and learn about his or her life to understand its impact on his or her writing:
Author
Kate Chopin
Mandatory Fiction Selection(s)
 The Awakening
Emily
Dickinson

Suggested Author Internet Resource
 The Kate Chopin International Society
(http://www.gutenberg.org/files/160/160-h/160-h.htm#link2H_4_0001)
“Because I could not stop for Death”
(http://www.katechopin.org/society.shtml)

(http://www.shortpoems.org/emily_dickinson/because_could_not_stop_death.html)

Emily Dickinson Museum
(http://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/)
“For each ecstatic instant”
(http://www.shortpoems.org/emily_dickinson/each_ecstatic_instant.html)

“‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers”
(http://www.shortpoems.org/emily_dickinson/hope_is_the_thing_with_feathers.html)

“I cannot live with you”
(http://www.shortpoems.org/emily_dickinson/I_cannot_live_with_you.html)

“I died for beauty but was scarce”
(http://www.shortpoems.org/emily_dickinson/i_died_for_beauty.html)

“I had been hungry all the years”
(http://www.shortpoems.org/emily_dickinson/hungry_all_these_years.html)

“I heard a fly buzz when I died”
(http://www.shortpoems.org/emily_dickinson/fly_buzz_when_died.html)

“Much madness is divinest sense”
(http://www.shortpoems.org/emily_dickinson/much_madness.html)

“I had no time to hate, because”
(http://www.shortpoems.org/emily_dickinson/no_time_to_hate.html)

“Success is counted sweetest”
(http://www.shortpoems.org/emily_dickinson/success_counted_sweetest.html)

“T’s so much joy”
(http://www.shortpoems.org/emily_dickinson/tis_so_much_joy.html)
Nathaniel
Hawthorne

“The Maypole of Merry Mount”

(http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13707/13707-h/13707-h.htm#maypole)

Hawthorne in Salem
(http://www.hawthorneinsalem.org/Introduction.html)
“The Minister’s Black Veil”
(http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13707/13707-h/13707-h.htm#minister)

“Young Goodman Brown”
(http://www.gutenberg.org/files/512/512-h/512-h.htm#goodman)
Edgar Allan
Poe

“The Angel of the Odd”

(http://poestories.com/read/angeloftheodd)

Edgar Allan Poe Museum
(http://www.poemuseum.org/index.php)
“Annabel Lee”
(http://poestories.com/read/annabellee)

“Eleonora”
(http://poestories.com/read/eleonora)

“Fall of the House of Usher”
(http://poestories.com/read/houseofusher)

“Masque of the Red Death”
(http://poestories.com/read/masque)

“The Oval Portrait”
(http://poestories.com/read/ovalportrait)
Harriet
Beecher Stowe
Mark Twain

Uncle Tom’s Cabin or Life among the Lowly

(http://www.gutenberg.org/files/203/203-h/203-h.htm)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
(http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/tom-sawyer-marktwain_0.pdf)
Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
(http://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/)

