Sophomore Honors Summer Reading Assignment

Sophomore Honors Summer Reading Assignment

Welcome to the Sophomore Honors English program. The honors program is a rigorous course that includes analysis of literature, focusing on close reading and analytical writing, as well as studies of standard written English. We hope you will be encouraged to think independently and develop a deeper appreciation of the power of language not only in well-respected literature but also in your own writing. Since this program is demanding and selective, it is important that you understand the commitment and responsibility you are agreeing to by being in this class. The most successful students in honors are those who are highly motivated, self-directed lovers of literature and the English language. The ability to be flexible with working alone or in groups, a willingness to participate in whole-class discussion, and attention to details and deadlines are essential.

With that in mind, here is our first opportunity to show you’ve got “the right stuff” – the summer assignment! ENJOY!

Required Novel: Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens

Yes, it is long. Yes, it is old. But it is not the length or age that make is a classic; it is the fact that so many people have read it and loved it. Great Expectations can be described as both a bildungsroman and a moral fairy tale. Bildungsroman is a German word meaning “novel of education.” Such a novel depicts the education or spiritual growth of the main character, who undergoes moral crises. He encounters various characters representing different attitudes toward life along the way. The moral crises that the orphan Pip faces in Great Expectations are the result of his divided loyalties. On one hand, Pip feels loyal to his childhood guardian, Joe, who represents simple working-class values. On the other hand, Pip is drawn in by the genteel upper-class values represented by the eccentric but wealthy Miss Havisham and the lovely Estella. How Pip resolves the conflict between these opposing influences is the central focus of the novel. In the background is the dramatic landscape of early 19th century England, where Pip travels from the mist-enshrouded marshes of his early days to the bustling, prosperous city of London. Follow Pip on his life’s journey from childhood to adulthood as he experiences spiritual growth and realizes what truly matters.

Tip: Don’t wait until right before the beginning of school because the language will require you to slow down and digest what you read. By the way…you will be tested on the novel when you return from summer vacation!

REQUIRED WORK, PART I: VOCABULARY JOURNAL (due the first day of school)

One of the novel’s many challenges is vocabulary. Great Expectations was written for an educated audience who enjoyed reading as a form of entertainment. In addition to your thirty, well-developed, reflective dialectical journal responses (see below), you are to select a minimum of thirty challenging vocabulary words from the novel. Record your vocabulary list using the guidelines below.

v  Copy the sentence from the text that includes the challenging word. Underline the word and include the page you found it on.

Example: My sister had a trenchant way of cutting our bread-and-butter for us, that never varied.” (8)

v  Look up the word and choose the definition and part of speech that best fit the context clues of the sentence. DO NOT just write down the first definition and don’t write he definition down verbatim if you don’t understand what the dictionary is telling you (try to put it in your own words). The key to learning new vocabulary is learning how to use it properly!

Example: Trenchant – (adj.) Forceful, incisive.

v  Write an original sentence using the word that incorporates the plot detail. Your new sentence must build I context clues that illustrate you understanding of the word.

Example: Joe did not have a trenchant manner; his approach was quite gentle and mild. (Note that the adjectives gentle and mild accurately describe Joe and serve context clues in this sentence because they are the opposite of Mrs. Joe, who is forceful and incisive.)

REQUIRED WORK, PART II: DIALECTICAL READING JOURNAL (due the first day of school; you will be required to submit to turnitin.com after meeting with your teacher)

To ensure a more careful reading and better understanding of the novel, you are required to maintain a reading response or dialectical journal where you will interact with the ideas in your reading. Be warned: this is not a plot journal, nor should you entries be retelling what happened. Though you are not required to keep notes on the simple facts of the story, we strongly advise that you do so. This is a long novel, and it is going to be hard for all but those with photographic memories to recall everything at the end of the summer.

Great Expectations is divided into three “stages,” corresponding to the stages of Pip’s journey from childhood to adulthood. Each stage contains twenty chapters. You must make at least ten entries for each stage. A sample dialectical journal from Of Mice and Men and scoring rubric (back page) are provided to guide you.

With that said, here are the details. Your notes will be is two parts, best arranged in two vertical columns on your paper. These should be neatly handwritten or typed. The left column is considered note taking. Here you will copy down passages (including chapter and page numbers) from the text that you find significant in some ways. Consider choosing passages that:

v  Reveal insights about people or life

v  Create a strong visual image or impression

v  Seem to symbolize something

v  You find interesting, meaningful, or confusing in some way

The second step is commentary, where you record your responses, reactions, or unresolved questions for each passage you chose. Consider the following ways to create a dialogue with the literature:

v  Explain why you chose that particular passage

v  Discuss the words, ideas, or actions

v  Write about what it makes you think or feel

v  Argue with or speak to the character or author

v  Discuss stylistic issues such as the author’s choice of words, sentence construction, or plot design.

To help you choose passages, here are some questions to keep in mind as you read. The passages that relate to these questions would be good choices for your dialectical journal. Look for passages that represent bigger ideas/themes of the novel. The journal will be a valuable resource for the essay you will write.

v  Does wealth bring a person happiness? Does wealth make someone a better person than someone who is poor?

v  What makes a person a gentleman or a lady?

v  How can people rid themselves of guilt for wrongdoing?

v  Are society’s laws and institutions humane and just?

v  In what ways can appearances misrepresent reality?

v  When does the Desire for justice become self-destructive?

v  What is true love? What is true friendship?

