Summer Reading Assignment
College Preparatory English 12
Seniors are required to read the following texts slowly, in their entirety, and with reflection:
Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
William Golding, Lord of the Flies (1954)
Graham Greene, The Quiet American (1955)
No written notes will be turned in for a grade on the first day of classes, yet some kind of note-taking is encouraged as a method of interacting with the text and as an aid to understanding. As a senior, you should be aware of your reading and comprehension habits – if notes are necessary for you to have a successful experience for a text, then they should be engaged in as steadfastly as if they were a requirement.
On the first full day of classes in August, seniors will take a written test on all three texts. Additionally, students will compose an essay on the texts over the course of the following weeks. For classroom discussion and for the reasons provided above, a meditative reading of the texts in an atmosphere conducive to attention and retention is essential.
Allow these texts to stimulate and affect you as competent, active readers – that is to say, in the manner their authors intended.
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Students who would like an extra test grade to start the year may read – in addition to the texts required above – one of the following novels and take a written test on the second Thursday morning after we return. No makeup times will be given for this test – it’s a one-shot deal.
And, know that, as a bonus, these texts may be more difficult, may be longer, and may contain mature content – so make the choice that’s right for you and your family. Every one of them, however, is a lauded and brilliant book: I know you’ll benefit – and not just academically – by reading them.
George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949)
Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White (1859)
Willie Morris, North Toward Home (1967)
A.S. Byatt, Possession (1990)
Marilynn Robinson,
Shirley Hazzard, The Great Fire (2003)
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Crime and Punishment (1866)
Ian McEwan, Saturday (2005)
UPLOADED: 4/21/2008