Summer Homework

Rising 6^th Grade English:

Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen (ISBN-13: 978-0375829161)

Please either annotate or keep notes of interesting or challenging parts on a separate piece of paper or in a notebook. Also, please look up definitions of words you do not know and make a list of them. Bring the book, notes, and list the first day of school. Be ready to discuss them. 

Rising 7^th Grade English:

The Martian, by Andy Weir (ISBN-13: 978-1432864101)

Please either annotate or keep notes on a separate piece of paper/ in a notebook. Bring the book and notes the first day of school. Also, please look up definitions of words you do not know and make a list of them. Bring the book, notes, and list the first day of school. Be ready to discuss them.

Rising 8^th Grade English Book:

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson, by Mitch Albom (ISBN-13: 978-0767905923)

Please either annotate or keep notes on a separate piece of paper/ in a notebook. Bring the book and notes the first day of school. Also, please look up definitions of words you do not know and make a list of them. Bring the book, notes, and list the first day of school. Be ready to discuss them. 

Rising 8^th Grade History Book:

Chasing Lincoln’s Killer: The True Story of the Pursuit and Capture of John Wilkes Booth, by James L. Swanson (ISBN: 978-0439903547)

Please either annotate or keep notes on a separate piece of paper/ in a notebook. Be ready to discuss the book in history class the first week of school.

AP Studio Art

• Scherff & Rush (2018), Chapters 3 & 6
• Articles:
  • Comparing Violence in Foreign Films and Their Remakes: Infernal Affairs and The Departed
  • Developing A Homeopathic Solution to Minimize Antibiotic Resistance to Four Commonly Used Antibiotics
  • To what extent do the student demographics at a private independent high school impact their school store snacking habits?

AP French

• AP French Language & Culture

AP Spanish Language & Culture

• AP Spanish Summer Assignment
  • Worksheet for AP Spanish Assignment

AP Spanish Literature

• AP Spanish Literature Assignment

AP Chinese

• AP Chinese Assignment

APES Skills (Optional Summer Prep)

Read and annotate The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros (ISBN:  978-0679734772) AND one other title (either one you have found or one from THE LIST). Annotations are notes written in the margins to capture your thoughts while reading.

A student might annotate to: 

• wonder about something 
• connect the book to other stories, historical events, personal experiences, etc. 
• mark passages that reflect the book’s themes and lessons 
• notice changes in characters or notice how characters contrast each other 
• explore how setting plays an important role in the story 
• analyze why the author chose a certain word, phrase, name, description, punctuation, etc. 

Students will engage in additional work related to the text when school begins. This may include an in-class presentation or some other form of assessment. As you read, we suggest that you not only follow the plot but also consider the way the story is told by the author. Annotations or notes that explore your thoughts about this as well as a few passages of significance may help you better recall the text, contribute to discussion, and complete assignments upon return to school. 

1. Read and annotate the first 19 chapters (pages 1-307) of The Help by Kathryn Stockett (ISBN:  978-0425232200). Your annotations should focus on details about Aibileen Clark, Minny Jackson, and Skeeter Phelan. Your annotations will be graded when you return to school in August. 

2. After you have read through page 307, write a one paragraph personal response about each of the three main characters so far. What do you like/dislike about them? What are significant experiences that you remember about each of them? What challenges do they face? 

3. We will read and annotate pages 308-522 in class at the beginning of the semester. 

1. Read and annotate The Help by Kathryn Stockett (ISBN:  978-0425232200).  Watching the movie is not a substitute for reading the text, but if you do see the movie, please share your critique – I would love to know what you think!   

2. Type answers to your choice of three of the eleven discussion questions that are printed at the back of the book in the “Readers Guide for The Help.”  Answers should be 150-200 words. Be thoughtful in your responses.   

3. Choose two passages that made you think or feel something (one near the beginning/middle and one near the end of the novel). Copy the passage down, being sure to include the page number. Then write two reflections in which you explain what moved you or why the excerpt stood out to you. Reflections should be 150-200 words and should be in your own voice.  

Read and annotate two books from THE LIST. If do not find titles that interest you, please feel free to select books that are appropriate in terms of rigor, sophistication, and content. English teachers can offer advice about books that you may find appealing and let you know if your choices of titles not on THE LIST are appropriate for summer reading. We suggest that one of your selections be from that genre, time, and/or theme. For example, if you signed up for Poetry for Everyone, then one of your books could be a poetry anthology that focuses on the work of a particular poet, a specific era (World War I poetry, for example), or a specific place (Ireland, or New York City, or the Great Plains). NOTE:  If you are taking The Hero's Journey during Semester One, you must read the first book from the seven-part Harry Potter series of novels AND one additional book from THE LIST. 

Students will engage in additional work related to the texts when school begins. This may include an in-class presentation or some other form of assessment. As you read, we suggest that you not only follow the plot but also consider the way the story is told by the author. Annotations or notes that explore your thoughts about this as well as a few passages of significance may help you better recall the text, contribute to discussion, and complete assignments upon return to school. 

1. Read and annotate The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals, by Michael Pollan (ISBN:  978-0143038580). Note that this is not a novel, so as you read, you should remember that the author is recollecting events from his childhood and young adulthood. Comparing his development with your own may offer you insights into who you are now and the journey you are undertaking by signing up for AP Language.  

2. Write at least three Reader/Writer Notebook entries per week, hand-written in a bound notebook using blue or black ink. One entry per week must be about something that you are reading (for this class or another). You may not use TikTok or other forms of social media as the sources of your reading. Pick up a book, or a magazine, or a newspaper, ideally in print form. Do not engage in plot summary. Instead, write about your impressions of what you have read. If you notice that the author is arguing about something, how did they do it? What kinds of proof and reasons did they use?  

3. Read and annotate at least one other book from THE LIST.

Important Note: When reflecting on what you have read, please remember to focus not on the “what” but on the “how” and the “why” of the author’s work. In other words, your entries should not be book reports or content summaries of what happens.  Instead, tell me about what that content means. Lean into this work. Ask questions. Entries are opportunities to grow and explore, not hurdles to clear. Waiting until the day before the deadline to write all of your entries will turn this learning opportunity into busy work. Don't do this. 

1. Read and annotate The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver (ISBN# 978-0060786502) 

2. Type three reflections (250-300 words), and in each, explore the narrative points of view of one of the following characters:  Orleanna, Rachel, Adah, Leah, or Ruth May. Bring the characters to life, be both creative and analytical, show their personalities and struggles -- don’t tell me a character synopsis or report facts. 

3. Type an original analysis (250-300 words), using quotations from both texts, that meaningfully connects the “Resource Curse” to Poisonwood Bible.

*Note: Avoid plot summary in your writing if you wish to earn credit for your work.