Summer Reading Assignment

							Junior English Honors Summer Reading Assignment – 2012 - 2013                        Ms. Wyma

        Summer reading is a requirement of Junior English Honors. Students who do not complete this
assignment can expect to be asked to leave the course.
        The purpose of this assignment is to add to your knowledge of American literature and to develop
your skills in careful reading. This assignment must be completed by the beginning of school. You will
be asked to complete an in-class writing assignment about the book you have read. You will only be able
to use your reading log, not your book, during the writing assignment. These will then be collected and
evaluated.

Assignment: Keep a reading log for one of the books listed below. The log is to document your
            thinking as you read, so will be solely your own ideas, your own careful reading and
            insight. Please follow directions below; I am looking for a literary response.

Reading Log Format Requires A Spiral or Bound Notebook – Handwritten, Ink, one side of the
              page only.
Start a new page for each chapter or section.

   First of all, some books have about 20 chapter breaks, and that is a good number of journal entries for
   our purposes. (If there are many more chapters or very few chapters, break the book into about 20
   manageable sections for your logs.)
   For each chapter (or section):

1. Write a brief summary using one sentence only.

2. Copy several sentences from a significant passage, 1 – 2 sentences.

3. Commentary: Write a thoughtful response, about 50-100 words, discussing the question: What
   is the significance of this section? This may include what you learn about character, setting, theme,
   imagery, or style. (What details seem important, and why? Why does this section matter? What new
   understanding do you gain in this section?) Commentary is not about liking or not liking the book;
   nor is it about summarizing the book.

   ***Journal responses will vary. They are truly supposed to consist of your reflections about what
   you have read. No “Cliff’s Notes” or other “helpers” are to be used for the journals; plagiarism will
   result in zero credit, per school policy.

4. Vocabulary: At the back of the notebook, keep a list of 30 vocabulary words from the entire
   novel. Look these up in a dictionary, and write out the meanings of those words as used in the context
   of the passages in which they appear. (If you do not find 30 words from this book, add words from
   other summer reading to define.)
                                             Book Selection List:
Alexie, Sherman                      The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist Fight in Heaven
Cather, Willa                        My Antonia
Dillard, Annie                       An American Childhood
Hemingway, Ernest                    A Farewell to Arms
Lewis, Sinclair                      Babbitt or Main Street
Melville, Herman                     Moby Dick
Salinger, J.D.                       The Catcher in the Rye
Twain, Mark                          A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court

***Documents available on Teacher SWIFT Website – C. Wyma
                                       Print Student Last Name _______________________________

                                                     First Name _______________________________



                      Summer Reading Assignment for Junior Honors English
                                   2012 - 2013 School Year
                                          Ms. Wyma

Students who choose to enroll in Junior Honors English should be prepared for the challenge of the
accelerated course, to read material carefully and to write essays of literary analysis.
The honors curriculum is available to all students who are committed and prepared for the extra
challenge.

Please read the course description and summer reading assignment, and sign below, acknowledging:
            the rigor of the honors curriculum, accelerated pace and more independent work
            the expectations involved regarding summer reading
            that the readings and assignments are a requirement for Junior Honors , and failure to
               complete the summer reading may result in asking the student the leave the Junior Honors
               English class


Student Signature ______________________________________________________

Signature of Parent / Guardian ____________________________________________

Printed Parent/Guardian Name ____________________________________________

Date______________________________




Please return this sheet to your current English teacher or Ms. Wyma by _______________ so that
we can register you for class.

Ms. Connie Wyma
(253) 571-3066
Room 327