SUGGESTIONS FOR SUCCESS:

You will write your first essay on this novel; therefore, a thoughtful journal will prove quite useful. Select quotes with integrity (those that show you gave actual thought to your selection); also, take notes as necessary for you to remember who is who, etc. Quality noted and journal will be helpful.

TIPS FOR UNDERSTANDIG DICKENS:

WORDS: Dickens was a smart guy, and he sported a large vocabulary. This presents a problem for those of us who are used to simple, economical language.

1.  Check the glossary I the back. It explains many of the references and the dialect.

2.  Read with a dictionary next to you. Try to determine the meaning from context first, but always look up the words that are too difficult or antiquated for comprehension.

3.  Be aware of words or descriptions used sarcastically or with an ironic tone. Sometimes Dickens poked fun at the characters by using complimentary words when he really dislikes them, or by understanding or exaggerating. Keep an eye out for his dry humor and remember that not everything is meant to be taken literally.

SENTENCES: Another aspect of Dickens’ writing that makes him difficult to follow sometimes is his complicated syntax (arrangement of words in his sentences). He tends to add phrases that describe or give more information about the basic subject of the sentence separating them with commas. For example:

“ All of this time I as getting on towards the river; but however fast I went, I couldn’t warm my feet to which the damp cold seemed riveted, as the iron was riveted to the leg of the man I was running to meet.”

1.  Start by finding the basic subject of the sentence. Usually this is early in the sentence and has an action of some kind connected to it. If you are not sure what part is the subject, check all the phrases to see if they have pronouns that stand for someone or something already mentioned in the sentence. The phrase where the person or thing was first mentioned usually is the subject.

2.  Once you have found the subject, you can look at the other parts as additional information, and it may help to organize all the thought being expressed in the sentence.

3.  Also, try reading difficult sentences aloud. Sometimes hearing the rhythm, intonation, and varied emphasis of the words out loud helps make the meaning clearer.

Above all have patience. The rhythm and imagery of Dickens’ language are contagious if you give them a chance.

SAMPLE DIALECTICAL JOURNAL FROM OF MICE AND MEN

NOTE-TAKING NOTE-MAKING/COMMENTARY

(selected passages) (responses to selected paragraphs)

1.  “A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas, River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight…” (1)

2.  “ the first man was small and quick, dark of face,with restless eyes and sharp, strong features… Behind him walked his opposite, a huge man, shapeless of face… and he walked heavily, dragging his feet alittle, the way a bear drags his paws” (2).

3.  “You cant keep a good job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time. An’ that aint the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out.” (12)

4.  “Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. I just like to know what you interest it.” (25)

1.  The setting sounds like the Garden of Eden or paradise that is beautiful and inviting. I pass this town off highway 101 in route to San Luis Obispo. The area must have been more farmland when Steinbeck created the scene. The description reminds me of my favorite campground in Big Basin.

2.  These two companions must be quite different. It seems like the first man is the more intelligent leader of the two. The second man’s comparison to a bear makes me think he is strong. I wonder if these two guys are related.

3.  I was right! The small guy, George, is the leader of the two and seems to resent his role of caretaker. The conflict is introduced here. They seem to be on the run because of something Lennie has done.

4.  The boss doesn’t believe that George could be Lennie’s friend. He is not used to seeing true friendship. There is a lot of suspicion among these men. It must be hard to live together and not be friends, or even worse, to live together without trust. The idea of loneliness is introduced.

Look on the next page for a scoring rubric ->->->->->

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LIMITED READER 1 Perfunctory responses.
You find the text confusing, but don’t attempt to figure it out.
You don’t change your ideas about the text after re reading it.
You make few or no connections to the text, and your ideas lack development. / LITERAL READER 2 Simple, factual responses.
You accept the text literally without thinking of different possibilities in meaning. (mostly plot detail.)
You are reluctant to change your ideas about the text, even after re reading it.
You don’t reach beyond the obvious to make connections to the text; you make few connections, which lack sufficient detail.
You are sometimes confused by unclear or difficult sections of the text. / THOUGHTFUL READER 3 Somewhat detailed responses.
You make connections to your own past experiences, feelings, or knowledge, but don’t explain it in enough detail.
You rarely change you ideas about the text even after you re read it.
You may agree or disagree with ideas in the text, but you don’t thoroughly explain or support your opinions.
You ask simple questions about the text / CONNECTED READER 4
Detailed responses.
You construct a thoughtful, believable interpretation of the text. You fill in gaps in the text and show some ability to make meaning from what you read.
You create your own meaning through personal connections and references to other texts.
You can explain the more general significance of the text beyond the facts.
You raise important questions about the text.
You explain why you agree or disagree with something in the text, and you explain and support it. / CRITICAL READER 5 Detailed, Elaborate responses. You can “read between the lines” of the text.
You think about the meaning of the text in terms of a larger or universal significance, an aspect of self or life in general.
You create your own meaning through personal connections and references to other texts.
You consider different possible interpretations as you read.
You experiment with different ideas or think up original or unpredictable responses.
You carry an ongoing dialogue with the writer.