Troy High | 9-12 Summer Reading Lists
- Plagiarism Information
- HOW TO ACCESS SUMMER READING TITLES
- 9th Grade Summer Reading
- 10th Grade Summer & Honors Reading
- 11th Grade Summer & Honors Reading
- 12th Grade Summer and Honors Reading
Plagiarism Information
Plagiarism Guidelines & Letter
In order to help students understand plagiarism and the serious consequences that may follow, we would like you to review the content of this letter with your son or daughter. Many preventable occurrences of plagiarism have caused concerns for both the staff and the students in the past few years. It is our belief that educating students about what constitutes plagiarism and how they can avoid it will help to improve this situation. Please read the following document with your son or daughter, and then have your student sign to confirm his or her understanding. Your signature is requested as well. The signed paper should be returned with your orientation packet. Keep the attached document for your records. Resources to help you avoid such issues can be found at plagiarism.org and turnitin.com. As always, teachers will answer any questions that the students may have once the school year begins.
Remo Roncone, Principal
After reading the attached document, click the link to the Plagiarism document and sign the form. If you are unable to sign the form, contact the main office. Thank you
Troy High School Code of Conduct: Academic Misconduct
Plagiarizing, cheating, including copying or supplying class work, homework, tests, and/or any assessment for personal benefit, or gaining unauthorized access to material through such behavior as going into a teacher’s file, paper or electronic, or looking through a teacher’s desk whether intentional or unintentional is considered academic misconduct. Presenting someone else’s work as one’s own in order to obtain a grade or credit is considered plagiarism. This includes, but is not limited to, copying others’ assignments, quiz or test answers, and turning in others’ work as your own. Discipline procedures for the first offense will include at least the following: parent notification, a zero on the assignment involved, and administrative contact. As this is a Level II violation, other disciplinary action may occur as well.
Of these issues of academic misconduct, plagiarism can be the most difficult to define and understand. The following information, as presented by plagiarism.org, can help you avoid such an issue.
What is Plagiarism?
Many people think of plagiarism as copying another's work or borrowing someone else's original ideas. But terms like "copying" and "borrowing" can disguise the seriousness of the offense. According to the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary, to "plagiarize" means to--
- steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own
- use (another's production) without crediting the source
- commit literary theft
- present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
But can words and ideas really be stolen?
According to U.S. law, the answer is yes. The expression of original ideas is considered intellectual property and is protected by copyright laws, just like original inventions. Almost all forms of expression fall under copyright protection as long as they are recorded in some way (such as in a book or a computer file).
Whether done intentionally or unintentionally, ALL of the following are considered plagiarism:
- turning in someone else's work as your own
- copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
- failing to put a direct quotation in quotation marks
- giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
- changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
- copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not.
A graphic representation of the different types of plagiarism appears on the back of this sheet
TYPES OF PLAGIARISM
Types of plagiarism may not always be understood by students. The boundary between plagiarism and research is often unclear. Learning to recognize the various forms of plagiarism is an important step towards effective prevention. Each of the 10 most common types of plagiarism is defined below (Plagiarism.org). For a more thorough discussion of each type, we suggest that you visit Plagiarism.org or turnitin.com.
- CLONE: Submitting another’s work, word-for-word, as one’s own
- CTRL: Contains significant portions of text from a single source without alterations
- FIND – REPLACE: Changing key words and phrases but retaining the essential content of the source
- REMIX: Paraphrases from multiple sources, made to fit together
- RECYCLE: Borrows generously from the writer’s previous work without citation
- HYBRID: Combines perfectly cited sources with copied passages without citation
- MASHUP: Mixes copied material from multiple sources
- 404 ERROR: Includes citations to non-existent or inaccurate information about sources
- AGGREGATOR: Includes proper citation to sources but the paper contains almost no original work
- RE-TWEET: Includes proper citation, but relies too closely on the text’s original wording and/or structure
HOW TO ACCESS SUMMER READING TITLES
Accessing Books for Summer Reading
There are several ways students can access titles for summer reading. Most books are available in print, as well as eBook and audiobook format. The directions for finding and requesting books are as follows:
Print Books
Print books available through your school’s media center can be accessed using the automated library catalog at Search Follett. Look at “Collections” to find the required reading lists. Students should log in with their computer username (not their e-mail) and password. If a book is available, they can place the title on hold and it will be made available curbside on one of the scheduled dates. Print books will also be available through TPL. Check their website Troy Public Library for the most up-to-date information.
