Honors English 10 Summer Reading Response Assignments

Welcome to the Honors English 10 program! You have chosen to commit to a level of work that reflects your best academic and creative efforts. In keeping with what will be expected of you next year, it is important that you thoughtfully and thoroughly approach the summer readings and assignments. It will be critical for you to manage your time, ideally revisiting your work on multiple occasions before you hand it in. Please read all three sections of the assignment outline carefully. Be sure to contact us if you have any questions concerning the reading. We expect you to arrive on the first day of school with the completed assignments, fully prepared to begin our work together.

**All Honors 10 Summer Reading Assignments will be due on the first day of school.

PART 1: Readings

J.D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye (novel)

The Catcher in the Ryeis a 1951novel that deals with multiple themes--- among them, teenage confusion, identity, alienation and belonging. The novel’s protagonist and antihero, Holden Caulfield, addresses the reader from a mental hospital in southern California and recounts the days following his expulsion from Pencey Prep, a private school, the previous December. The novel illustrates a teenager’s dramatic struggle against death and growing up.

Lorraine Hansberry: A Raisin in the Sun (play)

A Raisin in the Sun tells the story of the Youngers, an African American family, and their struggle to gain middle-class acceptance in a racist world. The setting is the South Side of Chicago during the1950s. When the play opens, the family is about to receive an insurance check for$10,000. Each of the adult members of the family has an idea as to what he or she would like to do with this money, and as the play progresses, we see what happens to the passions, dreams and hopes of its characters.

PART 2: Reading Response Journal

In order to become a thoughtful, reflective reader, you must actively engage with the text. As you read, ask questions. For example: How do the experiences of the characters resonate with my own experience? Why did the author choose this particular setting? Do the events in the story have connections to events in the real world?

Think about sections of the book that have a particular significance for you. Your task is to find at least seven quotes each for both the novel and the play. (A quote is any group of words taken directly from the text, not necessarily something a character says.) You will need to record the quote, the page number, and your response to why that quote was significant or how it affected your thinking about the reading. Below are some sentence starters you may use to jump-start your response:

I predict that…

I began to think of….

I love the way…

I can’t believe…

I wonder why…

I noticed…

I think…

If I were…

I’m not sure about…

My favorite character is… because…

I like/appreciate the way the author…

I felt sad when…

I wish that…

This made me think of…

I was surprised that/when…

It seems like….

I’m not sure…

This story teaches or shows…

I began to think of…

This made me realize…

Reading Response Journal Rubric (Criteria for Assessment)

Concepts / Level 4
Insightful / Level 3
Thoughtful / Level 2
Informed / Level 1
Judging
Language, Details, and Ideas / Responds to elements of style, selections of detail, matters of organization and characterization as well as complex ideas in the reading / Responds to subtle language, details, and ideas in the reading / Responds to more abstract language, details, and ideas in the reading / Responds to vocabulary, concrete details, and directly- stated ideas of key points in the reading
Purpose, Content, and Relationships / Makes insightful judgments about purpose, content, or relationships in the reading / Makes well-supported judgments about purpose, content, or relationships in the reading / Makes informed judgments about the purpose, content, or relationships among elements in the reading / Makes judgments about the purpose, content, or relationships in the reading
Understanding and Appreciation / Explores and integrates insightful understanding and appreciation of the reading / Explores and integrates a thoughtful understanding and appreciation of the reading / Explores and demonstrates personal understanding and appreciation of the reading / Explores the reading in the context of personal experience

PART 3: Comparing Themes in the Readings—RESPONSE ESSAY

One dictionary of literary terms defines theme as “the central idea or statement that unifies and controls an entire literary work.” Yet, understanding the themes in a work of fiction is not an easy task—theme is never presented directly, but must be discovered by the reader. It may help to think about themes as those truths about life and the behavior of human beings that are revealed as we read a story, poem, or play.

Here are some ways you might uncover themes in the readings: You might ask yourself, “How does the author feel about what it means to be human?” Look for patterns of ideas and symbols. Think about how the particular experiences of the characters might have connections to experiences everyone might face at one time or another.

Directions: Your task is to write an essay that compares the themes in both readings. You will need to formulate a claim about similarities in theme for both readings and then set out to support that claim. Make every effort to write an essay that is integrated as opposed to written in two parts. Use at least two quotes from each text to support your argument. Your essay must adhere to the requirements of the rubric and follow MLA format.

Comparing Themes— Essay Rubric (Criteria for Assessment)

Categories / Level 4
Above Expectations / Level 3
Meets Expectations / Level 2
Approaching Expectations / Level 1
Below Expectations
Argument / The argument makes an insightful statement about similarities between themes in both readings. / The argument makes a thoughtful statement about similarities between themes in both readings. / The argument makes a statement about similarities between themes in both readings. / The argument makes a vague or inconclusive statement about similarities between themes in both readings.
Supporting Examples / All of the examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each example supports the argument. Four or more direct quotations (with page numbers) are included to support the argument. / Most of the examples are specific, relevant and explanations are given that show how each example supports the author's argument. Three or four direct quotations (with page numbers) are used to support the argument. / At least one of the examples is relevant and has an explanation that shows how that example supports the author's argument. Only one direct quotation (with page numbers) is used to support the argument. / Examples are NOT relevant AND/OR are not explained. No direct quotations are used to support thesis.
Accuracy / All supportive examples are accurate according to the novel. / Almost all supportive examples are accurate according to the novel. / Most supportive examples are accurate according to the novel. / Most supportive examples were inaccurately reported.
Sequencing / Arguments and support are provided in a logical order that makes it easy and interesting to follow the author's train of thought. / Arguments and support are provided in a fairly logical order that makes it reasonably easy to follow the author's train of thought. / A few of the supporting details or arguments are not in an expected or logical order, distracting the reader and making the essay seem a little confusing. / Many of the supporting details or arguments are not in an expected or logical order, distracting the reader and making the essay seem very confusing.
Grammar & Spelling / Author makes no errors in grammar or spelling that would distract the reader from the content. / Author makes 1-2 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. / Author makes 3-4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content. / Author makes more than 4 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.
Capitalization & Punctuation / Author makes no errors in capitalization or punctuation, so the essay is exceptionally easy to read. / Author makes 1-2 errors in capitalization or punctuation, but the essay is still easy to read. / Author makes a few errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that interrupt the flow. / Author makes several errors in capitalization and/or punctuation that interrupt the flow.