8th Grade Honors English
Summer Assignment Mr. Maruna [email protected] 8th grade English covers American literature, starting with the colonists and ending with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. To introduce American culture and identity, the honors summer reading assignment is My Brother Sam Is Dead, an American Revolutionary War novel about a young boy whose family is caught between both sides. Requirements: My Brother Sam Is Dead by James Lincoln Collier (978-0439783606). As you read the book, you should keep a dialectical journal. “Dialectical” means “conversational”—so a dialectical journal is a conversation between you and the text. The dialectical journal as three key components: citation, passage (should include direct text evidence, but may also include summarization), and the reader’s commentary on the passage. Passages should come from throughout the text, and commentary should be thought-provoking and personal. Annotations are required and helpful through this process. The point of this is to demonstrate to your teacher that you THINK as you read and for you to track your thoughts as you read the book. Dialectical journals serve as a foundation for annotating texts. The quality of your entries is the most important piece of the journal; do not get caught up with how many entries you should have per chapter. Your dialectical journal should be kept in a composition notebook and be neatly handwritten, following the BFHS Standards for Handwritten Work, and is due the first day of school, in class. Please format your dialectical journal like the sample below from Dracula: Citation Passage Commentary Pg. 1 “I had for dinner, or rather supper, a chicken done up some way with red pepper, which was very good but thirsty.” The reference to “thirst” – does this mirror Dracula’s thirst or foreshadow the concept of thirst? I like the interesting use of color and imagery with the paprika that is red like blood. Extra Credit: For extra credit, write a brief (two-page) response essay answering the question: What does this book teach about American history at the time? Please note that we’re not asking you to summarize the book. Instead, your essay should be an answer to the question. Though this is a personal question, please do avoid using first and second person pronouns in your essay (ex. “I,” “we,” “us,” or “you”) when you talk about what the book teaches. Your essay should be typed, following the BFHS Writing Standards for Printed Work. Please email with any questions.
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My Book Recommendations:
Lockwood & Co. series The Lost Prince Chronicles of Narnia A Little Princess The Hobbit Ender's Game Holes Anne of Green Gables Monster-Peretti
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