10th Honors Summer Reading Assignment 2012

Assignment

Read and annotateeach of the following works, paying attention to structure, style, and themes, as well as character development, setting, symbol and motif, irony, tone, repetitive elements, etc. Note aspects throughout the work that you find significant. It is preferred that you read How to Read Literature Like a Professor first as it will allow you to interpret stylistic elements in A Thousand Splendid Suns more easily. If you are able to purchase your own personal copy of these works, make notes throughout. If you are borrowing a book from the library, use sticky notes to mark significant passages, vocabulary, etc. and plan to retain the library copy through the first couple of weeks of the semester.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

Annotations will be assessed; the deadline for having the books read and annotated is the first day of fall semester. Registering for this course indicates a commitment on the student’s part to follow through with course assignments. A failure to complete summer reading assignments is not a valid reason to request a schedule change at the beginning of fall semester.

Annotating

In order to develop a deeper appreciation for a text we are reading, it is important to read critically. Annotating the text while you are reading is an important step in developing as a critical reader. You are moving beyond assessing a work for plot and characters; you are now delving deeper into the text to find passages, images, words, figurative language, symbols, and themes. Critical reading allows you to havea personal conversation with the text.

What is the most important is that you develop a system of annotation that makes sense to YOU. Overall, your goal is to be able to find passages, words, and images that bring a greater depth to the novel and observe the patterns within the novel for deeper interpretation. Having an organized system allows you to find these areas faster and will help you when you are analyzing the material.

Here are some suggestions on how to annotate a novel:

  1. Inside Front Cover: list of characters with descriptions
  2. Inside Back Cover: list of key themes, images, colors, symbols, etc. You will want to record page numbers here so you can find examples faster.
  3. Top Margin of the Page: quick plot detail that summarizes page
  4. Bottom/Side Margins of Page: Interpretative notes, questions you have about the text. Here are some things to consider as you are reading:
  5. This reminds me of ____ from How to Read Literature Like a Professor
  6. This is important because…
  7. I noticed that...
  8. I wonder about...
  9. Why does...
  10. This reminds me of...
  11. A question I have is...
  12. This character reminds me of myself because...
  13. A phrase or line I like is...because...
  14. The setting seems to be... or The setting is important because...
  15. Circle new and unfamiliar words. Define the word and write a brief definition into the margin close to the word.
  16. Once you discover the theme, track passages that relate to the theme.
  17. When you see a word or idea that becomes repetitive, highlight it and make observations to determine how that pattern might contribute to the novel
  18. Underline passages you think are important to the theme of the novel or character development.
  19. Bracket any passages that are too long to underline, but are still important to the theme of the novel or character development.