SUMMER READING IS IMPORTANT

The English Department recognizes the importance of continued reading for personal growth, pleasure, and learning.  As a result, the Department has established the Summer Reading Program for all levels of IC students, including the in-coming freshmen.  Below is a breakdown for all levels's reading selections and the Summer Reading requirements for that level.

Summer Reading Selections for 2010

English III (Regular)

• During the summer, read The Great Gatsby.

   

• Take thorough notes on each chapter and include specific details about characters, setting, and events of the novel.

• Be prepared to take a test on the first day of school.  This test will determine how well you read, took notes, and studied.

English III (Honors)

• During the summer, read The Bell Jar and Death of a Salesman.

• Take thorough notes on each chapter and include specific details about character, setting, and events of the novel.

• Write an analytical paper on each novel.  Papers must be typed and double-spaced, written in present or present perfect tense as well as third person, and at least 3 full pages.  In addition, I expect you to do an outline and at least one Rough Draft.  I will collect all these on the first day of class, so please put outline and draft(s) for each paper in one pocket folder.  You will continue to use this folder for the rest of the year wherever you hand in a paper.

• Be prepared to take a test on The Bell Jar the first day of school.  This test will determine how well you read, took notes, and studied.

FORMAT OF ANALYTICAL PAPER

INTRODUCTION:  Include an attention-getter (opener) using a rhetorical question, quote, very short story, definition, strong/effective statistic or fact; a very short summary of the novel (3-4 sentences); a thesis statement (written in third person, without mention of "In this paper").

BODY:  Give me at least three reasons to support your thesis, making sure you include specific examples with thorough explanations for each reason.  Furthermore, whenever you use a quote to support your reason, document it by putting the page number in parentheses followed by a period.  Also , introduce your quote and weave it into the paper.  For example, this can be illustrated when Macbeth thinks that the witches' prophecies are false, and he says, "Blah, blah, blah" (57).

CONCLUSION:  Include a restatement of your thesis, along with a brief summary of the main points of your paper.  Also give your opinion or commentary about the novel (in third person).  Make sure you end your paper with a strong unifying last statement(s) or clincher(s).  (You can use any of the suggestions I gave you for the opener.)

DO NOT JUST WRITE A PLOT SUMMARY!!! 

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