Twin Tiers Christian AcademyEnglish 11

2014Summer Reading Performance

Assessment

“With God’s leading, TTCA, as a ministry of the church, will assist parents by providing a quality education from a Biblical world view to help students develop their abilities for service to

Christ.”- TTCA Mission Statement

Index:Student/Parent Letter

Requirements

Goals/Disclaimer/Permission Slip

Student Quotes

Teacher/Student Book Recommendations

Annotation ?s Checklist- Ask these before reading. Answer these while reading.

Annotations Checklist- Use this to check off when you’ve annotated each item.

Critical Lens Quotes

Extra Credit

Dear TTCA Students and Parents,

What You Will Do:Ready or not, summer is upon us! I can’t

believe how quickly this year has gone. Throughout the year, you’ve taken strides in vocabulary, reading, and writing, and I am so proud of you! In an effort to continue helping you to grow in the skills that you have been learning, your teachers and I would like you personally to choose one book, which meets the requirements listed in this packet and complete the activities according to the directions in this packet. Turn in this completed packet on the first day of school.

Why Complete Summer Reading?: “Children need to engage with books every day

so they can maintain, and ideally strengthen, all the literacy skills they learned during the previous school year. Assistant Principal Twana Santana-Embry compares reading to exercising, telling her students that any time they read they are ‘strengthening their reading muscles.’

The stakes for children who do not read over summer vacation are high. Substantial research on this topic shows it's usually the students who can least afford to lose ground as readers who are most likely to suffer from summer reading loss and fall far behind their peers.

The few months of loss in reading skills compounds over the years; by the time children reach middle school, those who haven't read during the summers may have lost as much as two years worth of achievement.”1

The Benefits of Reading:Hopefully you are excited about this opportunity because you know that “avid readers:

Read better, write better, and concentrate better. Are quicker to see subtleties. Have an easier time processing new information. Have a better chance for a successful, fulfilling adult life. Have many interests and do well in a wide variety of subjects.Develop an ability to understand how other people think and feel.Acquire the ability to sift information and to understand how unrelated

facts can fit into a whole.Tend to be more flexible in their thinking and more open to new ideas.Weather personal problems better without their schoolwork being affected.And with the explosion of information in the workplace, only avid readers

can stay well informed with relative ease.”2

Random Reading Facts:Reading also helps improve your vocabulary, as well as opening up new

worlds and adventures for you! Did you know that a good reader needs to know at least 25,000 words?

Requirements: Read and annotate a book of your

choice and write a critical lens (optional).

1 http://www.pbs.org/parents/experts/archive/2010/07/helping-to-prevent-summer-read.html2

Jewell, Andrea Vinley. “Benefits of Reading.” Focus on the Family. Focus on the Family. n.d. Web. 02 Jun 2013. <http://www.focusonthefamily.com/parenting/protecting_your_family/time-for-a-good-read/benefits-of-reading.aspx>

My nephew Aidan and my niece Quinn love to read! From a very young age, they have been voracious readers. Aidan began reading complete books to me at the age of four. As a ten-year-old, he reads at a 7th-8th grade level. Quinn likes reading the children’s version of Emma.

o Annotations: Read the book twice. (I recommend once at the beginning of the summer and once again at the end.) Annotate each time with a different colored ink/pencil. Use the checklists to determine if you are annotating correctly. All items on the primary annotation checklist must be performed in your annotations. Label each type of annotation with a tab or sticky note. You only have to label each item once. Therefore, you will

have a total of 15 tabs or sticky notes in your book although you will have more annotations present.o Book Choice:

The book must be approved by your parents. They must sign off on it in this packet. The book should be a work of American fiction. The book must be a work of fiction. The book must be at or above your grade level/reading level. Use the lexile number to determine if the book is at

your grade level. https://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/grade-equivalent/grade-equivalent-chart/ The book should have substance to it. You will be using this book to write about when you return to school in the

fall. Books with little substance are difficult to write about. The book must be a novel (not a graphic novel) that you have not read before. If the book has a movie, you may not watch the movie until the book is finished. Choose a book whose movie you

have not seen yet.o Optional Critical Lens Essay: Write a critical lens essay. (You will be required to write an essay the first week of

school outside of class. If you would like to get ahead for the year, you may choose to write one over the summer instead.)