Mark Twain Biography
(http://www.biography.com/people/mark-twain9512564)
So, you must read all listed titles by an author. You are required to read only The Awakening if exploring the life of Kate Chopin, but
you must read “The Maypole of Merry Mount,” “The Minister’s Black Veil,” and “Young Goodman Brown” if examining the life of
Nathaniel Hawthorne. The number of titles fluctuates by author due to their varying length and complexity, but the amount of time
required to mindfully complete the reading and correlating writing task for each option is relatively equal. So, please carefully
consider the options by conducting some preliminary research on the stories whose titles interest you to ensure that you will enjoy
your reading experience. You also might consider securing audio books to facilitate a multi-sensory connection to the literature. In
fact, for many people, hearing a story makes it come alive to them. Audio books are readily accessible on Web sites like LibriVox.org.
However, we cannot stress enough that these alternative forms are to be used in conjunction with, as opposed to replacing, the reading
of the written text.
You will write a three-paragraph reflection as evidence of your reading and research that describes the events in the author’s life
which most impacted his or her writing and evaluates the presence of two prominent biographical themes in the mandatory fiction
selection(s). The author profile must capitalize on three legitimate sources, and the reflection must be typed and formatted according
to Modern Language Association guidelines. Please consult the attached supplemental materials for additional information about this
writing task. It is due on the first regular class day.
We hope that you have a safe, enjoyable, and relaxing summer! We truly look forward to working with you in the upcoming academic
year. Please do not hesitate to email us over the summer vacation if you have any questions about the assignment.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Marotta
Mrs. Marotta
kmarotta@ucvts.tec.nj.us
Attachments (2) summer reading assignment resources
summer reading reflection evaluation rubric
UCT ENGLISH II – EARLY AMERICAN LITERATURE ENGLISH II – AMERICAN LITERATURE
SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT 2015 RESOURCES
ASSIGNMENT PACING GUIDE
Summer vacation seems like a very long time, but the first day of sophomore year will arrive before you realize it. As such, you are
strongly urged to complete the summer reading assignment incrementally throughout the break instead of waiting until the week or the
night before school starts to do it to ensure that you produce your best work. Here is a breakdown of the assignment into manageable
steps along with recommended completion dates for each one to help you appropriately pace your efforts on the assignment:
Assignment Step
Recommended Completion Date
June 28th
Select the fiction selection(s) you will read; conduct any necessary preliminary
research to help you pick the reading assignment that you will most enjoy
July 19th
Read the selected fiction selection(s) and take notes on major characters and plot
points
Research the life of the author who wrote the selected fiction selection(s) and select two July 26th
legitimate Internet sources to cite in your reflection
August 2th
Organize your thoughts on the reflection topic through prewriting activities like
constructing an outline or a T-chart
August 16th
Develop you first draft of the reflection
August 30th
Proofread your draft for clarity of ideas and correctness of grammar and formatting;
have a parent or friend critique it for the same features; revise and edit draft
accordingly
Certainly, this is not the only effective way to pace your completion of the assignment. The guide simply demonstrates the
manageability of the summer reading assignment when broken down into its simplest components and completed gradually.
POINTERS FOR DISCERNING LEGITIMATE INTERNET SOURCES
The summer reading assignment requires you to use three legitimate sources to construct your reflection. Unfortunately, it can be very
difficult to differentiate between valid and invalid information on the Internet. Wikipedia, which many students see as a reliable
source, is actually unreliable because anyone who registers for an account can manipulate information on the site. In fact, the site
appeared in the news in January 2013 for having an article on about the “Bicholim Conflict” that survived five years and even became
the featured article several times before it was identified as a fabricated event and a hoax. As such, you will need to scrutinize and
carefully select your Internet sources. Please consult this article from the University of California Berkeley Library for more information
about discerning legitimate Internet research: http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html.
MODERN LANGUAGE ASSOCIATION STYLE GUIDE
The Modern Language Association regulates the formatting of papers about literature. This if the style you learned during freshman
year. As such, your reflection must adhere to this style. Here is a basic overview:
I.
general guidelines
A. document appearance
1. type essay using word processing program
2. print essay using black ink and on letter-sized white copier or printer paper
3. set margins to one-inch on all sides
B. text appearance
1. set document spacing to double
2. left align majority of text
a. center align essay and bibliography titles
3. set all document text to regular Times New Roman 12 point
C. punctuation
1. italicize titles of longer works like novels or motion pictures
2. use quotation marks to denote titles of shorter works like poems or short stories
3. place only one space after periods and other punctuation marks
D. required components aside from the essay
1. heading
a. placed on same page as first paragraphs of essay itself
b. precedes all other document text
c. includes in order: essayist’s full name, instructor’s name, course name, and essay’s due date
2.
II.
III.
essay title
a. placed on the same page as the first paragraphs of the essay itself
b. sandwiched between the heading and the introduction
3. header
a. placed in document header, one-half inch from top, and flush with right margin
b. includes in order: essayist’s last name and document page number
4. works cited page (see Section III)
in-text citations
A. needed for all direct quotations and paraphrased research
B. includes first piece of information in source’s work cited entry and page(s) for printed sources or paragraph(s) for electronic
sources in which quotation or paraphrase research appears
C. placed directly before punctuation mark that denotes conclusion of sentence in which quotation or last piece of
uninterrupted paraphrased research appears
D. direct quotations
1. defined as consecutive words taken word-for-word from a source
2. use quotation marks to denote all quotations that span three typed lines or less in the essay
3. use block format to set apart all quotations that exceed three typed lines in the essay
4. use an ellipse to denote omitted words within quotations
5. place brackets around added or changed words within quotations
E. paraphrased information
1. defined as uncommon knowledge learned from research but stated in own words
2. no special punctuation marks needed to set apart paraphrased information
works cited page
A. typed on a separate page
B. includes all sources directly quoted or paraphrased in the essay
C. entitled “Works Cited”
D. arrange entries alphabetically by the first word(s)
E. left align first entry’s line and indent one tab for all additional lines of same entry
F. include all available information about source
G. formatted depending on source type
1. print books: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/06/
2. print periodicals: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/07/
3. electronic sources: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/
4. other common sources: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/09/
GRADING SCALE
Raw Score Letter Grade
A+
4.0
A
3.8—3.9
A3.6—3.7
B+
3.4—3.5
B
3.2—3.3
B3.0—3.1
C+
2.7—2.9
C
2.2—2.6
C2.0—2.1
D
1.0—1.9
High F
0.5—0.9
Low F
0.0—0.4
Percentage Grade
100%
95%
91%
88%
85%
81%
78%
75%
71%
67%
60%
50%
UC AIT/UCT ENGLISH II – EARLY AMERICAN LITERATURE ENGLISH II – AMERICAN LITERATURE
SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT 2015 SCORING RUBRIC
READING –
Comprehension of Key
Ideas and Details
WRITING –
Development of Ideas
Score Point 4 / A
The response…