eBooks and Audiobooks
Digital copies of books are available through SORA which will give you access to everything owned by TSD as well as titles owned by Troy Public Library if you link your account. For directions on using SORA click here. If you do not already have a TPL barcode number to link your SORA account to TPL, use these directions to get your TPL eCard activated. Upperclassmen, some of your required titles are considered “adult” so you may need to download the LIBBY app and log in with your TPL barcode or eCard number in order to access what is available from TPL. Troy Public Library also provides access to free eBooks and audio-books through the app Hoopla . To access these titles, first download the app, link it to TPL using either your regular TPL barcode or your TPL eCard number. All titles in Hoopla can be checked out (no waiting lists) for a 3 week check out period. If you have questions or need further assistance, reach out to your media specialist. Mrs. Isaac, tisaac@troy.k12.mi.us
To download a copy of the text above, click this link for Accessing Books for Summer Reading.
9th Grade Summer Reading
Troy School District | English 9 | Summer Reading – 2023
“Summer reading is about holding a book in your hands.... about kicking off shoes, staying up much too late, reading all day with no one caring that’s what you’re doing. It’s about rushing through one to get to the next or lingering as long as you want. It’s about vicarious experiences that let us become a girl in an attic, a boy in the wilderness, a kite runner in a far-away land.”- Kyleen Beers
Rather than requiring certain books to read, it is our hope that students will select books that meet their individual interests. Parents, please assist your student in this process, as you know their reading and maturity level. Summer reading is intended to increase students’ enjoyment of reading and to encourage a habit that takes students far beyond the English classroom.
Summer Reading Guidelines:
Students should select and read two books this summer. Links are provided to different reading lists to help students read into what they love or where they want to take their reading goals. Students do not need to have a copy of the book upon returning to school but are expected to be able to talk about the plot, characters and themes or the information they learned from Non-Fiction reading, upon returning.
- TSD Battle of the Books 2022 and 2023
- Goodreads: Books for Ninth Graders
- 28 Entertaining and Thought-Provoking YA Novels That Even Adults Will Love
- 43 Graphic Novels You Need to Read Because Yes,They Do Count as Real Books
- 12 Terrific Novels Written in Verse
- Classics for Teens
- Non-Fiction
- Fantasy and Dystopian Best Sellers
The work we do the first weeks of school will center around using summer reading to build a community of readers, reflect on our reading identities, and to set reading goals for the first semester.
Where do I get the books?
- The Troy Public Library can provide e-books, audiobooks, and books.
- New and used books can be purchased through amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, half.com, and thriftbooks.com.
- Ebooks can be accessed for free through the Sora Student Reading app. Click here for instructions.
- Ebooks and Audiobooks can also be purchased through many online stores, including the Amazon bookstore, iTunes,or via the iBooks app.
English 9: Summer Reading Choice Activities
CAPTURE YOUR THINKING
To capture your thinking, select create a Choice Activity for each reading choice (two activities total). We look forward to beginning the school year with students who have explored options that fit their passions and literacy goals.
Ending Rewrite
- Select a key decision made by a character in the story. Rewrite the ending to show how the story would change if the character had made a different decision.
- This ending should be at least one page long.
Music Playlist
- Create a music playlist for one of the characters in your novel. You’ll need 10 songs. For each song you will describe when they would listen to it, the mood, and why.
Theme Tracker
- Using an organizational structure like Cornell Notes or T-chart track themes or big ideas that you see in your story and pair that with scenes that reveal that theme. Example of a Theme Tracker.
Comic Strip
- Transform your story into a 10 frame comic strip.
- You will need to select and sequence 10 plot points, and then organize them into a comic.
"How to" Manual
- Procedural knowledge tells us how to do something. You can create your very own “HowTo” manual based on your book.
- Your “HowTo” manual should include at least 5 steps, a description of each step, and be at least a page long.
Children's Book
- Create a picture book version of your novel for younger students to enjoy!
- You’ll start by selecting and sequencing the 10 most important events of the plot.
Letter of Advice
- Examine the main conflict of the story. If the characters came to you to help resolve the conflict, what advice would you give and why?
- Write a letter to the character explaining your advice. Your letter should be at least a page long.
