Deer Valley Unified School District



2014 Advanced ELA 7 Summer CourseworkHello,Welcome to Advanced ELA 7. I am Mrs. Jorgenson, your teacher, and I look forward to meeting you this next school year. A requirement for the course next year is a summer reading assignment. You will be required to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. When we return to school, that will be our first unit of study and our focus. Below is the coursework that goes along with the novel. The first part are the main ideas, points, and themes of the novel. You will need to explore them and complete the assignment to actively participate in classroom discussions. Part two of the work is vocabulary; to continue to learn, grow, and improve your reading ability. Part three is a creative writing assignment. It is vital that you read and complete the assigned coursework. The assigned will be a major part of your 1st Quarter grade, and it will correlate with the lessons we are doing in class. If you do not complete the reading and assigned coursework it is very likely that you will not pass the 1st Quarter of Advanced ELA. Below are some links for you and your parents to explore about Classic Literature and Mark Twain. We will be exploring these adult themes and speaking at length about these topics. very much look forward to meeting you and having our great discussions Enjoy your summer and enjoy Tom Sawyer. Kindest Regards,Rachel JorgensonThe Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark TwainFree online copy: One: NEA Big Read Discussion QuestionsHow do you think American childhood has and hasn't changed since the 1840s?The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was already a historical novel when it was written, fully 30 years after it is set. Does it feel realistic or nostalgic?Between Tom and Huck, who's more of an outlaw and who's a conformist?Who emerges with more dimension in the book, African Americans or Native Americans? Can you detect any hints of Twain's late-career humanism? How might the fence in Aunt Polly's yard serve as a symbol? What might be implied by Tom getting others to "whitewash" the fence for him?How old are Tom and his classmates? Do they behave convincingly for their age?Why do you think Twain made Tom an orphan?Which do you enjoy more, Twain's dialogue or his descriptions? How does one complement the other? If you could eavesdrop on your own funeral, what do you think you would hear? Find a sentence that makes you laugh out loud. Change one word. Is it as funny? If not, why not? If so, change one word at a time until the joke weakens or dies. What made it work before? What important roles did Huck and Becky play in Tom's success, even though Tom is celebrated as the town's hero? Tom makes a difficult decision when he tells the truth about the murder. Compare the way he comes to his decision with Huck's choice to help Jim in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. How does Tom's motivation differ from Huck's?Some readers believe that Tom develops a conscience by the end of the novel. Do you agree? Is there evidence to suggest that Tom has changed?**Answer each question in paragraph form. If there is more than one question, answer both. The more thorough the response the higher your score will be. Be sure to answer exactly what the question is asking- do not rant or go off-topic. Each response should cite evidence from the text- but you MUST cite evidence or provide a quote from the text to support at least 5 of the responses. Please use quotation marks and the page number using MLA format. Part Two (backside)Part Two: VocabularyAs you read the novel you will run across new words. For the chapters grouped below, please define 10 new words for each grouping, totaling 50 words. For each word you must follow a series of deductive reasoning before giving up and looking it up on the internet. (each word should follow the same format)Example:Word: seldomText: “She seldom or never looked through them for so small a thing as a boy…”Context clues: seldom means never Definition: rarely: not oftenCh. 1-4Ch. 5-11Ch. 12-19Ch. 20-26Ch. 27-35Part Three: WritingPick one of Tom's adventures. Rewrite the mishap in a modern context. For example, after playing hooky and messing up his clothes, instead of whitewashing a fence, you can have him come up with another punishment and modernize the gifts the kids give Tom to play along. Be creative.Min. 1 page, typed, double-spaced, Times New Roman. ................
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