King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

English Department Summer Reading 2015-2016

May 5, 2015
Dear Students and Parents:
The English Department of King/ Drew Magnet High School assigns annual summer
reading to ensure our students meet the California Reading/ Language Arts Standards and the Common Core
Content standards. According to national research studies, summer reading serves as an excellent way to
improve vocabulary and reading. Additionally, it helps students become better writers. Our staff is committed
to preparing students for the rigors and competition of college and scholarly writing.
Therefore, every student is required to read the summer reading selections and complete the attached
assignments based on the reading. Students who do not attend Summer Bridge are still required to
complete the assignment. Additionally, students enrolled in Advanced Placement English Language or
Literature (or those thinking about taking these courses) must complete additional reading and writing
assignments. These assignments will count as a significant part of his/ her first semester grade.
Additionally, each student will complete an essay during the first two weeks of school that will focus on the
summer reading assignment. All work is due the first day of School, August 18, 2015. Students should arrive
on the first day of school with Summer Reading books in hand. Failure to have the books will hinder a student
from completing the opening day task. (Note: All students should be finished reading their books and
completing their assignments before school starts! Students will need to bring the novels to class with them the
first week of school.)
Parents/ Guardians: Please read the directions for the Summer Reading Assignment (see attachments) with your
son/daughter to ensure that everyone understands the requirements. Books may be purchased at local
bookstores such as Borders, Barnes and Noble, or online at Amazon.com, or borrowed from the public library.
We thank you in advance for your support and look forward to an exciting and successful school year for our
King/ Drew scholars.

King/ Drew English Department

King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

Suggestions for Summer Reading List 2015
All Incoming 9th -12th Graders read the following:
Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
And complete the following assignments:
Assignment 1 - Dialectical Journal
Assignment 2 - Close Reading of an Image
(See attached sheets for assignments)

ADDITIONAL READINGS FOR ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES:

***If enrolled in A.P. (or thinking about taking the course) read both AP titles. You
will also complete the assignment for all incoming 9th-12th graders listed above. ***
Incoming 11th Grade AP English Language students will read the following:
AP English Language and Composition will complete the reading and assignment above
along with the following:
- Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, by Eric Schlosser
- Thank You For Arguing: What Aristotle, Lincoln, and Homer Simpson Can Teach Us About the Art
of Persuasion, by Jay Heinrichs.
-Barrons AP English Language and Composition 5th or 6th edition

(See attached sheets for assignments 3 and 4.)

Incoming 12th Grade AP English Literature and Composition students will read the
following:
AP English Literature and Composition Students will complete the reading and assignment
above along with the following:
_ Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
How to Read Literature Like a Professor: A Lively and Entertaining Guide to Reading Between the Lines, by Thomas C. Foster
(See attached sheets for assignments 3 and 4.)

Please arrive on the first day of school with all books for your grade level.
Due: August 18, 2015

King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

Guidelines for 9th and 10th Grade Dialectical Journals

Assignment #1
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
A dialectical journal is a written conversation with yourself about a piece of literature that encourages the habit of
reflective questioning. You will use a double-entry form to examine details of sections of the novel and synthesize your
understanding of the text as a whole. There is to be NO collaboration with other students. Any assistance from outside
the text (i.e. the Internet, Cliff Notes, Sparknotes, etc) will be considered cheating and will earn an automatic zero on
the entire assignment.
Setting up your journal:
You will use several sheets of loose leaf notebook paper.
Fold the paper in half vertically or draw a vertical line down the middle of the page.
Label the left-hand column Text; label the right-hand column Response.
Text

Response

The Text ColumnGuidelines for your passages:

Select one passage every 20 pages. The passages/quotes do not have to be dialogue.

Copy a passage from the novel. Use quotation marks and include page numbers.

Make sure that your passages are long enough (or meaty enough) for you to develop a meaningful response.
How do I choose a passage? Write down a passage when one or more of the following apply:

Details seem particularly important to you

You have an epiphany.

You learn something significant about a character

You recognize a pattern (overlapping images, repetition of ideas, details, etc)

You agree or disagree strongly with something a character does or says.

