Summer Reading Assignment

Hi, everyone! Since I don't know who is staying in Moscow and who is headed to the States--or somewhere else--for the summer, I thought this would be a pretty good venue for us to communicate with one another. I will be in Moscow all summer, so you can always reach me at home if you need me. I am NOT going to give out my phone number on the internet, but if you contact Rebecca T., she has my number. Rebecca, it's okay to give that number out.

The purpose of summer reading is not to blow your whole summer, I promise. It's really kind of a relaxed time for you to flex some muscles without the daily pressure of classes, assignments and deadlines. It's also a great opportunity for us to get some work done and out of the way before school starts. I've tried to pick books you'll really enjoy, so at least give me that. If you don't like them, well...life is like that sometimes. :o)

So here it is: I want you to read the following books and complete a dialectical journal for each. (I'll explain dialectical journal in a sec.) The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, are classics, but don't let that scare you--they're also really good reads. And in the case of Gatsby, a read all American colleges and universities will assume you have under your belt. Now, what's a dialectical journal? It's kind of a conversation with yourself, but in a good, on-the-paper, productive kind of way, and not a weird-drunk-guy-on-the-metro kind of way. You need a notebook. (I'm not picky about this part, but I'd suggest spiral-bound is best, just because it's easier to deal with while you're writing.) Divide each page with a line down the center. On the left, you'll put quotes from the books. On the right, you'll write down your thoughts about the quote. Now, listen--I don't want any of the "wow, that's a really well-written sentence" kind of thoughts. It's Fitzgerald and Shelley, for heaven's sake, so it's obviously good writing! So let's not waste my time (or yours) with stuff that's just a page-filler. Instead, I really want you to think about what the author is doing and how he or she is doing it. For example, it might be a symbol that keeps re-appearing. It might be a particularly gory scene, with lots of bloodshed. It could be that a character reminds you of something from the Bible. (The Bible, by the way, is absolutely everywhere in Western Lit...be on the lookout for it.) That's the kind of stuff that goes on the right.

So you're asking yourself--how many quotes from each book? Okay, this is going to drive you crazy about me (I've taught for 17 years, and kids have told me this drives them crazy), but the answer to that question is always going to be "enough." How long does it have to be? Long enough. How many entries? Enough to get the job done. Here's the thing...I'm going to know if you've put real thought into this or if you've done it on the night of the 19th. Our questions for all works of literature are pretty much the same--what is the author doing? how is he doing it? If you can answer those two questions thoroughly, there is probably not a piece of literature out of your reach. But those are deceptively easy questions, and they usually have really complex answers. So it'll take some thought. Eventually, I'll post a rubric here to show you how it'll be graded. If I get really ambitious, I'll even try to post a sample entry so you can take a look.

One more thing--and this is the unpleasant part of being a teacher of the bright and gifted--I don't take late work. Ever. And here's the mistake kids make...I am really in love with kids, and so they think I've got some kind of marshmallow thing going on out of my great love for them. Nope. Love 'em. Don't take their late work. So let's just avoid that nastiness altogether and have this assignment done and ready to turn in on August 20th.

So there it is. Summer reading in all its glory. I'd suggest that you subscribe to this blog, since I'll put up some things periodically. Please feel free to comment and ask questions--they're likely questions everyone has. I haven't decided if using a blog to communicate with students makes me cool, or just heightens the degree of nerdiness I radiate.

Hey, listen...I'm really excited about next year. It's going to be fun for me to be teaching AP again. My former students are really excited and encouraging about me being back in the classroom, and they've reminded me how much I really love teaching. I think God is about to do some remarkable stuff in that classroom, and I'm really glad you're going to be there with me to experience it. I hope you have a really successful week of exams and a great summer!

His,
Mrs. Hooks

Oh, I almost forgot--both novels are in the book room for you to check out, and would you please post a comment letting me know that you've seen this and have the assignment? Thanks!