Denton ISD Pre-AP English 1 Summer Reading 2012
Hello Future High Schooler,
Your choice to enroll in English I - Pre-Advanced Placement indicates your dedication to your education.
English I Pre-AP asks more of your brain as well as your time, beginning this summer.
Here’s the lowdown on your summer reading:
 The following assignments are designed to keep you reading and interacting with literature in ways that
will benefit you now and throughout the year.
 These assignments will show where you are in terms of your reading awareness.
 These assignments will be due on the second day of school, so don’t wait too late in the summer to
begin.
 These assignments are to be hand written in a spiral notebook. Both assignments should be done
in the same spiral notebook.
 I strongly advise that you buy a copy of each book (used copies are fine) so that you can make notes,
comments, and ask questions on the page. Bring your copies of the books to school with you starting
on the first day.
Reading Assignment One:
Heroes, Gods, and Monsters by Bernard Evslin (ISBN #978-0-553-25920-9)
In a spiral notebook:
1. Create a list of the eleven major gods and goddesses, as covered in “The Gods” section of the
book. Write a three-word description of each. REMEMBER, you can only use three words, so
choose words that are as descriptive as possible.
2. Do the same three-word description exercise for each of the Demigods.
3. Make sure to read the rest of the book.
Reading Assignment Two:
1. Choose ONE of the following novels:
a. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (ISBN # 978-0-446-31078-9)
b. The Book Thief by Mark Zusak (ISBN # 978-0-375-84220-7)
c. The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas, translated by Lowell Blair (ISBN # 0-553-21350-4)
2. For this novel, keep a reader-response journal as you read in your spiral notebook (the same one that
you used for Heroes, Gods, and Monsters):
a. Title your journal the name of your chosen novel.
b. READ THE FIRST 50 PAGES OF THE NOVEL BEFORE STARTING YOUR READERRESPONSE JOURNAL.
c. Draw a line down the middle of the page.
d. Left side: put page number in margin and copy meaningful passages from the book – perhaps
a bit of dialogue, a description, or a character's thought(s). REMEMBER: You will have no
passages from the first 50 pages of the novel.
e. Right side: write your response to the quotation – Why did you choose it? Did it puzzle or
confuse you? Remind you of something? What does it mean to you?
i. If you choose to comment on a personal experience, be sure to connect it to what
is happening in the story at that point so I see your reaction to and understanding
of the novel.
ii. REALIZE: these entries are NOT a summary or paraphrasing of your reading – it is
your RESPONSE to the passage. Journals that only summarize the story will be
unacceptable.
iii. A good, thoughtful, developed response is no less than 5 sentences. Seriously, I
count sentences!
Example of a reader-response journal entry (this is not from any of your novel choices):
Passage
Response
"Charles Halloway suppressed a sudden urge
I feel kind of sad for Will’s dad. He
to run with them, make the pack. He knew
wants to be a kid still, but he’s gotten
what the wind was doing to them, where it was
too old. The “secret places” makes me
taking them, to all the secret places that were
think of the shed at my grand parents’
never so secret again in life.” P.17
farm where my cousins and I used to
play, but don’t go any more because we’re too
big. Is that how Charles feels? I hope his
character gets to be part of the adventure, or
I’m going to be pretty upset.


Your journal for the novel should have at least 10 responses from throughout the book, so pace
yourself!
Do not wait until you finish the novel to write your responses. The responses should reflect what
you are thinking as you read the novel, not what you think when you are finished, so try to stop at the
ends of chapters to go back and write. That’ll help you keep up with what’s happening but still allow you
to share what you are thinking as you go.
Final Note: Plagiarism
You are required to read each assigned work carefully, thoughtfully, and entirely by the assigned due
date. Plagiarism, whether from commercially prepared notes, the Internet, or another student's work, falls
under the heading of cheating. Cheating will result in a zero on the assignment and notification of parents.
And yes, even if you change the wording of the material you obtain, it is still plagiarism. I will clearly
state if an assignment requires outside research. Otherwise, the work assigned in this class should be your
honest and diligent response to the text(s). “Cheat sites” such as sparknotes.com and gradesaver.com are
never to be used for this class for any reason.
Please email your anticipated English 1 Pre-AP teacher if you have any questions regarding the assignments.
We look forward to a year of challenges, successes, surprises, and satisfying growth!
Your Friendly Pre-AP Teachers,
Chris Puente – Denton High School
cpuente@dentonisd.org
Shawn Zeigler – Ryan High School
szeigler@dentonisd.org
Shanna Stovall – Guyer High School
sstovall@dentonisd.org
Amanda Goss – Guyer High School
agoss@dentonisd.org