11th-grade Pre-AP Summer Reading Assignment – 2021

Date Assigned: May 2021

Date Due: 1st Assignment due the first day of school; 2nd assignment due September 7th, 2021

Choose two of the following three options:

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

May 2021

Dear Parents/Guardians and Students:

Your student has decided to challenge him/herself by enrolling in an Honors English class for the
upcoming school year. In order to ensure his/her success, I would like you to be aware of the general
requirements of the class so that you may encourage your student to plan ahead and to prioritize in
order to gain the most from the class. I need you to help me motivate your student to live up to the
academic expectations of an honors class.

Students will be required to read over the summer and complete a Major Works Data Sheet in response
to the novels. The Major Works Datasheet for the first novel read is due the first day of school and the
second one is due no later than September 7th, 2021. Even if students are enrolled in the course the
second semester, the assignments are due on the above dates. No late assignments will be accepted.
The students have been notified about the summer reading requirements and have been given the
major works data sheets, instruction sheets, the rubric, and the opportunity to borrow books from
NSHS while the supply lasts. If there are no books available, students will need to borrow books from the
library or purchase the books.

Throughout the semester, students will be asked and expected to read a wide variety of literature and
to respond to that literature in writing and in-class discussion. Since much of the response is in these
two formats, it is important that your student read all of the assigned literature in order to be prepared
for class. Though many students have relied on the summaries in Cliff Notes and Spark Notes, and the
internet in order to “read” the literature, those sources will NOT assist the student in responding to the
literature in a discerning and critical manner.

With this in mind, I ask that you discuss the responsibilities and the commitments of participating in an
honors English class with your student and that you continue to support and encourage him/her to
strive to do his/her best while enrolled in the class.

I am looking forward to a successful semester.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Sherry Watson

swatson@greenwood52.org