Eleventh Grade Summer Reading Packet

Interboro High School

Eleventh Grade Summer Reading Packet

Please bring this completed packet to English class on Friday, September 9.

Dear Parent or Guardian:

Please read through the enclosed summer reading requirements for your student to complete this summer. The purpose of this activity is to encourage our students to read for enjoyment while maintaining essential literacy skills that we have covered throughout the school year. Use the space below to write down the title of the book that your student chose to read this summer, and then sign the bottom of this page after the reading is completed. Please refer to the instructions on the back of this page for more details. Thank you for your help and support with this important activity!

______

I understand that my child must read one book this summer (Honors students will be reading a book from this list and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain) in order to receive full credit on his or her summer reading grade. I have read the enclosed summer reading requirements, and my child has read the following title for summer reading this year:

Student’s Name: ______

Book Choice: ______

Parent/Guardian Signature: ______

1. Students will choose one book from the provided list and complete the included reading log for the book that he or she selects. Summaries are included to help you make a decision on which book would be best for your student. **Honors students will also be reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain in addition to their choice from this list. A log will only be completed for the choice from this packet. Assessment for The Adventures of Tom Sawyer will be discussed on the first day of school.**

2. Students will choose one writing activity from the enclosed packet.

3. In addition to the above, students will complete an in-class assessment on the book of their choice on Friday, September 9.

4. Fill in the front page of this reading packet, including the parent or guardian signature as proof of completion. All summer reading activities are part of the first marking period English grade.

Eleventh Grade Book Choices

Ordinary People by Judith Guest

Tormented by guilt following the death of his older brother, Buck, in a sailing accident, alienated teenager Conrad Jarrett attempts suicide. Returning home following an extended stay in a psychiatric hospital, Conrad tries to deal with his mental anguish and also reconnect with his mother, Beth, who has grown cold and angry, and his emotionally wounded father, Calvin, with the help of his psychiatrist, Dr. Berger.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

In 1960s Mississippi, Southern society girl Skeeter returns from college with dreams of being a writer. She turns her small town on its ear by choosing to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent white families. Only Aibileen, the housekeeper of Skeeter's best friend, will talk at first. But as the pair continue the collaboration, more women decide to come forward, and as it turns out, they have quite a lot to say.

Shoeless Joe by W. P. Kinsella

When Iowa farmer Ray hears a mysterious voice one night in his cornfield saying "If you build it, he will come," he feels the need to act. Despite taunts of lunacy, Ray builds a baseball diamond on his land, supported by his wife, Annie. Afterward, the ghosts of great players start emerging from the crops to play ball, led by "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. But, as Ray learns, this field of dreams is about much more than bringing former baseball greats out to play.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Whether forming a pirate gang to search for buried treasure or spending a quiet time at home, sharing his medicine with Aunt Polly's cat, the irrepressible Tom Sawyer evokes the world of boyhood in nineteenth century rural America. In this classic story, Mark Twain re-created a long-ago world of freshly whitewashed fences and Sunday school picnics into which sordid characters and violent incidents sometimes intruded. The tale powerfully appeals to both adult and young imaginations. Readers explore this memorable setting with a slyly humorous born storyteller as their guide.

Name______Book: ______

Writing Activity

Choose ONE of the following writing activities to complete on the following page. It must be one page in length. You may attach additional pieces of paper if needed.

1. If you were the author of this book, what would you change in the story? Write about a change you would make to this book and how this change would improve the story for the reader.

2. Write a journal entry from the viewpoint of one of the book’s characters. In your entry, explain a problem or conflict that you encountered and how it was resolved.

3. What do you think happens to the main character of your book in the future? Write a letter from the main character to a friend explaining what he or she has done with his or her life since the events of the novel took place.

4. Turn the events of this book into a song or poem. Summarize the main events and ideas of the book in the lyrics.

Writing Activity

I am answering choice # _____.