SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT: 10th GRADE HONORS ENGLISH

Welcome to the St. Joseph High School Honors English class.  The goal is to help you become better critical readers, writers, and thinkers.  You will learn about using language effectively and persuasively.  
 
For your summer reading assignment you will read and annotate the following required book with the following ISBN number and publisher.  You are only to purchase this specific edition which was chosen because there is room in the margins for annotations and, when we review the text in class, we can all refer to the same page numbers.

Book required:
- Mythology  by Edith Hamilton  ISBN 0-316-34151-7  Back Bay Books, Little Brown & Company

- Also go to the internet.  Go to the following site www.bama.ua.edu/~ksummers/cl222/ .  This has great visual pictures on Greek mythology.  Go to the bottom of the page.  Click onto “Ancient Myths, Modern Contexts” Collaborative Project Groups (Final Exam)”, then “”Gateway to “Ancient Myths, Modlern Contests” Collaborative Projects Online” and finally go back and click on “Gateway to Four Ancient Greek Cities”.  Once you have gone through these, which show you how the “ancient” myths are still very alive today, go back to the home page and click on underneath each “Lecture” (there are six) the subcategories.  The slide shows are delightful.
- Next – on the internet again go to www.timelessmyths.com .  Go to the left steps and click on “Classical Mythology”.  Scroll down and then go through the Greek myths starting with the “Pantheon”and the details there – browse – look at what interests you.  Then go back and scroll further down to “All Things Roman” .  Once you have finished go to this web site, a subsidiary of Timelessmyths which is www.timelessmyths.com/classical/roman  to find out about Roman mythology.

Assignment:  Annotations and Journal
As you read this book you are required to make frequent, copious marginal written notes (textual annotations). You may use ‘post it’ notes.  Anywhere you underline you need to have a note beside it explaining why or the answer.  When you come to class in August, I will collect all your books and your journals – you will be receiving a test grade on your annotations in these books and your journals.

            Your annotations and journal entries, of course, must be written legibly and neatly.

Annotation requirements:
- Vocabulary - Each word you come across that you do not know the definition of underline it, look it up in the dictionary, and write a brief definition in the margin of the book
- Underline important and interesting passages to you.  Write in the margin briefly why it was important/interesting to you
Your Journal – Requirements
- Purchase a spiral notebook for the journal on the Mythology book only
- For each ‘PART’ (there are seven parts) write in your journal your reaction to each subsection.  On the top line write PART ______, I, __________.
- By reaction I mean tell what was most interesting to you and why.  What did you learn about the Greeks, the Romans from this section.  Each entry should be at least a half a page long.  Tell about ideas that came to your mind when you read about the adventures of the gods.  Do not just write facts from the book. If you think of an adventure that you were inspired to write from reading about the myths, write the outline of it.  If you want the draw your image of a god, do so – but write about the drawing also.   I am looking for your opinion, thoughts.  How do the Greek/Roman myth beliefs compare with your beliefs?  
-  For instance, Part One has four subsections – I, II, III, & IV
- Write your reaction to Part One, I, The Gods.  
- You will have twenty-three entries in your journal

Your books must be purchased:
- Book stores (Education Central in Plaza, Sion Farm Shopping Center)
- Online (shipping will take several weeks, so please plan accordingly) amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com; ecampus.com; mediaplay.com .
         - For your convenience, the required book titles are linked directly to amazon.com from  the St. Joseph High School Affiliate Store.             Try the St. Joseph High School Amazon.Com Affiliate Store.

Sincerely,
Ms. Brajovic