Dear Parents/Guardian:
David Von Drehle, in his Time magazine article “The Case Against Summer Vacation,” writes, “[S]ummer
learning expert Harris Cooper, at Duke University, concluded, on average students slip as much as three months
in reading comprehension [during summer vacation].” To help maintain the gains students make over the
school year and avoid a slip in reading comprehension, please complete the tasks aforementioned.
Summer Assignment Breakdown
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Read and annotate Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Read and annotate The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Complete 4 Dialectic Journal (2 for each novel) entries-Due Friday, August 21st, 2015= 100 points
Reminder: Testing over both these pieces of literature will take place Monday, August 24th, 2015
If you have any questions, please e-mail Mr. Jones at [email protected] or Ms. Barzegar at [email protected]
Thank you!
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Pre-AP II Summer Reading Assignment
Student Name
Parent/Guardian Name
Parent/Guardian Signature
Fountain-Fort Carson High School
Pre AP English II: Summer Reading Project
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
It is absolutely essential that you have both books in your possession during the first two week of
class. Although it is not required to purchase the books, it is to your advantage to own both books.
Annotating is a critical skill you will utilize in the Pre AP class and having a copy of the book makes
this much easier.
Project Deadline, Late Work Policy, Points Associated with Project
 This project MUST be turned in by Friday, August 21st, 2015.
 Projects turned in late will be penalized a letter grade each day, and this includes weekends.
You can e-mail your document to your teacher if you are unable to print.
 Because this project is lengthy and involves a significant time investment for all students, the
project itself will be worth 100 points. In addition, we will have a reading quiz for both novels
on Monday, August 24th, 2015.
The Road & Fahrenheit 451 Summer Reading Assignment
 Annotate each novel using the attached annotation guide. If you checkout the novel from the
library, you can use sticky notes to annotate.
 The term “Dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation
involving question and answer.” Think of your dialectical journal as a series of conversations with
the text you read. The process is meant to help you develop a better understanding of the text,
develop your close reading skills, and serve as a springboard for our discussions at the beginning
of the school year. You will prepare a two column dialectical journal for The Road AND
Fahrenheit 451 and complete an entry for the journal around every 80 pages. ( You will write
two journals for each novel (a total of 4)
 Be sure to include a correct MLA in-text citation for each piece of textual evidence, and your
dialectical journals must be in 12 point Times New Roman font. I have included an example of a
dialectical journal entry below to illustrate both the format of the dialectical journals and the depth
of commentary expected. Your commentary should be substantial, focusing on analysis, inference,
and connections. Be wary of restating and summarizing. Commentary needs to consist of at least 56 sentences.
Example :
Dialectical Journal Example
Textual Evidence
Commentary
“…they carried like freight trains; they
carried it on their backs and shoulders-and for
all the ambiguities of Vietnam, all the
mysteries and unknowns, there was at least the
single abiding certainty that they would never
be at a loss for things to carry” (O’Brien 2).
O’Brien chooses to end the first section of the
novel with this sentence. He provides
excellent visual details of what each solider in
Vietnam would carry for day-to-day fighting.
He makes you feel the physical weight of
what soldiers have to carry for simple survival
through his stark imagery and his use of a
simile. When you combine the emotional
weight of loved ones at home, the fear of
death, and the responsibility for the men you
fight with, with this physical weight, you start
to understand what soldiers in Vietnam dealt
with every day. This quote sums up the
confusion that the men felt about the reasons
they were fighting the war, and how they
clung to the only certainty, things they had to
carry, in a confusing world where normal
rules were suspended.
*Below the example of the dialectical journal is a list of literary terms and devices that you can
discuss in your dialectical journals; however, this is by no means a complete list. You may choose to
discuss other literary or rhetorical devices as well.
1. Theme/Motif- When identifying quotes for a motif, look for quotes that identify a central idea
within a text. Ex. One motif found in Romeo and Juliet is love. The theme is not to be confused with
the motif. The theme is often a statement of the general topic of discussion or moral. Ex. The motif
of Romeo and Juliet is love but a theme might be something like, “young love can be rash” or
“passion blinds us to the truth”, etc.
2. Plot – the sequence of events in a narrative work. The plot begins with the exposition, which
introduces the story’s characters, setting, and conflicts. The rising action adds complications to
the story’s conflicts, or problems, leading to the climax, or turning point, which is the moment of
highest emotional pitch. The falling action is the logical result of the climax; the resolution,
sometimes called the denouement, presents the final outcome.
3. Characterization – the methods a writer uses to reveal the personality of a character. In direct
characterization the writer makes direct statements about a character’s personality. In indirect
characterization the writer reveals a character’s personality through the character’s words and
actions and through what other characters think and say about the character.
4. Literary Terms – this can include simile, metaphor, foreshadowing, flashback, alliteration,
allusion, imagery, irony, personification, mood, point of view, oxymoron, tone, diction, hyperbole,
symbolism, etc.
5. Textual Evidence – evidence, quotation, support, proof, examples, specifics, and facts from the
text. Textual evidence will compose the left column of your dialectical journal.
6. Commentary – your opinion or comment about something; not textual evidence. Synonyms
include opinion, insight, analysis, interpretation, inference, personal response, feelings,
evaluation, explication, and reflection. Commentary will compose the right column of your
dialectical journal. Do not tell me what the quote says. Do not describe who is speaking in the
quote. You must discuss why this quote is important, analyze the effect of the quote to the work
as a whole, or identify and discuss the effect of a literary device that you recognize in the quote.
Example of how annotations should look: “Conversation with the text”