May 2015

Dear Class of 2019,

We are delighted that you will be joining us at Blue Valley Southwest next year. It is our goal to make the transition from middle school to high school as smooth as possible. To this end, we have developed a summer reading assignment that mirrors what we will ask of students in 9th grade honors English and gives you a head start on our first integrated unit of study. Please read all information and instructions carefully. Your first task as an honors English student is to prove your ability to read closely and follow instructions.

The components of the summer reading assignment are as follows. You will:

Purchase your own copy of Charles Dickens’ novel Great Expectations. This novel is easily found in any bookstore or on a number of websites for as little as $0.75. (Amazon, half.com, Barnes & Noble, etc.) NOTE: The sheer size of the novel looks daunting. Fear not. You are only responsible for reading a short portion of the novel in the summer months (40 pages).

Complete the pre-reading Web Quest. The web quest document will be posted on the BVSW summer reading website AFTER May 30th. It is titled “Great Expectations Web Quest.”

Read Chapters 1-7 of Great Expectations. Because you have your own copy, we expect you to annotate Chapters 1-7. Annotation is the act of making notes in the margins, marking interesting or thought-provoking passages, noting new characters, conflicts, and settings, marking use of imagery, defining unfamiliar vocabulary, and noting your reactions to what you have read, etc.

Respond to the guided reading questions as you read. These questions will focus on comprehension and analysis of the text with an emphasis on Dickens’ use of imagery and figurative language. The guided reading document will be posted on the BVSW summer reading website AFTER May 30th. It is titled “Great Expectations Guided Reading.”

Finish the above assignment in its entirety by Monday, August 17th.

This work will be the foundation for our first integrated unit of study.

We look forward to meeting you in August! Happy Reading!

BVSW Honors English Language Arts 9 Faculty:

Amy Benson	ambenson@bluevalleyk12.org

Marin McCrossen	mmccrossen@bluevalleyk12.org