Summer Assignment---Incoming 9^th Graders

Directions: You will select one book from the attached list. You will choose one of the projects below, and bring it with you on the 1^st day of school. If you do not have it with you on the first day of school, you will receive a 0. No excuses will be accepted.

Choice #1: Create a Page ( or more ) of a Newspaper with at least 4 typed newspaper articles based on people and events from throughout the book (Be sure to write the articles in newspaper styles--straight news, feature, advice column, etc.--and place them on a page in columns so it looks like a newspaper page.) Other features could include pictures and/or ads.

Examples:

Choice #2 : A Comic Book, drawn by hand or drawn on a computer, which is at least 4 frames long and highlights important scenes. Comic strips in the book should tell the important events of the story. Short dialogue balloons are fine--but be sure to include an explanation of the scene at the bottom of each frame.

Choice #3 A Scrapbook / Diary for one character. Include mementos of the character such as pictures, ticket stubs, lock of hair, notes from friends, awards, souvenirs, dried flowers, etc. All should be labeled and explained.

The following criteria will be used to rate your project rate from 1 (weak / F) to 5 (strong / A):

• Project reflects understanding of book
• Explanation of project (oral or written) is well-expressed and shows an understanding of book
• Overall appearance of project (oral and/or visual) is pleasing and reflects student effort
• Project shows creativity and originality
• Project shows understanding of the following literary terms as they apply to the book:

Theme	Impact of Setting	Characterization
Symbols	Conflicts	Mood

In addition to this, you will take an in-class, essay based exam on your selected book during the first week of school

• Students are encouraged to take HANDWRITTEN notes while reading the book on one 4 x 6 index card that they can use during the test. Their notes should probably include names of people or places that they might forget. (They cannot bring typed notes or printed notes from online sources.)
• Students are also welcome to bring a copy of the book to use during the test if they have one. The book can have bookmarks or post-its that mark favorite passages.

The following criteria will be used to rate your essay from 1 (weak / F) to 5 (strong / A):

• Student clearly demonstrates that he/she read the whole text
• Student addresses the demands of the question
• Student uses expressed information from the text to support answer
• Student goes beyond a literal understanding of the text by using implied information

9^th Grade Reading List

You may choose any of the following books to read as your summer assignment. If it is impossible for you to get a copy of one of these books, you may read another book, but email me first to check if your selection is appropriate.

I recommend looking these up on Amazon.com or googling the title to read a review before you choose.

Emma – Jane Austen Snow Falling on Cedars – Guterson White Oleander – Fitch A Prayer for Owen Meany – Irving The Poisonwood Bible – Kingsolver Life of Pi – Martel The Joy Luck Club – Tan Pride and Prejudice – Austen Cold Mountain – Frazier Call of the Wild - Jack London The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Adams Little Women – Louisa May Alcott Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows—JK Rowling The Adventures of Tom Sawyer---Mark Twain Carrie—Stephen King The Summer of my German Soldier---Bette Greene The Five People you Meet in Heaven—Mitch Albom Dicey's Song--Cynthia Voigt "King of Shadows" by Susan Cooper "Peeling the Onion" by Wendy Orr The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon Friday Night Lights by H.G. Bissinger Almost a Woman by Esmeralda Santiago Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury Any of the Stephanie Meyer Books

Midwives – Bojalian The Little Prince (Exupery) Great Expectations – Dickens Memoirs of a Geisha – Golden The Time Traveller’s Wife –Niffenegger She’s Come Undone – Lamb Angela’s Ashes – McCourt Schinder’s List – Keneally Frankenstein—Mary Shelley The Secret Garden – Hodgson Green Angel - Hoffman The Black Pearl – O’Dell Nothing but the Truth – Avi Days of Grace – Ashe The Midwife’s Apprentice – Cushman The Homecoming – Hamner Tex – Hinton Profiles in Courage – Odell The Secret Life of Bees – Monk Kidd "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card "Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith "Soul Surfer" by Bethany Hamilton Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett Prey by Michael Crichton Watership Down by Richard Adams Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson Any book by Jane Austen Dracula by Bram Stoker 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini 100 Splendid Suns by Khalid Hosseini