Pre-AP English II Summer Assignment 2013-2014
Mrs. Rasmussen/Room 234
All portions of this assignment are required and must be completed by Monday, August 26th.
PART A: Communications Setup
1. G-MAIL: You must set up a Google G-mail account. Make sure that your last name is included in your e-mail address. If you have an existing g-mail account that does not contain your last name, any e-mail you send to me must contain your name in the subject of the e-mail.
2. TWITTER: If you would like assignment reminders, you may follow me on Twitter. Username – MrsRasmussen10
3. EDMODO: Go to edmodo.com and register using your G-mail account and a password you can REMEMBER. Once you type in your email and password, you will need to enter the group code: pqcldm
PART B: Reading Assignment
1. You must read the novel Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton. You may purchase your own copy (as I suggest) or you may check out a book from me in room 234 before the last day of school. You must also read the Introduction, Chapter 10, 12, 19, 20, 23, and 24 of How To Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster to help you with your annotation. You will find the link on my website.
2. You must purchase a package of 3x3, colored Post-It notes. The colors needed are pastel pink, green, blue, and yellow. You must locate FIVE examples of each of the following literary elements using the corresponding color listed below:
Pink- symbol
Yellow- character
Blue- thematic patterns
Green- setting
3. Mark the place in the novel with the post-it note, allowing a bit of the post-it to hang outside the text.
4. For each example you must write the quote/text evidence AND commentary (explained below)
Symbol- show how something concrete conveys an abstract concept
Character- show how a character’s thoughts, words, or actions reveal a specific character trait (direct) or use what other characters say (indirect)
Thematic Patterns- show how recurring patterns of abstract concepts (listed below) illustrate a theme in the novel
Setting- show how the setting shapes/influences a character
Abstract Concepts in Ethan Frome: isolation, jealousy, death, desire, loneliness
Example Post-It: (you may not use this as your own)
Identify the symbol- red scarf
Text Evidence- “Frome’s heart was beating fast. He had been straining for a glimpse of the dark head under the cherry-coloured scarf and it vexed him that another eye should have been quicker than his.”
Commentary- Mattie Silver wears the color red many times throughout the novel. She is full of life and vivacity because she has not been trapped in Starkfield her entire life. Mattie represents passion and love which Ethan is immediately drawn to when he meets her for the first time because he lacks passion in his own life.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You will complete a timed writing literary analysis essay during the first week of school in which you will write about the novel Ethan Frome. Therefore, it is extremely important that you read the book and complete your post-it note annotations.
PART C: Course Terminology
1. Attached is a list of terms of which you will need to have a working knowledge.
2. You will need to purchase index cards (3” x 5”) and make a flashcard for each term in all groups.
3. Each flashcard should contain the term on one side and the definition and an example on the other. Only terms with an asterisk (*) require an example. Example below:
Side One Side Two
If you have any questions, you may contact me through e-mail at , tweet me, or send me a message through Edmodo. Videos and other helpful material such as notes about the assigned novel can be found under the Summer Assignment tab on my website http://www.wfisd.net//Domain/538