15 June 2007

Dear Upper School Student:

While summer vacation is a time for relaxation and pursuing interests outside of school, it is also a time for sharpening skills.  And by skills, we mean reading.  Our expectation is that you will read one book, in most cases, of your teacher’s choice.  There is no list, and any additional reading is of your choice. This required novel is part of the curriculum, and will be studied closely in September.  To that objective, 9^th through 11^th graders are expected to complete an assignment to support your study (see reverse).  Take notes while reading, as “forgetting” what the book was about will not serve anyone’s interests in September. 

Please read this summer.  Choose books and articles that expand your interests beyond McLean requirements.  Look on your bookshelves at home, in the library, take a suggestion from a friend or read that book that you've been meaning to read for years.  Read something just for fun, just because you are interested, or just because.  

This year’s required books are as follows:

Rising 9^th grade: The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkein

Rising 10^th grade: Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang

Rising 11^th grade: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

20^th Century Culture and Thought: None

Literature Since the 1960s: None

Creative Writing:  One book of short stories and one book of poems of your choice (see Mr. Booth’s handout)

Advanced Placement English Literature: A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and A Good Man is Hard to Find  by Flannery O’Connor (additional letter to follow)

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me this summer.  This information is available on our website, www.mcleanschool.org.

Happy Reading!

Heather L. Carvell

Literature Department Chair

Hcarvell@mcleanschool.org

Summer Reading 2007

9^th grade * Contemporary Classics

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

b

10^th grade * Modern World Literature

Red Scarf Girl by Ji Li Jiang

b

11^th grade * American Literature

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan

 b

Your assignment during the reading of your novel is to do a basic passage analysis.  This assignment is to be submitted to your teacher the first day of class, and will be the basis of discussions during the first week of school.  Please bring two copies (one for submission and one for discussions).  While it is useful to discuss your ideas with someone be sure all of the work and writing is your own.  This assignment should be taken seriously, but not serve as a source of anxiety.  It is important for your teacher to have some method of assessing your understanding of the reading. 

Passage Analysis:

Type eight to ten passages from the novel you find significant or interesting, cite the speaker and page number.  Then write a five to ten sentence response to the passage.  You may interpret the meaning, explain its significance to the novel as a whole (maybe just to a character or theme), give your opinion of the passage, relate it to your own life or comment on the writing style.