Chariho Regional High School www.chariho.k12.ri.us/chs Wood River Jct., RI

9th Grade Summer Reading 2012

(For Students Entering 9th Grade – Personal Identity/Character)

The goal of the Chariho Regional High School Summer Reading program is to encourage lifelong reading. Our philosophy is that books open up new worlds to people and the more you read the better readers and writers you become. The summer reading requirement also supports the district’s English Language Arts standard of students reading at least 25 books per year.

Why is independent reading so important for all students?

o  Reading provides students with greater content knowledge across all subject areas.

o  Reading increases your reading comprehension, vocabulary and verbal fluency.

o  Reading increases student success on achievement tests (standardized tests, NECAP,

PSAT, SAT).

o  Reading increases your general world knowledge.

o  Research shows that students who do not read over the summer may show a decline of

6 months to 1 year in their academic performance at the beginning of the school year.

Guidelines: All students entering the 9th grade will read one book from the list. Honors students MUST CHOOSE FROM THE HONORS LIST (in grey boxes). All others are welcome to choose from either list.

Assessment: Students will reflect on a heroic quality of the main character in the novel through an on-demand three-paragraph response, graded and weighed as the first test grade of the 1st Quarter.

Theme – Personal Identity/Character (hero): First, let’s distinguish between a person whose personal identity/character makes them a hero and the heroes we see in movies and comic books. Superman is a superhero because he has super powers. Human beings don’t really have super powers so you need to consider how the author of the novel portrays the main character as a hero or not. A hero is usually an ordinary person who has done something extraordinary. A hero shows great courage or strength when put in a position that demands moral and/or physical courage.

Note Taking Tips

Try using one of the active reading tasks suggested below. You may use these notes when taking the test.

Annotate as you go: Keep track of important information about characters and events by recording notes in the margins (ONLY IF YOU OWN THE BOOK), or on Post-it notes. Use this method to mark favorite passages, or perhaps to ask questions you hope to answer as you continue reading.

Chapter Check: At the end of each chapter, summarize important information and events in a journal.

Look-Back List: Create a page-number-organized list of important information about characters and events. Perhaps employ a chart or color system to facilitate quick and easy reference.

9th Grade Summer Reading 2012

(For Students Entering 9th Grade)

CP students can select any book on the list.
Honors students must select from the titles in the grey boxes.
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
When Samantha Kingston suddenly dies, she is given a second chance to live out her final day over the course of a week in order to solve the mystery of her death and understand the real value of everything she might lose. (Realistic teen with a twist) / Fade to Black by Alex Flinn
An HIV-positive high school student hospitalized after being attacked, the bigot accused of the crime, and the only witness, a classmate with Down Syndrome, reveal how the assault has changed their lives as they tell of its aftermath. (Realistic Teen)
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
Suddenly able to see demons and the Dark Hunters who are dedicated to returning them to their own dimension, fifteen-year-old Clary Fray is drawn into this bizarre world when her mother disappears and Clary herself is almost killed by a monster. (Fantasy) / Lord Loss by Darren Shan
Presumably the only witness to the horrific and bloody murder of his entire family, a teenage boy must outwit not only the mental health professionals determined to cure his delusion, but also the demonic forces only he can see. (Horror)
Num8ers by Rachel Ward
Fifteen-year-old Jem discovers that when she looks at someone she sees the exact date they will die floating above their head. She tries to avoid relationships until she meets a boy named Spider who she becomes more involved with than either of them had planned. (Supernatural) / The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud
Nathaniel, a young magician's apprentice, becomes caught in a web of magical espionage, murder, and rebellion, after he summons the djinni Bartimaeus and instructs him to steal the Amulet of Samarkand from the powerful magician Simon Loveland. (Fantasy)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Poet Maya Angelou chronicles her childhood in 1930s rural Arkansas which was filled with disappointment, frustration, tragedy and finally hard won independence. (Memoir) / The Color of Water by James McBride
The son of a black minister and a woman who would not admit she was white, James McBride grew up in "orchestrated chaos" with his eleven siblings in the poor, all-black projects of Red Hook, Brooklyn. (Memoir)
The Secret Life of Bees by S. Kidd
Fourteen-year-old Lily and her companion, Rosaleen, an African-American woman who has cared for Lily since her mother's death, flee their home after Rosaleen is victimized by racist police officers. They find a safe haven at the home of three beekeeping sisters, May, June, and August. (Historical Fiction) / Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Young Ender Wiggin may prove to be the military genius Earth needs to fight a desperate battle against a deadly alien race that will determine the future of the human race. (Science fiction)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
In early nineteenth-century England, a spirited young woman copes with the courtship of a snobbish gentleman as well as the romantic entanglements of her four sisters. (Romance)
(This title can be found on the Internet at Gutenberg.org as a free downloadable eBook. It can also be read directly on the website without downloading.) / A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
Nineteenth-century mechanic Hank Morgan suffers a blow to the head and wakes up in King Arthur's Court where he tries to introduce modern technology and political ideas to the inhabitants. (Historical adventure)
(This title can be found on the Internet at Gutenberg.org as a free downloadable eBook. It can also be read directly on the website without downloading.)

Annotations from: Follett Titlewave and Amazon