Choose one of the attached quotes and write an essay using only the book you read. You must have a prewrite, rough draft, revised draft, edited draft, and final draft. You may use the How-to-Packet

for your prewrite. You must turn in each draft for full-credit. You will find the How-To Packet on missmcdivitt.weebly.com. Type the essay in MLA format. Turn in the first day of school.

Due Date: The first day of school. No late projects will be accepted.

GOALS: Read these books (and all books) with a Christian

worldview in mind. As you read, notice the ideas that are counter to what the Bible teaches.

Notice the unbiblical philosophies that are subtly and not so subtly presented to the reader.

Have internal and external discussions over the ideas presented in the books.

Analyze the books for literary elements to see what makes a good novel.

Analyze the books for literary elements to see how an author presents his/her ideas.

To sharpen your analysis skills

To provide you with more experience in reading and reading well

To sharpen your thinking skills. To help you practice skills you have learned this year To stop skill loss over the summer To prepare you for the Regents exam To prepare you for college To open a new world for you To prepare you for whatever God has planned for your

future To engage your mind To redeem the time

*Disclaimer- Due to the fact that different families have different standards for what their children read, we ask that you be conscious of the books you/your children choose. We’ve made an effort to include appropriate books. However, some of these books deal with adult ideas. Parents, please make sure you approve of all books that your child reads, even the required book. You can check out Focus on the Family’s Book Review page (or other such pages) for some help. Please, contact me via Edmodo, e-mail (smcdivitt@twintierschristianacademy.org), on my website (missmcdivitt.weebly.com), or Sycamore if you have any questions or concerns.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Parent/Student Book Form:

By signing my name below, I, ________________________________________________________________(parent name), affirm that I observed my child,

__________________________________________________________________________ (student name), read all of _________________________________________________________ (book title)

in its entirety. My student has not read this book before nor watched the movie before reading the book. I also affirm that I approved of him/her reading

this book. Signed: __________________________________________________________________________ (Parent Signature)

By signing my name below, I affirm that my parents preapproved my book selection. I also affirm that I have never read this book before. I also affirm

that I read the book in its entirety before watching the movie and without skimming or reading any summaries. I completed the annotating without any

adult or on-line help. I read the book twice through. Student Signature: ______________________________________________________________________________________________

*This form is due on the first day of school.*

What Students Like/Liked About Summer Reading:

12th Graders:

“I liked the book. I like reading books like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.”- Megan Teeter

“Even though I didn’t actually like reading, I did like the book (Screwtape Letters)

because it was very intellectually stimulating.”- Jonathan Aldrich

“[I liked] having an excuse to read.”- Jasmine Copeland

“I liked getting a grade for something I enjoy doing.”- Steven Burns

“I liked getting into a new book and talking about it with my sister because she loves

to read and learn.”- Hailey Pipher

“I liked choosing from two books…”- Libby Weston

“I liked finishing the book.”- Nicholas Hamilton

11th Graders:

“I liked reading different literature that I would have read.”- Emily Orr

“It made me read books. I never read, and if I do, I never finish. So it made me finish

and read a book.”- Allison Clark

“[I liked that] when I was on long trips I had a book to read.”- Mary Elyna Fish

“I read the book and enjoyed it.”- Neah Palmer

“It helped me get better at reading.”- Collin Swimley

“[I liked] reading something different and out of my comfort zone.”- Brianna Neiss

“It gave me something to do while I sat in a warm bookshop for four hours.”- Dylan

Baley

10th Graders:

“(Summer Reading and Edmodo) kept me on task and responsible.”- Erika Rexford

“I like reading.”- Gregg May

“I liked using Edmodo [for summer reading] because it kept me in touch…with

people.”- Kassidy Wood

“It kept me busy over the summer, so I did not have to sit around with nothing to

do.”- Josiah Patrick

“I kind of liked responding to classmates posts [on Edmodo] because it helps you

stay in touch (even if it is homework) with them a little bit.”- Kaleb Patrick

“I liked to hear what others thought of [the book] and what they felt about it.”-

Breeanna Forrest

“I like the idea [of summer reading]. It’s a good concept.”- Shyann Stroud

9th Graders:

“Being able to talk about the books with my classmates was my favorite part, mainly

because that never happens.”- Sarah Proper

“I learned something about the book I read.”- Lakesha Smith

“I like to read…”- Garrett Beese

“I liked going on Edmodo.”- Nick Noteboom

“I liked talking on Edmodo because I can see what my friends are up to...”- Greg

Depue

“I liked the book because it was interesting.”- Lauren Clark

“[I liked the] discussion…”- Cristian Lau

Teacher Recommended Reading:

11/12th grade American Literature: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Mr. Cooper) Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger The Crucible by Arthur Miller Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe The Red Badge of Courage Stephen Crane The Call of the Wild Jack London Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury The Old Man and the Sea Ernest Hemingway Turn of the Screw by Henry James Moby Dick by Herman Melville Bartleby the Scrivner by Herman Melville (Mr. Cooper)

11/12th grade Other Fiction: The Richest Man in Babylon by George Samuel Clason (Mrs. Miner) The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Pastor Steve) The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (Pastor Steve) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Mr. & Mrs. Cooper) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Mr. & Mrs. Cooper) The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy (Mr. & Mrs. Cooper) The Quest by Bob Hostetler (Mr. Cooper)

11/12th grade Non-Fiction Don’t Waste Your Life by John Piper (Mrs. Miner) Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport by Mark Jonathan, Deborah Oppenheimer,

Deborah Harris (Mrs. Miner) Why Revival Tarries by Leonard Ravenhill (Pastor Steve) Desiring God by John Piper (Pastor Steve) Red Moon Rising: How 24-Hour Prayer is Awakening a Nation by Peter Greig (Pastor Steve) The Prayers of Soren Kierkegaard (Pastor Steve) Cries from the Heart by Ravi Zacharias (Pastor Steve) Hand Me Another Brick by Charles Swindoll (Pastor Steve) Crazy Love by Francis Chan (Pastor Steve) No Compromise: The Life Story of Keith Green by Melody Green (Pastor Steve) The Gospel Primer by Milton Vincent (Miss McDivitt) Every Young Man’s Battle by Stephen Arterburn and Fred Stoeker (Mr. Cooper) Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door by Bob Hostetler (Mr. Cooper & Pastor Steve) When People Are Big and God is Small by Ed Welch (Mr. Shaw & Pastor Steve) The Soul of a Lion: A Biography of Joshua L. Chamberlain by Willard Wallace (Pastor Steve)

Student Recommended Reading: Steven Burns- The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien Steven Burns- Sinner by Ted Dekker Steven Burns- Saint by Ted Dekker Steven Burns- Showdown by Ted Dekker Jasmine Copeland- The Giver by Lois Lowry Jasmine Copeland- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee Emily Roy- Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell Libby Weston- Dracula by Bram Stoker Libby Weston- Eragon by Christopher Paolini Allison Clark- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Allison Clark- Anne of Green Gables- Lucy Maud Montgomery Allison Clark- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Brianna Neiss & Neah Palmer- Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Brianna Neiss, Sarah Proper, & Cristian Lau- Maze Runner Series by James Dashner Dylan Baley- The Wolf of Tebron by C. S. Lakin Dylan Baley- The Map Across Time by C. S. Lakin Emily Orr- Killing Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly Erika Rexford- White Fang by Jack London Kassidy Wood, Mason Rios, Nate Drake, & Margory Orr- The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collin Josiah & Kaleb Patrick- Downfall by Terri Blackstock Breanna Forrest- Garden of Madness by Tracy L. Higley Breanna Forrest- Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury Shyann Stroud- Inkheart by Cornelia Funke Shyann Stroud- A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park Emily Clark- My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George Cristian Lau- The Song of Albion Series by Stephen R. Lawhead Jacob Seager- The Circle Series by Ted Dekker Greg Depue- Redwall Series by Brian Jacques Ashley Schouten- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak Ashley Schouten- The Barcode Tattoo Series by Suzanne Weyn Nick Noteboom- Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent Bridgett Morgan- The Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare Bridgett Morgan- The Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle Bridgett Morgan- Not a Fan: Becoming a Completely Committed Follower of Jesus by Kyle Idleman Bridgett Morgan- Wonder by R. J. Palacio Bridgett Morgan- High Hurdles Series by Lauraine Snelling Bridgett Morgan- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Bridgett Morgan- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain Sarah Proper- The Testing by by Joelle Charbonneau Sarah Proper- Graceling by Kristin Cashore Sarah Proper- Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer Sarah Proper- Unwind by Neal Shusterman Stephen Speck- The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen Margory Orr- Matched by Ally Condie Margory Orr- New Wings by Donna Stanley Emily Morgan- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Emily Morgan- When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke Rachel Jackson- My Wolf, My Friend by by Barbara Corcoran Kiley Easton- Red Rock Mysteries Series by Jerry B. Jenkins and Chris Fabry Alex Clark- The Door Within Trilogy by Wayne Thomas Batson Sarah Caporiccio- The Sarah Dessen books Aaron Bell- The Hardy Boys Series by by Franklin W. Dixon Aaron Bell- The Sugarcreek Gang Series by Paul Hutchens