provides an in-depth
evaluation of the events
in the author’s life that
influenced his or her
writing,

provides a thorough
analysis of biographical
elements in the text(s)
that only focuses on
interpreting, as opposed
to reiterating, what the
text(s) say,

cites accurate textual
evidence, and

communicates the
argument succinctly and
explicitly.
Score Point 3 / B
The response…

provides an in-depth
evaluation of the events
in the author’s life that
influenced his or her
writing and

cites accurate textual
evidence but

provides a
comprehensive analysis
of biographical elements
in the text(s) that mostly
focuses on interpreting,
but occasionally merely
reiterates, what the
text(s) say or

communicates the
argument explicitly but
not succinctly, such as
segments of relevant
summary.
Score Point 2 / C
The response…

cites accurate textual
evidence but

provides a basic
evaluation of the events
in the author’s life that
influenced his or her
writing which includes
unnecessary details that
do not relate to this
topic,

provides a simple
analysis of biographical
elements in the text(s)
that equally focuses on
interpreting and
reiterating what the
text(s) say, or

communicates some the
argument unclearly,
forcing the reader to
guess the connection
between cited textual
evidence and argument.
The response…

addresses all parts of the
prompt,

cites specific,
appropriate, and relevant
textual evidence,
including direct
quotations, and

presents well-defined
and easily
understandable
reasoning for the
inclusion of textual
details.
The response…

addresses all parts of the
prompt and

presents well-defined
and easily
understandable
reasoning for the
inclusion of textual
details but

cites no direct quotations
despite having otherwise
specific, appropriate, and
relevant textual
evidence.
The response…

addresses all parts of the
prompt but

occasionally cites
general, yet appropriate
and relevant, textual
evidence or

occasionally presents
poorly defined or
unclear reasoning for the
inclusion of textual
evidence that distracts
from the argument.
Score Point 1 / D
The response…

provides a minimal
evaluation of the events
in the author’s life that
influenced his or her
writing and instead
focusses on a general
overview of the author’s
life,

provides a limited
analysis of the
biographical elements in
the text(s) that primarily
focuses on reiterating, as
opposed to interpreting,
what the text(s) say,

cites inaccurate textual
evidence that does not
nullify the argument, or

communicates most of
the argument unclearly,
forcing the reader to
guess the connection
between cited textual
evidence and argument.
The response…

partially addresses the
prompt,

often cites general, yet
appropriate and relevant,
textual evidence, or

often presents poorly
defined or unclear
reasoning for the
inclusion of textual
evidence that distracts
from the argument.
Score Point 0 / F
The response…

provides no evaluation
of the events in the
author’s life that
influenced his or her
writing and instead only
provides a general
overview of the author’s
life,

