Summer Reading

Reading 2008

As an educational institution, we feel strongly that students should consistently read a variety of printed materials beyond their textbooks, magazines, the newspaper and the computer screen. Students who read regularly perform better in school, have a broader range of general knowledge upon which to draw, score better on standardized tests including the SAT, become better writers, develop more refined language skills, become better spellers, expand their vocabularies, and learn to make inferences and evaluations. Silent reading is a developmental process that needs to be nurtured and sustained. Our summer reading program is one way that we hope to encourage our students to read for recreation and enjoyment.

We strongly advise our students to read actively and critically (making margin notes, outlining or paraphrasing each chapter) and to avoid simply underlining or highlighting every other sentence. Students will be given a reading assessment on the first full week of school next Fall. Their score on these reading tests will be added into their 1st quarter grades.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT SUMMER READING


	Title	Author	Assignment
English 1	Ender's Game	Orson Scott Card	Reading Log 2008
Students in English 1, English 1A and English 1B are required to keep a reading log as part of their summer reading assignment. Although you are welcome to hand-write each entry initially, the final reading log that you turn in must be typed.
English 1XL	The Odyssey	Translator: Allen Mandelbaum New York, Bantam 1991.	English 1XL Summer Reading
Please note: Only those students who demonstrate unusual competency in English, and who have an outstanding record of academic achievement in junior high school as well as high verbal, language and reading scores are placed in our accelerated (XL) English grouping. This is a competitive placement with only the top 5% of the students placed in the course. Those students who were placed in the English 1XL class have been notified by mail.

English 2 - choose one book from this list:
	Title	Author	Assignment
	And Then There Were None	Agatha Christie	Reading Log 2008
	My Losing Season	Pat Conroy	Reading Log 2008
	The Golden Compass	Philip Putnam	Reading Log 2008
English 2XL	*The Once and Future King*	T.E. White	English 2XL Reading Assignment
	Students accepted in the English 2XL class should pick up the summer reading assignment in their freshman English class. Information on the content and expectations of the English 2XL class can be found here: Profile of the English 2XL Student Themes and 20 Questions Combined Quote / Journal Guidelines

English 3 - choose one book from this list:
	Title	Author	Assignment
	*A Lesson Before Dying*	Earnest J. Gaines	Reading Log 2008
	The Things They Carried	Tim O'Brien	Reading Log 2008
	Atticus	Ron Hansen	Reading Log 2008
AP English 3 ( English Language AP)	The Scarlet Letter	Nathaniel Hawthorne	Available in the Main Office
	AP English 3 students should pick up the summer reading assignment in their sophomore English class. Copies will also be available in the Main Office during the summer. It is not available online.

English 4 Electives
In addition to the summer reading for your elective, each senior is required to do a three-part project. Parts I and II are generic...and the same for all courses...and may be done immediately. Part III is designed for your specific 1st semester elective. Because you only have to do the reading for the 1st semester English elective, you will have to return to this page for the correct assignment after you receive your schedule.

PART I - Each student is required to see a "live" theater performance, poetry reading, or concert. You must write a one page summary overview, which includes who performed, what they performed, where it was performed, when it was performed, why you decided to view this performance, and how you rated this performance. Finally, you must stapled the ticket receipt or other proof of attendance to the one page summary.

PART II - Your personal statement is your chance to tell who you are and what's important to you. Think of it as your opportunity to introduce yourself to the admissions and scholarship officers reading your application. Be open, be honest, be real. What you tell in your personal statement gives readers the context to better understand the rest of the information you’ve provided in your application. A couple of tips: Read each prompt carefully and be sure to respond to all parts. Use specific, concrete examples to support the points you want to make. Respond to both prompts, using a maximum of 1,000 words total. You may allocate the word count as you wish. If you choose to respond to one prompt at greater length, we suggest your shorter answer be no less than 250 words. Stay within the word limit as closely as you can. A little over — 1,012 words, for example — is fine. Prompt #1 Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations. Prompt #2 Tell us about a personal quality, talent, accomplishment, contribution or experience that is important to you. What about this quality or accomplishment makes you proud and how does it relate to the person you are?

PART III - You must select the appropriate link below to see the specific assignment for that elective. NOTE: If you are taking two English electives 1st semester, you only need to do one Part I and Part II, but you must complete both assignments specific to each elective.
Class/Teacher	Title	Author	Assignment
AP English 4 - Trafton			AP English - Trafton
AP English 4 - Hrga	Remains of the Day	Kazou Ishiquro	AP English - Hrga
Hero's Journey	See Study Guide		Hero's Journey Summer Reading
Horror Lit (Psych Realism)	See Study Guide		Horror Lit Summer Reading
Short Story	See Study Guide		Short Story Summer Reading
Modern American Literature	*Ragtime*	E.L. Doctorow	Modern American Lit - Summer Reading

SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENTS


	Title	Author	Assignment
Biology	Chromosome 6	Robin Cook	Biology Summer Reading
AP Biology	Textbook		AP Biology Summer Reading
Chemistry	*Vector*	Robin Cook	Chemistry Summer Reading

SOCIAL STUDIES DEPARTMENT

SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENTS

Global Studies (Freshman)	Things Fall Apart	Chinua Achebe	Global Studies Summer Reading
AP US History	*The American Pageant, 13th Edition*	Textbook	AP US History Summer Reading
AP Government	How Washington Really Works		AP Government Summer Reading
Economics / AP Economics	Nickel and Dimed - On (Not) Getting By In America	Barbara Ehrenreich	Economics Summer Reading
Civics	N/A
Psychology	Life Strategies for Teens	Jay McGraw	Psychology Summer Reading
Holocaust	*This Way for the Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen*	Tadeusz Borowski	Holocaust Summer Reading

THEOLOGY DEPARTMENT

SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT

Social Justice

(Junior Theology)

Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation

Jonathan Kozol

Social Justice Summer Reading

CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

SUMMER READING

See Mr. Ganir or email him at ganirp@jhssac.org for the summer reading for chamber ensemble.

MATHEMATICS DEPARTMENT

SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS

Please see the math department site for information regarding the assignment. Math Handouts