Name: ______

Mrs. Abrams – South Iredell High School

Sophomore Summer Reading Assignment

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

This novel addresses a variety of complex themes through its multiple characters and varied storylines. Below is a list of themes you are likely to encounter as you read. Some may be of more interest to you than others, but our class as a whole will likely cover a fair representation of all themes throughout discussion. These themes include but are not limited to:

Name: ______

Mrs. Abrams – South Iredell High School

Sophomore Summer Reading Assignment

  • Cultural Identity
  • Depression and Grief
  • Education
  • Endurance and Survival
  • Equivocation (concealing the truth)
  • Faith and Spirituality
  • Family
  • Forgiveness
  • Gender Roles
  • Guilt and Blame
  • Isolation
  • Justice
  • Loss of Innocence
  • Moral Dilemmas
  • Systems of Government
  • Other (must be specific)

Name: ______

Mrs. Abrams – South Iredell High School

Sophomore Summer Reading Assignment

Directions:

  • As you read the novel, annotate the points of most interest to you, either by underlining, bracketing off text, highlighting, etc.
  • Since the novel is divided into four (4) parts, you are to take a reading break at the end of each part to do the following brief formative exercise. You will need 20 4”X6” note cards for this assessment, and when you submit the note cards, you will also accompany them with the rubric below.
  • At the end of each Part, review the brief annotations you have made. Decide on the top five (5) most important annotations for each Part of the novel. You will complete twenty (20) cards.
  • On each note card, write Your Name in the upper right-hand corner. In the upper left-hand corner, write the Part of the novel and the theme(s) addressed in the quotation you are choosing. Example: Part Two: Education, Gender Roles, Systems of Government
  • On each note card, write the direct citation using proper M.L.A. format with the author’s name and page number. Remember to use single quotations within double quotations if you are citing a character speaking in the text. Example: Hakim tells Laila that “ ‘Marriage can wait, education cannot’ ” (Hosseini 114).
  • Following the quotation or paraphrase, write how and why you believe that the theme or themes you have chosen are applicable. Example: Hakim’s advice to Laila is not just about the importance of education, but also about how her education will be the only asset she has in her ever-changing society. Hakim would like his daughter to be well educated, even under a system of government he does not support, communism. Other fathers in Kabul do not have such ambitious goals for their daughters.

Rubric for Note Cards:

Requirement: / A / B / C / D / F
Alignment of textual examples with themes. / The student has matched all textual examples with the most relevant theme or themes, articulating a new theme if necessary. / The student has matched textual examples with applicable theme or themes, but others might apply. / In some cases, the student’s textual examples are not thematically relevant. Further clarity is needed. / In many cases, the student’s textual examples are not thematically relevant. Much more clarity is needed. / The student’s textual examples are not thematically relevant, and there is little evidence of reflection.
Commentary on chosen examples from the text. / Student commentaries extend upon the meaning of the original textual examples and explain their deeper meaning. / Student commentaries explain the meaning of the original textual examples. / Student commentaries summarize the basic meaning of the original textual examples. / Student commentaries are redundant and restate or paraphrase the original textual examples. / Student commentaries are not evident or repetitive of other commentaries on other note cards.
Formatting of note cards (Name, M.L.A., format, part labels, theme labels, textual examples, commentary) / All note cards are formatted as directed on the assignment sheet. / Most note cards are formatted as directed on the assignment sheet, with one or two exceptions. / Several note cards (three or more) are NOT formatted as directed on the assignment sheet. / Most note cards are NOT formatted as directed on the assignment sheet. / All note cards are NOT formatted as directed on the assignment sheet.
Completion of note cards / All 20 cards are completed. / 18-19 cards are completed. / 16-17 cards are completed. / 14-15 cards are completed. / 0-13 cards are completed.

Final grade and comments:

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Directions: While your assignment for A Thousand Splendid Suns is going to require hand-written note cards, this assignment should be word-processed and printed. For the purposes of your summer reading assignment, you will only be reading two (2) chapters from Gladwell’s book. Nonetheless, we will be using the book throughout your high school career in the IB programme, so once we have completed these two chapters, be sure to keep your copy of The Tipping Point in a secure location.

  • Read Chapter Four, “The Power of Context (Part One): Bernie Goetz and the Rise and Fall of New York City Crime.” As you read, identify the specific argument that Gladwell makes about context. As you read, annotate at least five specific examples within the chapter that support Gladwell’s overall argument. Then, make a list of five different contextual factors in your own life that make a difference in how you view the world. Explain how and why their context has a power.
  • Read Chapter Seven, “Case Study: Suicide, Smoking, and the Search for the Unsticky Cigarette.” In this chapter, Gladwell’s discussion of two detrimental epidemics differs from his other analyses of epidemics in the rest of his book. How and why does Gladwell compare the Micronesian teen suicide epidemic with the Western epidemic of teen smoking? How are they alike, and how are they different? As you read, annotate three specific examples related to the Micronesian teen suicides and three specific examples related to teen smoking in the West. Explain how the examples correspond to each other in a “123 Essay” (an essay of exactly 123 words, 1 to 2 paragraphs) indicating what the comparison reveals about human nature. Use three of your examples in your essay and use M.L.A. internal citation format.

Rubric for notes on The Tipping Point

A / B / C / D / E
Chapter Four: Literature to life comparisons / Offers five relevant contextual scenarios from life. Explains how and why their context has meaning and power. Extends upon the initial assigned reading by personalizing the material in a meaningful way. / Offers five relevant contextual scenarios from life. Explains how and why their context has meaning and power. Uses the initial assigned reading to organize material in a meaningful way. / Offers some relevant contextual scenarios from life, but one or two might be generic. Explains how and why their context has meaning and power. Reflection on initial assigned reading somewhat evident. / Offers generic scenarios from life. Reflection on initial assigned reading is vague. / Offers generic scenarios from life. Reflection on initial assigned reading is vague.
Chapter Seven: 123 Essay / Asserts what message Gladwell conveys about human nature by comparing Micronesian suicides to teen smoking. Incorporates three relevant and focused examples from the chapter, using precise M.L.A. internal citation format. Essay is exactly 123 words. / Indicates what message Gladwell conveys about human nature by comparing Micronesian suicides to teen smoking. Incorporates three relevant examples from the chapter, using precise M.L.A. internal citation format. Essay is exactly 123 words. / Suggests what message Gladwell conveys about human nature by comparing Micronesian suicides to teen smoking. Incorporates three basic examples from the chapter. One error in M.L.A. format or word count is evident. / Vague on what message Gladwell conveys about human nature by comparing Micronesian suicides to teen smoking. Incorporates examples from the chapter. More than one error in M.L.A. format or word count is evident. / Lack of focus on what message Gladwell conveys about human nature by comparing Micronesian suicides to teen smoking. Incorporates poor examples from the chapter. More than two errors in M.L.A. format or word count are evident.
Final Grade and Comments: