St. Mary’s Jr/Sr High – 2010-11 Summer Reading List
St. Mary’s students should schedule as much reading time as possible over this summer. As a minimum, students are required to read 2 books, one being the assigned book for the grade level and the second being a student’s choice from their grade level reading list. Students will be assessed on their required reading upon returning to school in the fall. Students should also be prepared to share information on the book they chose from their reading list. It is recommended that students take notes on each book’s setting, major characters, plot, theme and the Christian values demonstrated by the characters.
Required Summer Reading Journal Questions: For Grades 7-12
For the required summer reading book, respond to the following journal questions. Your responses should reflect your understanding of the required reading book, should highlight your thoughts and feelings while reading the book and after reading the book, and should be a clear indication that you have read the book and have full knowledge of the elements of plot, the characters’ actions and motivations, and the overall content of the required reading book.
Your goal is to respond to each journal question in one paragraph (10 sentences) or more. Each response must have clear and complete examples from the required reading book in order to earn full credit for your work. When quoting from the book, be sure to use correct citations.You must have these 5 journal assignments completed by the first day of school, and you should bring a copy of the required summer reading book with you as well.
- Is there an idea in the book that makes you stop and think, or prompts questions? Identify the idea and explain your responses.
- What are your favorite lines/quotes? Copy them into your reading log/journal and explain why these passages caught your attention.
- How have you changed after reading the book? What did you learn that you never knew before?
- Write a brief summary or review of the book. What happened? What didn't happen? Capture what it is about the book that stands out (or doesn't stand out).
- Write about the characters. Which one is your favorite? Is there a character you hate/detest/despise? Why? What traits could you change about the characters that would change how you think about them? Do you think that any of the characters represent real people?
2010-11 Summer Reading List
Required Reading
Seventh Grade: Nothing But The Truth (Avi)
Eighth Grade: Esperanza Rising (Munzo-Ryan)
Ninth Grade: The Bean Trees (Kingsolver)
Tenth Grade: The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
Eleventh Grade: The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath)
Twelfth Grade: Grendel (John Gardner)
Student’s Choice: Choose (1) book from the grade level list:
7th grade list
The Upstairs Room (Reiss)
Lyddie (Paterson) The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle (Avi) Greatest: Muhammad Ali (Myers)
8th grade list
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Twain) Chains (Halse-Anderson) The Red Badge of Courage (Crane)Beyond the Chocolate War (Cormier)
9th grade list
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Angelou)
Speak (Anderson)The Call of the Wild (London) Heat (Lupica)
10th grade list
The Secret Life of Bees (Kidd) A Lesson Before Dying (Gaines) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (Haddon) Fahrenheit 451 (Bradbury)
11th grade list
All Souls: A Family Story from Southie (MacDonald)
The Road (McCarthy)
The Glass Castle (Walls)
The Natural (Malamud)
12th grade list
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Stevenson)
Through the Looking Glass (Carroll)
Neverwhere (Neil Gaiman)
Into the Wild (Krakauer)
11th & 12th ADVANCED PLACEMENT REQUIRED READING
AP ENGLISH: all 3 required:
Madame Bovery (Flaubert)
Song of Solomon (Morrison)
Odyssey (Homer)
AP GOVERNMENT & POLITICS:
The Brothers Bulger (Howie Carr)
Senior Math Classes will have the following Summer Readings:
Advanced Math:
Mathematics and Numeracy http://www.stolaf.edu/people/steen/Papers/twolits.html
Calculus:
Mathematics and Numeracy:http://www.stolaf.edu/people/steen/Papers/twolits.html
AND Numeracy http://www.stolaf.edu/people/steen/Papers/numeracy.html