Basha High School Pre Advanced Placement Summer Reading Assignment Dear Students and Parents: Welcome to Basha High School’s Pre AP English program. In order to provide our students with an opportunity to complete their reading during the summer and not be too overwhelmed when school resumes, we have outlined below specific reading activities that will be due early in August. If you have any questions during the summer about the assignment, please contact any of the Honors English 9 teachers by email: [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Introduction to the Assignment in General Throughout high school you will be reading a variety of classical and modern literary works. For your summer reading project, you should read the following text: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee *Note: ALL students enrolled in Honors English 9 are to complete this assignment. We use this assignment for in-class work the first few weeks of school; therefore, any student coming in unaware of the assignment will be given the assignment on the first day of school. Those students will have approximately 3 weeks to complete it – this is why we do not collect it until about 3 weeks into the quarter. HOWEVER, students who are aware of the assignment should read the novel over the summer and have the assignment completed before coming to class on the first day. Those students can then use the three weeks to revise and refine prior to submitting for a grade. Please do not procrastinate! This is a time-consuming assignment and is not meant to be thrown together in a few days. If you choose to procrastinate knowing you have three weeks before it is due, just remember you will have other work in Honors English 9 as well as all your other courses at Basha High; you will feel EXTREMELY OVERWHELMED if you wait. ALL parts of this assignment must be neatly organized and typed as it will be submitted to the teachers electronically! Templates are provided for you – you are encouraged to use them! ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Brief Overview of the Summer Reading Project There are 2 parts to this assignment, please complete them both in their entirety. Part I: Building Background Knowledge Since it is often imperative to understand the time period in which a literary piece is written in order to comprehend its full meaning, significance and importance, you will first need to do some background “investigation” related to the setting and themes presented. You will complete 4 activities to help you gain your background knowledge. Part II: Literary Exploration – Reading the Novel and Completing a Dialectical Journal While reading the novel, you will keep track of important/significant ideas presented by completing a dialectical journal. The entries should be based on inference, analysis, evaluation and prediction NOT summary! Remember, we have read the text…MANY times…so we do NOT need you to recount it for us. What we want to see is that you can infer, analyze, evaluate and predict based on what you read. We will be able to see your comprehension through your higher level entries. *See the following pages for detailed directions for Part I and Part II of the assignment. Reminders: Do NOT be afraid to email to ask questions! You can email to ask for clarity on directions/expectations or even to ask for feedback on your work to check to see if you are on the right track. Download the provided template to record your work! Remember the final draft needs to be typed, so you’ll notice the template is a document you can manipulate. PART I: BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE FOR TKAM VIA PRIMARY SOURCES START HERE: WAIT, WHY AM I DOING THIS? *Before reading To Kill a Mockingbird, it might be helpful to build some background knowledge on the context in which the story was written. Similarly, there are many higher-level thinking skills that will be required during your freshman year at BHS—this assignment is meant to introduce you to some of the critical thinking skills. Exploring primary sources (or original materials) is a skill that will be required of you in your career, citizenship, and future schooling. We, your teachers, hope that you will be able to analyze/evaluate the provided materials and use the information to your advantage during your first weeks at school. *To complete this activity you will need access to a computer and the internet—the BHS Library has these resources for free to all Chandler residents. *We recommend doing this work over the course of a few days rather than in one sitting. *You must complete all 4 activities in Part I. HOW DO I DOCUMENT MY WORK? Using the provided template, or by creating a similar, typed document, record the information from each activity. Keep the information organized and clear. Read the directions carefully to ensure you have met all the required criteria. ACTIVITY 1: ANALYZING PHOTOS OF AMERICAN LIFE BETWEEN 1935 AND 1944 An inference is a conclusion that can be reached using evidence; it is not often directly stated in a source. Pictures are an excellent starting place to learn how to make inferences. Follow the directions below to view the images, look at them closely, then complete an analysis using the graphic organizer outlined for you. 1. Click on this Library of Congress page: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/collection/fsa/ 2. Read the information about the photograph collection. 