provides no analysis of
the biographical
elements in the text(s)
and solely focuses on
reiterating, as opposed to
interpreting, what the
text(s) say,

cites inaccurate textual
evidence that nullify the
argument, or

communicates no clear
argument.
The response…

does not address the
prompt,

only cites general textual
evidence or consistently
cites irrelevant textual
evidence, or

only presents poorly
defined or unclear
reasoning for the
inclusion of textual
evidence that distracts
from the argument.
WRITING –
Organization
WRITING –
Clarity of Language
WRITING –
Knowledge of Language
and Conventions
Score Point 4 / A
The paragraphs…

consistently begin with
sentences that clearly
state the main idea of the
paragraph (i.e. topic
sentence) and

consistently include
multiple textual evidence
to support the argument.
Score Point 3 / B
The paragraphs…

consistently include
multiple textual evidence
to support the argument
but

occasionally begin with
topic sentences that state
only part of the main
idea of the paragraph.
Score Point 2 / C
The paragraphs…

consistently begin with
topic sentences that state
only part of the main
idea of the paragraph or

occasionally include
little textual evidence to
support the argument.
Score Point 1 / D
The paragraphs…

occasionally have topic
sentences located
somewhere other than
the beginning of the
paragraph or

consistently include little
textual evidence to
support the argument.
The response consistently
uses precise language,
including…

descriptive words and
phrases,

sensory details,

transitional words,

appropriate diction, and

proper literary terms.
The response contains a few
minor errors in grammar,
punctuation, and usage that
do not affect the meaning.
The response mostly uses
precise language, including…

descriptive words and
phrases,

sensory details,

transitional words,

appropriate diction, and

proper literary terms.
The response lacks some
precise language, including…

descriptive words and
phrases,

sensory details,

transitional words,

appropriate diction, or

proper literary terms.
The response consistently
lacks…

descriptive words and
phrases,

sensory details,

transitional words,

appropriate diction, or

proper literary terms.
The response contains a few
distracting errors in grammar,
punctuation, and usage that
do not affect the meaning,
including…

incorrect word choice or

incorrect punctuation.
The response contains a few
distracting errors in grammar,
punctuation, and usage that
may affect the meaning,
including…

misspellings,

incorrect word choice, or

incorrect punctuation.
The response contains
multiple distracting errors in
grammar, punctuation, and
usage that affects the
meaning, including…

subject-verb
disagreement,

incorrect verb tenses,

indistinct pronouns,

misspellings,

incorrect word choice, or

incorrect punctuation.
The response contains a few
The response contains
The response contains errors
minor errors that do not
multiple distracting errors
that could constitute
constitute plagiarism,
that do not constitute
plagiarism, including…
including…
plagiarism,
including…

not consistently citing
NOTE: See summer

not adhering to general

not adhering to general
direct quotations and
reading assignment
Modern Language
Modern Language
paraphrased research,
resources document for
Association guidelines,
Association guidelines,

not having all sources
more information.

improperly citing direct

improperly citing direct
listed on the works cited
quotations and
quotations and
page, or
paraphrased research, or
paraphrased research, or

incomplete bibliographic

improperly formatting

improperly formatting
information.
the works cited page.
the works cited page.
NB: Reflections must be submitted to the teacher on the first regular class day. Late papers will be penalized according to the teacher’s course policy.
FORMATTING –
Knowledge of Style
The response consistently…

adheres to general
Modern Language
Association guidelines

properly cites direct
quotations and
paraphrased research,

cites three legitimate
sources, and

has a properly formatted
works cited page.
Score Point 0 / F
The paragraphs…

consistently have topic
sentences located
somewhere other than
the beginning of the
paragraph or have no
topic sentences or

consistently include no
textual evidence to
support argument.
The response consistently
lacks…

descriptive words and
phrases,

sensory details,

transitional words,

appropriate diction, and

proper literary terms.
The response contains many
distracting errors in grammar,
punctuations, and usage that
affects the meaning,
including…

sentence structure issues,

subject-verb
disagreement,

incorrect verb tenses,

indistinct pronouns,

misspellings,

incorrect word choice,
and

incorrect punctuation.
The response contains errors
that constitute plagiarism,
including…

never citing direct
quotations and
paraphrased research or

not having a works cited
page at all.