Class of 2023 Summer Work for PIB Ninth Grade Literature

Welcome Class of 2023!

I am so excited to be your English teacher next year. You are going love being a DC Tiger and will be
amazed at how much you will grow academically in the next year. In an effort to hit the ground running,
you will need to complete the following summer reading tasks.

1. Purchase a copy of How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Revised Edition (ISBN: 9780062301673). Read only the
following chapters:
Intro
1: Every Trip Is A Quest
5: Now Where Have I Seen Her Before
6: When In Doubt, It’s From Shakespeare…
7: …Or The Bible
8: Hanseldee and Greteldum
9: It’s Greek To Me
10: It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow
11: …More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
12: Is That A Symbol?
14: Yes, She’s A Christ Figure, Too
19: Geography Matters…
20: …So Does Season
21: Marked For Greatness
2. HAND WRITE a notecard for each of the above listed chapters. Capture the ‘gist’ or the main message of the chapter.
(Below you can see examples for Chapters 2 & 3.) You may only use ONE notecard per chapter. You may use the front and
back if you would like. It must be a notecard, not paper. My suggestion is to read a chapter and then complete the card for
the chapter immediately upon finishing, so…read a chapter, make the card, read the next chapter, make the next card… and
so on. YOU MUST HAND WRITE THE CARDS. Typed cards or papers will not receive credit.

3. Purchase a copy of Lord of the Flies by William Golding. As you read, consider each of the following essay prompts. Note
that each of these prompts relates to one of the chapters from How to Read Literature Like A Professor. Think about how the
information from that chapter applies to Lord of the Flies. After you have read the novel, CHOOSE ONE ESSAY PROMPT ON
WHICH TO WRITE YOUR ESSAY. Take notes and annotate places in the novel that you find to be relevant to the ONE essay
prompt you choose. You will not write an essay until August. This is the “prep work” for the essay where you are gathering
evidence to support your claim.

Prompt 1: Relating to “Is That A Symbol?”

Often in literary works, authors choose a physical object which takes on a special significance in the
work and becomes a symbol of something beyond itself. Show how, in the work that you read, the
author uses a symbol to convey an important meaning. In your essay, focus on the symbol and what it
symbolizes. Be sure to discuss how the author uses it to convey a message to readers. You may choose
 Class of 2023 Summer Work for PIB Ninth Grade Literature

three important symbols from the novel, or you may choose to elaborate on one
symbol in all three body paragraphs.

Prompt 2: Relating to “Yes, She’s A Christ Figure, Too”

Support the argument that Simon is a “Christ Figure.” Do you agree or disagree with the idea that Simon
is a Christ Figure? Discuss the development of this character from the frail, shy, fainting kid to the
well-developed character that faces the Lord of the Flies and the beast.

Prompt 3: Relating to “Geography Matters”

Authors often use descriptive details to develop a setting for several purposes. In an essay, explain how the
setting of your book related to events from the plot, related to characters, or built suspense. You may
write one body paragraph about each aspect of setting, or you may choose to elaborate on one particular aspect
(plot, character, suspense) in all three body paragraphs.

Upon your arrival to school in August, you will have to turn in your notecards, take a
test on the reading, and write an in-class essay. THIS INCLUDES STUDENTS WHO WILL
NOT HAVE MY CLASS UNTIL SECOND SEMESTER. We will reserve an area large enough
for the whole class of 2023, and everyone will test/ write at the same time. No one
has the advantage of “getting to do it in January.” Therefore, make sure you are
prepared and have completed this assignment by the first week of school.

Summer Reading Recap:

1. Read selected chapters from How To Read Literature Like A Professor.

2. Hand write a single notecard on those selected chapters.
3. Read Lord of the Flies and annotate/ take notes from the book in relation to ONE of the essay prompts.
4. Be ready to test, write, and turn in items the first week of school. This is for both first and second semester students.

Should you have any questions, you may email me at meg.hart@dcssga.org. You may also find my website helpful. I will have this
assignment as well as supply requirements, course info, etc. listed there.

The site is: www.dclitlady.weebly.com.