American Studies English
Summer Read Assignment
Your summer read assignment this year consists of reading four short stories and doing some writing activities related to the stories. On the first day back to school, you will be expected to have read and thought about each of the stories. All five activities are due that day. Within the first few days back, you should be prepared to show your understanding of the stories through a series of discussions and writing about those discussions.
Stories (Copies of the stories are available in the bookstore at the UGC. The copies of the stories are yours, so feel free to highlight and annotate them as necessary.)
1. "Two Kinds" by Amy Tan
2. "A&P" by John Updike
3. "A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
4. "Roselily" by Alice Walker
4 Single-Story Activities (Choose one activity for each story)
1. S.I.F.T.T. (directions and worksheet attached)
2. Quotation Analysis (directions and worksheet attached)
3. Free-write Reflection (directions and paper attached)
4. Found Poem (directions and paper attached)
1 All-Stories Activity (Use for all four stories)
The Mask, the Road, and the Prison (worksheet attached)
Use this graphic organizer to list and explain examples of both literal and figurative masks, roads, and prisons in the four short stories. Literal refers to any actual masks (or costumes or disguises), roads, and prisons you read about. Figurative refers to anything that can be symbolically interpreted as masks, roads, and prisons in your reading.
Enjoy your summers, and read a lot! Please feel free to contact us with any questions you have concerning the Summer Read Assignment.
Bill Davis, WDavis@waukeganschools.org
Amy Christian, AChristian@waukeganschools.org
Directions for using SIFTT
Please keep this for reference throughout the year.
SIFTT is a method of analyzing any piece of literature a poem or a play, a chapter or an entire book. When you SIFTT, give the example from the book in quotation marks, and then explain what it is or label it.
S = Symbols
Any object, person, or action that has a meaning in itself and that also stands for something larger than itself, such as a quality, an attitude, a belief, or a value
I = Imagery
Words or phrases that create pictures in the reader's mind using one of the five senses
F = Figurative Language
Alliteration
The repetition of similar sounds, usually consonants, in a group of words
Assonance
The repetition of similar vowel sounds, especially in poetry
Personification
A figure of speech in which something nonhuman is given human qualities
Repetition
The repeated use of a word or phrase for increased emphasis
Metaphors and Similes
A figure of speech comparing two unlike things; similes use "like" or "as"
T = Themes and Motifs
Themes are the general idea or insight about life that a writer wishes to convey in a literary work and motifs are repeated ideas.
and
T = Tone
The attitude a writer takes toward his or her subject, characters, and readers
SIFTT
S =
I=
F=
T=
T=
Directions for Quotation Analysis
As you read, keep track of significant or interesting quotations that stand out to you as a reader. Paraphrase or copy an excerpt of each quotation on the left. On the right side, write about what the quotation makes you think. Why is it important? Why does it cause you to react the way you do?
Free-write Reflection
Please choose a particular event, passage, or quotation from this story to respond to. Explain what it made you think or feel, make a connection to an event in your life or someone's you know, or compare it to something you have seen or read about. This should be a page-long response.
Found Poem
1. As you read one of the stories, make a long list of any words or phrases that seem significant or
that jump out to you in some way.
2. Using the words and phrases from the short story, create a poem. It's called a "found poem"
because you found the words and phrases from somewhere other than your own head. Feel free
to add in words like "and" or "the" so that the poem makes sense. You can change the tenses on
the verbs (-ing, -ed, etc.) or make singular words plural and vice versa.
3. After you write the poem, look over it, and write about what themes or motifs seem to emerge.
Words and Phrases
Found Poem
Themes and Motifs
