o Bringing Down the House, Ben Mezrich o Eyes of the Dragon, Stephen King o
Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie o The Immortal Life of Henrietta ...
— Books for Summer Reading 2013 — Watertown High School English Language Arts Transitional English All students should r ead The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Books and the required q uestions about the text should b e obtained from the ESL Department. th
9 Grade: All students- choose one of the following: o The Book Thief by Markus Zusak o Ghosts of War: The True Story of a 19-Year-Old GI, Ryan Smithson o The Gospel According to Larry, Janet Tashjian 10th Grade: L1- choose one; honors - choose two: o The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel, Garth Stein o Bringing Down the House, Ben Mezrich o Eyes of the Dragon, Stephen King o Murder on the Orient E xpress, Agatha Christie o The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks-Rebecca Skloot th
11 Grade: L1- choose one; honors - choose two: o Detroit, An American Autopsy, Charles LeDuff o Into the Wild, John Krakauer o The Fault in Our Stars, John Green o Feed, M.T. Anderson o Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris o A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, Michael Dorris th
11 Grade—Advanced Placement: Language and Composition (Read All) N.B. Additional i nformation and assignments will be given directly from the AP teacher in June. You should purchase the specific edition of the novels the teacher stipulates. o In the Heart of t he Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex, N athaniel Philbrick Penguin Books (paperback edition) o Moby Dick byHerman Melville 150th Anniversary Edition (2002) Norton Critical Edition, edited by Hershel Parker and Harrison Hayford o Ahab’s Wife, or The Star-Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund Perrenial /Harper Collins Publishers (paperback edition) 12th Grade—Contemporary Literature All s tudents should read: Tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom and choose o ne of the following two titles: o Handle with Care, Jodi Picoult o In the L ake of the Woods, Tim O’Brian (OVER-)
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12 Grade-Falling From Grace: Crime, Politics and American Culture All s tudents should read: o One Shot at Forever: A S mall Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a M agical Baseball Season, Chris Ballard o In June 2013 additional readings and assignments will distributed to those enrolled in the class. th
12 Grade-L1 Humanities— o Read The Alchemist, P aulo Coehlo o Watch the film The Artist, Michael Hazanavicious o Go to a museum of your choice, take a photo of yourself at the site, and write a one page reflection on your experience there. Also, bring evidence you were at the museum (ticket stub, lapel badge, etc.) th
12 Grade—Honors Humanities— o Read and annotate Hamlet, William Shakespeare (That i s: pose questions, write notes and observations based upon your r eading and understanding of the text) o Read Part I: “Experiences i n a Concentration Camp” of Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl o Watch the film The Artist, Michael Hazanavicious o Go to a museum of your choice, take a photo of yourself at the site, and write a one page reflection on your experience there. Also, bring evidence you were at the museum (ticket stub, lapel badge, etc.) 12th Grade—Advanced Placement: Literature and Composition o The Anthologist by Nicholson B aker Simon and Schuster, Paperback Edition I SBN: 978-‐1416572459 o Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky) Vintage B ooks, P aperback Edition ISBN 978-‐ 0679734529 o Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, Vintage Books, Paperback Edition ISBN: 978-‐ 1400078776 o The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, Vintage Books,Paperback Edition ISBN: 978-‐1400078431 o A Heartbreaking Work of S taggering Genius by Dave Eggers Vintage Books, Paperback Edition ISBN: 978-‐0375725784 N.B. Additional i nformation and assignments will be given directly from the AP teacher in June. You should purchase the specific edition of the novels the teacher stipulates.
PLEASE NOTE: Because there is a minimum expectation that all students who are enrolled in an honors class will complete all assignments on time, any student enrolled in an honors or AP class who has not completed all the summer assignments as of the beginning of school year will be moved to a college preparatory class.
Falling From Grace: Crime, Politics and Sports in American Culture Grade 12 English PART 1. For your summer reading you should read: One Shot at Forever: A Small Town, an Unlikely Coach, and a Magical Baseball Season by Chris Ballard As you read, take notes and write questions or comments about the text. You will be able to use these when you complete your assessments of the book in September. Consider: How important is setting to the story (the time and place of action—early 1970s America)? Why is Lynn Sweet a point of controversy in the town? Who is the most interesting character in the story? What are your thoughts about the ending? What is your opinion of the manner in which the story is told? Why do you think this? Would you recommend this book? Why? Why not? Give specifics. PART 2. A. Research: Look up three of the following people and news stories (one from each category). Find and print or photocopy at least two different accounts (versions) of the stories you select to research. If you wish, you may use both online and text sources. Make sure to select reputable and valid sources for your research. Some online sources include: university sites (Harvard, Columbia, Yale, Brown, Northeastern, Boston University, etc.), newspaper archives (The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal and The Chicago Tribune) and other reputable sources such as Encyclopedia Brittanica and PBS.org. B. Write a brief summary ( ½ page, 12 point font, single-spaced) of the story as you understand it from the various accounts you’ve read. What happened? When did it take place? What was the controversy? Who was involved? What was the resolution?
