Bethel School District
2015 Summer Reading Assignment: Grade ELEVEN
Dear students and parents,
Summer reading is an important part of the Bethel School District culture. It is a vital experience that keeps kids
learning even when the school year is over. In addition to fostering a joy of reading, current research indicates that
increased summer reading helps students maintain skills and avoid learning loss. However, summer reading does
more than preserve the skills of the previous school year; by exploring a shared text, students have a common
experience with their classmates to begin the school year in September. Finally, when students complete an
assignment accompanying the text, teachers can provide valuable feedback to students to set them up for success
throughout the coming year.
Bethel’s goals for assigning summer reading are:
1. To ask students to demonstrate their knowledge of and interaction with an extended text
2. To allow students to practice skills that will be reinforced or built upon during the next year of instruction
3. To foster the habits of mind demonstrated by successful readers
Students entering 11th grade will have the opportunity to study multiple perspectives on the American Dream. Students
will explore the historical and literary foundations of the Dream, and evaluate whether or not America still provides
access to the American Dream.
Some titles that address the American Dream include:
 They Call Me Coach, by John Wooden
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 Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
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 Hunger of Memory, by Richard Rodriguez
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 Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom
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 The Right Stuff, by Tom Wolfe
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford
The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
Bread Givers, by Anzia Yezierska
Ashes of Roses, by Mary Jane Auch
In order to document your thinking and interaction with the text, please complete the following assignment:

Part I: Before Reading - Respond to a writing prompt: See page two for the prompt and directions.
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Part II: During Reading - As you read the novel, you must document your thoughts and reactions by keeping a
double-entry journal. Effective readers respond to text in a variety of ways; therefore, you are expected to respond
using each option given at least once. Please see the attached template for more details and support.
This assignment (parts I and II) is due on September 11th, 2015 (the first Friday of the
school year) and will be collected in your English Language Arts class.
If a student fails to complete the assignment by the specified due date, (s)he will
 Miss out on valuable feedback from the teacher
 Be unable to participate in and benefit from collaborative discussion with peers
 Not earn credit for the work
Grade Eleven Summer Reading 2015: Bethel School District (DUE 9/11/15)
First and last name:
10TH grade English teacher:
PART I – BEFORE READING
Before you begin reading your book, write an extended response to the following prompt.
PROMPT: What does it mean to be an American, and how has your perception of the American dream been
formed? Consider your life experience and perspective(s) on what it means to be an American, and write a multipleparagraph response that answers the question above. Be sure to include evidence from your reading, observation,
and/or experience in your response.
Be sure to address all parts of the prompt. Attach an additional sheet, if necessary.
Grade Eleven Summer Reading 2015: Bethel School District (DUE 9/11/15)
PART II – DURING READING: DOUBLE-ENTRY JOURNAL
1. During your reading you will record your thinking about and interactions with the text using the double-entry journal
format. Your double-entry journal must contain at least 15 entries.
2. The left column is used to record significant quotations from the text. The quotations you choose do not have to
be character dialogue. A quotation can range from a single sentence to a short paragraph, as long as it is important
or meaningful to your understanding of the book. Place this text excerpt in quotation marks and include the page
number.
3. The right column is used for commenting on the quotations; your commenting options are listed below. Effective
readers respond to text in a variety of ways; therefore, YOU MUST USE EACH OF THE OPTIONS
BELOW AT LEAST ONCE.
Your comments on the right must include:





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Comments about the writer’s use of literary devices (metaphor, symbolism, personification, etc.)
Analysis of the quote’s connection to plot, character development, conflict, or theme
Your reactions to the author’s word choice (diction) or sentence structure (syntax)
Questions about what was read (meaning, purpose, character motivations, etc.)
Connections / Associations (to similar themes or topics in other books, authors, historical events)
Predictions or inferences
Template:
Quotations from Text
My notes (reactions/questions/analysis)
EXAMPLE:
“Her face was white and sharp and slightly gleaming in
the candlelight, like bone. No hint of pink. And the
hair. So fine, so pale, so much, crimped by its plaiting
into springy zigzag tresses, clouding neck and shoulders,
shining metallic in the candlelight” (42).
Literary Devices
When the author uses the words “white,” “sharp,” “gleaming,”
and “candle light,” he forms a ghostly, almost creepy image of
the woman. The simile comparing her face to “bone”
emphasizes this ghostly image even more, and the description
of the “springy” hair “clouding” around her upper body creates
a wild, almost zombie like picture of the woman. Strong use of
imagery and detail helps create a picture in the reader’s mind.
Connections
 To the plot
 To a character
 To a conflict
 To a theme
“Quotation from the text” (page #).
“Quotation from the text” (page #).
Diction/Syntax
 The character’s use of complex words makes him sound…
 This author uses short, choppy sentences in dialogue, which
makes the characters seem angry with each other…
“Quotation from the text” (page #).
Questions
 Why did the author/character do…?
 I wonder why…?
“Quotation from the text” (page #).
Connections/Associations
 This relates to the book...when….
 This must have taken place during….because….
“Quotation from the text” (page #).
Predictions/Inferences
 Based on what happened here, I can infer…
 Last time this happened, the character…so I can predict…
Grade Eleven Summer Reading 2015: Bethel School District (DUE 9/11/15)
In order to earn FULL CREDIT for your double-entry journal, you must fulfill the following criteria:
 15 or more entries for the book
 Quotations from text must is one or more sentence in length
 Entries span the entire book (beginning, middle, end) and are indicated by page numbers
 Work is proofread and contains no spelling errors
 Student responses contain two or more complete sentences and demonstrate fully developed reactions to or
analysis of the text.
Your response will earn PARTIAL OR NO CREDIT if:
 There are fewer than 15 quotations and responses to the text
 Quotations or analysis contain many misspelled words
 Quotations from text indicate the entire book may not have been read (as indicated by page numbers)
 Student responses demonstrate incomplete thoughts or connections and seem hastily written. Entries lack
elaboration
Common Core Connections - by completing this work, students will practice the following skills:
W.11-12.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection,
organization, and analysis of content
W.11-12.4: Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience
W.11-12.10: Write routinely over extended time frames and shorter time frames (a single sitting) for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences
R.11-12.1: Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text, including determining where
the text leaves matters uncertain
R.11-12.2: Determine themes or central ideas in a text and analyze their development over the course of a text, including how they interact and build on one another to
produce a complex account
R.11-12.3: Analyze the impact of the author’s choices regarding how to develop and relate elements of a story or drama
R.11-12.4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word
choices on meaning and tone, including words with multiple meanings or language that is particularly fresh, engaging, or beautiful
Grade Eleven Summer Reading 2015: Bethel School District (DUE 9/11/15)