2025 Summer Reading
FRESHMAN / FRESHMAN HONORS
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
FORT HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL
Celebrating 80 years of “Excellence in Education.” Kaye Houlihan
8301 SHORE ROAD Principal
BROOKLYN, NY 11209
Phone (718) 748-1537
Fax (718) 836-3955
Website: fthhs.org
2025 SUMMER READING
FRESHMAN / FRESHMAN HONORS
Listed below are the titles for your required summer reading. Upon your return to school in September your English teacher will require you to submit the assigned Double-Entry Journal (DEJ) and write an essay which will count for part of your first marking period grade. The texts may be borrowed from the FHHS library, public library, purchased online or at a local bookstore (see below for more information).
You must choose ONE text from the list with works of fiction and ONE text from the list with
works of nonfiction. For EACH text you must complete a DEJ (instructions below). We
encourage you to read independently.
Fiction
Choose ONE (1)
To Kill a Mockingbird Lee, Harper
The Joy Luck Club Tan, Amy
The Namesake Lahiri, Jhumpa
Non-Fiction
Choose ONE (1)
The Pact: Three Men Make a Promise and Fulfill a Dream Davis, Jenkins, and Hunt
I Am Malala Yousafzai, Malala
Persepolis The Story of a Childhood Satrapi, Marjane
We look forward to seeing you in September.
Mrs. Kritikos
Assistant Principal
English Department
Summer Reading Assignment - Due: September 2025
- Read the assigned texts.
- Maintain a Double-Entry Journal (DEJ). Your DEJ may be handwritten on looseleaf paper OR typed.
Make sure your name and grade is written on the upper left-hand side of your first page. Staple the pages together.
Instructions for your DEJ: Maintain a double-entry journal that captures your thoughts, questions, and other reactions regarding the text. A “DEJ” is a way to record information and to reflect on and react to that information. It is a way of “making sense” of what you read.
|
The left-hand column of the paper is your place to document your initial reactions to your readings. |
The right-hand column is where you record your subsequent reactions to your initial reactions. |
Each entry should include commentary that attempts to analyze, justify, answer, predict, or otherwise elaborate on what has been initially recorded. For example, if you write something about enjoying a particular passage, you must also include reasons why you liked it and perhaps a line or two about the passage’s significance. If you pose a question, attempt to answer it. Do not shy away from providing evidence to support your initial reactions. In essence, the left-hand column becomes a running record of your interactions and engagement with the text. |
DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING IN THE RIGHT-HAND COLUMN UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED THE ENTIRE TEXT AND HAVE PUT IT ASIDE TO REFLECT ON IT. |
The following sentence starters may help you with both columns:
I began to think of . . . I can’t really understand . .
I wonder why . . . I think . . .
I know the feeling of . . . I can’t believe . . .
I noticed . . . If I were . . .
I love the way . . . I realized . . .
I was surprised . . . I’m not sure . . .
In comparison to . . . (another work?) This connects to . . .
Avoid writing a “summary” of what you read. Your teacher is interested in what you make of what you have read. Cite page numbers in your DEJ. This will allow you to participate in class discussions when you return. In other words, if you have written commentary on a particular passage, please be sure to note the page number. MAKE SURE you have a minimum of ten entries for each column that in total, span the beginning, middle, and end of the work.
Due Date: You must bring your Double-Entry Journal to the first day of class. It will serve as an important classroom resource and allow your teacher to assess your understanding of the text. In addition, you will use your DEJ, class discussions, and class notes to write an essay within the 1st MP.
Good Luck and see you in September!
SOPHOMORE/ SOPHOMORE HONORS
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
FORT HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL
Celebrating 80 years of “Excellence in Education.” Kaye Houlihan
8301 SHORE ROAD Principal
BROOKLYN, NY 11209
Phone (718) 748-1537
Fax (718) 836-3955
Website: fthhs.org
2025 SUMMER READING
SOPHOMORE/ SOPHOMORE HONORS
Listed below are the titles for your required summer reading. Upon your return to school in September your English teacher will require you to submit the assigned Double-Entry Journal (DEJ) and write an essay which will count for part of your first marking period grade. The texts may be borrowed from the FHHS library, public library, purchased online or at a local bookstore (see below for more information).
You must read select TWO of the three texts from the list below. You must complete a DEJ (instructions below). We encourage you to read independently.
Grade 10 - Honor Academy
Lord of the Flies Golding, William
Animal Farm Orwell, George
The Book Thief Zusak, Markus
We look forward to seeing you in September.
Mrs. Kritikos
Assistant Principal
English Department
Summer Reading Assignment - Due: September 2025
- Read the assigned texts.
- Maintain a Double-Entry Journal (DEJ). Your DEJ may be handwritten on looseleaf paper OR typed.
Make sure your name and grade is written on the upper left-hand side of your first page. Staple the pages together.
Instructions for your DEJ: Maintain a double-entry journal that captures your thoughts, questions, and other reactions regarding the text. A “DEJ” is a way to record information and to reflect on and react to that information. It is a way of “making sense” of what you read.
|
The left-hand column of the paper is your place to document your initial reactions to your readings. |
The right-hand column is where you record your subsequent reactions to your initial reactions. |
Each entry should include commentary that attempts to analyze, justify, answer, predict, or otherwise elaborate on what has been initially recorded. For example, if you write something about enjoying a particular passage, you must also include reasons why you liked it and perhaps a line or two about the passage’s significance. If you pose a question, attempt to answer it. Do not shy away from providing evidence to support your initial reactions. In essence, the left-hand column becomes a running record of your interactions and engagement with the text. |
DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING IN THE RIGHT-HAND COLUMN UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED THE ENTIRE TEXT AND HAVE PUT IT ASIDE TO REFLECT ON IT. |
The following sentence starters may help you with both columns:
I began to think of . . . I can’t really understand . .
I wonder why . . . I think . . .
I know the feeling of . . . I can’t believe . . .
I noticed . . . If I were . . .
I love the way . . . I realized . . .
I was surprised . . . I’m not sure . . .
In comparison to . . . (another work?) This connects to . . .
Avoid writing a “summary” of what you read. Your teacher is interested in what you make of what you have read. Cite page numbers in your DEJ. This will allow you to participate in class discussions when you return. In other words, if you have written commentary on a particular passage, please be sure to note the page number. MAKE SURE you have a minimum of ten entries for each column that in total, span the beginning, middle, and end of the work.
Due Date: You must bring your Double-Entry Journal to the first day of class. It will serve as an important classroom resource and allow your teacher to assess your understanding of the text. In addition, you will use your DEJ, class discussions, and class notes to write an essay within the 1st MP.
Good Luck and see you in September!
JUNIOR HONORS/AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
FORT HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL
Celebrating 80 years of “Excellence in Education.” Kaye Houlihan
8301 SHORE ROAD Principal
BROOKLYN, NY 11209
Phone (718) 748-1537
Fax (718) 836-3955
Website: fthhs.org
2025 SUMMER READING
JUNIOR HONORS/AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE
Listed below are the titles for your required summer reading. Upon your return to school in September your English teacher will require you to submit the assigned Double-Entry Journal (DEJ) and write an essay which will count for part of your first marking period grade. The texts may be borrowed from the FHHS library, public library, purchased online or at a local bookstore (see below for more information).
You must read BOTH texts from the list below. For EACH text you must complete a DEJ (instructions below).
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Haddon, Mark
The Bluest Eye Morrison, Toni
We look forward to seeing you in September.
Mrs. Kritikos
Assistant Principal
English Department
Summer Reading Assignment - Due: September 2025
- Read the assigned texts.
- Maintain a Double-Entry Journal (DEJ). Your DEJ may be handwritten on looseleaf paper OR typed.
Make sure your name and grade is written on the upper left-hand side of your first page. Staple the pages together.
Instructions for your DEJ: Maintain a double-entry journal that captures your thoughts, questions, and other reactions regarding the text. A “DEJ” is a way to record information and to reflect on and react to that information. It is a way of “making sense” of what you read.
|
The left-hand column of the paper is your place to document your initial reactions to your readings. |
The right-hand column is where you record your subsequent reactions to your initial reactions. |
Each entry should include commentary that attempts to analyze, justify, answer, predict, or otherwise elaborate on what has been initially recorded. For example, if you write something about enjoying a particular passage, you must also include reasons why you liked it and perhaps a line or two about the passage’s significance. If you pose a question, attempt to answer it. Do not shy away from providing evidence to support your initial reactions. In essence, the left-hand column becomes a running record of your interactions and engagement with the text. |
DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING IN THE RIGHT-HAND COLUMN UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED THE ENTIRE TEXT AND HAVE PUT IT ASIDE TO REFLECT ON IT. |
The following sentence starters may help you with both columns:
I began to think of . . . I can’t really understand . .
I wonder why . . . I think . . .
I know the feeling of . . . I can’t believe . . .
I noticed . . . If I were . . .
I love the way . . . I realized . . .
I was surprised . . . I’m not sure . . .
In comparison to . . . (another work?) This connects to . . .
Avoid writing a “summary” of what you read. Your teacher is interested in what you make of what you have read. Cite page numbers in your DEJ. This will allow you to participate in class discussions when you return. In other words, if you have written commentary on a particular passage, please be sure to note the page number. MAKE SURE you have a minimum of ten entries for each column that in total, span the beginning, middle, and end of the work.
Due Date: You must bring your Double-Entry Journal to the first day of class. It will serve as an important classroom resource and allow your teacher to assess your understanding of the text. In addition, you will use your DEJ, class discussions, and class notes to write an essay within the 1st MP.
Good Luck and see you in September!
SENIOR/SENIOR HONORS
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
FORT HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL
Celebrating 80 years of “Excellence in Education.” Kaye Houlihan
8301 SHORE ROAD Principal
BROOKLYN, NY 11209
Phone (718) 748-1537
Fax (718) 836-3955
Website: fthhs.org
2025 SUMMER READING
SENIOR/SENIOR HONORS
Listed below are the titles for your required summer reading. Upon your return to school in September your English teacher will require you to submit the assigned Double-Entry Journal (DEJ) and write an essay which will count for part of your first marking period grade. The texts may be borrowed from the FHHS library, public library, purchased online or at a local bookstore (see below for more information).
You must choose ONE text from the list with works of fiction and ONE text from the list with works of nonfiction. For EACH text you must complete a DEJ (instructions below). We encourage you to read independently.
Fiction
Choose ONE (1)
Those Who Save Us Blum, Jenna
What is the What Eggers, Dave
The Code Breaker Mathur, Anil
All The Bright Places Niven, Jennifer
Before We Were Free Alvarez, Julia
Wide Sargasso Sea Rhys, Jean
Non-Fiction
Choose ONE (1)
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks Skloots, Rebecca
Nickel and Dimed Ehrenreich, Barbara
Friday Night Lights Bissinger, H.G.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X Malcolm X
We look forward to seeing you in September.
Mrs. Kritikos
Assistant Principal
English Department
Summer Reading Assignment - Due: September 2025
- Read the assigned texts.
- Maintain a Double-Entry Journal (DEJ). Your DEJ may be handwritten on looseleaf paper OR typed.
Make sure your name and grade is written on the upper left-hand side of your first page. Staple the pages together.
Instructions for your DEJ: Maintain a double-entry journal that captures your thoughts, questions, and other reactions regarding the text. A “DEJ” is a way to record information and to reflect on and react to that information. It is a way of “making sense” of what you read.
|
The left-hand column of the paper is your place to document your initial reactions to your readings. |
The right-hand column is where you record your subsequent reactions to your initial reactions. |
Each entry should include commentary that attempts to analyze, justify, answer, predict, or otherwise elaborate on what has been initially recorded. For example, if you write something about enjoying a particular passage, you must also include reasons why you liked it and perhaps a line or two about the passage’s significance. If you pose a question, attempt to answer it. Do not shy away from providing evidence to support your initial reactions. In essence, the left-hand column becomes a running record of your interactions and engagement with the text. |
DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING IN THE RIGHT-HAND COLUMN UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED THE ENTIRE TEXT AND HAVE PUT IT ASIDE TO REFLECT ON IT. |
The following sentence starters may help you with both columns:
I began to think of . . . I can’t really understand . .
I wonder why . . . I think . . .
I know the feeling of . . . I can’t believe . . .
I noticed . . . If I were . . .
I love the way . . . I realized . . .
I was surprised . . . I’m not sure . . .
In comparison to . . . (another work?) This connects to . . .
Avoid writing a “summary” of what you read. Your teacher is interested in what you make of what you have read. Cite page numbers in your DEJ. This will allow you to participate in class discussions when you return. In other words, if you have written commentary on a particular passage, please be sure to note the page number. MAKE SURE you have a minimum of ten entries for each column that in total, span the beginning, middle, and end of the work.
Due Date: You must bring your Double-Entry Journal to the first day of class. It will serve as an important classroom resource and allow your teacher to assess your understanding of the text. In addition, you will use your DEJ, class discussions, and class notes to write an essay within the 1st MP.
Good Luck and see you in September!
ISS SUMMER READING
Dear Students & Parents: June 2025
Attached you will find the titles for your required summer reading, as well as directions for a project to complete for your summer reading book. You must read at least ONE book for your upcoming grade level and complete the project listed. For example, if you are entering 9th grade, choose a book from the 9th grade list. For each grade, the books are listed in order of difficulty. Challenge yourself but choose a book that is appropriate for your current reading level.
All books may be borrowed from the public library, purchased at your local bookstore, or purchased online. You can complete this project digitally or in a notebook/on looseleaf and will have the option of submitting it in either format in September. We encourage you to read independently.
We look forward to seeing you in September. Have a wonderful summer.
Sincerely,
Christine L. Ciccarone
Assistant Principal Instructional Support Services (ISS)
Fort Hamilton High School
ISS (Special Class) Summer Reading List: 2025
Christine Ciccarone, Assistant Principal ISS
|
9th grade |
|
|
Author |
Title |
|
(B) Patricia and Fredrick McKissack |
Miami Jackson Gets it Straight |
|
(I) Lynda Mullaly Hunt |
Fish in a Tree |
|
(A) Christopher Paul Curtis |
Bud, Not Buddy |
|
10th grade |
|
|
Author |
Title |
|
Smile |
|
|
(I) Nikki Grimes |
Words with Wings |
|
(A) Wendelin Van Draanen |
The Running Dream |
|
11th grade |
|
|
Author |
Title |
|
(B) Arturo Zamora |
The Epic Fail |
|
(I) Walter Dean Meyers |
Hoops |
|
(A) Draper, Sharon M. |
Forged by Fire |
|
12th grade |
|
|
Author |
Title |
|
(B) J. C. Cervantes |
The Storm Runner |
|
(I ) Akemi Dawn Bowman |
Starfish |
|
(A) Jason Reynolds |
Long Way Down |
Key:
|
(B) |
Beginner |
|
(I) |
Intermediate |
|
(A) |
Advanced |
*Incoming students enrolled in ICT classes should use the general 9th Grade Summer Reading List.
Fort Hamilton High School
ISS (Special Class) Summer Reading List: 2025
Christine Ciccarone, Assistant Principal ISS
As you complete your summer reading, it is important to respond to what you read in order to enhance and reinforce your understanding.
Requirements
Write a Literary Letter in response to at least five readings, as you will continue to do in class when you return to school in the fall. You can do this on paper or in an electronic document to be submitted in September. You should have NO LESS THAN FIVE letters in total. Each response should be based on at least FIVE pages of reading.
