Name______
10th Grade Honors
Summer Reading Assignment
We will be reading and writing a great deal next year, so we're going to get a jump on things by doing some reading over the summer. All of you should read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. You will need a copy of the book for the first couple of weeks of class as you will be completing a variety of assignments focusing on the novel.
Assignments:
1. Test and Research: On August 30th all students, whether you have honors in the fall or spring, will take a test on the novel this day. Please report to the HS Cafeteria at 7:45. DO NOT REPORT TO HR. The test will be from 7:45-8:25. Your research is due this day during flex.
2. Essay Test: You will complete an essay about the novel the first day of class in the fall OR the spring. You will be able to use the novel on the essay.
3. Essay and Creative Assignment: We will spend the first few weeks of school working on an essay and creative assignment that is related to the novel. You will be able to choose from a list of essay ideas and creative projects.
To prepare for these assignments:
I. When you return in the fall, you will be expected to have a keen understanding of the novel. To that end it is suggested that you come up with a good note-taking system that works for you. You may use post-it notes in the novel or a notebook for jotting down your thoughts and ideas.
The following are suggestions for notes:
passages that: seem important to you
describe an event you weren't expecting
are dramatic, surprising, or disturbing
reminds you of another novel or play
the language is particularly powerful
raise questions
challenges or expands your thinking
contain language you would like to emulate
describes a character's words or actions that captivated
or bothered you
Mark quotes/events that relate to the main themes of the novel (make sure you understand the themes!)
Mark aspects that develop the characterization of the main characters (you must be able to identify character’s names and descriptions)
Additionally, ensure that you understand and can analyze the main events, themes and characters from the novel.
II. Background Research- Graded Assignment- due August 30th
In order to better understand the significance of plot, character and setting in the novel it is important to do some research on Russian History.
Answer the questions listed below in your own words. Answers should be a minimum of one well-developed honors level paragraph- that is the minimum. For each question you should find resources, and synthesize the information from the resources into your own words. If you use any direct lines from the resources you will need parenthetical citation.
1. After each of your written responses, include the bibliographic entry for the source you used.
2. Use Easy Bib: http://www.easybib.com/ to help create your citations. A link is also located on the District’s IMC on- line resources web page to help correctly format the resource citation. The OWL /Purdue University website is an excellent additional resource to help you with MLA Format.
Wikipedia is not a valid resource.
Questions
1. How did the Bolsheviks come to power? What were the goals of the Bolshevik Movement?
2. What is a Gulag? Why were people put into Gulag’s? What punishments occurred in Gulag’s? What was daily life like for someone in a Gulag?
3. Who was Joseph Stalin? What role did Joseph Stalin play in Russian History?
4. Research communism in Russia. What were the main components of the movement that allowed the Gulag system to remain in place for so long?
5. When and how did the gulag Era end? What impact did this era have on the country or other parts of the world?
First Name, Last Name
Honors English Fall or Spring (write which one you have!)
Summer Reading Historical Background
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
6. Why was Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn imprisoned in a gulag? (There is no number 6 –this is just an example for how to format your 5 answers—note citations are expected after each questions to show what sources you analyzed to write your response).
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote a letter in which he criticized Joseph Stalin. He spent eight years in a prison camp followed by three years in enforced exile……
Citation
"Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 02 June 2014.
7.