Canfield High School Summer Reading
Canfield High School Summer Reading
English Department 2014-2015
Welcome to another year of Honors English! This year’s summer reading requirement is comprised of two parts: reading a memoir which every honors student must read from grades nine to twelve, and reading a fictional novel according to your grade level and/or teacher.
Nonfiction:
The Hard Way on Purpose: Essays and Dispatches from the Rust Belt
David Giffels
Available on Kindle ($9.73), Amazon ($12.09), Nook ($10.93), and Barnes & Noble ($12.21)
Synopsis: This memoir takes readers into the heart of a city that has overcome many obstacles: Akron. Aside from the obvious mention of Youngstown, Giffels captures love for a city in ways many cannot achieve, submerging you even deeper into the text.
Assignment: We have created sessions that relate to features in the novel. Upperclassmen sessions will take place the second week of school during a school day: Tuesday, September 9, 2014. These sessions will be located in downtown Youngstown and only open to eleventh and twelfth graders.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014:
· Session 1: “Beautify Youngstown”
Youngstown Cityscape’s executive director will educate you on the organization’s mission to improve the aesthetics of Youngstown and lead you throughout areas that have been beautified, giving you the opportunity to do the same. This will be offered from 12:45 to 2:45 P.M. with limited availability.
· Session 2: “Embracing Ruin”
This session highlights the repurposing of buildings in Youngstown. This will begin with a brief introduction followed by a guided tour of Youngstown. During this tour you will explore buildings and utilize photography to reflect on the preservation, restoration, and renovation of Youngstown. This will take place from 9-11A.M. There is limited space available for this session.
· Session 3: “Identity & Obligation”
This experience will enhance your understanding of industry, the rise and fall of it. After a guided tour throughout the YHCIL museum and archives, you will have a chance to reflect on Youngstown’s identity and by illustrating responses to the question, “What defines us?” This session will be offered during the morning (9-11A.M.) and afternoon (12:45-2:45P.M.). There is limited space available for these sessions.
We have chosen two more sessions located at Canfield High School for ninth and tenth grade honors students on Wednesday, September 10, and Thursday, September 11. Sophomores, you must attend at least one of the sessions below. However, these sessions are also open to eleventh and twelfth graders.
Wednesday, September 10, 2014:
“Movie Night” allows you to connect Ray Mancini’s Youngstown Still Standing to the novel. This PG-13 documentary will highlight areas of the novel while giving you time to reflect on the importance of what it means to live in a city. A Q&A session will take place. Open to all.
Thursday, September 11, 2014:
“All-Star” is the last session that will wrap up the week. This will include a presentation from a keynote speaker, followed by Q&A. Open to all.
Honors English 11
American Literature and Diversity
Summer Reading Assignments
Ms. McCreary
Room 116
Dear 11th Grade Scholar,
Welcome to Honors English 11! Your first assignment in Honors English 11 is summer reading. For this year’s summer reading assignment, you will read two literary works: The Hard Way on Purpose by David Giffels (nonfiction), and one fiction selection from the Honors English 11 Summer Reading List (see list below) The intent of this assignment is to create an opportunity for you to choose literary works which are of particular interest to you and to expand the number of literary works you will encounter; therefore, although there is value revisiting previously encountered literary works, a re-read of works you have already read is not acceptable for this assignment.
Fiction Selections: (Select One)
**Please note: students are encouraged to share selections with their parents as some of the texts contain mature content.
A Step from Heaven by An Na. An Na tells the story of a Korean family that immigrates to California in search of a better life, only to find that the American Dream is harder to achieve than they thought. Told through the eyes of Young Ju, who is a preschooler when the book begins and a young woman heading off to college by the time it ends, A Step from Heaven is a moving and sometimes painful tale about cultural differences, family dynamics, and the struggle to survive.
Fools Crow by James Welch. Fools Crow is a story of dreams, honor, loss and changes. It is a coming of age story that takes place amid hardships beyond anything the Pikunis (part of the Blackfeet tribe) have faced in the past due to the encroachment of the Napikwans (white man).
Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. Easy Rawlins, a tough World War II veteran and detective, is hired by a financier and gangster to locate Daphne Monet, a search that leads him from elegant boardrooms to the raucous jazz joints of late 1940s Los Angeles
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. The Book Thief is narrated by Death, who tells us the story of Liesel Meminger. Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist, books.
FICTION BOOK ASSIGNMENT: LITERARY SCRAPBOOK REQUIREMENTS
Directions: As one of the requirements for your summer reading you will be completing an ABC Literary Scrapbook. The ABC literary scrapbook will consist of twenty six entries (one entry per page, in alphabetical order) encouraging you to focus on different aspects of the FICTION BOOK from the provided list you choose to read. The entries listed below are self-explanatory, but are only a minimum requirement for what information should be included on each page. Your work will be assessed on quality of thought put into your entries, accuracy of information, and your effort to be creative. Before beginning this project please read CHS High School English Department Policy on Cheating and Plagiarism. You may utilize a spiral notebook, an actual scrapbook, a professional spiral bound portfolio (Kinko’s—approximately $3.00), a three ring binder, etc. to house your “scrapbook.” Please include a cover design with your name, book title, author, date, class (Honors English 11 Semester I or II), and teacher’s name (Ms. McCreary). This project is due the first day of class whether you are taking the course first or second semester! Enjoy the summer reading!
Entries:
“A”ntagonists (include information from fiction book)
“B”ooks (short summary of book)
“C”limax
“D”escription of main characters
“E”xposition
“F”igurative language (include one example of each of the following literary terms:
simile, metaphor, and hyperbole)
“G”ive an alternate ending
“H”eart to heart (write a one full page letter to a character of your choice giving them a piece of your mind, and place your letter
in an addressed envelope)
“I”llustrations (draw an illustration, that does not already exist, that could be placed on the cover of the
book)
“J”ustify why the book is a must read for all teens (in paragraph form and no
less than 10 sentences)
“K”now your book (provide ten questions worth asking for the book and include the answers to your ten
questions)
“L”essons learned (include at least three lessons you learned from the book)
“M”aking personal connections (explain two personal connections you were able to make with the
book)
“N”arration (the point of view in which the story is told)
“O”bituary (for a character of your choice from the book)
“P”rotagonist
“Q”uotes (two of your favorite quotes from the book and be sure to give the author credit by including the title and page
number in which you have borrowed this information.)
“R”esolution
“S”ensory details ( quote a descriptive passage that appeals to the senses. Be sure to give the
author credit by including the title and page number in which you have borrowed this information.)
“T”op five song list (choose a character from the book and create a top five song list that would be found on
their ipod. You must include the lyrics for each song choice and explain how this song applies to the character)
“U”ndercover mission (go on an undercover mission to reveal and write three facts about the author.)
“V”isiting your favorite character (what five questions would you ask, and explain your reasoning for each
question)
“W”hich of the three books (fiction choice, non-fiction choice, A Raisin in the Sun) would you least recommend to your peers?
(explain your choice in paragraph form and no less than 10 sentences)
“X”enophobia (tell which characters experience xenophobia in any of the three books)
“Y”ou get to create a page based on your own ideas! (kind of like a freebie, just be sure to
stick to the books)
“Z”inger (although some books have more than others, describe at least one zinger and explain why it was unexpected to you.)