Create a cover page for your project that includes the title, author, your name, and a picture or pictures that help to illustrate the main ideas of the book. You can draw or use images from the internet.
Literary Letter Format
Dear Reader, Date
Today I (began, continued, or finished) reading (title) by (author). I read pages _____ - _______
Three sentence summary of what you have been reading about. (First…Then…Finally…format is a suggestion)
This part of the story reminds me of…
Ask a question that you have about the reading.
Sincerely,
(Your Name)
Sample Literary Letter
Dear Reader, June 29, 2025
Today I began reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling. I read pages 1-36.
First, we learn that Harry is a boy who lives with his aunt, uncle and cousin and they are very mean to him. Then, Harry’s family begrudgingly brings him to the zoo for his cousin’s birthday and somehow Harry makes the glass disappear from a snake enclosure! Finally, Harry starts getting mysterious letters that his Uncle Vernon will not let him read.
This part of the story reminds me of a book I read where a kid was getting mysterious letters and he didn’t know who they were from. He had to investigate with his friend and eventually they found out that it was their neighbor trying to warn them.
I wonder who the letters are from and if someone is trying to warn Harry about something.
Sincerely,
Johnny Smith
Literary Letter Rubric
|
Criteria |
4 - Exceeding Standards |
3 - Meeting Standards |
2 - Approaching Standards |
1 - Below Standards |
|
Quantity |
Student wrote 5 or more high-quality literary letters that adequately address all components of the format. |
Student wrote 5 literary letters that mostly address all components of the format. |
Student wrote fewer than 5 literary letters, and/or the letters do not fully address all components of the format. |
Student did not write 5 literary letters, and/or the letters are missing multiple components of the format. |
|
Letter Format |
All letters follow the correct format, including the date, opening salutation, 3-sentence summary, personal connection, question and closing salutation. |
Most letters follow the correct format, with only minor omissions or errors. |
Some letters follow the correct format, but multiple components are missing or incorrect. |
The letter format is not followed consistently across the letters. |
|
Content |
All letters provide insightful and detailed responses to the readings. |
Most letters provide adequate responses to the readings. |
Some letters provide limited or superficial responses to the readings. |
The letters lack meaningful content or fail to address the key components. |
|
Mechanics |
All letters are free of spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors or errors are minimal and do not hinder comprehension. |
Most letters have few spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors with only a couple or errors that hinder comprehension. |
Some letters have multiple spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors. Errors may hinder comprehension. |
The letters contain numerous mechanical errors that impede understanding. |
|
Cover Page |
Cover page includes all required elements and is neat and attractive. Image(s) helps emphasize the main ideas or themes of the book. |
Cover page includes all required elements and is mostly neat and attractive. Image is included but may not be entirely clear/relevant. |
Cover page is incomplete and/or not very neat. It may be missing an image. |
Cover page is missing or very minimal. |
JUNIOR SUMMER READING
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
FORT HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL
Celebrating 80 years of “Excellence in Education.” Kaye Houlihan
8301 SHORE ROAD Principal
BROOKLYN, NY 11209
Phone (718) 748-1537
Fax (718) 836-3955
Website: fthhs.org
2025 SUMMER READING
GRADE 11
Listed below are the titles for your required summer reading. Upon your return to school in September your English teacher will require you to submit the assigned Double-Entry Journal (DEJ) and write an essay which will count for part of your first marking period grade. The texts may be borrowed from the FHHS library, public library, purchased online or at a local bookstore (see below for more information).
You must choose ONE text from the list with works of fiction and ONE text from the list with works of nonfiction. For EACH text you must complete a DEJ (instructions below). We encourage you to read independently.
Fiction
Choose ONE (1)
Ordinary People Guest, Judith
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Haddon, Mark
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Smith, Betty
Non-Fiction
Choose ONE (1)
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Angelou, Maya
Having Our Say Delany Sisters
We look forward to seeing you in September.
