SUMMER READING Assignment 2022
Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School
- All students will be required to read ONE novel or nonfiction work by author James Patterson and complete a dialectical journal. This assignment can be found on the Bay Path website through the following link: http://www.baypath.net/academics/english/summer-reading/ More info, including assignments, journal templates and AP requirements.
Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School Summer Reading Assignment 2022
Students will read any novel by James Patterson, and complete six (6) dialectical journal entries (see instructions below). You must space out the quotes you find (2 from the beginning, 2 from the middle, and 2 from the end) from throughout the novel.
Dialectical Journals The term “Dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer.” Think of your dialectical journal as a series of conversations with the text. The process is meant to help you develop a better understanding of the text. Use your journal to incorporate your personal responses to the text and your ideas about the themes covered. You will find that it is a useful way to process what you’re reading, prepare yourself for group discussion, and gather textual evidence for your Literary Analysis assignments in your future classes.
Journal template can be found here.
Procedure:
o As you read, choose passages that stand out to you and record them in the left-hand column of a Tchart (ALWAYS include page numbers).
o In the right column, write your response to the text (ideas/insights, questions, reflections, and comments on each passage)
o If you choose, you can label your responses using the following codes:
(Q) Question – ask about something in the passage that is unclear (limit to only two) – be sure to respond to/reflect upon your question if/when you find an answer.
(C) Connect – make a connection to your life, the world, or another text
(CL) Clarify – answer earlier questions or confirm/disaffirm a prediction
(R) Reflect – think deeply about what the passage means in a broad sense – not just to the characters in the story. What conclusions can you draw about the world, about human nature, or just the way things work?
(E) Evaluate – make a judgment about the character(s), their actions, or what the author is trying to say
o Provide at least six (6) entries. Each entry must be at least 3 sentences long.
o Your responses should be typed.
Sample Dialectical Journal entry: The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien
Passages from the text Pg #s Comments & Questions (R)
“they carried like freight trains; Pg 2 O’brien chooses to end the first section of the novel with this sentence. He provides
they carried it on their backs and excellent visual details of what each solider in Vietnam would carry for day-to-day fighting.
shoulders and for all the ambiguities He makes you feel the physical weight of what soldiers have to carry for simple survival.
of Vietnam, all the mysteries and When you combine the emotional weight of loved ones at home, the fear of death, and the
unknowns, there was at least the responsibility for the men you fight with, with this physical weight, you start to understand
single abiding certainty that they what soldiers in Vietnam dealt with every day. This quote sums up the confusion that the
would never be at a loss for things men felt about the reasons they were fighting the war, and how they clung to the only
to carry”. certainty – things they had to carry – in a confusing world where normal rules were suspended.
Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School Summer Reading Assignment 2022
Choosing Passages from the Text: Look for quotes that seem significant, powerful, thought provoking or puzzling. For example, you might record:
o Effective &/or creative use of stylistic or literary devices
o Passages that remind you of your own life or something you’ve seen before
o Structural shifts or turns in the plot o A passage that makes you realize something you hadn’t seen before
o Examples of patterns: recurring images, ideas, colors, symbols or motifs.
o Passages with confusing language or unfamiliar vocabulary
o Events you find surprising or confusing
o Passages that illustrate a particular character or setting
Responding To the Text: You can respond to the text in a variety of ways. The most important thing to remember is that your observations should be specific and detailed. You can write as much as you want for each entry. Students also should do their best to type their responses if at all possible.
Basic Responses
o Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text
o Give your personal reactions to the passage
o Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
o Tell what it reminds you of from your own experiences
o Write about what it makes you think or feel
o Agree or disagree with a character or the author
Sample Sentence Starters: I really don’t understand this because… I really dislike/like this idea because… I think the author is trying to say that… This passage reminds me of a time in my life when… If I were (name of character) at this point I would… This part doesn’t make sense because… This character reminds me of (name of person) because…
Higher Level Responses
o Analyze the text for use of literary devices (tone, structure, style, imagery)
o Make connections between different characters or events in the text
o Make connections to a different text (or film, song, etc…)
o Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
o Consider an event or description from the perspective of a different character
o Analyze a passage and its relationship to the story as a whole Important information:
o Your summer reading assignment is due on the first academic day of class; you may also have a test on this novel on the first day of class.
o If you are unable to purchase a copy of a novel, you may check out a copy from any town library.
Important information:
o Your summer reading assignment is due on the first academic day of class; you may also have a test on this novel on the first day of class.
o If you are unable to purchase a copy of a novel, you may check out a copy from any town library.
AP English Literature Summer Reading Assignment 2022
Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School
Please note: This is a course for 12th graders only, if you are not sure if you are in the course or not, please contact Guidance immediately, do not wait until the first day of school. Students in AP Literature complete ONLY this assignment, not the assignment given to any other grades…you do not have to read a book by James Patterson, but you can if you want to – they are great reads too!
Dear AP Lit.,
Congratulations on choosing AP English Literature! I am very excited to study great literature with you! Here are a few things that will help prepare you for this course over the summer.
You will need to procure copies of:
• How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster (you must read this first)
• And then you need to choose either Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier or A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman All assignments can be either handwritten or you may create your own digital chart for the notes charts. All summer reading work is due in class printed or handwritten on Thursday, September 2nd 2021. Ten points will be deducted for each day any assignment is late.
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
In Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson both observe carefully, yet their differing interpretations of the same details reveal the difference between a “Good Reader” and a “Bad Reader.” Watson can only describe what he sees; Holmes has the knowledge to interpret what he sees, to draw conclusions, and to solve the mystery. Understanding literature does not need to be a mystery –Foster’s book will help transform you from an unexperienced, sometimes confused “Watson” to an insightful, literary “Holmes”. Informed readers see symbols, archetypes, and patterns because those things are there — if you have learned to look for them. As Foster says, you learn to recognize the literary conventions the “same way you get to Carnegie Hall. Practice.” (xiv). Clearly this was before GPS and Waze but you learned your way around your neighborhood and town when you first learned to drive by practice and repetition and started seeing things you never noticed before the longer you drove through town. Foster does the same, but for literature!
How To Read Literature Like A Professor – Notes
After you read each chapter make some notes about they key points of the chapter. Your bullet points do not have to be in complete sentences, but they should be detailed and show your clear understanding, thoughts, ideas, and reflections about the chapter and its main lessons. What are Foster’s key points here? What do you think and understand about those key points? What did you learn? What connections are you making to stories and literature?