3. Then use the search tool to find pictures using ONE of the following search terms: a. Selma, Alabama Eutaw, Alabama Greensboro, Alabama 4. Pick one photo and complete the graphic organizer below. You do not need to answer all the questions listed; however, you do need thorough responses. Citation (artist, title, medium, date—if available) Observe Describe what you see. · What do you notice first? · What people and objects are shown? · How are they arranged? · What is the physical setting? · What, if any, words do you see? · What other details can you see? Etc. Reflect Question Why do you think this image was made? · What’s happening in the image? · When do you think it was made? · Who do you think was the audience for this image? · What tools were used to create this? · What can you learn from examining this image? · What’s missing from this image? · If someone made this today, what would be different? · What would be the same? What do you wonder about... who? · what? · when? · where? · why? · how? FURTHER APPLICATION: Write a caption for the image. EXAMPLE Collier, John. “Table setting. Cadets mess, Southeastern Air Training Center, Craig Field, Selma, Alabama.” Nitrite Negative. August 1941. Observe Reflect Question A man, a woman, and two young children gather around an outdoor shelter (it looks like something for chickens) to pour water from one bucket into a smaller container. They are outdoors on some sort of farm. They appear clean and well-washed, but the items around them seem old and in disrepair. They do not seem affectionate toward one another, like they are doing a job they don’t really enjoy. The woman wears an apron, the man a hat with a wide brim. This image was probably meant to portray hardworking, rural Americans during a time of financial stress. It reminds viewers of traditional family values and traditional family roles. It implies that the connection to the land is an important skill for survival. Are these people happy despite their struggles? In what ways do these people represent the characters of TKAM? How do these people make their money? FURTHER APPLICATION: “A family works together to survive” ACTIVITY 2: UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORY AND TIMES OF TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD At any time during the study of To Kill a Mockingbird (TKAM), the creation of a timeline can enhance your understanding of the story’s sequence of events. Unfortunately, when we place parts of history under a microscope, it can paint a brutal picture of the time period. TKAM will expose many racial tensions that are indicative of this time period—this timeline will help you understand the significance of these events as Lee presents them to readers. Create a timeline that spans the years from 1850 to 1925. For each decade, choose two significant events to add to your timeline. Use the following resources from the Library of Congress to populate your work: African American History, 1852-1880: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aap/timeline.html African American History, 1881-1900: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aap/timelin2.html African American History, 1901-1925: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aap/timelin3.html Reflect: What do these events reveal about the time period? What influence do you think this setting might have in TKAM? Your reflection should be a paragraph, approximately eight to eleven sentences, in length. ACTIVITY 3: RESEARCHING IMPORTANT HISTORICAL EVENTS Review the following websites on important historical events. Pick one. Then read the presented information and complete a SDQR (see below) chart. The Scottsboro Boys' Trial: http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/scottsboro/scottsb.htm Jim Crow Laws: http://www.ferris.edu/news/jimcrow/what.htm What the text SAYS Students record: Fact learned Facts confirmed What it DOESN’T Say Questions Students record: Students record: What is not Questions that arise said/omitted Inferential thinking *Note: You should have multiple entries listed in each column. Reflections Students record: Thoughts Connections ACTIVITY 4: HARPER LEE AND THE LANGUAGE OF TKAM Harper Lee’s classic tale has influenced generations of students, and despite her reclusive lifestyle, she has remained an interesting literary force. One criticism to her work is that some language used in the novel is considered offensive. As with most authors, word choice is intentional. The harsh language in TKAM is a reflection of certain characters and/or the time period. Take a look at both of the sources below. Then use five of the sentence frames listed below to comment on the information you discover. 