RESURRECTION COLLEGE PREP HIGH SCHOOL
Summer Reading -- Resites!
The English Department welcomes you to
Resurrection College Prep High School and its
SUMMER READING PROGRAM
in preparation for the 2014-2015 school year.
Book choices are listed in the attached packet. The book you read can be purchased at
any bookstore or online.
The purpose of reading the book and completing the attached packet is:

To enjoy exposure to a novel that can inspire us;
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To encourage our understanding and love of Christian values;
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To explore literature together and to learn more about each other through the
process;
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To expand our insights into the human situation and increase our awareness of the
world.
Upon your return to classes in the fall:
o
Please bring a copy of your annotated novel to class on the first day for immediate
sharing and discussion;
o
Type your reading journal and submit electronically via SCHOOLOGY by 3 P.M. on
Wednesday, 27 August 2014. Further instructions for your electronic submission
will be given on the first day of classes;
o
Expect, based on the book, a writing assignment, class activities, and a creative
project to be assigned the first week of school;
o
Prepare to enjoy a film that will enrich our experience.
We shall see in you August!
The Resurrection College Prep High School English Department
Enjoy your Summer Reading!
2014-2015
RESURRECTION COLLEGE PREP HIGH SCHOOL
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT SUMMER READING SELECTIONS
GRADE
REGULAR
ACCELERATED
9th
Book
Author
(11691)
The Secret Life of Bees
by Monk-Kidd
(11891)
The Book Thief
by Zusak
10th
Book
Author
(12691)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Haddon
(12891)
Persuasion
by Austen
11th
Book
Author
(14691)
The Color of Water
by McBride
(14891)
Ethan Frome
by Wharton
and
Fast Food Nation
by Schlosser
12th
Course
Book
Author
(18691)
World Lit:
In the Time of the Butterflies
by Alvarez
(18991)
Course
Book
Author
(18791)
British Lit:
The Elephant Man
by Sparks
Things Fall Apart
by Achebe
and
How to Read Literature Like a Professor
by Foster
READER RESPONSE JOURNAL
You will create a “READER RESPONSE JOURNAL” for the novel required for your
2014-2015 course in English. This journal will be the starting point for processing
the novel and will prepare you for the reading, writing, thinking, class discussion,
creative project, and film that we will share when school begins in the fall.
The journal will reflect your ideas, your questions, your connections. You will be
able to respond intelligently in the journal after you highlight or underline passages
related to themes, imagery, and characterization. Please make “margin notes” or
use “Post-Its” in your book. The enclosed “Marginalia” sheet (located at the end of
this packet) will also help you complete your journal and the “Marginalia” bookmark
will help you “make the novel yours.” They will also be used for in-class activities.
Please complete the contents on the following pages; be prepared for quite an
adventure!
YOUR NAME____________________________________________________
BOOK TITLE____________________________________________________
AUTHOR_______________________________________________________
Use the Internet to research interesting information about the AUTHOR.
Make sure to note your SOURCES.
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MLA CITATION:
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SETTING - Please describe the details of the setting and the time period.
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CHARACTERS - Please list the major and minor characters and point out the
characteristics that make each of them unique.
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From what POINT OF VIEW (standpoint) is the story told (i.e. 1st person, 3rd
person, omniscient, limited)? What do you think is important about the author’s
choice of POINT OF VIEW? Why?
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CONFLICT- Please identify the conflicts (struggles) and label each one, i.e.
internal conflict (character vs. self) and/or external conflict (character vs.
character, character vs. the supernatural, character vs. nature.) Are the conflicts
resolved? If so, how?
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PLOT- In a hundred words or less, summarize the story line. Think about
developing this summary for a book review to be published in THE RES BANNER or
A LOCAL ON-LINE NEWS SOURCE. How would you entice your audience with this
PLOT review?
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How does the TITLE relate to the content of the work? Please explain.
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THEME(s) – Please examine themes (main ideas about life) as expressed in this
book. What are the main ideas of the novel? Discuss using textual examples as
supports.
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QUOTATION – Select the quotation from the book that made the strongest
impression on you. Explain why you selected it.
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WRITE A LETTER TO YOUR BEST FRIEND. Please tell her/him what you liked
and did not like about this book. Discuss what is interesting, confusing, emotional,
challenging, and/or surprising.
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TIPS ON ACTIVE READING! (MARGINALIA = ANNOTATING)
Reading actively will help you to better understand the texts you encounter. You will use this
skill throughout your life to make sense of what you read. Good readers (at all levels) use these
strategies.
The goal is to form the habit of using a consistent marking system that is easy for you to
remember. Here are some tips.
1.
Underline or highlight any VOCABULARY words you do not know. Look up these words
and write the definition in the margin. Ask questions about vocabulary in class, and we
will define them together.
2.
Note CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS as you are reading. Each time a new character is
introduced, CIRCLE his/her name, and then underline descriptions of those characters. It
is important to get to know the “people” you are reading about.
3.
Analyze TITLES while you read. Try to predict why the author named a novel what
he/she did. At the end of the novel, go back and try to determine the reason for the
choice of title. Make your predictions about the title right next to the title on the title
page, and then write your concluding notes right below your predictions.
4.
At the end of a chapter (or a homework reading assignment), write ONE DISCUSSION
QUESTION. The question should not be literal (meaning it should not be factual
information that can simply be located within the text). Rather, you should be writing
INFERENCING QUESTIONS, which require you to read “in between the lines” and make
your own conclusions from the information given.
5.
Look for PASSAGES that are CONFUSING to you. Put a QUESTION MARK in the margin,
and ask about the passage in class. Also, in the margin, try to paraphrase (put in your
own words) what you think the meaning is, to the best of your ability.
6.
Highlight or underline and then STAR passages that relate to a MAIN IDEA or THEME of
the book. The star will help you to remember that the passages relate the main focus of
the text. Also, write a word or two in the margin to summarize the point.
7.
When something strikes you personally (when you can relate to something, when you
are shocked by something, when something makes you sad, happy, angry, etc.), put an
EXCLAMATION MARK in the margin. Next to the exclamation mark, jot down
PERSONAL COMMENTS and REACTIONS.
8.
Put PARENTHESES around QUOTES that seem important to you or that you particularly
like, and then put QUOTATION MARKS (“”) in the margin. If you do not understand
these quotes, put a question mark, and ask about it in class. Your teacher may ask you
to share quotes you liked in class.
9.
Put BRACKETS around RECURRING IMAGES and SYMBOLS within the text. Why do you
think these images are repeated? Why are they important to your comprehension of
the text? Try to jot down a word or two regarding the meaning in the margin.
10.
Highlight or underline and put an ARROW in the margin when you encounter KEY
TURNING POINTS in the PLOT. What has changed? Why have these things changed? In
what direction will the plot go from there? Try to make PREDICTIONS about what will
happen later on in the book as you read. Jot down some questions that you think still
need answering. How do you think these questions will be answered?
11.
CROSS REFERENCING:
(a)
On the inside cover of the book, make a “THEMES” heading and list the page
numbers of the passages you have marked as main ideas or themes.
(b)
Also on the inside cover of the book, make an “IMAGES/SYMBOLS” heading and
list the page numbers where you found these images/symbols.
(c)
On the inside of the back cover, make a “CHARACTERS” headings, and list the
page on which the character was first introduced, as well as all subsequent pages
of character description.