Compare & Contrast
- Create a compare/contrast chart to compare this story to one you have previously read. Note the similarities and differences in key plot points,characters,and thematic development.
- This chart should feature at least 5 well-developed items in each column.
Document for download or print only. Accessible text of this document is available on this webpage.
10th Grade Summer & Honors Reading
10th Grade Summer Reading
10 Honors Summer Reading
10 Honors Summer Reading Instructions 2023
1. Read one of the following fiction texts:
1984 by George Orwell
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris
Antigone by Sophocles (Greek drama)
In the Time of Butterflies by Julia Alvarez
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
Life of Pi by Yann Martel Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
Song Yet Sung by James McBride
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
2. Read one of the following nonfiction texts:
American Sniper by Chris Kyle
Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan
Freakonomics by Stephen J. Dubner and Steven Levitt
From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry by Paula Yoo
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren
Night by Elie Wiesel
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi (graphic memoir)
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
This year we are emphasizing more choice and freedom in your summer reading selections. Thus, we have compiled a list of contemporary and critically acclaimed Pre-AP texts to engage you in your quest for a deeper understanding of literature and the world in which we live. As some of the books contain mature content, we advise you to review a synopsis of the text before commencing your reading and study. If you wish to substitute a work of nonfiction or a work of fiction for the choices above, the two links below offer great suggestions. Please contact Mrs. Cracchiolo (kcracchiolo@troy.k12.mi.us) at Athens or Mrs. Opalewski (jopalewski@troy.k12.mi.us) at Troy High to request the change. Once you return to school, we will be using the two books you read to spur discussion, check in on your reading analysis skills, and get samples of your writing to set goals for the year.
Most Often Cited Literature on the AP Literature Exam
What Students Will be Reading: Common Campus Round-Up Penguin House 2022/2023
10 LC Summer Reading
2023 Troy 10 Literature & Composition Summer Reading
Sophomores this summer will be given the opportunity to explore what literacy means both in books and beyond the pages of a text. We want to offer choice, and it is our hope that students will, in addition to reading a novel, consider listening to a podcast, watching a documentary, reading a series of articles, or even binge watching a film or TV series in order to engage in a passion of theirs and broaden their understanding of literacy. If students prefer to read two books, that is fine as well. This new summer “reading” program is intended to develop a habit of reading that takes students far beyond the English classroom as well as to grow students’ enjoyment of their passion and interests while increasing their literacy.
#1: Choose a book by exploring reading options based on your goals/passions What Students Will Be Reading: Campus Common Reading Roundup, 2022-23 | Penguin Random House Common Reads: Look up your favorite school and see what incoming freshmen are reading. These texts will be especially helpful if you plan to pursue AP Language and/or Literature courses in junior or senior year. Most Often Cited Literature on the AP Literature Exam Check out these classics to see what students have read in preparation for AP Literature. These texts will be especially helpful if you plan to pursue AP Language and/or Literature courses in junior or senior year. 2023 Best Fiction for Young Adults: Love YA? Check out the “best of” list to see if you’ve missed any hits. TasteDive: Personalized suggestions discovered through the things you already love What Should I Read Next?: Search book recommendations based on a title you have enjoyed previously Interested in nonfiction?: Check out “61 YA Nonfiction Books to Explore Real Life True Stories” TikTok Lovers: Try searching #booktok to curate some trending titles and authors
#2: Expand your thinking about “literacy” by choosing a “non-book” option Film Documentary Podcast Articles Poetry Watch 2-3 films by the same director or in the same genre (To Find a Director - start by choosing one of your favorite films, find out who directed it, and then streaming platforms - Hulu, Netflix, Apple, etc - from there) Watch 2 documentaries 2023 Oscar Nominations Best Documentary Netflix Documentary Films 25 Best HBO Documentaries of All Time Listen to an episodic or a daily/weekly podcast The Best Podcasts for Everyone TasteDive - Podcasts discovered through the things you already love Read 3 articles about the same topic from different sources or follow a current event through time, reading at least 3 articles to track the evolution of the event/idea Read 2 volumes of poetry or a variety (5-10) of different poems: you might start exploring one of these sites: Poetry Foundation Best of Button Brave New Voices CAPTURE YOUR THINKING To capture your thinking while you read over the summer, create a notebook page for each of your two literacy choices*. (See the models below - this is your work so format or create a page that works to show your thinking). Within the first weeks of the school year, we will be utilizing your visual thinking pages to discuss and write about what you found most fascinating about your “summer reading”. We look forward to beginning the school year with students who have explored options that fit their passions and literacy goals. *NOTE: We do not expect you to create more than two notebook pages.
