English II (10th Grade)

PRE-AP SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT

2018-2019

Future English II Pre-AP Student:

Welcome! We are excited that you have chosen to be a part of our advanced program! To Kill a Mockingbird is
a work of literary merit that has withstood the test of time and is viewed as a literary work that exemplifies
themes about life. This novel supports necessary components that will prepare students for Advanced Placement
courses.

Students should read the assigned novel and complete the accompanying assignment. They should also be
prepared to share their ideas, thoughts, and analysis of the work in class discussions and through other
classroom activities the first few weeks of school.

Purpose of Summer Reading:

The purpose of summer reading in high school goes beyond fostering a love of reading; it helps students to
prepare for more rigorous Pre-AP course work and sets the expectation for upcoming advanced
classes. Though students are required to read only one book as part of the assignment, they are encouraged to
read as many books as they can over the summer. With this summer reading assignment, we hope to provide
students with a rich reading experience over the summer that will enable them to participate in meaningful
conversations with their parents, teachers, and peers.

Below you will find some research regarding the importance of reading over the summer as well as the book
that needs to be read before the first day of the 2018-2019 school year.

Research:

 Studies show that students who participate in summer reading programs show increased reading
achievement scores as well as increased confidence in the classroom (Booktalking: Avoiding Summer
Drift).

 Students who don’t read during summer vacation lose two to three months of reading achievement
(“The Effects of Summer Vacation on Achievement Test Scores”).

 Students who read five to six books over the summer don’t suffer from that summer reading loss
(“Summer Reading and the Ethnic Achievement Gap“).

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

ISBN-13: 978-0060935467

*Available at Barnes and Noble, McAllen Public Library, Amazon.com,

Kindle
Disclaimer

Often times, movie versions of novels are very different from their novel counterpart. Movie versions omit, add,
or change material from the book version. Movies are great, but they are no substitute for reading the work.

Purpose for novel and assignment

 Exposure to classic literature and advanced topics, themes, and forms of analysis
 Preparation for success in the Pre-AP classroom
 Preparation for future AP coursework and exams
 Preparation for college entrance exams such as the SAT and the ACT
 Preparation for competing in challenging programs in rigorous academic environments

Expectations and Assessment

 1st Week of School: Classroom discussion over the novel and literary analysis of the reading using a
theme chart and a characterization chart will help provide insight to prepare for a class essay and/or
project. The summer reading assignment is expected to be completed by the first day of school and
will be picked up for a grade before the end of the first week.

 2nd Week of School: Formal assessment (essay/test) at the beginning of the week and continuation of
discussions and additional classroom activities over the literary work.

Cheating and Plagiarism

 MISD does not tolerate academic cheating or plagiarism in any form. It will result in a score of a zero
on the assignment and may result in disciplinary action.

 Learning to think and work independently is part of the educational process. Work Independently.
 THEME
Theme is defined as a universal message about life or human nature. A theme is not a single word such as “love.” The novel may deal with the
abstract concept of love, but to arrive at the theme, you must think about what the author is saying about love. For example, a complete thematic
statement may be expressed as, “love can be a destructive force that impairs one’s judgment.”

Think about the themes of your assigned novel. Keep in mind that a novel of literary merit often has several different themes; therefore, you may
come up with a few different messages the novel conveys.

Complete the thematic charts below by explaining how the novel explores 3 different thematic ideas. Use text evidence from the novel to
support your answer and provide additional commentary regarding the importance of the theme being presented. Feel free to answer these
questions by typing the questions and answers into a document, or if you choose to write on this page, be sure to write neatly and clearly.

Thematic Idea:

Thematic
Statement:

What does the

author say about
this topic?

Quotations:

Provide evidence
from the novel that
supports the
statement.
Commentary:

Why is this
important in society
today?

Thematic Idea:

Thematic
Statement:

What does the

author say about
this topic?

Quotations:

Provide evidence
from the novel that
supports the
statement.
Commentary:

Why is this
important in society
today?

Thematic Idea:

Thematic
Statement:

What does the

author say about
this topic?

Quotations:

Provide evidence
from the novel that
supports the
statement.
Commentary:

Why is this
important in society
today?

Thematic Chart/Character Chart

Thematic Thematic statement/ Thematic

statement/Character Character Trait may statement/Character
Thematic
Trait is unoriginal be original but is only Trait is original and
Statement/Character
and/or is not loosely connected to based on the novel.
Trait
connected to the the novel.
novel.
Only one quotation Quotations provided Quotations provided
provided, or the loosely support the accurately support the
Quotations quotations do not thematic statement thematic statement
support the thematic created. created.
statement created.
Commentary is Commentary lacks Commentary is
nonexistent, or the insight and shows insightful and
Commentary student summarized only a vague demonstrates complete
the text. understanding of the understanding of the
task assigned. task assigned.
Complete the character charts below by explaining how the novel explores 3 different characters. Use text evidence from the novel to
support your answer and provide additional commentary regarding the importance of the character trait being presented. Feel free to
answer these questions by typing the questions and answers into a document, or if you choose to write on this page, be sure to write neatly
and clearly.

Scout:

Character Trait:

What is one
adjective to describe
this character?

Quotations:

Provide evidence
from the novel that
supports the
character trait you
have selected.

Commentary:
Does this character
maintain this trait
throughout the
novel? If yes, what
does that say about
the character? If no,
in what ways do
they change and
what events do you
think cause the
change?
Atticus:
Character Trait:

What is one
adjective to describe
this character?

Quotations:

Provide evidence
from the novel that
supports the
character trait you
have selected.

Commentary:
Does this character
maintain this trait
throughout the
novel? If yes, what
does that say about
the character? If no,
in what ways do
they change and
what events do you
think cause the
change?
Jem:
Character Trait:

What is one
adjective to describe
this character?

Quotations:

Provide evidence
from the novel that
supports the
character trait you
have selected.
Commentary:
Does this character
maintain this trait
throughout the
novel? If yes, what
does that say about
the character? If no,
in what ways do
they change and
what events do you
think cause the
change?