The Department of Language Arts at Andalusia High School will assign reading and writing assignments for students taking honors English classes in the fall. The assignments per grade are listed below. Although the assignments will count as grades for the students taking honors English classes, all AHS students are encouraged to read during the summer months.

HONORS ENGLISH 9

Mrs. Mellown (lmellown@gmail.com)

Both of these assignments are due to Mrs. Mellown no later than Fri., Aug. 12.

• All ninth grade honors English students should read the novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and write a brief summary (at least 50 words) of each chapter. The

summaries should be handwritten.

• All ninth grade honors English students should also read the novel Anne Frank:

The Diary of a Young Girl. These responses must also be handwritten.

Use your knowledge of the book to answer the following questions:

1. What have you learned about hatred and bigotry by reading Anne Frank’s diary?

Your answer should be at least 50 words.

2. How relevant are Anne Frank’s experiences to the world of today? Explain in at

least 100 words.

3. What ideas has reading Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl made you think

more strongly about? Explain in at least 50 words.

4. Anne Frank was a young teenager who expressed and demonstrated maturity

beyond her years.

What did Anne Frank do and say that showed she was a typical

teenager?

What did she do and say to show her maturity and insight? Include

quotations.

Make references to specific scenes in Anne Frank’s diary to prove

your point. Your answer should be at least 200 words.

You may use the frame below to begin gathering information.

Anne as a typical teenager

Anne’s maturity and insight

HONORS ENGLISH 10

Ms. Calhoun (ccalhoun21@gmail.com)

Summer Reading: Anthem: Ayn Rand 1984: George Orwell

For each novel, you will need to keep a reader’s log. Pick 10 of the starters below to complete each log. Each entry should have a minimum of 40 words.

• When I started reading this book, I thought…

• I was surprised when…

• I predict that…

• My favorite part of the book was…

• This book reminded me of…

• My least favorite character was…because…

• The most important thing about this book is…

• I liked the way the writer…

• This book made me think…

• I admire (name of character) for…

• In my opinion, the most important quote in this book is…because…

• A better title for this book would be…because…

• My favorite character was…because…

• I changed my mind about…because…

• I think the main thing the writer was trying to say was…

• What happened in this book was very realistic/unrealistic because…

• I didn’t like…because…

• If I could talk to (name of character), I would say…

• When I finished this book, I still wondered…

• Upon finishing both novels, you will compose a five-paragraph essay discussing the similarities and differences between these two novels. No outside sources should be used for this essay; it should come strictly from your own perspective.

If you use outside sources, your grade will result in a zero. *A limited number of both books are in my room and available to sign out. You will be required to find both books on your own if you do not get one from Ms. Calhoun before the end of finals. Both of these assignments are due to Ms. Calhoun no later than Friday, Aug. 12.

HONORS ENGLISH 11

Mrs. Jones (cavellejones@gmail.com)

Juniors taking honors English are responsible for reading Of Mice and Men and Fahrenheit 451 over the summer break as well as completing the assignments associated

with each novel. Both of these books are “classics” and should be easily accessible at

libraries, book stores, and on the Internet. I also have plenty of copies in my room; if you

would like to check out either of these books, please stop by room 23 before 3 p.m. today.

Assignments

While reading both books, complete a reading log for each by folding a sheet of

paper “hotdog” style; label the left side “Quotes” and the right side “Responses.” For

each chapter of each book, choose and copy a quote onto the left side of the page.

Be sure to label the chapter and page number for each (Of Mice and Men does not

have “official” chapter numbers, so number them yourself). On the right side of the

paper, give your written response to that quote. It may be your feelings, what it reminds

you of, what you think of it, etc., but it should be at least three complete sentences

expressing your personal views concerning each quote.

In addition to a reading log for 451, you must write a reader response essay, minimum

350 words, discussing your views on one of the topics as it relates to the novel. Make

sure that you reference the novel in your essay.

• Censorship in today’s society

• The “dumbing down” of modern American Society

• The importance of remembering and understanding history

• Conformity vs. individuality

• The role of technology in our society

Because these topics are prevalent in the novel, we will use these issues as the basis for

discussion the first week of class, so have an opinion on all the issues above, not just the

one on which you write your essay.

All assignments are due the first week of school to me or your Honors English 11

teacher. You may submit your assignments via email at any time over the summer

break, or you may bring them to me when school begins, August 2011. Whether you

have Honors English 11 first or second semester does not affect the due date of these

assignments; however, not turning them in will affect your grade by giving you zeroes on

the first three assignments. Additionally, you are expected to take the AR tests on both

books within the first two weeks of school.

COLLEGE ENGLISH 12

Mrs. Thompson (collegeenglish12@gmail.com)

1. Read Frankenstein and write 28 journal entries, which are due Tues., Aug. 9, at the beginning of class.

Pretend you are Robert Walton. You are the author of Letters I, II, III, and IV. Then, you are the audience for chapters 1-24. Write a first-person journal entry for each letter/chapter for a total of 28. Each entry must be at least 50 words. You can summarize, analyze, and/or reflect on your experiences and your reaction to Victor Frankenstein’s story.

2. Reflective Essay

Choose one of the topics below to write your reflective essay. Submit your essay to Mrs. Thompson at collegeenglish12@gmail.com by Mon., Aug. 1, midnight. The minimum word count is 1,000 words. You may email me your questions at collegeenglish12@gmail.com or dawnthompson33@gmail.com.

Topics (Choose one.)

• Identify a specific group of people, animals, things, or places and reflect on what distinguishing characteristics are shared by its members. Write a reflection on the group that identifies those major characteristics.

• Think about the kinds of foods you grew up with and the ways they were similar or dissimilar to those of your peers. Write an essay reflecting on the role food has played in your own sense of your cultural heritage and identify.

• Think about a time when you realized you were not the same as everyone around you. How did you become aware of your differences? How did you view any differences at the time, and how do you view them today? Write an essay on how it feels to be you.

• Write an essay that reflects on the topic of cross-cultural identity and what it can mean to live on the borders between cultures. What challenges have you faced as you navigated through different cultures? What are unique to each?

• You will need a copy of The Norton Field Guide to Writing with Readings and Handbook, second edition for this class. If you get a copy this summer, you can use the book to help with this essay. You must meet admission requirements of LBWCC to receive college credit for this course.

Happy reading and have a great summer.

If students need a copy of the list or if they need help with the written assignments, they may call the school office at 222-7569 for more information or email Mrs. Thompson at dawnthompson33@gmail.com.