English IV Mrs. Hardy
2016-17
Introduction: Welcome to English IV! I am really excited to meet some of you for the first time and teach many of you again! This summer assignment is designed to help prepare you for the subject matter and style of English IV. Our class will focus on:
· What is the purpose of storytelling and its relationship to personal history?
· How do stories and literature affect our lives and how do our lives affect the way we read and write?
· How does literature explore moral and ethical questions?
· How does cultural and historical context influence a text,the author, or the audience's understanding?
We will write literary analysis essays, as you’ve done in every English class, but we’ll also do a great deal of personal and creative writing, including poetry and fiction. The books assigned for summer reading address the questions above. These books are meant to get you thinking on the themes we’ll cover this year and will begin to engage you in the deep thinking that will be asked of you in English IV.
You have two books to read, annotate, and complete assignments for. These assignments are due on the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL for a test grade.
Reading Assignments:
· Lord of the Flies by William Golding (fiction)
· Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward (memoir)
You have been provided with a copy of each book. Mark the margin with your comments, observations and questions.
If you prefer to submit work electronically, please share with me via Google Drive () and name the document your first and last name.
*Please see the note on plagiarism and academic integrity at the end of this document
“It was simply what seemed sensible for me to write after the war when everyone was thanking God they weren’t Nazis. I’d seen enough to realize that every single one of us could be Nazis.”
-William Golding
A. Read and annotate (annotations will be graded)
B. Complete 1 dialectical journal entry for EVERY OTHER chapter
C. As you read, keep the Essential Questions in mind:
1. What makes an individual powerful?
2. Do individuals control groups, or do groups control individuals?
3. Are laws necessary to maintain order in society?
4. How do fear and desire for acceptance influence human behavior?
5. Does violence create power or control?
Part A. Annotations chart: you’re not bound by these annotation symbols, but they make annotating & understanding your annotations easier.
What it’s called… / Symbol / How to do it…Roadblocks / / Box words you don’t know
Golden Line / / Underline phrases/quotes that speak to you
Key ideas / ! / Underline
Literary devices / / Underline and note the literary device
Wondering questions / ? / Underline and write the question in the margin
Theme &
Essential Question Connection / # / Underline and note which theme or EQ
Part B. What is a dialectical journal?
Simply put, “dialectical” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by the exchange of logical arguments” (dictionary.com). A dialectical journal, then, is used to arrive at the “truth” of a written work through the written response to quotations from that work.
How many quotations should I have?
6 total (one every other chapter). Make sure to include the page number at the end of each quote (see format below). Also indicate the speaker if you are using dialogue from the novel.
What exactly constitutes a meaningful quotation?
A quotation can be narration OR dialogue. You are NOT limited just to what the characters say. Find quotes and passages that connect to the essential questions and that you think best illustrate characterizations, tone, and especially THEMES (messages/”big ideas”). If you find yourself simply repeating what the quotation says, you might want to select a different quotation or reevaluate how you are approaching the response. NO SUMMARIES!
What format should I use?
1. Summarize the events of the chapter in a paragraph at the top of your paper.
2. Divide your paper in half.
3. Use the left side of the double column notes to copy a significant quote or line from the story with its page number.
4. Use the second column to react to that line (include each of these for each quote):
a. Questions
b. Predictions
c. Elements & structure (characters/setting/plot) Literary devices (symbols, allusions, irony, mood…) Theme
Choose ONE of the two questions below to answer after you finish reading.
Provide examples from the text, but no more than 25% of each response should be quotes.
1. The title Men We Reaped comes from a Harriet Tubman quote, which opens the book.
“We saw the lightning and that was the guns and then we heard the thunder and that was the big guns; and then we heard the rain falling and that was the blood falling; and when we came to get in the crops, it was dead men that we reaped.”
Revisit the quote and discuss its relevance to Ward’s memoir. How does the title convey the themes of loss, inequality, and community in the book?
2. The memoir chronicles five deaths: Roger, Demond, C. J., Ronald, and Joshua. What do these five tragedies have in common? What are the differences among them? What do these deaths say about the experience of black masculinity today?
Our first unit deals with these two books; if you don’t read them you will not be ready: SO READ!!!!
You will have an assessment on your summer reading on the first day of school.
If you need assistance or have questions, please contact Mrs. Hardy at or 504-644-7361 (cell).
I look forward to working with you and reading your stories!
Happy summer!
Mrs. Hardy
* Note Regarding Academic Integrity and Plagiarism
It is my expectation that you will not use outside sources, such as study guides (Internet or otherwise), to aid you in producing your summer assignments. However, if you do choose to visit such sources for help or to affirm your own thinking it is absolutely imperative that you properly document any sequence of ideas or direct quotations that you may take from them. Failure to do so is an act of plagiarism and a violation of Sci High’s academic integrity policy. This violation will result in a permanent zero on the assignment!