Critical Lens Quotes:"Good people... are good because they've come to wisdom through failure.""All literature is protest. You can't name a single literary work that isn't protest.""Knowing about the life and times of an author is irrelevant to appreciating the full meaning of a literary work.""A work of literature must provide more than factual accuracy or vivid physical reality... it must tell us more than we already know.""Good literature appeals to our intelligence and imagination, not merely our curiosity.""A writer should aim to reach all levels of society and as many levels of thought as possible, avoiding democratic prejudice as much as intellectual snobbery.""If the literature we are reading does not wake us, then why do we read it? A literary work must be an ice-axe to break the frozen sea inside us.""I am interested in making a good case for distortion because I am coming to believe that is the only way to make people see.""A work of literature is limited by the dominant attitudes and ideas of the period in which it is written.""If literature is nebulous or inexact, this inexactness is the price literature pays for representing whole human beings and for embodying whole human feelings.""Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." ~George Orwell “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn’t go away.” ~Philip K. Dick“Humankind cannot stand very much reality.” –TS Eliot“’Reality’ is the only word in the English language that should always be used in quotes.”“Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality.” –Jules de Gaultier“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” ~Soren Kierkegaard“The purpose of the writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” ~ Bernard Malamud“History repeats itself; that's one of the things that's wrong with history.” ~Clarence Darrow“When tillage begins, other arts follow. The farmers therefore are the founders of human civilization.” ~Daniel Webster (1782-1852)"The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson"Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill." – Barbara Tuchman“The world is beautiful, but has a disease called man." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche“The ultimate security is your understanding of reality.” ~H. Stanly Judd“The truly educated man is that rare individual who can separate reality from illusion.”“The real hero is always a hero by mistake…” ~Umberto Eco“…it is the human lot to try and fail...” ~David Mamet“Greatness lies not in being strong, but in the right using of strength….” ~Henry Ward Beecher“For what does it mean to be a hero? It requires you to be prepared to deal with forces larger than yourself.” ~Norman Mailer“To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else.” ~Bernadette DevlinAll that is literature seeks to communicate power...” ~Thomas De Quincey

Extra-Credit:

Do you want to earn some extra credit?So, you know how you students are always asking for extra-credit? Why not read another book this summer that you have never read before or watch a movie and complete the independent novel (movie) project on my website for extra-credit next school year? If done well, this project will count as a test grade for you!

Extra-Credit Assignment: Read another book/Watch a movie. Complete the independent novel project on missmcdivitt.weebly.com.

Reading Contest:Each set of classes (8th, 9/10th, 11/12th) will be in competition to see who can read the most books during the summer. The winner of each set will win a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble.

Rules:1. Read only books off the recommended reading list by your teachers. (Ask me if you need more

titles.)2. Read books at your grade level/lexile level or above. (This means your reading level. See the

attached link to determine if your book is at grade level.) https://www.lexile.com/about-lexile/grade-equivalent/grade-equivalent-chart/

3. Read only books you have never read before. Watching the movie does not count as reading a book in this contest.

4. You must create a list of every book you read (title and author). On this list include when you started the book and when you finished the book. Your parents must sign off on every book that you choose. They also must sign that they saw you read this book. You can find a form to fill out on my website: missmcdivitt.weebly.com

5. The contest ends on the first day of school.