11th Grade Summer & Honors Reading
11th Grade Summer and Honors Reading
11 AP Summer Reading
11 AP Language and Composition Summer Work:
Reading and Current Events Purpose: the purpose of your summer reading assigned books and ten events collection is to begin working towards the main goals of this course: to develop critical literacy and to become a global citizen. The books you choose and the events you explore will give you exposure to new knowledge and ways of thinking, which are both essential for an AP Language and Composition student. Your Task: -Read two books from the list below. These are all non-fiction books that explore different components of our world. There is no assignment with this reading; please read with intention and be ready to work with both books when we return to school. You might choose to mark passages that stand out to you with sticky notes while you read. -Stay up to date with the world by creating a collection of ten important world events that happen over the summer. Each event in your collection should include a quick overview of what happened, an analysis of why it is important to be aware of this event, what issues it demonstrates in our world, and any connections you can make with this event (to a text, to a movie, to another event, to a conversation, etc.).
The Books: Sophia Amoruso, #Girlboss
Maya Angelou, I Know why the Caged Bird Sings
Aziz Ansari, Modern Romance
Katherine Boo, Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
James Brown, The Boys in the Boat
Truman Capote, In Cold Blood
Susan Cain, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
Ta Ne-hisi Coates, Between the World and Me
Barbara Demick, Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea
Barbara Ehrenreich, Nickle and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America
Tina Fey, Bossypants
Sheri Fink, Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink, David and Goliath, or Outliers
John Howard Griffin, Black Like Me
Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken
Maxine Kingston, The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts
Jon Krakauer, Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town, Into the Wild, or Into Thin Air
Ann Lamott, Bird by Bird
Steven Levitt & Stephen J. Dubner, Freakonomics or Think Like a Freak
Michael Lewis, Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
James McBride, The Color of Water
Frank McCourt, Angela’s Ashes or Teacher Man
Christopher McDougall, Born to Run
Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father
Ben Rawlence, City of Thorns: Nine Lives in the World’s Largest Refugee Camp
Eric Schlosser, Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal
David Sedaris, Me Talk Pretty One Day Margaret Shetterly
Hidden figures: the American dream and the untold story of the Black women mathematicians who helped win the space race
Tracy K. Smith, Ordinary Light
Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy
J. D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy
Joby Warrick, Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS
ichard Wright, Black Boy
Malala Yousafzai, I Am Malala
-Controversial Text Content Note from the College Board: Issues that might, from particular social, historical, or cultural viewpoints, be considered controversial, including references to ethnicities, nationalities, religions, races, dialects, gender, or class, may be addressed in texts that are appropriate for the AP English Language and Composition course. Fair representation of issues and peoples may occasionally include controversial material. Since AP students have chosen a program that directly involves them in college-level work, participation in this course depends on a level of maturity consistent with the age of high school students who have engaged in thoughtful analyses of a variety of texts. The best response to controversial language or ideas in a text might well be a question about the larger meaning, purpose, or overall effect of the language or idea in context. AP students should have the maturity, skill, and will to seek the larger meaning of a text or issue through thoughtful research.
The Ten World Events of Summer Collection: Use all different methods of collecting ideas for this – watch the news, read the news, talk to people, see what’s trending on twitter, etc. Information has never been more accessible. Use whatever works for you to collect your information. Each event in your collection should include a quick overview of what happened, an analysis of why it is important to be aware of this event, what issues it demonstrates in our world, and any connections you can make with this event (to a text, to a movie, to another event, to a conversation, etc.). You will end up with ten short paragraphs in total. Make sure you include a works cited page at the end of your collection with all of the sources you used. Noodletools can make your works cited page for you if you enter your sources in there. Remember that you can log into Noodletools using your school email; just make sure you click “Login with Office 365.” After you make your works cited page, you click “Print/Export” and then “Print Export to Word.” If you’re doing this on your school iPad and it doesn’t download, you’ll need to turn off your pop-up blocker under your browser settings. Notes: -If you wish to substitute a different work of non-fiction for the any of the choices above, you may e-mail Ms. Besl (sbesl@troy.k12.mi.us) or Mr. Morang (jmorang@troy.k12.mi.us) to request the change. Any text you select should be substantial, collegiate, and worthy of standing next to those on this list. -By the end of the second week of school, you must be done reading your two non-fiction books and have your ten events collection completed. You will turn in the ten events collection and we will use the non-fiction books in class. -If you get your books from the library and need to return them before the start of school, use your phone or iPad to take a picture of several passages from each that stand out to you as being important to the overall book.
