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English
Department
Department
Leader: Dee Andershock
dandershock@sequoits.com • Department Home Page |
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Summer Readings – 2011
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English I & English I Seminar assignment
Acceleration by Graham McNamee
In Acceleration, 17-year old Duncan finds a little leather book. It's a diary filled with the dark and dirty secrets of a twisted mind, a serial killer stalking his prey in the subway. And Duncan can't make himself stop reading. What would you do with a book like that? How far would you go to catch a madman?
Click
here for the summer reading assignment letter.
For more about Graham McNamee, click
here. |
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English I Honors assignment
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman
Alexie
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the
Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his
own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend
an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is
the school mascot.
The book
chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy
as he attempts to break away from the life he was destined to live.
Click
here for the summer reading assignment letter.
To visit Sherman Alexie's website, click
here. |
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English II & English
II Seminar assignment
Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
High
school senior Tyler Miller used to be the kind of guy who faded
into the background—average student, average looks, average
dysfunctional family. But since he got busted for doing graffiti
on the school, and spent the summer doing outdoor work to pay for
it, he stands out like you wouldn’t believe. His new physique
attracts the attention of queen bee Bethany Milbury, who just so
happens to be his father’s boss’s daughter, the sister
of his biggest enemy—and Tyler’s secret crush. And that
sets off a string of events and changes that have Tyler questioning
his place in the school, in his family, and in the world.
Click
here for the summer reading assignment letter. Click
here for a form for typing up the quote log.
To visit the author’s website, click
here. |
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English II Honors assignment
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Jeannette
Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity
were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls
had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving
among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Later, when
the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the
Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town –
and the family – Rex Walls had done everything he could to
escape. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and
her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one
another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally,
found the resources and will to leave home.
Click
here for the summer reading assignment letter. For Ms. Beckman's
brochure about the book, click
here.
For more about the book’s author, click
here. |
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English III & English III Seminar assignment
The Dream by Harry Bernstein
Harry Bernstein’s selfless mother struggles to keep her six children fed and clothed. But she never stops dreaming of a better life in America, no matter how unlikely. Then, one miraculous day when Harry is twelve years old, steamships tickets arrive in the mail, sent by an anonymous benefactor, and the family sets sail for America, meeting relatives in Chicago. But soon the harsh realities of the Great Depression envelop them.
Click
here for the summer reading assignment letter (English III Seminar: click here).
For more about the author, click
here. |
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AP Language and Composition assignment
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran
Foer
Meet
Oskar Schell, an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean
actor, jeweler, pacifist. He is nine years old. And he is on an
urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York. His
mission is to find the lock that fits a mysterious key belonging
to his father, who died in the attack on the World Trade Center.
An inspired creation, Oskar is alternately endearing, exasperating,
and hilarious as he careens from Central Park to Coney Island to
Harlem on his search. Along the way he is always dreaming up inventions
to keep those he loves safe from harm. What about a birdseed shirt
to let you fly away? What if you could actually hear everyone's
heartbeat? His goal is hopeful, but the past speaks a loud warning
in stories of those who've lost loved ones before. As Oskar roams
New York, he encounters a motley assortment of characters who are
all survivors in their own way. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
boldly approaches history and tragedy with humor, tenderness, and
awe.
Click
here for the summer reading assignment letter
For more about the author, click
here. |
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English IV assignment
The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
Seventeen-year-old Jenna Fox awakens after more than a year in a coma to find herself in a life—and a body—that she doesn't quite recognize. Her parents tell her that she's been in an accident, but much of her past identity and current situation remain a mystery to her: Why has her family abruptly moved from Boston to California, leaving all of her personal belongings behind? Why does her grandmother react to her with such antipathy? Why have her parents instructed her to make sure not to tell anyone about the circumstances of their move? And why can Jenna recite whole passages of Thoreau's Walden, but remember next to nothing of her own past? As she watches family videos of her childhood, strange memories begin to surface, and she slowly realizes that a terrible secret is being kept from her.
Click
here for the summer reading assignment letter
For more about the book and its author, click
here. |
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AP Literature and Composition assignment
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
What
does it mean when a fictional hero takes a journey? Shares a meal?
Gets drenched in a sudden rain shower? Often, there is much more
going on in a novel or poem than is readily visible on the surface—a
symbol, maybe, that remains elusive, or an unexpected twist on a
character—and there's that sneaking suspicion that the deeper
meaning of a literary text keeps escaping you. In this practical
and amusing guide to literature, Thomas C. Foster shows how easy
and gratifying it is to unlock those hidden truths, and to discover
a world where a road leads to a quest; a shared meal may signify
a communion; and rain, whether cleansing or destructive, is never
just rain. Ranging from major themes to literary models, narrative
devices, and form, How to Read Literature Like a Professor is the
perfect companion for making your reading experience more enriching,
satisfying, and fun.
Click
here for the summer reading assignment letter.
For more about the book and its author, click
here. |
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English 101/201
Hit Squad by James Heneghan
This is Mickey's first year at Grandview High. After transferring, all he wants to do is keep his head down, work hard and fit in with the upscale crowd. He is approached, because of his tough reputation, to join a group of students to take back the school from the bullies. Mickey finds himself caught up in a shadowy world of violence and retribution. When their planned payback goes horribly wrong, Mickey is forced to acknowledge the thin line between victim and victimizer.
Click here for the summer reading assignment.
To visit the author's website, click here. |
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