Summer Reading Assignment Honors and Pre-AP English II

Each student is required to complete the summer reading and its assignments before the start
of the school year. The readings include the following:
Honors English II - Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom AND The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Pre AP English II - The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls AND The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His
White Mother by James McBride

In addition to the assignments, each student will be tested over the reading. The tests will be
given before the first quarter progress report period.

Summer Reading Assignment English II (Honors)

**Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom

by Lynda Blackmon Lowery, Elspeth Leacock, Susan Buckley and P. J. Loughran

**

http://www.npr.org/books/titles/377197283/turning-15-on-the-road-to-freedom-my-story-of-the-1965selma-voting-rights-march
Dialectical Journal (Quotes & Notes): A dialectical journal is a written conversation with yourself about a piece of
literature that encourages the habit of reflective questioning and deeper understanding you read a text.
In the TEXT (quotes) column, cite passages verbatim from the novel, including quotation marks and page numbers.
When should you write passages down?
o Details that seem important to you
o You have an epiphany
o You learn something significant about a character
o You recognize a pattern (overlapping images, repetitions of idea, details, etc.)
o You agree or disagree with something a character says or does
o You find an interesting or potentially significant quotation
o You notice something important or relevant about the writers style
o You notice effective use of literary devices (like foreshadowing, imagery, allusion, metaphor, pun, etc.)
In the RESPONSE (notes) column reflect upon the passages.
What should you write under the RESPONSE column?
o Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text
o Give your personal reactions to the passage, the characters, the situation
o Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character
o Tell what it reminds you of from your own experiences
o Compare the text to other characters or novels
o Write about what it makes you think or feel
o Argue with or speak to the characters or author
o Make connections to any themes that are revealed to you
o Make connections among passages or sections of the work
o Make predictions about characters futures
o DO NOT MERELY SUMMARIZE THE PLOT
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom
Dialectical Journal
QUOTES (from text)
Pg
NOTES (from you)
#

Requirements:

Total of 10-15 entries that cover the entire book

Each QUOTE should be 1 or more sentences.

QUOTES should contain 0 spelling errors.

All NOTES entries have two or more complete

sentences and demonstrate full developed ideas that
reflect that you are actually reading the text.

Each NOTES response should be at least 60 words.

Due Monday, August 14, 2015

Adapted from: websterschools.org and lynchclay.k12.oh.us

Summer Reading Assignment English II (Pre AP)

**The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride**
http://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/the-color-of-water

You assignment consists of three parts:

1. Read the book. As you will discover, reading in Pre-AP involves more than moving your
eyes over the words on the page. You need to read actively, thinking about what you are
reading, asking questions, and making notes. You should read with a pen or pencil in hand:
circle words you dont know the meaning of and look them up; put question marks next to
material you dont understand or want to know more about and ask those questions in class;
identify passages that interest you or that might be helpful in answering discussion questions
or writing papers.
2. Think about and answer the following discussion questions as you read.
In the earlier parts of the book, James writes about his childhood fears for his mother's
safety. Compare the attitudes of the child James towards Harlem with his mother's
attitude. What does he see in the community that his mother apparently does not? And
what does she see that he does not?
Ruth appears to live her life as though she were a black Christian woman. Given her
childhood in Suffolk as a part of a family of Jewish immigrants, what specific things did
she have to deal with in order to fit into life in Harlem?
McBride weaves together the story of his mother's early life with his own, inviting us to
compare the two. Of James and Ruth, who had the harder childhood? teenage years?
young adulthood? Explain your reasoning, using specific examples from the book.
America is full of stories like Ruth's, in which people reinvent themselves in order to
find happiness. Identify people you know (family or friends) who have done so. Are
they as happy as Ruth appears to be? Why or why not?
Clearly James McBride thinks a lot of her, but is Ruth truly a good mother to her
children? Identify several points in the book that might lead one to answer this question
"no," other points that might lead one to answer "yes." Then answer it for yourself, and
explain your judgment.
3. Write a two-page essay (double spaced) on the following questions.
What do you think is the most important thematic lesson to be learned from Ruths story?
What parts of the book drive home that lesson most clearly?

Due Date: Friday, August 14, 2015

Summer Reading Assignment English II (Honors & Pre AP)

** The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls**

http://books.simonandschuster.com/The-Glass-Castle/Jeannette-Walls/9781439156964
Directions: Read The Glass Castle. Answer each of the following questions in 2-4 complete sentences.
1. What is the culture, or lifestyle, of the desert as described by Walls?

2. How does the desert affect the familys lifestyle? Be specific.

3. What characterizes Jeannettes family? Use specific examples. Be sure to explain the positive aspects
and the negative aspects of her family.
4. How does Jeannette survive the first section of the story? Use specific examples.

5. What are the differences between the desert and Welch? Be specific.
6. How does Jeannettes life change in Welch?

7. How does she escape her family dysfunction?

8. How do the curses in her life become blessings?

9. Does Jeannette feel sorry for herself? How do you know?

10. How is this book a tale of survival?

Due Date: Friday, August 14, 2015