You find an extremely interesting or insightful passage

You notice something relevant about the writers style

You notice particularly effective use of literary devices

The Response Column

Guidelines for your responses:
Write a response for every passage you select.
o
Do not merely summarize or restate the passage or the plot.
o
Each response must be at least 60 words (include the word count at the end of each response)
o
Each response should be at least half a page
o
Write down your thoughts, questions, insights, and ideas while you read or immediately after reading a chapter
so that the information is fresh.
What do I write for a response? Respond to the passage by doing any or all of the following

Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text (and provides answers)

Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the character or the author

Compare the text to other novels or characters to other characters

Write about what it makes you think or feel in connection to the quote you provided.

Argue with or speak to the characters or author

Explore themes that are revealed to you

Analyze the impact of the authors diction or use of figurative language

Make connections to other passages or sections of the work

King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

RUBRIC: DIALECTICAL JOURNAL

SCORE

QUANTITY
Portion of work completed:

QUALITY
Responses were:

ALL +

INSIGHTFUL
Making connections / Showing detailed and comprehensive analysis of text

MOST

THOUGHTFUL
Showing comprehension and some analysis of text; giving own opinion of text

SOME

A LITTLE

LITERAL
Paraphrasing the text only
LIMITED
Commenting on the text in fragmented, disconnected, or non-responsive/off-topic
manner

King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

Guidelines for Close Reading Assignment

Assignment # 2
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie

Page 57

INSTRUCTIONS: This art by Ellen Forney comes from The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by
Sherman Alexie.
Your challenge, after youve done a close read of the illustration, is to write on a separate sheet of paper 40
statements suggested and inspired by the image. You might consider as you contemplate the drawing and compose your statements, what you see, what you think, what you understand, what you believe, what you recognize, what you feel, what you can identify with, what you can relate to
For full credit, each statement must be reflective of or inspired by the above illustration, and must be a full and
complete sentence with a subject (noun) and a predicate (verb).

King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

Rubric and Samples for Close Reading of an Image

Assignment #2
Students will be writing their Observation Statements on White-Indian Drawing on page 57.
To provide assistance to students in writing those statements, below are examples of Observations Statements based
on the Quality Rubric, for a different drawing in the book.
Sample: OBSERVATION STATEMENTS based on My Parents Drawing (pg. 12)

SCORE

QUALITY
Responses were:

Sample Observations Statements

INSIGHTFUL
Making connections / Showing
detailed and comprehensive
analysis of text

THOUGHTFUL
Showing comprehension and
some analysis of text; giving
own opinion of text

The drawing satirically reveals

societys inequity in contrasting
his parents dreams and the
reality of their lives on the
reservation.
Junior admires his parents
talents, and recognizes the
potential they would have
fulfilled if somebody had paid
attention to their dreams.

LITERAL
Paraphrasing the text only

Both parents wear some type of

eye-glasses.

LIMITED
Commenting on the text in
fragmented, disconnected, or
non-responsive/off-topic
manner

Junior draws a lot.

King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

AP English Language and Composition (11th grade AP)
Course Description:
AP English Language and Composition offers students a year of intense training in reading and writing that
prepares them for successful university study and life-long learning. The class focuses on rhetorical analysis of
fiction and non-fiction, including sources in non-literary disciplines, a few philosophical documents, and a
sampling of British, World, and American Literature. Students learn to identify an authors purpose and analyze
strategies by examining the ways people think and use language. Students read and analyze models of good
writing and write compositions of various lengths and complexity, and participate in peer response and vigorous
revision. Listed below are assignments to be completed this summer:
Assignment #3: Read the Texts
In preparation for this class as well as AP Literature, reading is essential. We highly suggest you spend the
summer reading. Read as much as you can; read everything! The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time
Indian, by Sherman Alexie (the novel for all King/Drew students), and for Advanced Placement English
Language: Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, by Eric Schlosser, and Thank You for
Arguing by Jay Heinrichs are the books with which we would like you to start since they will challenge and
prepare you for the type of critical analysis necessary for success in AP Language.
Assignment #4: Complete the Reading Assignments
You must read both book titles. These selections are included on the approved AP Central College Board list for
suggested readings. Read with a critical eye and evaluate every argument. Be prepared to dissect the authors
argument with the intent of reconstructing that argument from your own unique and fresh perspective.
Complete the following for both books and bring them to class on the first day.
Dialectical Journal: You will complete a series of journal entries for each book that demonstrates engagement
with the texts, your understanding of the various arguments, and a sampling of your best critical thinking.
For Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of The All-American Meal in assignment #3, you will complete a
dialectical journal. Please be professionalall information must be typed (12 point font, Times New Roman
print). In addition, you must:
Create a heading with your name, the book title, and book author. You only need one heading for each
book and you must use proper MLA format
Select a total of seven (7) meaningful passages (the sentences can be a sentence or two in a paragraph)
that adequately draw from the beginning, middle, and end of each text.
Write out the entire passage to which you will refer and include the page number from which it came.
Paraphrase or summarize the passage. It will be helpful to provide the context in which it came. In
other words, what is happening before and after this passage appears in the text?
Analyze and react to the passage in full sentencesnot notes.
Note sheet for ideas about what you can write about. This should NOT just be a personal reaction or
summary; rather, you should attempt to analyze the methods that the writer uses to make his or her
argument. This is where you will show your engagement and reflection. Your analysis should be longer
than the selected quotation or passage.
*This will be due to your AP English teacher on the first day of class. No exceptions! *
Due: August 18, 2015
Have all of this (Assignment #1 and 2) with you on the first day of class, August 18, 2015. Also, we would like
all students to purchase: Barron's AP English Language and Composition and Thank you for Arguing, by
Jay Heinrichs for use in class. Should you have any questions about this assignment or the course in general
contact either Ms. J. Agena at jagena@lausd.net or Mr. N. Monaco at nmonaco@lausd.net
Have a great summer, and see you fall semester!

