South Central High School    

South Central High School Falcons

Summer Reading  2009-10

Honors English I students will be required to read The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain as a summer reading project.  During the first two weeks of school, students will be tested on this novel, and they may also have a project or a paper to complete.  Failure to read this book will result in poor grades on the test and project.  Having their personal copy of the novel will enable students to highlight passages or make notes about key concepts.

Honors English II students will be required to read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini as a summer reading project.  During the first two weeks of class, students will be tested on this novel, and students may also have a project or a paper to complete.  Failure to read this novel will result in poor grades on the test and the project.

Honors English III and AP English III      Welcome to Honors English III and Advanced Placement Language and Composition!  These courses are reading and writing intensive, so students will need to begin their course work early.  Over the summer, students will be asked to read two/three (Honors/AP) books.  Students will be tested during the first week of class (either semester) on required selections.  Students may have an essay to write as well, so be prepared.

Advanced Placement required books:      I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

                                                                     The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

                                                                    The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Honors English III required books:       The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

                                                                   The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Welcome to Honors English IV!  Because this course is reading and writing intensive, you must read two works outside of class.  Over the summer, students must read 1984 by George Orwell and either Lord of the Flies by William Golding or Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.  The works must be read by the first day of your English class.  Students will also be required to take a test and write an essay on these works. The test will be given on the second day of class during the semester in which you are enrolled, and the essay will be written in class on the third day of that semester.  These assignments are mandatory.  See journal notes below.

You will need to obtain your own copy of these works. They are available at Shepard Memorial Library, East Carolina University, and Pitt Community College. The media center here at the school also has copies of all three titles. Barnes & Noble bookstore can also order them for you.

Most students will break the reading of each work down into several sessions instead of reading the entire work at once. Students are strongly encouraged to keep a reading journal as they read. This will be especially important if students are not scheduled to take this class until second semester.  A reading journal asks students to record their thoughts, observations, feelings, opinions, ideas, and questions concerning the plot, characters, setting, conflict, symbols, theme, content, and any other aspect  of the work(s) that interests or holds meaning.  Students may also wish to jot down any questions they have so that they can explore them with their teacher, in class discussions.  A reading journal will also serve to keep the notes fresh, as these are the first works discussed at the beginning of each semester. Remember that the expectations for the written essay or alternative assessment will remain the same no matter when students are scheduled for English. Make sure you read all required books.

WARNING: The test given on these works is designed so that many questions focus on certain aspects of the works, which are not represented in the movie versions. Video versions present plots in different or even contradictory ways. DO NOT rely on the movie, Cliff’s Notes, or the Internet, etc. instead of reading these works.

Updated:  09/05/2009