Air Force Academy High School

Air Force Academy High School

English I

Mrs. Maynie

Email: Phone: 708-860-8956

Summer Assignment 2016

This summer you will have the following responsibilities:

Read the novel The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd and complete the activities described below. You can check out the novel from the public library or you can purchase your own copy that can be earmarked, written in, and underlined. Books can be found at Barnes & Noble, or used copies can be found at amazon.com or abe.com at a very low price.

Using the annotations, you take in the book, TYPE the following assignment, based on whole book ideas, to be handed in on the FIRST FULL day of class.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me Mrs. Terri Maynie at the following email address: . Please note that your summer reading assignment is due on the FIRST FULL DAY OF SCHOOL. I hope that you have a great summer and are looking forward to an exciting and challenging year in English I.

A hard copy of your assignment must be turned in to me on Tuesday, September 6th. In addition, you must have an electronic copy saved on a flash drive or cloud-based service (dropbox, google drive, etc.) to be used the first week of class. If you do not meet these deadlines, be aware that the assignment will be counted as late and will negatively affect your grade.

See you in a few months!

- Mrs. Maynie

Freshman English Teacher

Part I. Annotations – As you read and make your way through the text, you are required to annotate your book as you read it. Annotations cannot be simply underlines and highlights; you must write questions, comments, thoughts, ideas, etc. in your book or on sticky notes!

*Your annotations may be collected as part of your assignment on the given due date. These notes should help to inform and guide you as you complete the rest of the assignment.

Part II. Dialectical Journal – This section should be recorded in a Dialectical Journal (two columns on the paper); the columns need to be set up and labeled in the following way:

EVIDENCE – Label for the left side of the paper: evidence is defined as the quote and page number.

COMMENTARY – Label for the right side of the paper: your reaction and/or comment as to the meaning, importance and/or significance of the passage – DO NOT REPEAT WHAT IS WRITTEN ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE! Each commentary entry should be approximately 3-6 sentences in length. *Note: Please see the Dialectical Journal Set-Up page for more information on formatting your columns.

- Characterization (Lily) – Find at least 3 pieces of evidence throughout the novel that help to define the character of Lily. Choose quotes that show change or growth that takes place; the evidence should be chosen from the beginning, middle, and end of the book. Comment on the meaning, importance and/or significance of each piece of evidence and what it shows us about our protagonist. (3 dialectical journal entries)

- Characterization (Others) – Next, consider how the remaining characters of T. Ray, Deborah Owens, Rosaleen, August, May, and June affect Lily, the person she is, and who she becomes. Create an entry for three of the characters that you feel impact Lily the most. Choose at least one piece of evidence per character then comment on how the character is defined by his or her words/actions, AND how Lily is affected by knowing and living with or without the character. (3 dialectical journal entries)

*Please keep in mind that the purpose of keeping a dialectical journal is to develop critical reading skills, not to document your personal responses or merely paraphrase what the quote/evidence already reveals. Critical reading is an essential part of developing and articulating a legitimate reading of a literary text.

Part III. Extended Response – The following items should be answered in paragraph form (5-7 sentences). Answers should be complete thoughts and may include evidence from the book that supports your answer. If quotes are used, make sure to include page numbers.

1. Historical Significance – The novel takes place at a very crucial time in our nation’s history. Kidd specifically chose to place her novel during this time period. Just like Lily discovers the power of a singular image, I would like you to explore this time period through one specific image. Doing an online search, find a striking, disturbing, or significant image from the Civil Rights era/movement and comment on what is being shown through it. What is the image saying? What is its’ power? What tone or mood is created from the image? How is it connected to the ideas and themes purported in the novel? Be sure to choose an image that you can really dig into and write about! Note: You must have your image attached to the assignment.

2. Text Connection (2 parts, one paragraph each)

a. The Secret Life of Bees is about Lily in a very distinct time in her life; a time of questioning, a time of learning, of discovery and doubt: In other words, it’s about being a teenager. As teenagers yourselves, find a Real Life Connection between Lily’s journey and your own. What experiences did you recognize over the course of the text? What feelings were you able to relate to? What opinions or judgments did you understand? Lastly, how does this connection further the overall meaning and significance of the text?

b. Another major aspect of the novel is the motif of learning and discovery, specifically through the knowledge gained from a mentor/teacher. Much like Lily learns from Rosaleen, August, and the other Calendar Sisters, who have you learned from in your life? Finding a Real World Connection, write about a mentor or teacher from your life. What knowledge have you gleaned from them? How have they taught you? What makes it effective? How has the relationship changed you or made you a better person? Lastly, how does this connection further the overall meaning and significance of the text?

Your paragraph must fully uncover the connection of your symbol to your life, NOT JUST THE SURFACE INFORMATION; dig deep!

Dialectical Journal Set-Up

To set up your dialectical journals for this assignment, follow these steps:

Step #1

Option #1:

¨  Open Microsoft Word

¨  Go to “Insert”

¨  Choose “Text Box”

¨  In the drop-down box, select either “draw textbox” or choose your favorite rectangle to type in

Option #2:

¨  Open Microsoft Word

¨  Go to “Insert”

¨  Choose “Table”

¨  Create a 2 column x 10 row table (top row for labeling Evidence and Commentary; others for your entries)

Option #3:

¨  Go to the Olathe North website (http://schools.olatheschools.com/buildings/north/)

¨  Click on Pre-AP Summer Assignment (freshman)

Select the template from Google Docs. You may save this to your computer and use it to complete your assignment. (Note: document may not be available until after June 1st)

Step #2:

Once you have created your text boxes, be sure you set your assignment as follows:

¨  The left column should be labeled EVIDENCE (book info) and the right side COMMENTARY (your thoughts).

¨  Within each column/textbox, you should label what section you are currently working on.

¨  Complete your assignment in the order that is listed – please do not go out of order!

¨  Be sure you give the page # in your evidence box.

¨  Helpful Hint: Most times – not always – your “Commentary” section should be just as long (if not longer) than your “Evidence” section. Be sure you “dig deep” and go below the surface of the evidence. Demonstrate critical analysis and offer insight to your evidence that no one else may have ever thought of before.

Commentary column Evidence column

labeled on left labeled on left

For example:

Evidence Commentary

Entry

labeled