Summer Reading Assignment for 9th Honors English



World of Inquiry School

Summer Reading Assignment – 10th grade

Teacher: Mrs. Porretta-Baker

Email: Gina.Porretta-Baker@

Website: please email me for a link to website

All World of Inquiry 10th grade students are expected to complete two summer reading assignments: A. one is a mandatory assignment, and B. the second is based on a choice from the 10th grade reading list. Please follow all instructions for each reading.

Summer reading novels may be checked out of the library as well as purchased new or used. Be prompt in getting a copy of the novel in order to complete your reading and assignments before returning to school in the September.

| Mandatory: October Sky (Rocket Boys) by Homer Hickam |

• Before Reading:

← Write a 1-2 paragraph response to the prompt below using the space provided.

← Preview the assignment included in this packet so you are prepared to complete it after reading the novel.

• During Reading (428 pages):

← Complete Vocabulary Assignment

← Take notes to help you analyze themes

• After Reading:

← Complete the “Analyzing Themes” assignment included in this packet. This will be due the first day of school.

← Upon returning to school, you will answer multiple-choice questions pertaining to this novel. You will also write an essay related to one of the themes from this assignment.

Part 1(Consider writing responses for Part 1 in a composition book)

|Pre-reading Prompt for October Sky |

In at least two paragraphs, write about a dream you have and how you plan on achieving it.

|Analyzing Themes Activity for October Sky |

Directions: In 3-4 sentences, use an example from the novel to tell how each theme ties into October Sky. You may write your responses neatly in a composition book, or create a word document (12 point, double spaced). Upon returning to school, you will be asked to write an essay based on one of these themes.

1. If a person starts something, he should finish it rather than give up easily.

2. As soon as new creations are born, they begin to die.

3. Unrequited love is difficult to handle.

4. A person wants people to like him for himself/herself, not for what he/she is.

5. If a person has a dream, he should not let anyone or anything stop him.

6. The desire to learn can inspire a person to work hard and try things.

7. Even though a person has conflicts with a sibling, love still exists between them.

8. Trying to help someone with a project without a desire for compensation shows great character.

9. Favoring one child over another is a grievous error in judgment.

10. Seeing someone suffer, especially someone you care about, is hard to take.

11. Parents should allow their children to grow, rather than hold them back.

12. People should have compassion for someone who is down and out rather than making his life worse.

13. Every child wants to be accepted by his parents, regardless of what he does.

14. Success breeds success.

15. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.

16. No one should accuse another of a crime without having sufficient evidence.

17. Feeling that someone doesn’t condone what you are doing can provide the stimulus for you to succeed.

18. Creativity is the key to success in many areas of life.

19. People love winners and will show support for them, even though the winner was not always viewed as a winner.

20. It is wrong to stereotype people.

21. Even though couples love each other, conflicts may still exist between them.

Part 2

Vocabulary – Directions: For each vocabulary word, create a triple column worksheet as outlined below.

1st column: Vocabulary word along with your personal meaning of the word

2nd column: Dictionary definition (if the definition is simply the root word (ie: truncated – truncate), you must look up the root word for the original definition; if there is more than one definition, use the appropriate definition based on the context of the text). Next to the definition include a SYNONYM and an ANTONYM.

3rd column: create a clue to help you commit this word to memory

Note: where appropriate, you may add a hyperlink (go to my website to check out the hyperlinks for “enthalpy”)

|Vocabulary Word – |Definition (D) + Synonym (S) + Antonym (A) |Clue – Illustration, Symbol |

|Personal meaning |(Note: you may include a hyperlink) |(Note: you may include a hyperlink) |

|Enthalpy – |D: Enthalpy, H, is the HEAT contained in a system. |[pic] |

|a type of energy |S: Physics term A: Cold Fusion | |

|transfer or reaction | | |

Vocabulary: Each word is followed by the page number it is found on.

|enthalpy – 1 |succinctly – 77 insidious – |deductive – 169 coalescing – 170 |syncopated – 279 accolades – 288 |

|kinetic – 1 |78 cohesiveness – 79 |primordial – 184 methane – 194|converging – 299 inanely – |

|sonorous – 4 |nefarious – 94 |truncated – 207 |308 covertly – 316 |

|precipitously – 26 |prodigious – 100 |tensile – 213 aperture – 214 |marauded – 328 protocol – 348 |

|prowess – 33 |pernicious – 104 petulance – 124|thermodynamics – 248 trajectories – |intrepid – 374 dictum –|

|proclivity – 33 inexorable –|debacle – 136 |253 |416 parabola – 418 |

|39 impotent – 55 |polyhedron – 152 ironic – |guile – 273 | |

|entity – 62 |162 | | |

|surreptitiously – 65 | | | |

|B. Independent Book Choice – Choose from List that follows and complete a journal (Composition Book) as described below |

Purpose: This is your opportunity to respond honestly, thoughtfully, creatively, and personally to reading selections without the fear of being "wrong." Your goal is to make meaning out of what you have read in order to improve your comprehension and appreciation. Ideally, a dialogue will occur between you and the author. Not only will you become a better reader as you write in response to what you have read, but your teacher will have a much better understanding of who you are as a reader and thinker.