King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

Guidelines for 11th and 12th Grade Dialectical Journals

Assignment #1 Thematic Journals
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
A dialectical journal is a written conversation with yourself about a piece of literature that encourages the habit of
reflective questioning. You will use a double-entry form to examine details of sections of the novel and synthesize your
understanding of the text as a whole. Your journal will focus on one of the theme topics listed below. There is to be NO
collaboration with other students. Any assistance from outside the text (i.e. the Internet, Cliff Notes, Sparknotes, etc)
will be considered cheating and will earn an automatic zero on the entire assignment.
Setting up your journal:
You will use several sheets of loose leaf notebook paper.
Fold the paper in half vertically or draw a vertical line down the middle of the page.
Write Thematic Topic at the top and chose one of the topics below. When you chose the topic answer the
following question. What is the most significant idea in the novel?
The Theme topics are:
Minority Status
Isolation
Identity
Community (family, friends, etc.)
Hostile environment
Write a thematic statement about the topic you selected. When writing your statement answer the following
question. What does Sherman Alexie say about your topic? Write your response in one clear concise
statement.
Label the left-hand column Passage/ Excerpt; label the right-hand column Explanation.
Thematic Topic: _________________
Thematic Statement: ____________________________________________________________.
Passage/ Excerpt

Explanation

Your Dialectical Journal will consist of the following:

The Passage/ Excerpt ColumnGuidelines for your passages:

Select a total of twelve (12) passages from the novel. The passages/quotes do not have to be dialogue.

Copy a passage from the novel that supports the thematic topic you have chosen.

Use quotation marks and include the page numbers.

The Response Column
Guidelines for your responses:
A. Response to the novel: You are to analyze the role the passage plays in the novel by asking yourself any number of
the following questions: What is some background information? What leads up to this passage? What is the setting of
the scene of the passage? Who is the speaker? What is the significance of the passage to the development of the theme
you selected?
B. Response to the author: You are to analyze what the author hopes to accomplish with the passage by asking yourself
the following questions: How does the passage contribute to what the author is saying?
C. Personal response to the passage: You are to respond to the passage as a reader. You may do so by expressing your
opinion, your reaction, your thoughts, any personal connection to the text, any ideas that come to your head when you
read this
An A Literary Journal entry will be:
1. Well organized, neat, legible and generally a pleasure to read.
2. Thoroughly and thoughtfully written, meeting all the demands of these instructions
3. A thorough representation of your experience with Twains novel and a record of the dynamics of the literary
aspects of the book.

King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

4. A personal offering of insight into your thinking and your emotional response to this portrait of desperate attempts to escape former lives, frustration and confusion experienced trying to reconcile what is right with how
it is supposed to be, and the difficulty of unlearning what has always been understood as true and just.

