English II Pre-AP Summer Assignments: 2016-2017 School Year

All students enrolled in English II Pre-AP at Hightower HS must have the

following assignments completed and ready for submission by the first day of
classes (August 22, 2016).

Read, annotate, and complete project: Dandelion Wine (Bradbury, Ray)

Read, annotate, and complete project: The Joy Luck Club (Tan, Amy)

Assignment: Annotations for Dandelion Wine and The

Joy Luck Club
Annotations/novel notes are made in the margins of the novel they are not done on separate
notebook paper. Your annotations should be 75% of each chapter. Refer to these questions as you
annotate.
o
o
o
o

Characterization: Find phrases (epithets) to describe the characters; find actions/behaviors

(direct/indirect) that showcase the characters qualities; predict who the character could
become based on their qualities
Theme: find literary elements (symbols? motifs? word choice? imagery? characterization?) that
contribute to an overarching theme; how are themes linked across chapters?
Figurative Language: find elements of figurative language; what does each element DO for that
passage or the overall novel? Why did the author include that element?
Tone: find passages that define a speaker/writers attitude toward the subject matter (or toward
a character, point of view, belief, theme, etc.).

Assignment: Project for Dandelion Wine

In the summer of 1928 in Green Town, Illinois, 12-year-old Douglas Spaulding realizes he is alive that is, he becomes self-aware in a manner he had never been before, and is exhilarated by the
new richness it gives everyday experiences, especially at the start of summer: the harvest of fox
grapes, the making of dandelion wine, the purchase of new sneakers, the setting up of the porch
swing. With his brother Tom, Douglas decides to keep track of the events of this summer in a
tablet.
After reading Dandelion Wine, select one of the following three assignments to complete. All
assignments must be typed, 12-point font, Times New Roman, and doubled spaced.
They must also display effort, creativity, neatness and serious thought.
Option 1: Character Analysis (2-3 pages) (MLA Format)
Choose one of the major characters in Dandelion Wine and have the character reflect back on the experience
25 years later.
The person's basic character traits. Are they leaders or followers? What motivates them most? Do they
depend more on intellect or on emotion for their decisions? Use examples from the book to make your point.
You must give your character a career that makes sense in terms of personality and abilities. Explain
why the job fits the character personality.
Your character needs a philosophy of life that takes into account his experiences in Green Town. For
example: Anne Frank said "I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are still good at heart..."
What would Douglas say?
Your character has children. How does his experience in the summer of 1928 affect him as a parent?
Does he talk to his children about it or figure it's better they don't know? Why? Does it affect his
expectations of his children's actions and behavior?
You may write in either 1st or 3rd person, but not both - be consistent.

Option 2: Setting Analysis (Map + 1-page explanation)

Create a 3-D map of Green Town, using whatever materials you like (must be non perishable). Be certain to
label each of the important aspects of the town. After you have created your model, write an essay
discussing the imagery used to create ONE of the physical settings.

Option 3: Newspaper/Magazine
Create a commemorative newspaper/magazine reporting exclusively about Green Town, Illinois. Include
feature stories about leading characters; an obituary for deceased characters, feature stories about the
summer events and the towns people 20 years later. Include interviews with town people, their families and
the families of the deceased and any other articles relevant to the commemoration of the summer. Be
creative. Your magazine must have a minimum of five articles, three advertisements and be in color. The
magazine must have its own binding or be in a folder.

Assignment: Project for The Joy Luck Club

The Joy Luck Club is about Chinese immigrant mothers and their first generation daughters made
up of 16 short stories all that connect to a common theme of Chinese and American culture. Well
said by Lindo Jong, I wanted my children to have the best combination: American circumstances
and Chinese character. How could I know these two things do not mix? (254). Throughout the
book, both mothers and daughters fight to find a balance between both cultures. The mothers work
incredibly hard to instill within their daughters a Chinese character- a character with deeper
meaning, and the daughters struggle to find that balance themselves, striving to ascertain who
they truly are: Chinese Americans.
After reading The Joy Luck Club, select one of the following three assignments to complete. The
project must be typed. Remember, your work must display effort, creativity, neatness and serious
thought.
Option 1: Theme Analysis
1. Select a family from Joy Luck Club. Create categorized notes for your family. Each category requires a
separate sheet of paper with the topic as the title. The categorized notes will be based on the
following topics/themes:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.

Mother-daughter relationships/conflicts
Gender issues, including male-female relationships and marriage
Mandates of social class
Cultural identification/assimilation
The search for self

2. As you read, observe how each family vignette relates to the thematic categories and record these
passages on your note sheets (include page numbers). This should be an ongoing list that
encompasses the entire novel. You do not need to reflect on each passage; however, if you want to jot
down an initial observation below the textual detail, you may do so and find it helpful later. Bring your
notes to class the first day of school so we can use them as a foundation for classroom discussion.

Option 2: Character Analysis (2-3 pages) (MLA Format)

Using the MLA format, type an essay in response to the following prompt:
Novels and plays often depict characters stuck between colliding cultures national, regional, religious,
ethnic, institutional. Such collisions can call a characters identity into question. Discuss how a character from
The Joy Luck Club responds to such a cultural collision. Write a well-organized essay in which you describe the
characters response and explain its relevance to the work as a whole. Avoid plot summary.

Option 3: Character Analysis (2-3 pages)

Select ONE character from the novel. Analyze that character. Choose ONE Chinese zodiac sign that fits this
specific character. Explain how this character is representative of this sign. You must include a visual of your
zodiac animal and the corresponding birth day.

**NOTE**
Students will be required to turn in a hard copy of all assignments on the first
day of class, and turn in an electric copy to Turnitin.com during the first week
of class (date of online submission will be assigned the first day of school).
Please do not ask for an extensionthe due date is final.