English 9 summer reading: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

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1 Dear incoming 9 th grade students, June 2016 Summer Reading We are eager to meet you next year in your English 9 class at Culver City High School. Before you join us in the fall, please read the novel listed below. As you read, annotate the book using the attached Annotation Guide. This book will be used in the first weeks of school for a range of discussions on the topics and issues it presents. As part of these discussions, you will be expected to pose and respond to questions that relate to these topics and issues as well as extend these ideas beyond the story itself. Keep track of these connections on the attached T chart, which will be collected the first week of school. English 9 summer reading: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury The school library has numerous copies of the novel and local libraries have a limited number for lending. For borrowed books, the annotations need to be done on a separate sheet of paper or on sticky notes (see Annotation Guide below). Enjoy your summer and your reading! Sincerely, CCHS English 9 Teachers OPTIONAL ASSIGNMENT Parents. This is for you, too! Culver City turns 100! One of many events to celebrate our city s centennial, the citywide read, sponsored by the Friends of the Culver City Library, invites community members and others to read the same book and come together in special events to talk about it. The chosen novel is West of Sunset by Stewart O Nan, a fictionalized account of F. Scott Fitzgerald s later life as a screenwriter at MGM, now Sony Studios here in Culver City. The author, Stewart O Nan, will speak at a special lunchtime event at CCHS on Friday, October 14. Anyone interested in old Hollywood, the 1930 s, and the famed author of The Great Gatsby should enjoy this story.

2 Annotation Guide An important first step in analyzing literature is annotating the text. Basically, annotation is taking notes in your text as you read to help you keep track of your thinking. If you borrow a book from the library, you will need to take your notes on separate paper, Post Its or the like. If you purchase your own copy of the book, you can take your notes directly in the margin of the book. These annotations will also help you get more out of your reading of the novel and help you participate in class discussions about it. Please annotate your books using the following method. At the end of each chapter or section, write a brief summary. Highlight key words, phrases, or sentences. Write what you find significant about this part of the text in the margin. Anything you highlight with a highlighter marker is not considered annotation unless you also write out in the margin why you highlighted that part of the text. Write questions, comments and connections (within the text and with other texts you ve read) in the margins. Highlight the actions and reactions of characters that seem especially revealing. Write out to the side what character traits are being revealed. Draw a square around words for which you don t yet know the definition. Circle words you find especially powerful. These words should bring to mind an image or emotion. Annotation is a skill that will be reinforced each year in your English classes at Culver City High School. Learning to annotate effectively will serve you well in the future as you read and analyze challenging works of literature.

3 Summer Reading T Chart Example Directions: 1. While reading the novel, find five significant passages from the text that you can connect with something in real life. 2. On the left hand side of the T Chart, directly quote the passage, including the page number correctly cited. Example: The moment where you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever being able to do it (38). 3. On the right hand side of the T Chart, explain the real life connection in approximately several well written sentences. (Possible connections include personal experiences, events you have witnessed or read about in the news, and events that you have learned about in school.) SEE EXAMPLE BELOW using Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie Passage from the novel My connection Example: from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie The moment where you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever being able to do it (38). This quote is significant to me because there was a time I was afraid to audition for a talent show. I was terrified to perform because I thought I would make a mistake and everyone would laugh. I doubted my talent even though many people had complimented me on my abilities before. I didn t audition for that show, but I later learned to silence my doubt and auditioned for other shows. I think the author is using flight as a metaphor for great but scary things. He is trying to tell us that half of every great accomplishment is belief in your ability to do it.

4 Name Summer Reading T Chart Fahrenheit 451 Passage from the novel My connection 1. 2.

5 Passage from the novel My connection

6 Summer Reading Rubric The following is an example of the type of work you are expected to do for the summer reading assignment. The example comes from J. M. Barrie s Peter Pan. Remember that each quote must be relevant and must be accompanied by a meaningful response showing a personal connection to the passage. You can use these sentence starters in the box below to help you write your responses. This reminds me of This reflects on society because This creates a tone/mood of because The situation is significant because This makes me think about (author) uses (device) to show because This relates to the theme of because Score Criteria Example of T Chart 4 The direct quote is copied directly from the text and cited with correct page number; a personal connection to the passage is apparent and thoroughly explained. The moment where you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever being able to do it (38). This quote is significant to me because there was a time I was afraid to audition for a talent show. I was terrified to perform because I thought I would make a mistake and everyone would laugh. I doubted my talent even though many people had complimented me on my abilities before. I didn t audition for that show, but I later learned to silence my doubt and auditioned for other shows. I think the author is using flight as a metaphor for great but scary things. He is trying to tell us that half of every great accomplishment is belief in your ability to do it. 3 The direct quote is copied directly from the text and may or may not be properly cited with correct page number; personal connection to the passage is apparent and thoroughly explained, although not as well as a four. The moment where you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever being able to do it page 38 This reminds me of a time I was afraid of auditioning for a talent show. I doubted my abilities as a performer and I let that doubt keep me from trying out. It took some time, but I eventually overcame my doubts and auditioned for other shows. I have learned that my doubt just kept me from growing. That is what the author is trying to say. 2 The direct quote may or may not be copied directly from the text and may or may not be properly cited with correct page number; personal connection is unclear and lacks enough detail for reader to comprehend the logic of the connection. When you doubt stuff, you might not be able to do it p.37 I think this quote is trying to tell us to do something great even when we are aren t sure about it because you never know. I had that happen to me once. Things happen. 1 The direct quote may not have been copied directly When you doubt stuff, you might We should always try new things.

7 from the text and may or may not include page citation; personal connection is ambiguous and/or nonexistent. not be able to do it. 0 There is no passage or personal connection.