Mrs. Kritikos
Assistant Principal
English Department
Summer Reading Assignment - Due: September 2025
- Read the assigned texts.
- Maintain a Double-Entry Journal (DEJ). Your DEJ may be handwritten on looseleaf paper OR typed.
Make sure your name and grade is written on the upper left-hand side of your first page. Staple the pages together.
Instructions for your DEJ: Maintain a double-entry journal that captures your thoughts, questions, and other reactions regarding the text. A “DEJ” is a way to record information and to reflect on and react to that information. It is a way of “making sense” of what you read.
|
The left-hand column of the paper is your place to document your initial reactions to your readings. |
The right-hand column is where you record your subsequent reactions to your initial reactions. |
Each entry should include commentary that attempts to analyze, justify, answer, predict, or otherwise elaborate on what has been initially recorded. For example, if you write something about enjoying a particular passage, you must also include reasons why you liked it and perhaps a line or two about the passage’s significance. If you pose a question, attempt to answer it. Do not shy away from providing evidence to support your initial reactions. In essence, the left-hand column becomes a running record of your interactions and engagement with the text. |
DO NOT WRITE ANYTHING IN THE RIGHT-HAND COLUMN UNTIL YOU HAVE FINISHED THE ENTIRE TEXT AND HAVE PUT IT ASIDE TO REFLECT ON IT. |
The following sentence starters may help you with both columns:
I began to think of . . . I can’t really understand . .
I wonder why . . . I think . . .
I know the feeling of . . . I can’t believe . . .
I noticed . . . If I were . . .
I love the way . . . I realized . . .
I was surprised . . . I’m not sure . . .
In comparison to . . . (another work?) This connects to . . .
Avoid writing a “summary” of what you read. Your teacher is interested in what you make of what you have read. Cite page numbers in your DEJ. This will allow you to participate in class discussions when you return. In other words, if you have written commentary on a particular passage, please be sure to note the page number. MAKE SURE you have a minimum of ten entries for each column that in total, span the beginning, middle, and end of the work.
Due Date: You must bring your Double-Entry Journal to the first day of class. It will serve as an important classroom resource and allow your teacher to assess your understanding of the text. In addition, you will use your DEJ, class discussions, and class notes to write an essay within the 1st MP.
Good Luck and see you in September!
AP ENGLISH LITERATURE & COMPOSITION (Seniors)
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK
FORT HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL
Celebrating 80 years of “Excellence in Education.” Kaye Houlihan
8301 SHORE ROAD Principal
BROOKLYN, NY 11209
Phone (718) 748-1537
Fax (718) 836-3955
Website: fthhs.org
2025 SUMMER READING
AP ENGLISH LITERATURE & COMPOSITION (Seniors)
Assignments are due on the first day of school.
This assignment is designed to help you prepare for college and the AP exam, where skills developed by avid reading are essential. Only the well-read student can respond intelligently to the open essay question on the AP exam; therefore, summer reading is vital to your success. This summer assignment packet contains directions, assignment descriptions, examples and an essay rubric. Remember to pace yourself accordingly during the summer break.
The summer assignment for AP Literature not only indicates your willingness to work hard, but it also measures your commitment to the course.
An AP student is expected to always put all of their thinking and effort into assignments and readings. This kind of effort is expected on every aspect of the summer assignment.
Required Readings:
How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
AND
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
You can purchase the texts online at Amazon.com BN.com or at a bookstore, such as Barnes and Noble. You will be using both of these books quite extensively, annotating and marking them up.
As mentioned before, you are REQUIRED to annotate the text, marking significant passages and writing abundant marginal notes. You will need to bring both books to class the first day of school so your annotations can be checked. If you are unsure how to mark a book, I have attached an outline that describes the process in detail. Annotations are a portion of the overall grade.
- Read and annotate How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster.
- Then, read and annotate Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.
- You will need to complete the Literary Vocabulary Journal (attached). The instructions are on the worksheet. This will also be due the first day of class.
