PLEASE READ!  Hello, Everyone! I am posting an apology before posting the summer reading:  I know that I was unable to make it into most of the classes and distribute this year's summer reading and I am so sorry! (10th graders will remember my end-of-year battle with pneumonia!)  Because I understand that I need to adequately explain the expectations for this work and distribute it to all of you, please know that summer reading will be re-explained and re-distributed at the beginning of the school year and will not be due until well into the first marking period once we discuss how this work will fit alongside our first unit. If you have questions or do not fully understand the assignment, do not worry!  We will discuss it and you will have time to complete it at the beginning of the year.  If you already began working on this, do not worry!  It will be an assignment and it will be graded, so you are simply one step ahead of the game!  I am looking forward to seeing everyone from last year and meeting all of the sophomores!  :)

This year’s current 9A and 9B group (students who are going to be 10A and 10B), please complete the following assignment:

Name: ______________________________________________________________

Perth Amboy Vocational & Technical School – Summer Assignment

Welcome to Miss Wasco’s 10^th grade English class!  The first book we will be reading is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.  This book is extremely dense with historical details and allusions to events and literature, so it requires a close reading and a good understanding of the context of the novel.  Please complete the attached assignments and be ready to turn them in on the first day of class.  Failure to complete the summer reading assignment will have a negative effect on your first marking period grade and/or your understanding and appreciation of the novel.  To Kill a Mockingbird was one of my favorite novels of high school and I really hope that you will love it as well!

Also, please define the following parts of speech below.  We will review each of these in detail once classes begin in September.

Noun: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-          Proper Noun: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-          Plural Noun: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Verb: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-          Action Verb: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-          Helping Verb: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adjective: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adverb: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Preposition: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Article: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-          Definite Article: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-          Indefinite Article: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Conjunction: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What creates a complete sentence? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a comma splice? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are three ways you can you correct a comma splice? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a fused sentence? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Make a list of transition words. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1.     Watch the YouTube video titled “To Kill a Mockingbird, Part I” located here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xM8hvEE2dI

2.     Some of the questions may require you to do a bit of additional research about the time period or the literature.

1.      Define “bildungsroman.”

2.      List five similarities between author Harper Lee and her main character, Scout Finch.

3.      How many other books did Harper Lee write?

4.      What other author did Harper Lee spend time with who influenced the character of Scout’s neighbor, Dill Harris?  What did he write?

5.      Who is Atticus Finch?  Who is Tom Robinson?  How are they connected?

6.      What were the “Jim Crow Laws”?

7.      Give at least five examples of Jim Crow Laws in the South.

8.      List five characteristics of a southern gothic novel.   You may need to look this up.

1.     Watch the YouTube video titled “Race, Class, and Gender in To Kill a Mockingbird” located here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDS32LEe1Ss

2.     Some of the questions may require you to do a bit of additional research about the time period or the literature.

1. Harper Lee discusses race, class, gender, and social hierarchy in To Kill a Mockingbird.  Define those four terms below.

2. Summarize the theory of “double consciousness” by W.E.B. DuBois.  This should be no less than two full paragraphs.

3.  Atticus defines real courage as “when you know you’re licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.”  What is he actually saying in this quote?   What does it mean to “know you’re licked”?  Have you ever taken on a task or fought a battle even though you knew you would lose?  Discuss this idea in at least three full paragraphs.

This year’s current 9C group (students who are going to be 10C), please complete the following assignment:

Name: ______________________________________________________________

Perth Amboy Vocational & Technical School – Summer Assignment

Welcome to Miss Wasco’s 10^th grade English class!  The first book we will be reading is Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck.  This book is extremely dense with historical details and allusions to events and literature, so it requires a close reading and a good understanding of the context of the novel.  Please complete the attached assignments and be ready to turn them in on the first day of class.  Failure to complete the summer reading assignment will have a negative effect on your first marking period grade and/or your understanding and appreciation of the novel.  Of Mice and Men was one of my favorite novels of high school and I really hope that you will love it as well!