11 LC Summer Reading
11 Literature and Composition Summer Reading Book List 2023
Juniors, please join us and your peers to jump start your journey through American Literature this summer. The goal of this journey is to increase your enjoyment of reading, to develop a habit of reading that takes you far beyond the English classroom, and to begin exploring the individual stories from the American canon. We encourage you to sit back and enjoy the books that you choose. A good starting point would be to read two from the list, but you may read as many you'd like. Aside from enjoying the books you choose and learning more about the world, there is no other assignment. We look forward to seeing you in the fall and beginning our study of American Literature together! Where do I get the books? ● New or used books can be purchased through amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, and half.com. ● Ebooks can be purchased through many online stores including the Amazon Bookstore or through iTunes via the iBooks app. ● Troy Public Library: Please note that while you may borrow the book from the library, the supply is limited, and, more importantly, owning the books in either paperback or e-reader form will allow access to the texts once school begins. 11LC Summer Book Recommendations: As some of these selections contain mature themes, please do your research to make sure this book is a “good fit” for your interests and/or world view. We’ve created this list to offer choices to every reader, regardless of ability, thus the reading difficulty varies widely from title to title. Be sure to do your research. Don’t shy away from a challenging read if it captures your interest! If you have read any of these books in a previous English class, please choose something you have not read yet. If you are currently reading one of these novels, you may keep reading that for one of your books in this assignment. You may substitute a different work from one of these authors.
The Choices:
1. I Know why the Caged Bird Sings – Maya Angelou
2. How does it feel to be a Problem?: Being Young and Arab in America – Moustafa Bayoumi
3. The Boys in the Boat – Daniel James Brown
4. In Cold Blood – Truman Capote
5. Between the World and Me – Ta-Nehisi Coates
6. White Noise – Don DeLillo
7. Drown – Junot Diaz
8. Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison
9. The Beet Queen – Louise Erdich
10. Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides
11. Fried Green Tomatoes: The Ballad of the Sad Café – Fanny Flagg
12. Everything is Illuminated – Jonathan Safron Foer
13. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safron Foer
14. Cold Mountain – Charles Frazier
15. A Lesson Before Dying – Ernest Gaines
16. Black Like Me - John Howard Griffin
17. Water for Elephants – Sara Gruen
18. The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Alex Haley
19. The Art of Fielding – Chad Harbach
20. Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
21. The Old Man and the Sea – Ernest Hemingway
22. Born to Run – Christopher McDougall
23. The World According to Garp – John Irving
24. The Bean Trees – Barbara Kingsolver
5. Into the Wild – Jon Krakauer
26. Into Thin Air – Jon Krakauer
27. The Color of Water – James McBride
28. All the Pretty Horses – Cormac McCarthy
29. The Road – Cormac McCarthy
30. Angela’s Ashes – Frank McCourt
31. Born to Run – Christopher McDougall
32. Beloved – Toni Morrison
33. The Bluest Eye – Toni Morrison
34. In the Lake of the Woods – Tim O’Brien
35. The Things they Carried – Tim O’Brien
36. The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
37. Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
38. On Beauty – Zadie Smith
39. Slaughterhouse Five – Kurt Vonnegut
40. The Color Purple – Alice Walker
41. Native Son – Richard Wright
42. The Book of Delights - Ross Gay
43, The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead
44. Gilead - Marilynne Robinson
45. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
46. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smit
12th Grade Summer and Honors Reading
12th Grade Summer and Honors Reading
12 AP Summer Reading
June 2023 12 AP SUMMER READING 2023: TROY HIGH SCHOOL
Dear Juniors: We are pleased you have chosen to enroll in 12AP English! Ours is a college-level World Literature class; it is both exciting and demanding. Your summer reading options match that description - peruse and select from the list of works of World Literature, classic and contemporary. Be aware some of these works contain mature themes. While the reading will add enjoyment to your summer, it will also strengthen your literary background. This, of course, will help you throughout both semesters and on the AP exam. Use this link to help find access to the titles below. Please read and follow these directions carefully.
