May 13th, 2013
Dear Advanced English 8 Student and Parent/Guardian,
Welcome to Advanced English 8! This is an accelerated class designed to challenge students and help them reach their fullest potential in reading and writing. You will be working with other students who are at an advanced level in English, and I am confident that you will find this class a rewarding experience.
In the fall, this class will begin with the discussion of two novels. Students in Advanced English 8 will be expected to read these novels over the summer and complete a writing assignment on them. It is essential to keep up with reading over the summer, and it is vital to all students involved that everyone is ready to discuss these texts when class begins in the fall. Therefore, this summer reading is required in order to continue enrollment in Advanced English 8. All students will take a test on these novels during the first week of school, and submit an essay prior to the first day of school. Failure to complete the summer reading expectation will result in a grade of a zero on all summer reading related assignments. If this assignment is not something you plan on doing, please let us know ASAP so we may change your schedule. Please note – it will NOT be possible to make any schedule changes after the last day of school!
The two novels for summer reading are:
- Hope Was Here, by Joan Bauer
- Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher
Note to parents: This novel, Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, does contain some mature content. However, it is an excellent piece of literature that has been hailed by teachers as one of the most important, thought-provoking young adult novels of our time. We strongly believe that this is an important story for students to read. However, an alternate text will be provided if requested prior to the beginning of the school year. Please contact Mrs. Wallace for the alternate text if this is necessary.
These novels are available at the public library, local bookstores, or they can be purchased (often for a discounted priced if it’s a used copy) from Amazon.com or Barnesandnoble.com.
Students will be required to read these novels, prepare for a test on the content of the novels, and complete the written portion of this assignment. Please see the reverse side of this letter for the writing assignment/blog entry requirement. Also, attached to this letter is a contract for each student and his or her parent/guardian to sign. This contract indicates your understanding of the expectations for summer reading.
Mrs. Wallace
MWHS English Department Chair
Advanced English 8 Summer Reading: Writing Assignments
This summer you will have two writing assignments to accompany the summer reading. First, you will be expected to post at least three responses for each novel on the class blog (total of six responses). Second, you will write a 1-2 page essay connecting the themes of the two novels together. Below is an outline of the expectations for each section of this assignment.
Part One – Blog Entries on Class Blog Page
Before, while and after you read the novel, go to our class blog page and join the discussion http://mwhsadvancedenglish8.blogspot.com/.
You will be posting at least three analytical responses for each of the novels (6 total). It’s easy to post! Just click on a topic, read the question that I have posted, then click on “write comment.” You will be asked to login with your email the first time (please use your @277apps.org account). Then, in the box where it tells you to write a comment, simply type your response. To practice this skill, I am asking each of you to visit the blog and do a introductory post in the next two weeks. This should be posted by Tuesday, May 28th.
Make sure that you keep in mind that this is an ENGLISH CLASS assignment. Therefore, you should use proper English (spelling, punctuation, etc.) – not texting language!
All summer blog posts must be completed by August 26th. If you are unable to post from home, you can always do this at the public library. If there are extenuating circumstances in which you are unable to get to and/or post to the class blog page PLEASE CONTACT MRS. WALLACE ASAP!
Part Two – Comparison Essay
This will be a five-paragraph essay that connects the common themes of the two novels together. You will need to discuss at least three common issues/themes/life lessons from the novels.
Each theme should be discussed in its own body paragraph in your essay. Be sure to mention examples from EACH novel that support the existence of that theme in each story. In addition to your three body paragraphs, your essay should include an introduction (with a thesis statement) and a conclusion.
This essay should be written in google docs and shared with Mrs. Wallace electronically (wallacek@277apps.org). Please use this title for your file, 8lastname,firstname-Summer Reading Essay (8Wallace, Kristin- Summer Reading Essay). Essays must be completed and shared by August 26th.
There will be there will be a link to the blog site and this document for on Mrs. Wallace’s teacher webpage.
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