Also, please define the following parts of speech below.  We will review each of these in detail once classes begin in September.

Noun: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-          Proper Noun: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-          Plural Noun: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Verb: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-          Action Verb: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-          Helping Verb: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adjective: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Adverb: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Preposition: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Article: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-          Definite Article: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

-          Indefinite Article: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Conjunction: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What creates a complete sentence? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a comma splice? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are three ways you can you correct a comma splice? ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is a fused sentence? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Make a list of transition words. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1.     Watch the YouTube video titled “The Great Depression: Crash Course US History #33” located here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCQfMWAikyU

2.     Some of the questions may require you to do a bit of additional research about the time period or the literature.

1.      Explain FDR’s New Deal.

2.      List five other novels John Steinbeck is also known for.

3.      How does an author win the Pulitzer Prize?  Discuss Steinbeck and this award.

4.      How does an author win the Nobel Prize for Literature?  Discuss Steinbeck and this award.

5.      Who were “migrant workers” during the Great Depression?  What was their goal?  What was their nickname?

6.      Describe some of the struggles a migrant worker might face.

7.      Look up five facts about the Dust Bowl.

8.      List five facts about the Great Depression.

9.      Compose an expository essay discussing and connecting to the following quote: “I think if I’ve learned anything about friendship, it’s to hang in, stay connected, fight for them, and let them fight for you. Don’t walk away, don’t be distracted, don’t be too busy or tired, don’t take them for granted. Friends are part of the glue that holds life and faith together. Powerful stuff.” – Jon Katz.  This should be at least five paragraphs.  Each body paragraph should connect the quote to an example from history, literature, a personal experience, science, film, etc.  We will go over how to write an expository essay in September, but please attempt to do your best!

10.   Compose a persuasive essay based on what you have learned about the subject of mercy killing.  Create the essay in the form of a letter addressed to your governor.  Do you think that mercy killing is ever justified?  Why or why not?  This should be at least five paragraphs.  Each body paragraph should explain a valid and convincing reason in support of your argument.  We will go over how to write a persuasive essay in September, but please attempt to do your best!

This year’s current tenth grade group (students who are going to be eleventh graders), please complete the following assignment:

Name: ______________________________________________________________

Perth Amboy Vocational & Technical School – Summer Assignment

Welcome to Miss Wasco’s 11^th grade English class!  Our curriculum for this course broadly traces the US History curriculum as we move through the history of the country in chronological order.  Because of this, our first unit is on human origin stories and creation myths of various Native American tribes.  You have a short research project to complete during the summer to add context, personalization, and interest to this somewhat dry unit.  For this assignment, you will be required to research a cultural origin story or creation myth of your ancestry or any ancestry that you find interesting.  Some helpful resources might include the websites listed here:

·         http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/CS/CSIndex.html

·         http://www.meister-z.com/meister_z/CREATEPJ.htm

Please note the requirements for this project:

You must be able to briefly summarize the origin story of your choosing to the class during the first week of school.  For this short presentation, you must have a visual aid of some kind (poster, PowerPoint, Prezi presentation, handout, etc.).  You must discuss the following information in your presentation.  This is your rubric, so this is a clear explanation of how you will be graded for this assignment.

¨ What culture does this origin story belong to?

¨ Where was this culture located historically?

¨ What is this culture known for?

¨ Does this culture exist today?  If so, where and to what extent?

¨ What are the values of this culture?  (Examples: education, art, family, etc.)

¨ Briefly summarize the origin story you researched.

¨ Is this origin story meant to be interpreted as literal or symbolic?  If symbolic, describe the metaphors used in the story.  (In easier language, do the members of this culture believe in this story as absolute truth to this day or do they see it as a fictional story that people believed in long ago?)

¨ How does this origin story depict the values of the culture?

¨ Utilize a visual aid including pictures.

¨ Appropriate class behavior during others’ presentations.

¨ Explanation of why you picked the culture/story that you chose.