Students Entering English II Pre-AP/TaG Summer Reading Assignment: Classic Fiction Novels of the 20th Century
Over the course of your summer break, we ask that you read a classic fiction novel concerned with values of a culture or society in anticipation of the upcoming school year in English II Pre-AP/TaG. This reading assignment exposes students to literature for college-bound readers, much like that which will be expected of students in their SSR reading throughout the sophomore year and beyond. We have made an effort to choose challenging titles that touch on different cultures so students will have variety in their choices. Students should choose one of the following classic titles:  The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison) • In the Time of the Butterflies (Julia Alvarez)  The Chosen (Chaim Potok) • The Power and the Glory (Graham Greene)  The Namesake (Jhumpa Lahiri)

During the school year, Eng II Pre-AP/TAG students are required to annotate selected novels. Frequently, teachers give annotation pop quizzes following reading assignments; these exercises typically consist of three questions/tasks and are timed at 15-20 minutes. In addition, annotating will help prepare the student for the inclass essay over their novel. With these upcoming assignments in mind, we suggest that students get in the habit of reading the novel twice now—first for general comprehension and enjoyment, second for analysis and critical observations. For the first reading, students should annotate for personal response only. Annotation for the second reading is described below.

Assignment 1—Annotations:
*IMPORTANT! For all annotations, include comments in the margin or on your sticky notes that reveal the significance of the marked passages. In other words, how does what you marked help create meaning? Merely labeling devices and making superficial comments will result in a low grade.
Color-coding: Use colored pens/highlighters for writing directly in your book or use colored sticky notes for identifying passages in borrowed books. Be sure to write your color code inside the front cover of your book.
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Personal response/questions done throughout the novel

(color =

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For the ten sections you chose for your Reader Response Logs (see below), annotate for personal response/questions as well as the following:
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Literary & rhetorical devices —any/all types (color = ) (Examples: imagery, hyperbole, irony, paradox, understatement, repetition, distinctive syntax, allusions, symbols, etc.) Remember to comment on the significance of these devices. How do they help to create meaning? Motifs/key ideas— (color = ___________________) One of your motifs/ideas must be the individual vs. society. In addition, you must identify another two motifs/ideas specific to your novel, resulting in a total of three motifs/key ideas tracked in the novel and discussed over the course of writing the ten Reader Response Logs.

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Remember:  A student’s personal response/questions should be made throughout the book. Other annotations need only be done in the ten sections that you select for your Reader Response Logs (see below).  Annotated novels and Reader Response Logs will be turned in for a major grade on the second day of class. Do not rely upon SparkNotes or similar resources for annotation purposes.

Assignment 2—Reader Response Logs:
*IMPORTANT! While SparkNotes and similar resources may aid comprehension, such materials should not be relied upon for passage selection or response purposes. Reader Response Logs must be submitted to Turnintin.com during the first week of school as a guard against plagiarism. Intellectual honesty is expected throughout the course.
1. As you read, identify ten or more two-three page sections that seem

provocative, dramatic, surprising, especially important, or even disturbing. Ten of your sections should relate to the theme of the individual vs. society. In addition, you should identify another two motifs and/or