Summer Assignment: Incoming 9th graders
Contacts: Ms. Kelsey Hollister and Ms. Stephanie Ragno
khollister@harmonytx.org
sragno@harmonytx.org
In order to prepare for 9th grade English, you will need to continue practicing your
critical reading and writing skills throughout the coming months. You are welcome to purchase
copies of the assigned reading, however, you may also check out copies from the public
library. This summer’s reading assignment was created to give you an introduction to the kinds
of texts you will read throughout the course and analysis that will be required.
Due Date: The summer assignment (all parts) is due the first day of class. Failure to come
to class prepared will result in a failing major grade. You have all summer to complete this
assignment, therefore, NO EXCEPTIONS will be made if a student does not have the
assignment in its entirety.
Plagiarism: A student who submits as his/her own work (i.e., a paragraph, draft, completed
essay, examination, quiz, or any other written work), which is taken in whole or part from another
person’s writing without proper acknowledgement (that is, the use of quotation marks and
documentation for directly quoted work or some sort of a specific citation for paraphrased material),
is guilty of plagiarism. A student who submits a plagiarized paper or who allows another person to
copy his/her work is subject to any one, or all, of the following actions: Parental Contact, A failing
grade for the assignment, and/or Office referral to Dean of Academics. As such, please be mindful
of the following… You may NOT use SparkNotes, MonkeyNotes, CliffNotes, or any other
similar material. You may not use materials from another student. DO NOT WORK
COLLABORATIVELY on this assignment. If you have difficulty any questions, please email
me well before the due date. This is the best way to avoid panicking and resorting to cheating or
rushing.
**Note- You cannot read more than one work by the same author for this assignment.**
Assignments being on the next page.
Assignments
Please complete the assignments listed for the course level that you will be taking in Fall 2015
(i.e. Pre-AP English I or English I). Note that ALL incoming freshman MUST read Of Mice and
Men; however, the corresponding assignment differs based on which course you are enrolled in
for the 2015-2016 school year.
English I:
Students will read TWO books. First, you MUST read Of Mice and Men and complete the
corresponding assignment. Second, you are required to read one novel from the Teacher
Recommended List (Appendix A) or one novel from the Other Reading Options list (Appendix
B).
Assignment 1 of 2: Write a two page summary for Of Mice and Men.
Assignment 2 of 2: Using a novel of your choosing, select a song that a character from the novel
might identify with or enjoy and explain why. Please write a minimum of one page. (Typed,
double-spaced, 12pt font, Times New Roman, 1” margins.)
Pre-AP English I:
In addition to Of Mice and Men, you will be required to read one book from the teacher
recommended list (Appendix A) and one book from the Other list (see Appendix B) (a total of
three books).
You will be required to write two literary analyses, one regarding a theme present in Of Mice and
Men (Theme Options: Friendship, The American Dream, Human Nature, or a theme of your
choice) and one regarding character development in your Teacher Recommended novel. Literary
analysis focuses on how plot/structure, character, setting, and many other techniques are used by
the author to create meaning. Each Literary Analysis should be a minimum of one page. Refer to
Assignment A.
What is a literary analysis?
A literary analysis focus on how plot, character, setting, and theme are used by the author
to create meaning.
What is the purpose of a literary analysis?
The purpose of a literary analysis is help the reader answer certain questions to
understand the deeper meaning such as:“What was the author trying to communicate and how
did he/she do it?” It is a useful exercise for the identification of a meaningful theme and the
investigation of the literary tools (diction, imagery, symbolism, etc.) that the author used to
reveal that theme.
Your Literary Analysis is not simply a summary of what you've read. You should look at what
you've read and think critically about it. Examine how all of the parts are working together as a
whole. If you annotate* as you read, you will find it easier to identify significant moments and
elements within the novel. Annotate in your book if you have purchased it. If you check it out
from the library or borrow your book, you can simply make notes in a notebook to keep with you
as you read.
REQUIRED TEXT FOR ALL ENGLISH I STUDENTS (PRE-AP & ON-LEVEL)
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
If you have any questions, please email either Ms. Hollister or Ms. Ragno.
Appendix A: Teacher Recommended List
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Candide by Voltaire
Cider House Rules by John Irving
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Do Hard Things:A Teenage..by Alex and Brett Harris
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok
We Were Liars by Emily Lockhart
Cry The Beloved Country by Alan Paton
Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngoze Adichie
China Boy by Gus Lee
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
Into the Beautiful North by Luis Alberto Urrea
Appendix B: Other Reading Options
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Sara's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
The Skin I'm In by Sharon Flake
Bless Me. Ultima by Rudulfo Anaya
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
The After Life by Gary Soto
Paper Towns by John Green
Flight by Sherman Alexie
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
The Chinese Cinderella by Tuan Cheng Shih
The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe by Douglas Adams
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks
Wonder by R.J. Palacio
The One and Only Ivan by Katharine Applegate
Eragon by Christopher Paolini
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
The Selection by Kiera Cass
Ella Enchanted by Gaile Carson Levine
A Squire's Tale by Gerald Morris
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Unenchanted by Chanda Hahn
Wither by Lauren Destefano
The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
Tithe by Holly Black
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Be on the look out for these literary and rhetorical devices while reading.
1. Alliteration
2. Allusion
3. Allegory
4. Analogy
6. Antecedent
7. Attitude
8. Audience
9. Characterization
10. Conflict
11. Connotation
12. Denotation
13. Dialogue
14. Dialect
15. Diction
16. Flashback
17. Foreshadow
18. Figurative language
19. Hyperbole
20. Imagery
21. Irony
22. Metaphor
23. Mood
24. Narrative Arc
25. Oxymoron
26. Personification
27. Plot
28. Point of View
29. Satire
30. Setting
31. Simile
32. Speaker
33. Style
34. Symbolism
35. Syntax
36. Theme
37. Tone