Directions: Below are several reader response strategies, feel free to "mix and match" the strategies, and do not merely summarize. Instead muse, take risks, and enjoy the freedom of writing in your own voice. You may find it easiest to keep your responses in a Composition Book – write thoughtfully, thoroughly, and neatly. Minimum 10, full page, responses (based on Composition Book page size).

• Free writing – What does the reading make you think about? Write whatever comes to mind without stopping! Do not censor your thoughts or edit, and don't lift the pen!

• React / Identify − React to or identify with a character's choice. What would you have done differently? When has something similar happened to you? Register those strong feelings! Recall similar moments in films, other books, or your actual life.

• Reflect −Muse on what you've read and imagine alternatives. Consider what the author is attempting to show you. Identify significant moments in the book and suggest how these moments matter.

• Questions, questions, questions − While reading, note in the margins (or on a post-it note) where you have questions of "genuine doubt." After your reading session, write out these questions of interpretation and reflect on how they might be answered. You should find that the best questions will generate many interesting responses.

• Anticipate − Make and remake hypotheses about your reading. Imagine how the characters will act, how the narrative might unfold, how the author might resolve the conflict.

• Prioritize − Learn to isolate those words or images that recur. (Good writers do not repeat themselves unintentionally.) Copy passages that strike you as important, and consider thematic implications. Trust your instincts!

• Illustrate – What do you see based on the author’s words? Draw, create a collage, and explain the significance of the image.

• Creative writing – Create a poem, found poem, letter to a character, diary entry as a character, or song to respond to one of the ideas presented in the reading.

What To Expect

When you get back to school you will discuss the book, through your journal responses, with your teacher. To do well, you should be prepared to identify the major events of the book, the characters, the setting, major themes and symbols along with being able to state and substantiate an opinion of the book. The assignment will be up to the discretion of your teacher.

Summer Reading Independent Novel Choices Tenth Grade

Abelove, Joan Go and Come Back c2000 fiction: Discover a sparkling world hidden deep within the Amazonian jungle of Peru, through the eyes of Alicia, an Isabo teenaged girl.

Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi Purple Hibiscus c2003 Nigerian fiction, a complex tale of Kambili, a young girl growing up in Nigeria, in between the old "pagan" ways and her Catholic upbringing.

Alexie, Sherman Flight c2007 Native American fiction, A teenager in a new foster home wrestles with the anger and injustice of his own situation and contemplates violence before taking a jolting time travel journey to examine the conquest of Native Americans. Also Alexie: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian c2007 fiction

Anderson, M. T. Feed c2002 science fiction, war,People in this futuristic society constantly receive information and commercials from computers implanted in their brains at birth. The story criticizes our consumer-driven society.

Asher, Jay Thirteen Reasons Why c2007 fiction, Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a mysterious box with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker - his classmate and crush - who committed suicide two weeks earlier.

Bascomb, Neal The New Cool c2011 nonfiction,about a group of 32 high school seniors who attend the engineering academy at Dos Pueblos High School in Goleta, California. The book follows these students as, led by physics teacher Amir Abe-Shaeer, they work to create a robot for FIRST, a worldwide competition.

Bissinger, Harry Gerard Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team and a Dream c2000 nonfiction, sports The story of a high school football team in Texas and their struggle to win the championship in 1988.

Cary, Kate Bloodline: A Novel c2005 vampire, historical fiction, A British soldier in World War I finds out that his regiment commander is a descendant of Count Dracula.

Doctorow, Cory Little Brother c2008 science fiction, Marcus Yallow is a tech-savvy teen who is engaged in the latest trendy game, one that combines computers and reality, and terrorists.

DuMaurier, Daphne Rebecca c1938 Gothic fiction, Maxim de Winter has married his second wife, who finds it hard to live in the shadow of the first wife.

Farthing, Pen One Dog at a Time: Saving the Strays of Afghanistan c2010 nonfiction, the true story of one man's fight to save the stray dogs of Afghanistan. This novel is all about survival, for Farthing and his fellow Royal Marines and for the dogs lucky enough to find him.

Faulkner, William The Sound and the Fury c1929 fiction, the tragedy of the Compson family, featuring some of the most memorable characters in literature: beautiful, rebellious Caddy; the manchild Benjy; haunted, neurotic Quentin; Jason, the brutal cynic; and Dilsey, their black servant.

Foer, Jonathan Safran Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close c2005 psychological fiction, after losing his father in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, Oskar goes looking for the lock that a key that his father left behind will open.

Frank, E.R. Life is Funny c2002 fiction, from the outside, they're simply a group of urban teenagers. But from the inside, they're some of the most complex people you'll ever meet.