Crime: (Select one topic to research from this group.) 1. Helen Jewett – murder case 2. Charles Ponzi- investment fraud 3. Albert DeSalvo- the Boston Strangler
Politics: (Select one topic to research from this group.)
1. Oakes Ames and James Brooks—Credit Mobilier of America scandal 2. Richard Nixon- Watergate Hotel break in 3. Representative Gary Hart -US Presidential candidate extra marital affair scandal
Sports: (Select one topic to research from this group.) 1. Jim Thorpe – controversy over amateur athlete status 2. Pete Rose – controversy over gambling while a MLB player 3. University of Washington Football Program – criminal activity in the 1999-2000 season Summer Reading 2013 Watertown High School AP Language and Literature Introduction Welcome to the summer reading component of AP Language and Literature. You need to purchase the editions i ndicated because we will b e working closely with these texts at the start of the school year. The B oston area has a number of excellent used bookstores. Additionally, online b ooksellers have many used copies of these books available at reduced prices. Poetry The AP Language and Literature class i ncludes a significant unit on poetry and poetics. In advance of this unit, all students must read: The Anthologist by Nicholson B aker Simon and Schuster Paperback Edition ISBN: 978-‐1416572459 The novel is about a poet and his difficulties writing the preface to an anthology of poetry. So that you better identify with the narrator, you will also create a small anthology of poetry. Select 3 poems that you feel deserve to b e read for as long as poetry i s read in the English language. Write a brief (2 pages double spaced) i ntroduction to your anthology explain your rationale for the selection of your poems. What about the form and content make these poems exceptional? For a broad sampling of poetry, you may want to refer to the Norton Anthology of Poetry. Also, you may want to visit the Grolier P oetry Bookshop, one of the only poetry bookstores i n the country. I t is mentioned in The Anthologist and it i s located in Harvard Square. The staff, if you earn their respect, are ineffably superior to a google search of “cool poems for my homework.” Also, so that you b etter appreciate the difficulties of the poet, you must also become one. You will author 3 poems. Be prepared to read one aloud during the first week of class. Write a haiku at your own risk. Fiction
Throughout the course we will discuss a variety of literature. Why do we write? Why do we read? Why do we continue to read certain books while others are neglected and forgotten? So that we begin the course with some shared reading experiences, all students must read the following: Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky) Vintage Books Paperback Edition ISBN 978-‐0679734529 Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro Vintage Books Paperback Edition ISBN: 978-‐1400078776 Non Fiction Literature and literary non-‐fiction have always b een a way of confronting the deepest challenges of the human experience. The following memoirs are direct confrontations of our mortality. So that we enter the class with a shared appreciation of the stakes of written communication, all students must read the following: The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Vintage Books
Paperback Edition ISBN: 978-‐1400078431 A Heartbreaking Work of S taggering Genius by Dave Eggers Vintage Books Paperback Edition ISBN: 978-‐0375725784 Coda Again, i t is vital that you find and read these specific editions as soon as possible so that you may begin this ambitious summer reading. PLEASE N OTE: You must have r ead and taken notes on all five titles prior to the first day of class. N O EXCEPTIONS. Y ou will write about or be tested on all of these books during the first weeks of class. If you do not read these books, you will no longer have a place in the class. Some Questions to Consider When Reading Each Selection: How is the story told? What is t he writing style? How d oes the writer e ngage the reader? What is t he writer’s purpose? What is t he writer’s tone? How d oes the writer use language?
As you read, interact with the texts: highlight, underline, write notes, jot down questions and observations i n the margins, use Post-‐It notes, etc. I will look to see what notations you have made, as these will form the b asis of our initial class discussions. You will b e required to bring all of these books to class during the first weeks of school, and I will check the books for physical evidence of committed interaction with the text.
Summer Reading 2013 Watertown High School AP Language and Composition Read ALL of the following titles. You need to purchase the editions indicated because we will be working closely with these texts at the start of the school year. Reading them in the order listed is strongly recommended. In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick Penguin Books (paperback edition) @$15.00 Moby Dick by Herman Melville 150th Anniversary Edition (2002) Norton Critical Edition Edited by Hershel Parker and Harrison Hayford @ $12.50 (You may skim the chapters that are not narrative in nature; that is, the explanations of whaling.) Ahab’s Wife, or The Star-Gazer by Sena Jeter Naslund Perrenial /Harper Collins Publishers (paperback edition) @$15.00 Try to locate the texts at used book stores, as these will be less expensive… As you read, interact with the texts: highlight, underline, write notes, jot down questions and observations in the margins, use Post-It notes, etc. I will look to see what notations you have made, as these will form the basis of our initial class discussions. Bring all three texts with you to class on the first day of school in September. It is vital that you order/purchase these specific editions as soon as possible so that you may begin this ambitious summer reading. Some Questions to Consider When Reading Each Selection:
How is the story told? What is the writing style? How does the writer engage the reader? What is the writer’s purpose? What is the writer’s tone? How does the writer use language?
PLEASE NOTE: You must have read and taken notes on all three titles prior to the first day of class. NO EXCEPTIONS. If you have not completed all components of the summer reading by the due date you will be required to drop the class and placed in a college preparatory class.
