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2009 9 Honors Summer Reading Assignment:

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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Assignment

Welcome to Freshman English Honors!

 

We look forward to an exciting, challenging, and rewarding year of education.  We have high expectations of you as a student. 

 

First, please select and read one of the novels from the approved list.  The list of novels will be given to you by your 8th grade teachers shortly.

 

Once completed, please respond to the following writing prompt in a typed open-ended response of one to three paragraphs.  Be certain to proofread and utilize MLA formatting.

 

Consider the following themes and choose one that relates to the novel you chose to read:


·        Trustworthiness

·        Respect

·        Responsibility

·        Fairness

·        Caring

·        Citizenship         


 

These six qualities are viewed by many as being the key to being an ethical and good person. Select and explain one of those qualities that you believe is epitomized by a character in your novel:

·                Use specific examples as proof.

·                Be certain to consider how this quality affects the character in the novel through his/her dealings with other characters and in his/her decision making processes.

·                You may refer to the Jefferson Township High School website for a description of the themes.

 


Second, read A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  Answer the following in a well-developed essay.  Your essay should contain an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.  Be sure to give examples from the story that support your statements:

 

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn has been described as a Coming of Age Story.  This means the novel traces the development of the young protagonist.  Choose one lesson that Francie learns, and trace her education socially or emotionally on that issue throughout the novel.  Use examples from the story that explain how Francie has learned an important lesson in life.

 

Your paper must adhere closely to the rules of an essay and Modern Language Association (MLA) rules.  See below links for MLA rules and example setup. Your responses will be graded using the holistic scoring rubric.  This is due on the first day of school, September 2, 2009; no late assignments will be accepted.

 

Helpful links:

Shows how to set up your paper in MLA formatting:

            http://www.jefftwp.org/HighSchool/PDF%20files/ResearchGuide.pdf

            http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_mla.html

http://webster.commnet.edu/mla/index.shtml

Mrs. Vandigriff’s website http://mrs.vandigriff.tripod.com/

Mrs. Cimaglia’s website http://www.freewebs.com/mrscimaglia/

Betty Smith Biography and Background information on novel http://web.njit.edu/~cjohnson/tree/index.html

Some of the vocabulary defined for you! J http://quizlet.com/set/21714/

 

 

Formatting Your Paper in MLA Style

 

Margins:  1 inch (top, bottom, sides)

Spacing: double space

Font:  size 12, Times New Roman

Ink: black

Paper: standard white only

Heading: sample is provided below

 

Student Name Your Name

Teacher Name           Mrs. Vandigriff or Mrs. Cimaglia

Name of course          English 9 Honors

Date                            2 September 2009

Centered Title

            Begin typing your paper here.  Use a five space indent for each paragraph.  The days of cover sheets and binders are over!  You will simply put one staple in the upper left hand corner of the paper when you hand it in.

 

Make sure your paper is completely double-spaced.  Points will be deducted for wide margins, improper font size (this entire handout is in font size 12, Times New Roman), and incorrect headings.  Please notice that the title is not bolded, italicized, nor is it underlined or in font size 50.  If you use sources, you must include a works cited page.

 


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