Hey folks! Sorry to Zach and Brooklyn who were looking for the summer reading assignments last night. I had written the post, but did apparently not "publish" it. Supposedly, a huge difference in Bloggingland.
The first thing that I want to reiterate is this: don't sweat. The assignments will be officially due
Thursday, October 4th. Now, don't think that you can't do any work until then because it
WILL come sneaking up and bombard if you wait last minute. The reason that I have made this decision to postpone the assignment is because many new students have still
not read the summer reading material; they don't have a clue on how to navigate the assignment. This Thursday, my lecture and lesson focus will be on the format of the summer reading assignments. (For example, if you are clueless as to what
anaphora is, I'm going to clear that up!)
Finally, your summer reading (the book) needs to be read by
Monday, August 20th. We will spend the rest of the month in discussion and lectures on these texts. Here they are:
Sophomores: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Kidd Monk
Juniors: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Seniors: The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Here are the summer reading assignments:
10th Grade: You need to see me because you are completing a dialectical journal. I have examples in class.
English 11 Reading Adventure! – Modern Nonfiction
You are assigned to read A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers this summer. On the first day of school, you are expected to have a completed assignment as your first grade of the school semester.
- You need to choose 2 different terms from each of the following sections:
- Sentence/Grammar
- Figurative Language
- Literary Terms/Devices
Now let’s do the math: 2 x 3 = 6. Therefore, six terms will be expected.
HINT: It’s easier to look for the terms as you read than it is to read the book and then go back and search for them. Also, choose terms you think you understand so you can identify the example as you see them. You will be explaining the terms in written form and orally.
- As you read your book, write down the passage using the term from the required list. Then explain how the passage is an example of the term you are choosing to discuss. Be sure to cite your passage.
- For your literary response, you are expected to respond to a certain section in the book in three paragraphs. Sentences must be 7 sentences long and in complete sentences.
- Be prepared to complete a book talk during the first week of school. You will be discussing whether or not you liked the book and why, if it is worthy or recommending to others, and explaining the passages you chose illustrating the various terms you identified.
When you finish reading your book and you complete your assignment, it should look similar to the format on the back of this page.
- Sentence/Grammar
- Diction
- Anastrophe
- Anaphora
- Figurative Language
- Allegory
- Hyperbole
- Imagery
- Literary Terms/Devices
- Prose
- Foible
- Paradox
- Literary Response
Examine the fake obituaries Dave and his fellow editors run in the Might magazine.
1) What comment is the magazine trying to make by running fake obituaries?
2) Why do the fake obituaries backfire so badly?
3) How do the fake obituaries express the book's theme of death and how people react to it?
Meghan Grabel
Ms. Tomasik
English 11
August 6, 2012
Summer Reading Assignment
Title: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Author: Dave Eggers
- Sentence/Grammar Menu
- Anaphora - “She is a vase, a doll. A giant vase. A giant fruit. A prize-winning vegetable” (32).
Anaphora is used as a repetitive term used in the beginning of a sentence. As each use of the anaphora fragments progresses, so does the author’s mindset about his mother's cancer. The mother is described as “a doll” – childlike and delicate. Next, she is “a giant vase” where the description the vase takes shape of a body – a “giant” one due to the cancer’s growth. As the repetition continues, the reader quickly realizes that the mother’s mind is also slowly disintegrating with the cancer; she is a” vegetable,” someone whom Eggers treasures and considers “prize-winning.”
- Figurative Language
- Imagery – “Huddled together in the lobby, we were sheepish and apologetic, trying to keep things breezy. My mom, wearing a flower-print dress (it was the best thing she had in which she could conceal her intravenous apparatus), tried to stand and receive the comer, but she soon had to sit, grinning up at everyone, hello hello, thank you thank you, how are you?” (33).
- Literary Terms/Devices Section
- Prose – “‘I didn’t take anything,’ he says, chuckling, amused by me. ‘Don’t sweat it. Don’t worry,’ he says, with what seems to be exaggerated drunkenness” (263).
