Marble Falls High School Summer Assignment 2016

Pre-AP English I

Welcome to Pre-AP English I. Your teachers are very excited about this school year! Summer reading offers students an opportunity to enjoy quality literature while growing their independent reading skills. Students demonstrate their abilities through standards-based engagements in comprehension and vocabulary. This self-directed experience will allow students to reinforce skills previously learned and prepare them for future learning. This summer you will be expected to read one (1) bookand 2 short stories and complete the following assignments.

Criteria for Book Selection:

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

250 pages minimum

Written after 1999

CAN NOT be made into a movie

CAN NOT be something previously read

Possible Titles (you may select a different title if it meets the criteria

Things a Brother Knows by Dana Reinhardt

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Leviathan by Scott Westerfield

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

The Fifth Wave by Rick Yaney

A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly

Orphan Trainby Christina Baker Kline

A Thousand Splendid Sunsby Khaled Hosseini

Marcelo in the Read World by Francisco Stork

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

Parents: Please preview the book your student selects. If you do not give them permission to read that text, have them select a different title

Pre-AP English I students are expected to complete the summer reading assignment.

It will be due on the second day of school, August 23, 2016. The cover sheet (Parent/Guardian Verification) must be attached to the Book Talk.

If you have questions about the assignment, please feel free to email: Mrs. Berkman –

Students can find copies of the books at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, the local library or borrow from friends.

Assignment:

  1. You will be expected to create a Book Talk on both your summer novel. Attached to this sheet is a script for you to fill in for your Book Talks. You will turn in both Book Talk scripts on the due date, feedback will be provided, and you will then revise it and be ready to do one Book Talk presentation in front of the class. You will not know which one you will be doing. Please complete the assignment to the best of your ability. You will be graded on your revised work, not on the initial attempt and you will be graded on your Book Talk presentation in front of the class.

Due Date for initial Book Talk Form: August 23, 2016.

  1. Read The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell and The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry and complete the attached questions. These short stories can be found on Mrs. Berkman’s school website.

Summer Reading Book-Talk

Name: ______

Directions: Fill out the script below to turn in on the first day of school. You will use it to present your Book-Talk.

1. I read the book ______written by ______

(TITLE OF BOOK)(AUTHOR)

______.

2. The setting of my book ______and it takes place during

(PLACE)

______.

(TIME)

3. This book is about ______

______

______

______

______

______

______

(PROVIDE AN OBJECTIVE SUMMARY OF 4 TO 6 SENTENCES. BE SURE TO INCLUDE A DESCRIPTION OF THE CENTRAL CONFLICT & ITS RESOLUTION)

4. The main character in the book is ______. An important character trait this

(NAME OF MAIN CHARACTER)

person demonstrates is ______because ______

(CHARACTER TRAIT)

______

______

(EXPLAIN HOW THE TRAIT IS DEMONSTRATED BY THE CHARACTER)

5. An important lesson this character learns or important change this character undergoes during the story is ______

______

______

6. The theme is demonstrated in the story when ______

(STATE THE THEME OF THE STORY IN ONE COMPLETE SENTENCE.

This theme is demonstrated in the story when ______

______

7. A meaningful passage from the book is “______

______

______

______”

(COPY AN IMPORTANT SENTENCE FROM THE BOOK)

8. This passage is important to the theme because ______

______

______

(EXPLAIN HOW IT SUPPORTS, RELATES, OR REVEALS THE THEME)

Cover Sheet

Complete this form and attach it to your Book Talks.

This Parent/Guardian verification section MUST be completed to receive credit.

Parent/Guardian Verification:

I, ______(Parent’s/Guardian’s Name/Please Print),

verify that ______(Student’s Name/Please Print) completed

his/her summer reading of

______

(Title of Book/Please Print).

Parent/Guardian Signature: ______

Date: ______

Parent Comments:

The Most Dangerous Game

Identifying Literary Devices

Similes: A simile is a comparison of two or more seemingly unlike things using “like” or “as.”

1. The sea was as flat as ______.

2. He strained his eyes in the direction from which the reports had come, but it was like ______.

3. The revolver pointed as rigidly as if ______.

4. ...but his thick eyebrows and pointed military mustache were as black as ______.

