JBMA Middle School Summer Assignment
Due: August 11th, 2014
For your Summer Assignment, you will be reading three books. Two books will be assigned by
me, and a 3rd will be your choice from a list of books. Each book will have its own assignment. Please
reference the Assignment Sheet for what is expected for each book.
First Book: The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
- With this book you will be analyzing what role the characters play in the story.
Second Book: Hoot by Carl Haissan
- This book assignment will deal with finding examples of imagery within the story that give the
reader a visualization of a person or place.
Third Book: Your choice from the following list (must be a book you have not read):
- Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
- The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling
- The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London
- Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
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In this assignment, you will be analyzing the importance of plot in the telling of a story.
Your summer assignment for the three books will be due on the day you return to school. Be sure to
prioritize your time so that you complete each assignment to the best of your ability. Your work must
be typed in 12 point Arial font with your name on each page. Make sure all of your work is stapled
together before you turn it in.
Assignment #1: The Andromeda Strain
The Andromeda Strain takes the reader on a journey through an extraterrestrial epidemic on
Earth. The characters play an important role in the solving of a bacterial mystery. As you read,
answer the following questions. You will be looking in depth at each character in the story. Make sure
you have a good idea of who each character is so that you can better answer the questions.
*Each question should be formatted as a 5-7 sentence paragraph. Use complete
sentences, and make sure that you have correct punctuation and spelling. Each answer you
give should fully answer all parts of the question.*
Questions:
1. Who are the main characters of the book? Who makes up the Wildfire Team? What does each
member specialize in, and why do you think an “alien disease” team would need experts in
those fields?
2. Give examples of how Crichton introduced these characters. How does he describe each
member of the team?
3. What is the “Odd Man Hypothesis”? Why is Hall chosen for this? What do you think is the
purpose of his role? How does he respond to it?
4. Why did the characters survive contamination from the Andromeda Strain? How do the
characters react to the contamination? Is this what you expected out of the team who has been
studying it? Why or why not?
5. Overall, how do the characters influence the story? Would the story be the same if it had been
told using different characters? Why or why not?
Assignment #2: Hoot
This book will explore a boy named Roy as he embarks on a journey to save a colony of owls
from a construction company. Throughout the book there are multiple examples of imagery. Imagery
is defined as the following:
Imagery, in a literary text, is an author's use of vivid and descriptive language to add
depth to his or her work. It appeals to human senses to deepen the reader's understanding of
the work.
For your assignment, you will be finding 8 examples of imagery throughout the book. Each example
you give should be put into quotations with the page number following it. All 8 quotes should be
formatted, as well as explained in your own words. Each quote should have a 2-3 sentence
explanation of how it shows imagery.
It should look like this:
“Here is your quote, and it should look like this” (pg. 4). (With your explanation to follow)
A good example of imagery in Hoot can be found on page 4 where it says:
“Officer Delinko was met by a man in a dark blue pick-up truck. The man, who
was as bald as a beach ball, introduced himself as Curly.”
Please be sure to find clear examples of imagery that appeal to the reader’s five senses. There are
hundreds of great examples in the book. The 8 you choose should be good examples of imagery.
Assignment #3: Book of your choice
For this assignment, you will be reading a book from the following list:
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Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling
The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Each of these books provides a strong plot that tells a story. You will need to analyze the plot of the
book you choose according to the following elements of plot. For each Plot element, you need to
provide a description of where this happens in the book and what each element entails. Each element
should have a 3-4 sentence answer.
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Introduction (Exposition)
The beginning of the story where the characters and the setting is
revealed.
Rising Action
This is where the events in the story become complicated and the
conflict in the story is revealed (events between the introduction and
climax).
Climax
This is the highest point of interest and the turning point of the story.
The reader wonders what will happen next; will the conflict be resolved
or not?
Falling action
The events and complications begin to resolve themselves. The reader
knows what has happened next and if the conflict was resolved or not
(events between climax and resolution).
Resolution (Denouement)
The part of the plot that concludes the falling action by revealing or
suggesting the outcome of the conflict.