How to Annotate a Book
This outline addresses why you would ever want to mark in a book. For each reason, the outline gives specific strategies to achieve your goals in reading the book.
- Interact with the book – talk back to it. You learn more from a conversation than you do from a lecture (this is the text-to-self connection.)
Typical marks
- Question marks and questions – be a critical reader
- Exclamation marks – a great point, or I really agree)
- Smiley faces and other emoticons
- Color your favorite sections. Perhaps draw pictures in the margin that remind you about the passage’s subject matter or events.
- Pictures and graphic organizers. The pictures may express your overall impression of a paragraph, page, or chapter. The graphic organizer (Venn diagram, etc.) may give you a handy way to sort the materials in a way that makes sense to you.
Typical writing
- Comments – agreements or disagreements
- Your personal experience
- Random associations
- Begin to trust your gut when reading! Does the passage remind you of a song? Another book? A story you read? Like some of your dreams, your associations may carry more psychic weight than you may realize at first. Write the association down in the margin!
- Cross-reference the book to other books making the same point. Use a shortened name for the other book – one you’ll remember, though. (e.g., “Harry Potter 3”) (This is text-to-text connection).
- Learn what the book teaches (this is the text-to-world connection).
- Underline, circle or highlight key words and phrases.
- Cross-reference a term with the book’s explanation of the term, or where the book gives the term fuller treatment.
- In other words, put a reference to another page in the book in the margin where you’re reading. Use a page number.
- hen, return the favor at the place in the book you just referred to. You now have a link so you can find both pages if you find one of them.
- Put your own summaries in the margin.
- If you summarize a passage in your own words, you’ll learn the material much better.
- Depending on how closely you with to study the material, you may wish to summarize entire sections, paragraphs, or even parts of paragraphs.
- If you put your summaries in your books instead of separate notebooks, the book you read and the summary you wrote will reinforce each other. A positive synergy happens! You’ll also keep your book and your notes in one place.
- Leave a “trail” in the book that makes it easier to follow when you study the material again. Make a trail by writing subject matter headings in the margins. You’ll find the material more easily the second time through.
- Bracket or highlight sections you think are important.
- Pick up the author’s style (this is the reading-to-writing connection.)
- Why? Because you aren’t born with a writing style. You pick it up. Perhaps there’s something that you like about this author’s style but you don’t know what it is. Learn to analyze an author’s writing style in order to put up parts of his/her style that becomes natural to you.
- How?
- First, reflect a bit. What do you like about the writer’s style? If nothing occurs to you, consider the tone of the piece (humorous, passionate, etc.) Begin to wonder: how did the writer get the tone across? (This method works for discovering how a writer gets across tone, plot, conflict, and other things.)
- Then, look for patterns.
- Read a paragraph or two or three you really like. Read it over and over. What begins to stand out to you?
- Circle or underline parts of speech with different colored pens, pencils, or crayons. Perhaps red for verbs, blue for nouns, even green for pronouns.
- Circle or underline rhetorical devices with different colored writing instruments, or surround them with different geometrical shapes, such as an oval, a rectangle, and a triangle.
- What rhetorical devices?
- How the author mixes up lengths of sentences
- Sound devices, alliteration, assonance, onomatopoeia, repetition, internal rhymes, etc.
Frankenstein Literary Vocabulary Journal
Directions: As you read Frankenstein, you will note examples of important literary devices used by Shelley in the text. First, find the definition and fill them in the table below. Then, find an example from the text. You can find definitions on the internet (search for a literary term dictionary), or in a Literary Dictionary. If you don’t have enough room, you may use a separate sheet of paper.
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Term/Definition: |
Example from the text |
Brief Explanation: How does the example create meaning in the text? |
Page # |
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Archetype - |
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Allusion - |
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Connotation - |
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Diction - |
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Epiphany - |
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Figurative Language - |
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Imagery - |
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Mood - |
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Point of View - |
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Setting - |
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Stream-of-consciousness |
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Style - |
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Symbol - |
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Syntax - |
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Theme - |
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Tone - |