1. Harper Lee on Biography.com: http://www.biography.com/people/harper-lee-9377021 2. Harper Lee on the language used in her book: http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/03/harper_lee_letter_addresses_sc.html Sentence Frames: At first I thought _____, but now I… My latest thought about this is… A golden line for me is… This word/phrase stands out for me because… I like how the author uses ____ to show… So, the big idea is… A conclusion that I’m drawing is… This is relevant because… This author is trying to make me (see, feel, know, do) … It makes a difference that this text was written because… The most important message here is… One big difference between this and ___ is… Part II: Literary Exploration Reading To Kill a Mockingbird and Completing a Dialectical Journal Read the novel thoroughly and keep a dialectical journal.. It is strongly suggested that you spread the reading out and write periodically WHILE you complete the reading, instead of reading the whole novel and completing the entire dialectical journal in one sitting. The text is filled with deeper meaning, so it is important to give it the proper amount of attention and time. The entries in your dialectical journal should cover the topics/elements of literature noted in the chart below. While it is not necessary to cover all of the topics or elements, you should have a variety throughout your journal. Furthermore, many times more than one can be addressed within an entry. Elements of Literature Style Foreshadowing Theme Point-of-view Setting Characterization Satire Connotation Motif Repetition Irony Symbolism Tone Mood *Please feel free to use OTHER elements of literature, too! Society Gothic lit Courage Racism Femininity Theme Topics Gender Roles Coming of Age Prejudice Discrimination What is a Dialectical Journal? A Dialectical Journal is a journal in which a reader maintains a written conversation with the text. You should use this journal to: Make predictions Analyze purpose, effect, and meaning Pose questions about what you have read Explore universal ideas/themes Analyze/explain elements of literature Document evidence (cited material) Notice/evaluate patterns Make inferences about characters, symbols, etc. Make connections (to history, other classes, other texts, TV, movies, personal experience, Record your feelings/reactions etc.) Basically as you are reading, you should be looking for passages that stand out to you and then responding as to why they did so. What is so important or significant about the passages to the novel? Explain this importance or significance using the methods listed above. You are required to have at least 15 entries from throughout the novel. A rule of thumb is to have an entry every other chapter so that you span the entirety of the novel; however, you are not limited to 15 entries. There are MANY interesting/important/significant passages in every chapter. *The following page includes directions on what information should be recorded in the journal as well as two sample entries. How should I set up my Dialectical Journal? This is how you will set up each chapter’s entry: Chapter #: Title goes here (the chapters are not titled, you will make this up) Text and main ideas Reactions and details Quote goes here – you may quote a phrase, Your reaction goes here – opinion, question, sentence, or section of the text. Also include comment, reaction, etc. proper parenthetical documentation (page). This reaction should be real, candid, honest, and school appropriate. In this section, record quotes that contain unique Demonstrate insight and analysis! examples of author’s style, figurative language, thematic elements, character and plot development, etc. You MUST cite your quoted material. ALWAYS record page numbers for reference. Example Entry 1: Chapter 9: Trust takes courage “’What did Francis call him?’ ‘A n-lover. I ain’t very sure what it means, but the way Francis said it – tell you one thing right now, Uncle Jack, I’ll be – I swear before God if I’ll sit there and let him say somethin’ about Atticus’” (114). Scout shows much courage by trusting her Uncle Jack to not tell Atticus what her fight was really about. Most children listen to their parents, but Scout is different. She is trying to be more independent by thinking for herself by defending Atticus. That takes courage of its own, but telling her uncle takes so much more. He easily could have ratted her out and got her in more trouble, but he didn’t. Uncle Jack had some courage of his own, not telling his brother that his daughter had broken a very important rule. (characterization of Scout) Example Entry 2: Chapter 12: Jem is Becoming a Gentleman “This change in Jem had come about in a matter of weeks. Mrs. Dubose was not cold in her grave—Jem had seemed grateful enough for my company when he went to read to her. Overnight, it seemed, Jem had acquired an alien set of values and was trying to impose them on me: several times he went so far as to tell me what to do. After one altercation when Jem hollered, ‘It’s time you started bein’ a girl and acting right!’ I burst into tears and fled to Calpurnia” (115). This passage is important to the characterization of both Jem and Scout. In the beginning of the novel, Jem and Scout are like partners in crime. They play games together with Dill and seem to have strong brother-sister relationship. At this point, Jem is twelve and is about to be a teenager. He is changing and growing up (coming of age). In this quote, Scout explains her frustration and confusion that her brother is different. While Jem is suddenly concerned about her role as a girl and wants her to “act right,” Scout is still very much a tom-boy and does not understand his new “alien” values. This quote signifies that one sibling is growing up while the other struggles to understand it. *Note: When you reference elements of literature and/or theme topics in your responses, please highlight or underline them so they are noticeable at a glance.
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