Korman, Gordon Son of the Mob c2002 humorous fiction. Most kids have to worry about acne, studying, and trying to find a way to get a car -- high school isn't an easy time for anybody! But what do you do if you've not only got to worry about high school, but a father who is a mobster, as well?

Grisham, John Bleachers c2003 fiction. Neely Crenshaw returns to his home town awaiting the death of his critically ill high school football coach in a town where football is everything.

Haddon, Mark The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time c2003 fiction. Christopher, a mathematically-gifted but socially challenged autistic teen, uncovers secrets about his own family while investigating the murder of a neighbor's dog. (GREAT PICK FOR MATH LOVERS!)

Harrer, Heinrich Seven Years in Tibet c2009 memoir. In this vivid memoir that has sold millions of copies worldwide, Heinrich Harrer recounts his adventures as one of the first Europeans ever to enter Tibet.

Hoffman, Beth Saving CeeCee Honeycutt: A Novel c2010 fiction. Twelve-year-old CeeCee is in trouble. For years she's been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille − the crown-wearing, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town. Though it's 1967 and they live in Ohio, Camille believes it's 1951 and she's just been crowned the Vidalia Onion queen of Georgia.

Jackson, Livia Bitter I Have Lived a Thousand Years c1999 nonfiction. The memoir of Elli Friedman, who recounts what it was like to be one of the few teenage inmates of Auschwitz.

Jeter, Derek The Life You Imagine: Life Lessons for Achieving Your Dreams c2000 nonfiction, sports. An account of the inspirational life of baseball player Derek Jeter.

McQuillar, Tayannah Lee Tupac Shakur: The Life and Times of an American Icon c2010 biography.

In 1996 Tupac Shakur, one of the most talented artists of his time, was murdered by an unknown gunman. Fred L. Johnson and Tayannah Lee McQuillar examine the theories surrounding his death and the story of Tupac's lost legacy.

Naidoo, Beverly Out of Bounds: Seven Stories of Conflict and Hope c2001 South African fiction. Set in the South Africa of the Apartheid period, the stories tell of the experiences of young people from different races as they cope with the society's many restrictions.

Oher, Michael I Beat the Odds c2011 memoir.Michael Oher, the NFL football player and the inspiration behind "The Blind Side," tells his story of triumph in this revealing memoir.

Potok, Chaim The Chosen c1987 historical fiction. The story revolves around the evolving, and sometimes painful, relationships between boys and their fathers, and the conflicts the young men must face as they come of age.

Santiago, Esmeralda When I Was Puerto Rican c2006 memoir. Esmeralda Santiago's story begins in rural Puerto Rico, where her childhood was full of both tenderness and domestic strife, tropical sounds and sights as well as poverty. As she enters school we see the clash, both hilarious and fierce, of Puerto Rican and Yankee culture.

Satrapi, Marjane Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood c2003 nonfiction, biography, graphic novel Depicts how the author lived in Tehran, Iran until the country came under the control of the Islamic regime.

Shepard, Adam Scratch Beginnings: Me, $25, and the Search for the American Dream c2010 nonfiction

Shepard graduated from college and is disillusioned by the apathy around him. Carrying only a sleeping bag, the clothes on his back, and $25 in cash, he works his way out of homelessness and into a life of success.

Sielski, Mike Fading Echoes: A True Story of Rivalry and Brotherhood from the Football Fields to the Fields of Honor c2009 nonfiction. The tale of two football players on rival high school teams. Both were star athletes who after graduation chased dreams of playing college ball. But in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the two heard the call to serve their country.

Sittenfeld, Curtis Prep: A Novel c2005 coming of age fiction. At the age of fourteen, Lee Fiora leaves her middle-class and close-knit Indiana family behind to embark on a new life in an elite co-ed boarding school.

Smith, Betty A Tree Grows in Brooklyn c1943 fiction. A coming of age story of Francie Nolan, who grows up with a sweet, tragic father, a realistic mother, an aunt who gives her love too freely, and a brother who will always be the favored child.

Spiegelman, Art Maus: A Survivor's Tale I and II c1972 historical fiction, graphic novel.A memoir about Vladek Spiegelman, a Jewish survivor of Auschwitz and about his son, a cartoonist, who tries to come to terms with his father, his story and history itself. The cartoon format portrays Jews as mice and Nazis as cats.

Stiefvater, Maggie Shiver c2009 fiction. Told through the two main characters, Sam and Gracie, Shiver is an unusual love story. Sam is a werewolf who must fight to stay human.

Stork, Francisco Marcelo in the Real World c2009 fiction. Marcelo is a high functioning autistic boy who hears music in his head and has an amazing memory for the Bible.

Volponi, Paul Black and White c2005 interracial friendship, fiction. Two friends experience the justice system differently after committing a crime and getting caught.

Zusak, Marcus The Book Thief c2006 historical fiction. This is a story told by Death: Set in Germany during WWII, it is the story of a young girl, who in spite of having a terrible life, manages to have glimpses of pleasure through stealing books.

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