Summer Reading Assignment:

Twentieth Century American Literature, Level 1

Ms. DeBisschop

Welcome to your English 11-1 class! I'm excited to meet all of you in the fall. While you are enjoying your summer, you need to take some time to prepare for the semester ahead. Please complete this pre- course summer reading assignment. Read the directions carefully and make sure that you understand the assignment fully before you proceed. If you have questions at any point during the summer, you should email me and I will get back to you promptly. ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )

This assignment is due the first day of class. If you are in the second semester class, but wish to complete this work during the summer, you may hand in your paper on the first day of school.

Should you lose this packet, all of this information is posted on my teacher webpage, which you can get to through the Leland and Gray website under the “teachers” tab.

1. Read Northern Borders by Howard Frank Mosher. Copies are available from Ms. DeBisschop in B-6, or Ms. Rood in B-3. You can also find them in local libraries and bookstores. It is possible that you might be able to find electronic copies for your kindles or other mobile devices, if that is preferable.

2. As you are reading, pick one of the three major characters (Austen, his grandmother, his grandfather) and keep a dialectical journal about that character. A dialectical journal is a place where, side-by-side, you record quotations from the text and your interpretation of those quotations. You can do this on folded lined paper, or in a word-processing document separated into two columns. You will be handing this journal in. Here is an example entry:

“From those early years, I vividly recall two things about my mother. Unlike most of the Kittredges, including my father and both of my grandparents, she laughed easily and frequently.” PG. 8

Based on the way Austen is talking about his mother, I can tell that he is feeling nostalgia and possibly grief. It is clear that his mother was a much different kind of person than his grandparents are, who he lives with now. But I think he loves his grandparents, too, even though they have severe personalities. It is just a different kind of appreciation.

Make sure to select a character early on in the book, and keep a dialectical journal about them as you read through the whole text. Record important quotes that reveal your character's traits, motivations and conflicts. These quotations can be spoken by your character, to your character, or about your character. Make sure that each quotation is accompanied by an analysis rather than a summary.

(Summary re-states facts, analysis creates new ideas and reactions based on facts)

3. Write a 3-4 page “response to text” in the form of a character analysis. You will use your quotations and inferences from the dialectical journal to compose this paper. (You've done all the leg-work already!) Here is the process for writing the character analysis:

Look back through your dialectical journal and identify a recurring conflict in the life of your character. (There is no “right” or “wrong” conflict to choose, all three of the characters experience a number of different conflicts)

Example: Aunt Liz is a vigilante in her family and is constantly clashing with their morals and expectations.

Form a thesis that makes an assertion about that character based on his or her actions related to that conflict.

Example: Aunt Liz's vigilante behavior proves that she cares more about feelings than practicality.

Map out supporting examples from the text for your body paragraphs.

Example: 1. Aunt Liz robs a bank (she cares more about the thrill of the robbery than the consequences of her actions). 2. Aunt Liz marries and divorces five men (she cares more about the feeling of the momentary connection than the practicality of settling down). 3. Aunt Liz spontaneously roves around the country (she cares more about the spirit of adventure than the safety and comfort of being at home with her family).

Write an introductory paragraph. Be sure to include your thesis. Write your body paragraphs.Flesh them out with textual evidence from your dialectical journal (be sure to cite pages!) Be detailed with your analysis and elaborate on your points. Write a conclusion to wrap all of your ideas up. Try not to simply summarize your main points. Include analysis in your conclusion.

Take a look at the attached documents before you begin. You should follow the standard Leland and Gray format for writing assignments. Points will be taken off for incorrect formatting. If you should lose this packet, you can find the standard format on the Leland and Gray website. The “response to text” rubric will be used to grade your character analysis essay. This should give you a clear idea of what is expected in your writing.

I'm looking forward to reading your responses in September! Remember to contact me with any questions. Don't wait too long to speak up if you're having trouble.

Enjoy your summer,

Ms. D.

This assignment addresses the following Vermont Department of Education Grade Expectations: 1.3, 1.6, 1.7, and 5.3

This assignment addresses the following Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

Reading Standards 1 and 2, and Writing Standards 1, 2, and 9.