5. ...giant rocks with razor edges crouch like a ______with wide-open jaws. They can crush a ship as easily as ______.

6. An apprehensive night crawled slowly by like ______.

7. He flattened himself down on the limb, and through a screen of leaves almost as ______, he watched.

8. Rainsford’s impulse was to hurl himself down like a ______...

9. ...but the muck sucked viciously at his foot as if ______.

10. He stepped back from the quicksand a dozen feet or so, and, like ______, he began to dig.

And, just for fun, find this metaphor:

11. The Cossack was the ______; he was the ______.

The Most Dangerous Game: Reading Critically

  1. In the story, Rainsford changes his entire philosophy about hunting. Find and write down two lines – one from the beginning of the story and one toward the end – that show the change in Rainsford. Explain how the shift is shown through the lines you’ve chosen.
  1. Personification is a literary technique where the writer gives human qualities to inanimate objects/nature. Find and write down two sentences which use this device.
  1. What descriptions about Zaroff’s physical features serve to warn Rainsford (and the reader) about the man’s brutal nature?
  1. What is borsch? What’s symbolically significant about this being Zaroff’s meal when we first meet him?
  1. Zaroff says, “There is no greater bore than perfection.” In your own words, explain what he means. Give an example from your life that proves this sentiment to be true.
  1. Zaroff also says, “Instinct is no match for reason.” Again, explain his meaning in your own words. Is he right? Wrong? Give evidence from your life or the modern world to support your stance.
  1. The moment that Zaroff decides Rainsford will not be a hunting partner, but a huntee is very clear. Find and write down the two short sentences that show the General making his decision.
  1. Examine the title of the story. What is the double-meaning in the use of the word, “game,” in the title.

The Gift of the Magi: Reading Critically

  1. In the fourth paragraph, the narrator tells us that the young couple’s apartment had “a letter-box into which no letter would go and an electric button from which no mortal finger could coax a ring.” What does the narrator mean?
  1. Early in the story, you’ll find a line in which the author uses imagery and repetition to make the setting reflect Della’s mood. Write down that line (yes, I want you to write the whole sentence) and explain why Della is in this mood.
  1. Describe the “pier-glass” in the apartment. Now that you know the twist at the end of the tale, examine how this object symbolically relates to Della.
  1. Time for a little math. First, how much did the couple pay in rent on their apartment? In a recent check of real estate websites, a similar apartment rents today for $300 a week in New York City. How much was Della paid for her hair? In today’s money, how much would that be? How much did she spend on the chain? What would that cost in today’s dollars? Does the cost of the platinum chain seem reasonable or outrageous? Can you envision a time in your future as an adult spending that much on a gift for your spouse? Explain your thoughts.
  1. The narrator says, “She got out her curling irons and lighted the gas and went to work repairing the ravages made by generosity added to love. Which is always a tremendous task, dear friends – a mammoth task.” Explain what the narrator means. How is this passage an element of foreshadowing?
  1. The author uses two notable sentences featuring alliteration. Write both of those sentences and underline the parts that are alliterative.
  1. The platinum chain is a symbol in this story, holding a much deeper meaning than the reader might notice at first. Symbolically analyze the chain and explain the deeper meaning this item holds.
  1. Look at the title. Explain the reference. Why is this an appropriate title for this story?

The Gift of the Magi: Allusions

An allusion is a figure of speech whereby the author refers to a subject matter such as a place, event, or literarywork by way of a passing reference.

  1. The “Gift of the Magi” is a biblical allusion. Please discuss the background of the allusion. If you are not familiar with the Bible, you may google information regarding “the gift of the magi.”
  1. Discuss the irony embedded in “The Gift of the Magi” and whether you feel that Jim and Della’s gifts were wise or foolish.
  1. Identify 5 allusions, write the allusion, an example in a sentence and a short description of the meaning of the allusion.

Ex. Benedict Arnold

A “Benedict Arnold” is a traitor. Arnold was a leader in the American Revolution, but later became traitorous. He agreed to surrender a fort to the British, and when his plot was revealed, he escaped to Britain.

My sisters called me Benedict Arnold when I decided to attend our family’s rival college.