3 Required Books: • The Alchemist – Paulo Coehlo • One choice from List 1 • One choice from List 2
You must read all 3 books (and the poems).
Required Poetry: Icarus Poems
Poetry Unbound Podcast: A Poem for Complicated Love Stories
List 1: East of Eden John Steinbeck
My Antonia Willa Cather
As I Lay Dying William Faulkner
The Trial Franz Kafka
Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy
Lolita Vladimir Nabokov
Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad
Native Son Richard Wright
Picture of Dorian Gray Wilde
List 2: Beloved Toni Morrison
Breath, Eyes, Memory Edwidge Danticat
Waiting Ha Jin
Kindred Octavia E. Butler
Disgrace J.M. Coetzee
The Road Cormac McCarthy
Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro
Oryx and Crake Margaret Atwood
All the Light We Cannot See Anthony Doerr
Three Written Responses: For the two choice novels that you read from List 1 and List 2, please create a “reduction” for each one. It should show your analysis in the following categories: ➢ Major characters, their traits and important actions/interactions ➢ 5 quotes identifying speaker, listing page number, and with explained significance ➢ 2 major themes ➢ Holistic interpretation ➢ Select, provide evidence of, and analyze the impact of 2 author’s stylistic choices (ie. setting, symbols, point of view, etc.) You may use the template provided or create your own. Make sure all the categories are accounted for. For the Icarus poems, you will write an analysis (1 page) exploring the “intertextuality” of myth and modern sentiment. The podcast is a good sample to use as you develop your own response and does not need to be included in your analysis of the Icarus poems (it is a reference to help see how allusions are analyzed and re-imagined).
Warmly, 12 AP Teachers
12 LC Summer Reading
12 LITERATURE & COMPOSITION 2023 TSD SUMMER READING
Seniors this summer we encourage you to begin exploring the individual stories from around the world. 12LC is centered around World Literature and this course will challenge you to examine your thinking, your learning, and your view of the world. The goal this summer is for you to start to consider different parts of the world, and the cultures, the individuals, and the stories that give shape to and define that region. As we begin to think how literacy is more than just the words within a great novel, seniors are challenged to learn about these cultures by exploring stories in nontraditional formats. Students can start by reading any of the world literature novels from the lists below, but then continue by watching a documentary, or listening to a series of podcasts, or even by regularly reading credible news.
CAPTURE YOUR THINKING To capture your thinking while you read over the summer, create a notebook page that shows your thinking around the questions below. Your notebook page could be in your writers notebook, digitally on your iPad, or even organized in the notes app on your phone. Choose whatever format fits your learning style. Within the first weeks of the school year, we will be utilizing your thoughts to discuss and give foundation to our class. We look forward to beginning the school year with students who have explored options that demonstrate curiosity and fit their passions.
QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER: 1. What story is being told? 2. What stories are being left out? 3. Whose perspective is this story told through? 4. Whose voice is missing? 5. How does storytelling help to create empathy?
LISTS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED … As all of these selections contain mature themes, please do your research to make sure what you choose is a “good fit” for your interests and/or world view. We’ve created this list to offer choices to every student, regardless of ability, thus the reading/viewing difficulty varies widely from title to title. Be sure to do your research. Don’t shy away from something challenging if it captures your interest!
READ 23 International Books All High School Students Should Read Go Global with these YA Books Set Around the World Use this website to explore books by specific regions of the world 15 YA Books To Read If You Really Miss Traveling Explore this international literary magazine that publishes the best contemporary interviews, essays, poetry, fiction, and book reviews
WATCH 11 Globally Focused Documentaries That Expand Our Horizons & Educate Us About The World Top 10 Documentaries On Global Subcultures Social & Cultural Documentaries on Netflix Must See Documentaries to Explain the World in 2020
LISTEN Podcasts That Inspire Cultural Awareness Podcasts for Teens That'll Keep Them Glued to Their Headphones Podcasts Every Teen Should Listen To ASAP Podcasts Organized by Topic / Category on Open Culture Podcasts for Learning About Culture and the World in 2019 Best educational podcasts for learning what you missed in school Educational Podcasts to Expand Your Mind
“Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower, and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a people. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.” _ Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, author
We look forward to seeing you in the fall and beginning our study of World Literature together!