- Literary Response - Please be sure to explain your paragraphs with 7 sentences/question.
*Remember, this is only an example. This example only has 1 term cited and explained: Anaphora. You need 6 terms cited and explained along with 6 paragraphs for your literary response. (Two paragraphs for every question.)
If you have any questions, please e-mail me at brighid.tomasik@edkey.org. Happy reading!
English 12 Reading Adventure! – Modern Fiction
You are assigned to read The Road by Cormac McCarthy this summer. On the first day of school, you are expected to have a completed assignment as your first grade of the school semester.
Persuasive Essay
- Your essay must include a 3-pronged thesis as the last sentence of your concluding paragraph
- Your essay must include 6 quotations from the book to support your perspective
- Your essay must include MLA citations to cite the quotes
“Yeah, but stories are supposed to be happy.
You always tell happy stories.
You dont have any happy ones?
They’re more like real life.
Your stories are not. No.
The man watched him. Real life is pretty bad?” (McCarthy 268).
Please refer to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/2/ for a list of correct citations. Also remember that even if you may not directly quote the book, pulling any examples from the text -- such as describing a scene – is still considered a citation – a fact. Cite it.
Your essay must include a Works Cited page citing The Road and one other supporting text
- Your essay must be 8 paragraphs (2 paragraphs to support each prong; 3 prongs/topics = 6 paragraphs + 1 introduction paragraph and 1 concluding paragraph)
- Your essay must be Times New Roman, 12-point font, double spaced with indentations for every paragraph, page numbers on the top right hand of every page with your name (Tomasik 1)
- Your essay must include a compelling title that supports your thesis
- Your essay must be written with informal third person perspective
i.e., McCarthy further initiates his point that life is bleak by having the man by abandon the woman, the boy’s mother, to die alone despite the couple’s initial qualms about the world’s current situation (45).
Essay Prompt for Persuasive Essay:
Does The Road support a positive and uplifting view of humanity, or one of darkness and pessimism?
Remember that everything stated in your essay is an opinion – your opinion. Therefore, comments such as “I believe that…” are moot. Be comfortable with stating your stance without placing it into first person perspective. We will learn how to change third person perspective (this paper) to first person perspective (oral presentations) during mock debates.
Book Talk
Be prepared to complete a book talk during the first week of school. You will be discussing whether or not you liked the book and why and if it is worthy or recommending to others.
Mock Debates
The mock debates will be executed throughout the second week of school grouping students from differing perspectives as supported in their essay.
Basic Example of How You Should Format and Compose Your Paper:
Meghan Grabel
Ms. Tomasik
English 12
2012 August 6
Dont Go There: McCormick’s Detached Perspective Delivers an Inspiring Outcome
Paragraph 1: Build up to your thesis; introduce the book and your stance.
Last sentence is your 3-pronged thesis.
Paragraph s 2 and 3: Support the first prong in your thesis.
Topic sentence (prong 1) is the first sentence in paragraph 2; introduce paragraph 3 with direct quotation in book to support your topic sentence for paragraph 2.
Paragraphs 4 and 5: Support the second prong in your thesis.
Topic sentence (prong 2) is the first sentence in paragraph 4; introduce paragraph 5 with direct quotation in book to support your topic sentence for paragraph 4.
Paragraphs 6 and 7: Support the third prong in your thesis.
Topic sentence (prong 3) is the first sentence in paragraph 6; introduce paragraph 7 with direct quotation in book to support your topic sentence for paragraph 6.
Paragraph 8: Restate your 3-pronged thesis without being repetitive.
Conclude your thoughts in this paragraph.
Grading: I am grading on if you follow all directions (a – i in section I, Persuasive Essay above), the formatting of your paragraphs correctly, and the interpretation of your paper. This paper should be roughly 4 pages double-spaced. E-mail if you have any questions: brighid.tomasik@edkey.org
