Summer Reading Assignment: Rising 9th Grader

 

B-CC HS English Grade 9 (On-level and Honors) Summer Reading Assignments

Background

Choose two books to read from the genres in the list provided with this handout by B-CC HS Media Specialist, Mr. Baczkowski, and the B-CC Grade 9 English teachers.  To help you determine how to choose a book you would enjoy reading, please view the video message provided by B-CC HS as you review the list of genres

Assignment

A. For each book, you are required to:

1. 1.  Write a rationale for choosing  your book.  Include why you chose to read the book.  (see next page for an example)

-      Typed
-      Approx. 150 words

1. Join the Tattler book forums
   1. Visit tattlerextra.org
   2. Register for Tattlerextra.org (if you have not done so already)
   3. Click on Forums.
   4. Find or create the appropriate forum (for example, if you are reading Ender’s Game, join the Sci Fi forum; if you are reading Don Quixote, create a Spanish Lit forum

On tattlerextra.org*

 I.  Write one original posting on your book that responds to one of the following (see next page for an example)

1. Why would you recommend this book?  Include specific examples from your book to illustrate your points.
2. What is the genre of your book?  How is it a good example of that genre?  Use specific examples from the book to illustrate your points.
3. Describe the main conflict in your book.  How is it resolved?  Use specific examples from the book to illustrate your points.  Respond to this resolution.
4. Why is setting so important in your book?  Use specific examples from the book  to illustrate your points.
5. How is your book relevant to present day culture?  Use specific examples from the book to illustrate your points.
6. Would you describe the main character as a hero?  Explain our answer and use specific examples from the book to illustrate your points.

-      Typed
-     Approx. 150 words

II. Write one response to someone’s post about his or her book 

 

- Typed
-Approx. 150 words

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B. Bring a printed copy of your rationales, original postings and responses  to school this Fall. Your 9^th grade teacher will collect them during the first week of school. Remember, you will write a rationale, original posting and response for each book.

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*This is the school website used by all of BCC. What you write will be read by teachers and others (not just incoming 9^th graders). Be sure your postings truly reflect you as a writer and student. Keep discussions engaging and school appropriate. Any inappropriate or disrespectful posting will be removed.

If you have difficulty registering or posting to tattlerextra.org, type your rationale, thoughts and replies and bring a copy to school.

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Sample Rationale: Rationale for reading Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsI have already read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  I loved the description in those books and the creativity of the author in describing the magical elements in the characters’ lives.   I was hooked by the story also.  I like books with a lot of action, and I knew that this book would provide suspense and intrigue.  I like fantasy books because they combine an interesting story with such creative elements.  I chose this book to read because I wanted to find out what happened to Harry, Ron, and Hermione.   I feel like I’ve gotten to know them after reading two of the Harry Potter books and I wanted to find out more about their lives. so I decided to read Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows. I have seen some of the Harry Potter movies.  Although the movies are good, they are not as good as the books because they leave too much out of the movie that is important.  I wanted to read this book before I saw the movie.

Sample Posting dspenceMember Posts: 5 What Does Harry Potter tell us about teen rebellion? on: May 6, 2010, 21:46   In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is Harry a rebellious teen or a hero of society? Usually we think of Harry as a hero, but it is possible that he is simply another rebellious teen. Mrs. Weasly, who after Dumbledore’s death is as close as an adult parent figure as Harry gets, tells Harry that he should not go on the quest that Dumbledore set for him. She says, “You’re barely of age, any of you! It’s utter nonsense, if Dumbledore needed work doing, he had the whole Order at his command! Harry, you must have misunderstood him. Probably he was telling you something he wanted done, and you took it to mean that he wanted you.” Even Hermione seems more like a teen rebel than a heroin when she talks about how her feelings about rules have changed. Ron points out that she is using the Muffiato spell that she didn’t used to use. Hermione says, “Times change.” This sounds very rebellious, not like the usual rule-following Hermione! The way to see that Harry isn’t just a rebel is by what he does with the D.A. when he gets back to Hogwarts. He leads all the kids and the adults from the Order of the Phoenix, to battle with Voldimort, who is trying to take society over for his own. Fred says that the D.A. isn’t just a teenage gang, it is “A teenagers’ gang that’s about to take him on, which no one else has dared to do!” If Harry were only rebelling against adults or society or rules in general, he would not have had the whole gang following him to risk their lives to try to vanquish Voldimort and regain the usual rules and laws of their Wizard world.     Sample Responses

chris Member Posts: 6     Re: What Does Harry Potter tell us about teen rebellion? on: May 9, 2010, 12:02   Although Mrs. Weasly is the parental figure for Harry, he already knows he is the only one who can do the task. It is a task that has been assigned to him and that only he can do, so that is not rebellion. He might be rebelling if he listened to her, as the job was something that was right to do. Hermione is using spells out of necessity, and the fact that some ones are better used in this dangerous situation than others. And there’s a difference of rebelling to fighting off an evil group.On the reverse side though, many of the arguments make sense. People could consider Harry not wanting to take the easy route as rebelling. Hermione is rebelling against her normal morals. She is using what is useful more than what is morally right. And leading one group against the corrupt government is rebelling.     13912954Member Posts: 6 Re: What Does Harry Potter tell us about teen rebellion? on: May 9, 2010, 14:20   I disagree with your point that Harry Potter just rebels because he is a teenager. Although some of his actions are rash and rebellious, Dumbledore has reason to only entrust harry with the act. The prophecy clearly states that “the one with the power to vanquish the dark lord approaches…and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives”. As Lord Voldemort marked Harry has his equal by attempting to murder him, the prophecy was set in stone. Harry was now the only one who could kill the dark lord. Mrs. Weasley on the other hand, had never heard the prophecy, so although her interests where best at heart, she had no idea that Harry was the only one for the job. Hermione is rebelling for her morals, along with the fact that if she did appear back in the wizarding world, the ministry would have interrogated her and assumed that she “stole” the wand and she wasn’t actually a witch. The wizarding world in book 7 is becoming very anti-muggle, and most muggle-borns are going into hiding so as not to be attacked by the ministry. It was the only safe thing to do (go into hiding). Hermione is also being loyal to her friends, and supporting what she believes in by helping Harry along his journey.