King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

th

Guidelines for 12 Grade AP English Literature and Composition Dialectical Journals

Assignment #2
Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A dialectical journal is a written conversation with yourself about a piece of literature that encourages the habit of
reflective questioning. You will use a double-entry form to examine details of sections of the novel and synthesize your
understanding of the text as a whole. There is to be NO collaboration with other students. Any assistance from outside
the text (i.e. the Internet, Cliff Notes, Sparknotes, etc) will be considered cheating and will earn an automatic zero on
the entire assignment.
Setting up your journal:
You will use several sheets of loose leaf notebook paper.
Fold the paper in half vertically or draw a vertical line down the middle of the page.
Label the left-hand column Text; label the right-hand column Response.
Text

Response

The Text ColumnGuidelines for your passages:

Select one passage every 20 pages. The passages/quotes do not have to be dialogue.

Copy a passage from the novel. Use quotation marks and include page numbers.

Make sure that your passages are long enough (or meaty enough) for you to develop a meaningful response.
How do I choose a passage? Write down a passage when one or more of the following apply:

Details seem particularly important to you

You have an epiphany.

You learn something significant about a character

You recognize a pattern (overlapping images, repetition of ideas, details, etc)

You agree or disagree strongly with something a character does or says.

You find an extremely interesting or insightful passage

You notice something relevant about the writers style

You notice particularly effective use of literary devices

The Response Column

Guidelines for your responses:
Write a response for every passage you select.
o
Do not merely summarize or restate the passage or the plot.
o
Each response must be at least 60 words (include the word count at the end of each response)
o
Each response should be at least half a page
o
Write down your thoughts, questions, insights, and ideas while you read or immediately after reading a chapter
so that the information is fresh.
What do I write for a response? Respond to the passage by doing any or all of the following

Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text (and provides answers)

Explain what stands out in terms of plot and theme

Give examples of authors style. Why is the stylistic choice significant to the text?

Give examples and significance of literary style such as sentence structure, figures of speech, point of view,
character development, tone, allusions, etc.

Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the character or the author

Compare the text to other novels or characters to other characters

Write about what it makes you think or feel in connection to the quote you provided.

Explore themes that are revealed to you

Analyze the impact of the authors diction or use of figurative language

Make connections to other passages or sections of the work

King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

Rubric for AP English Literature Dialectical Journal

Critical Reader (detailed, elaborate responses) 90-100:
Extra effort is evident.
You include more than the minimal number of entries.
Your quotes are relevant, important, thought provoking, and representative of the themes of the novel.
You can read between the linesof the text (inference).
You consider meaning of the text in a universal sense.
You create new meaning through connections with your own experiences or other texts.
You carry on a dialogue with the writer. You question, agree, disagree, appreciate, and object.
Sentences are grammatically correct with correct spelling and punctuation.
Connected Reader(detailed responses) 80 - 89:
A solid effort is evident.
You include an adequate number of legible entries.
Your quotes are relevant and connect to the themes of the novel.
Entries exhibit insight and thoughtful analysis.
You construct a thoughtful interpretation of the text.
You show some ability to make meaning of what you read.
You create some new meaning through connections with your own experiences and the text.
You explain the general significance.
You raise interesting questions.
You explain why you agree or disagree with the text.
Thoughtful Reader (somewhat detailed responses) 75-79:
You include an insufficient number of entries.
Sentences are mostly correct with a few careless spelling and grammatical errors.
You selected quotes that may be interesting to you, but that dont necessarily connect to the themes of
the novel.
Entries exhibit insight and thoughtful analysis at times.
You make connections, but explain with little detail.
You rarely make new meaning from the reading.
You ask simple questions of the text.
You may agree or disagree, but dont support your views.
Literal Reader (simple, factual responses) 70-74:
You include few entries.
Entries exhibit limited insight or none at all.
You accept the text literally.
You are reluctant to create meaning from the text.
You make few connections which lack detail.
You are sometimes confused by unclear or difficult sections of the text.
Limited Reader (perfunctory responses)below 70:
You include very few entries.
Very little effort is evident.
You find the text confusing, but make no attempt to figure it out.
You create little or no meaning from the text.
You make an occasional connection to the text, and the ideas lack development.
Sentences contain numerous grammatical and spelling errors.

King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

AP Literature and Composition Summer Assignment (12th Grade AP)
Assignment # 3
How to Read Literature Like a Professor Complete only ten (10) of the following:
All responses and applications of the theories are expected to be in-depth, academic writing each assignment should be a paragraph of at least half a page, MLA.

Assignment 1: Introduction Howd He Do That?

