The Summer Reading Assignment and the Annotated Bibliography (which tells you a bit about each book) are attached below.

Students,

This summer we are asking you to read and annotate one book.

Create a schedule for your summer reading, and maintain this schedule.  Waiting until the summer's waning weeks will be too late for you to complete successfully your reading assignment. 

If you start reading your self-selected book and you don't like it, you have permission to read a different book from the grade-level list, but you should FINISH a self-selected book.  Reading a chapter before you buy the book is recommended.  Often you can tell if you will like a book after one chapter; however, do not judge a book by its cover.  J  

You should thoughtfully read and annotate each book in such a way that I will know that you have read each selection.  How do you annotate?  Highlight or include marginalia indicating your questions, connections, and other insights you notice while reading.  Create a series of symbols to use (?, « , r , a , etc. )  that stand for something (question, excellent point, wrong, like this, etc.) 

If you are using a borrowed book (from a library, school, or friend), keep a reading journal or use PostIt notes/ "sticky" notes.  An astute reader makes life connections with texts.  Look for parallels between the text and your life, between the text and world events, or between your text and other texts. 

Your annotated texts will be due the first day of class, Monday, August 23 .  

Choose the Course you are ENTERING:  

English I/I Honors: Read ONE of the following:

1.   Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)

2.   Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes)

3.   The House on Mango Street (Sandra Cisneros)

4.   Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) *

5.   The Right Stuff (Tom Wolfe)*

*It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that GT and Honors students choose one of these two selections for their summer reading. 

English II/I Honors: Read ONE of the following:

1.   A Separate Peace (John Knowles)

2.   Alas Babylon (Pat Frank)

3.   All Quiet on the Western Front (Erich Maria Remarque)

4.   Kaffir Boy (Mark Mathabane)

5.   Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) *

6.   The Right Stuff (Tom Wolfe)*

*It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that GT and Honors students choose one of these two selections for their summer reading.

English III/ III Dual Credit: Read ONE of the following:

1.   A Thousand Splendid Suns (Khaled Hosseini)

2.   Slaughterhouse Five (Kurt Vonnegut)

3.   The Bean Trees (Barbara Kingsolver)

4.   Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) *

5.   The Right Stuff (Tom Wolfe)*

*It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that GT and Honors students choose one of these two selections for their summer reading.

English IV/IV Dual Credit:  Read ONE of the following:

1.   Lord of the Flies (William Golding)

2.   Catch 22 (Joseph Heller)

3.   Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) *

4.   The Right Stuff (Tom Wolfe)*

*It is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED that dual credit and honors students choose one of these two selections for their summer reading.

• Write one draft for your college admissions' essay or a college scholarship essay.  (Surf the internet to find the essay requirements for Texas Colleges/Universities and for scholarships.  www.applytexas.org has most essay options for Texas schools.) 

Ways to Contact your English teachers-

Mrs. Baker, English II, II Honors, and IV:   sharon.baker@brisd.net

Mrs. Raymer, English I, I Honors, and III: stacey.raymer@brisd.net  

Have a safe, wonderful summer, and make wise choices.  We look forward to seeing you next school year!

Remember, do not write in a book that does not belong to you. See below for instructions for creating a journal when using a borrowed book.

Annotating a Text :

Annotation is a key component of close reading . It begins with a first reading of a book.  Then go back and read the book again; this time highlighting or underlining the things mentioned below in the CLOSE READING section. Since we will annotate texts all year, you need to develop a system that works for you (within the following guidelines). Effective annotating is both economical and consistent. The techniques are almost limitless. Each student will highlight differently because reading is a personal effort. Use any combination of the following:

· Make brief comments in the margins. Use any white space available - inside cover, random blank pages

· *Underline - CAUTION: Use this method sparingly. Underline only a few words. Always combine with another method such as comment. Never underline an entire passage. Doing so takes too much time and loses effectiveness. If you wish to mark an entire paragraph or passage, draw a line down the margin or use brackets.

· * -Highlight: See underline.

   Click Here to see an example of a good amount to highlight or underline

Close Reading :

What should you annotate? Again, the possibilities are limitless. Keep in mind the reasons we annotate. (Reread the ANNOTATING A TEXT paragraph above.) Your annotations must include comments. I want to see evidence of thinking.

· Have a conversation with the text. Talk back to it.

· Ask questions (essential to active reading).

· Comment on the actions or development of a character. Does the character change? Why? How? the result?

· Comment on something that intrigues, impresses, amuses, shocks, puzzles, disturbs, repulses, aggravates, etc.

· Comment on lines / quotations you think are especially significant, powerful, or meaningful.

· Express agreement or disagreement.

· Summarize key events. Make predictions.

· Connect ideas to each other or to other texts or to things in your life.

· Note anything you would like to discuss or do not understand.

Below is what the inside of your book should look like after you've annotated:

The most common complaint about annotating is that it slows down your reading. Yes, it does. That's the point. If annotating as you read annoys you, read a chapter, then go back and annotate. Reading a text a second time is preferable anyway.  

***Bring your annotated texts or reading journal to class the first day.  

What we will be looking for when we collect your books in the fall is the level of critical thinking that went into your reading. So make your thinking visible. A pproach the works with an open mind. Let them inspire you and stretch your imagination. If you have questions before school starts, feel free to e-mail your teacher then as well. We look forward to seeing you in August.

 Reading Journal Example

On the left side : Paraphrase the text and include the page number. The   paraphrases should be fairly brief (around 1-6 sentences, depending on the length of the text).

On the right side: Respond to the reading with questions, thoughts, connections to your own life/ the world, including current events/ things you have read or seen previously/ other historical events, etc. The responses should be fairly lengthy (around 3-10 sentences).

You have all the tools you need to be successful with this assignment! Remember to contact your teacher if you have questions. Good luck and have a great summer!