Summer 2016
Class:8th Grade Pre-AP English
One (1) book is required for Summer Reading 2016: The Giverby Lois Lowry.You may order a copy from Books-A-Million, Amazon, etc. You must have the book with you on the first day of class. It is expected that you have a physical copy of the book rather than a digital copy(this goes for all books throughout the year), as we will be annotating selections of all books as the year progresses.
Summer Reading Assignment Outline
• For the novel listed, you must complete five literary, or lit., glossaries. A sample lit. glossary is provided below. You may replace “imagery” in the example with any other form of figurative language found in the text and change your definitions, example, and explanation accordingly.
• As you read, you should begin to underline, highlight, and write thoughts you have about the events of the book in the margins. Yes, that’s right, write in your book. This is something you will begin to do as you continue through the high school, and will begin getting used to, starting this year.
• At the end of this packet, you will see literary critique questions. Contrary to the 11th and 12th grade summer work (for those of you with older siblings), these questions AREan assignment for 7th and 8th grade which is to be turned in for credit. They work as a guideline for you to follow as you are reading the text. You should complete these questions as you read to help you understand the novel. These questions will be similar to questions you will see when we return to school. These are to be completed on an additional typed document.
On the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL you should have:
1. Five (5)typed lit glossaries (see format on next page)
2. One physical copy of the novel (digital copies will not be accepted)
3. Typed copy of literary critique questions and answers.
The English teachers will be available during the summer via email for any questions that might arise. Please be patient when waiting for a reply. We will do our best to check our emails regularly and reply to your questions as quickly as possible. Do not wait until the week before school to begin your assignments. This will not allow you enough time to analyze the text properly.
Molly Williams
7th and 8th grade English
Jr. High Literary Glossary Guidelines
Name
Date
Class
Lit. Glossary 1
Imagery Definition:“to use figurative language to represent objects, actions and ideas in such a way that it appeals to our physical senses”(Imagery, 2013).
Example:“Still patting rhythmically, Jonas began to remember the wonderful sail that the Giver had given him not long before: a bright, breezy day on a clear turquoise lake, and above him the white sail of the boat billowing as he moved along in the brisk wind” (Lowry, 76-77)
Function: In this excerpt, Jonas is describing the sail from the memory that he had illegally given to Gabriel in order to calm him down at night. The calm and image of the sailboat at sea brings peace to the crying baby. This is one of the many positive results which could come from Jonas’s community being able to see color and feel emotion.
Works Cited
"Imagery - Examples and Definition of Imagery." Literary Devices. 2013. Web. 07 Apr. 2016.
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Print.
To avoid plagiarism, or the grown-up form of copying/cheating (from which you can get in serious legal trouble), we must always make a point to use citations when borrowing information from a book, play, or other text. Use to assist you with proper MLA citation. Simply click where it says MLA, type in the full title of the work, and get hit “search books”. The appropriate MLA citation should come up, then copy and paste the information directly onto your document. Make sure that all titles that are included in your MLA citations are punctuated correctly (sometimes the formatting will not copy and paste correctly).
Literary Critique Questions
Directions:The following questions will help you during the reading of your novels. Look at and answer these while you are reading to further assist you. These are a good representation of the types of questions you will see on further assessments. Please copy the questions and answer them on an additional TYPED document.
- Explain the title. In what ways does it fit the story?
2. Who is the single main character about whom the story centers?
3. What sort of conflict is in the story?
4. How is the conflict resolved?
5. How does the author create the characters and let us know different information about them? (be sure to list which character for each your answers)
a. by description?
b. conversation of the characters?
c. actions of the characters?
6. Who tells the story? What point of view is used?
a. first person? - Narrator mostly uses pronouns like “I”, “me”, “we”
b. second person? - Narrator mostly uses pronouns like “you” and addresses the audience directly
c. third person? - Narrator mostly uses pronouns like “he”, “she”, “they”
7. Where does the most of the action take place?
8. What is the time setting for the story?
9. How much time does the story cover? (a few minutes? a lifetime? a season? etc.)
10. What is the first event of the story that has to happen for the rest of the novel to take place? (it can take place right before the story begins)
11. What is the highest point of action in the story?
12. Is this story realistic or true to life? Explain your answer by giving 2 examples.
13. Did you identify with any of the characters?
14. Was there a villain in the story? a hero?
Focused on Success