Respond to the following:
How do memory, symbol, and pattern affect the reading of literature? How does the recognition of patterns make
it easier to read complicated literature? Discuss a time when your appreciation of a literary work was enhanced by
understanding symbol or pattern.
Assignment 2: Chapter 1 Every Trip is a Quest (Except When Its Not)
List five aspects of a QUEST and then apply them to something you have read (or viewed).
Assignment 3: Chapter 2 Nice to Eat with You: Acts of Communion
Choose a meal from a literary work and apply the ideas of Chapter 2 to this literary depiction.
Assignment 4: Chapter 3 Nice to Eat You: Acts of Vampires
What are the essentials of the Vampire story? Apply this to a literary work you have read or viewed.
Assignment 5: Chapter 4 If Its Square; Its a Sonnet
Select three sonnets and show which form they are. Discuss how their content reflects the form. Submit copies of
the sonnets, marked to show your analysis.
Assignment 6: Chapter 5 Now Where Have I Seen Her Before?
Define intertextuality. Discuss three examples that have helped you in reading specific works.
Assignment 7: Chapter 6 When in Doubt, Its from Shakespeare
Discuss a work that you are familiar with that alludes to or reflects Shakespeare. Show how the author uses this
connection thematically. In your discussion, focus on theme.
Assignment 8: Chapter 7 -- ...Or the Bible
Find a way the Bible shows up in something you have read. Explain how this extends or emphasizes the story
thematically.
Assignment 9: Chapter 8 -- Hanseldee and Greteldum
Think of a work of literature that reflects a fairy tale. Discuss the parallels. Does it create irony or deepen
appreciation?
Assignment 10: Chapter 9 -- It's Greek to Me
Write a free verse poem derived or inspired by characters or situations from Greek mythology.
Assignment 11: Chapter 10 -- It's More Than Just Rain or Snow
Discuss the importance of weather in a specific literary work, not in terms of plot.
Assignment 12: Chapter 11 --...More Than It's Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
Present examples of the two kinds of violence found in literature. Show how the effects are different.
Assignment 13: Chapter 12 -- Is That a Symbol?
Use the process described in the book and investigate a particular symbol in a work of literature you have read.

King/ Drew Magnet High School of Medicine & Science

Assignment 14: Chapter 13 -- It's All Political
Assume that Foster is right and "it is all political." Use his criteria to show that one of the major works assigned to
you in high school is political.
Assignment 15: Chapter 14 -- Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too
Apply the criteria in this chapter to a major character in a significant literary work. Try to choose a character that
will have many matches. This is a particularly apt tool for analyzing film -- for example, Star Wars, Cool Hand
Luke, Excalibur, Malcolm X, Braveheart, Spartacus, Gladiator and Ben-Hur.
Assignment 16: Chapter 15 -- Flights of Fancy
Select a literary work in which flight signifies escape or freedom. Explain in detail.
Assignment 17: Chapter 18 -- If She Comes Up, It's Baptism
Think of a "baptism scene" from a significant literary work. How was the character different after the experience?
Discuss.
Assignment 18: Chapter 19 -- Geography Matters
Discuss at least four different aspects of a specific literary work that Foster would classify under "geography."
Assignment 19: Chapter 20 -- ...So Does Season
Find a poem that mentions a specific season. Then discuss how the poet uses the season in a meaningful,
traditional, or unusual way. (Submit a copy of the poem with your analysis.)
Assignment 20: Chapter 21 -- Marked for Greatness
Figure out Harry Potter's scar. If you aren't familiar with Harry Potter, select another character with a physical
imperfection and analyze its implications for characterization.
Assignment 21: Chapter 22 -- He's Blind for a Reason, You Know, Chapter 23 -- It's Never Just Heart Disease..., and
Chapter 24 -...And Rarely Just Illness
Recall two characters who died of a disease in a literary work. Consider how these deaths reflect the "principles
governing the use of disease in literature" (215-217). Discuss the effectiveness of the death as related to plot,
theme, or symbolism.
Assignment 22: Chapter 25 -- Don't Read with Your Eyes
After reading Chapter 25, choose a scene or episode from a novel, play or epic written before the twentieth
century. Contrast how it could be viewed by a reader from the twenty-first century with how it might be viewed
by a contemporary reader. Focus on specific assumptions that the author makes, assumptions that would not make
it in this century.
*How to Read Literature Like a Professor, all assignments, and all The dialectical journals