Dear Student (parents/guardians):
Teaching English Honors 9 is one of my favorite teaching assignments. Since I do have experience as a
middle school teacher, I hope to help you make a smooth transition to high school English. Experience
has taught me to aim high with my expectations of you. With this in mind, I expect great things from
you. Through hard work and determination, we will work to create a classroom climate that will
inspire and challenge each of us. Furthermore, I expect that you and your classmates will find ways to
connect personally to the reading and writing assignments while gaining an understanding of the
relationship between literature and historical events, ancient philosophies, and cultural movements.
Hopefully, time and a relaxed schedule during the summer will afford you some time to read and
prepare for the beginning of your ninth grade year. Enclosed with this letter is “The Summer Reading.”
From the list, you will discover that three of the pieces are contemporary and the other is a reference
book. You will be required to read two literary works – one of the contemporary and the other, a
nonfiction piece. You will be responsible for purchasing the books, accessing them online for free, or
downloading them.
If you have any questions, you may contact me at amorgret@ldsd.org. Since this is my school email
address, I do not check it regularly during the summer; however, I will try to check it at least every few
weeks. If I do not meet you before, I look forward to meeting you in August. Have a great summer!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Alicia I. Morgret,
LDHS English Teacher
P.S. “I do my best work if I think about what it is I have to offer.” – Barbara Kingsolver
English Honors 9
Summer Reading Assignments
Mrs. Morgret
Assignment : Reading and responding
Each student is required to read two books, one from part A and the part B selection. In class during
the first two weeks of school, students will complete two individual critical essays and/or tests. The
essays and/or tests will be used to evaluate each student’s comprehension of his/her reading. The titles
are available at local libraries if you do not wish to purchase them at a book store or through an online
site, such as Amazon.com. If anyone has difficulty accessing any book, please email me, Mrs. Morgret –
amorgret@ldsd.org - before July 15. Also, I suggest that you find an online summary of the titles listed
below and narrow your choices based on what interests you.
Part A:
Contemporary –Pick and read one of the works listed in the following
section. Write a one page, double- spaced (10 or 12 point font )
reaction to the selected story ; in other words, explain what you enjoyed
and/or disliked about it.
(---Possible : 20 points for written reaction ---)
Tuesdays with Morrie
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
The Secret Life of Bees
by Mitch Albom
by Mitch Albom
by Sue Monk Kidd
Part B:
Reference/Nonfiction - Purchase a copy, read free- online, or
download Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. This text will be very beneficial to you during the
course of the school year in honors. Many of the stories, novels, and plays that we will read
have mythological allusions, or references. If you enter the school year with this knowledge,
your experience and understanding of the literature will be much easier. I realize that many of
you might have prior knowledge of many of the myths, but I encourage you to examine the
book and seriously study its contents. You are only required to read parts one, two, three and
five of the book.
As you read Mythology, complete the study guide, which is included on these
summer reading assignment pages. You will submit it for a grade and you will need it for study. This
study packet will be helpful to you during the school year as there will be many references to myths
found in the honors English 9 literature.
Nonfiction Book: Mythology by Edith Hamilton (30 points)
NEXT PAGE IS STUDY GUIDE FOR MYTHOLOGY…
English Honors 9
Summer Reading Assignments
Mrs. Morgret
Mythology --- Summer Reading -- Study Guide
Name_____________________________
The Gods, the Creation, and the Earliest Heroes
The Gods
1. Complete this chart of the Twelve Great Olympians:
GREEK NAME
ROMAN NAME
GOD/DESS OF:
ASSOCIATED WITH:
HOW RELATED
TO ZEUS:
HERA
JUNO
MARRIAGE, QUEEN OF
GODS
COW, PEACOCK,
ARGOS
WIFE
2. Which of the Twelve Olympians do you find most interesting? Why? Which had you heard of
before you read this chapter? What stories about them have you heard?
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3. Write a sentence identifying each of the following:
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Titans ___________________________________________________________________________
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Cronus ___________________________________________________________________________
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Eros ___________________________________________________________________________
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Muses ___________________________________________________________________________
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Ocean ___________________________________________________________________________
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Triton and Proteus ___________________________________________________________________________
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Naiads___________________________________________________________________________
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Tartarus and Erebus ___________________________________________________________________________
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Cerberus___________________________________________________________________________
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Furies ___________________________________________________________________________
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Pan and Satyrs___________________________________________________________________________
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Gorgons ___________________________________________________________________________
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The Two Great Gods of Earth
1. Identify Demeter.
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2. Tell the story of Demeter and Persephone in your own words. How does it explain the changing
of the seasons?
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3. Who is Dionysus?
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4. What happens to his mother, Semele, and what does this suggest about the nature of the power
of the Greek gods?
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5. Some Greeks had trouble accepting Dionysus as a god. Why do you think this might be so?
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Cupid and Psyche
1. Explain how Psyche comes to marry Cupid, how she loses him, and how she eventually gets him
back. Do you think that Cupid treats Psyche fairly in the course of the story? Explain.
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2. What do you think might be the lessons of the story?
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Eight Brief Tales of Lovers
1. For each of the following, sum up the story in one or two sentences.
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Pyramus and
Thisbe______________________________________________________________________
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Orpheus and Eurydice
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Pygmalion and Galatea
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 Baucis and Philemon
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 Daphne
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3. Which of the stories in this chapter is your favorite? Why?
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The Great Heroes Before the Trojan War
1. Identify each of the following:
 Perseus ________________________________________________________________________
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 Medusa ________________________________________________________________________
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 Theseus ________________________________________________________________________
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 The Minotaur ________________________________________________________________________
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 The Labyrinth ________________________________________________________________________
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 Hercules ________________________________________________________________________
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 The Twelve Labors ________________________________________________________________________
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 Atalanta ________________________________________________________________________
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2. Which of the heroes in this chapter do you find most appealing? Explain why.
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The Great Families of Mythology
1.
What happened to Niobe?
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2. What riddle did Oedipus solve? Explain how his answer made him king?
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3. Why did the Seven against Thebes occur and who died in the battle?
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Summary Questions
1. What is your impression of the ancient Greeks who composed these stories? What
generalizations might you make about their culture?
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2. Of all the stories you read, which is your favorite? Why?
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********Pledge: On my honor, I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment.
Signature: _____________________________________Date __________________