  WELCOME, CLASS OF 2013!For your summer reading assignment, please read the novel Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Publication information follows; please use the edition listed below and pictured on the right as the page numbers among editions differ.
Before you do anything else, be sure to read this entire page and all directions first so
you can plan your work accordingly. You may want to print
this page and keep it close-by as you make your way through the novel. For a printer-friendly copy of this entire page, click HERE.
ASSIGNMENT In addition to reading the novel, you must complete four writing / analysis assignments (details below).
Please complete the assignments in order. Because we will spend some time on the novel in the beginning of the year, it will be important to take the time to analyze and reflect upon Martel's work. Approaches to reading and analyzing the novel:
When deciding on an approach to your reading / analysis, consider your time, schedule, and learning style. Choose the approach that best fits your situation.
A test on the novel will be given in class on Friday, September 4, 2009. The test may include multiple choice, true/false, quotation identification, and short answer response. Use the assignments below to help you prepare. Please bring your Life of Pi book and all assignments with you to class. NOTE: Students who change English courses or levels during the summer or first semester of the new year are required to complete the summer reading assignment for the course into which they transfer. Click HERE to view the summer reading assignment for the accelerated level of world literature. ASSIGNMENT 1: Study Guide Questions
Download the study guide below and answer all questions thoroughly. Although complete sentences may not be necessary for some questions, answer all questions with details from the text as your support/evidence. These questions will be considered valuable notes for you to use during our first unit. Please type and number your responses.
Click here to download the study guide:
ASSIGNMENT 2: Character Notes
For this assignment, you must analyze the characters from the novel. Take notes by downloading the character chart (click on link). Use the chart to record the character's:
1. Significant traits
2. Relationship to Pi throughout the novel
3. How he/she influences Pi
4. Quotations/Passages that exemplify the character's traits or influence on Pi
Click here to download the character chart:
ASSIGNMENT 3: Who is Pi?
For this assignment, you must find ten quotations/passages that span the novel which best capture Pi’s character—his personality, beliefs, and attitudes. Do not simply choose the first ten quotations that you find. Instead, be sure you choose the ten most significant quotations/passages. You may find it helpful to mark passages with a highlighter, pen, or post-it note as you read. Please type and number the quotations/passages. Include page number references.
ASSIGNMENT 4: Character Arc Consider the ways in which Pi’s character develops from the beginning of the novel to the end. In what ways has Pi grown and how? What events contributed to his growth and how? To answer these questions, complete the following:
CREDITS Illustration: Tiger in header taken from the illustrated edition of Life of Pi, written by Yann Martel and illustrated by Tomislav Tarjanac, Harcourt, Copyright 2007. Study Guide: Adapted from the Life of Pi Teaching Unit, written by Lisa Burris and Elizabeth Osborne, Prestwick Publishing company, Copyright 2007. |
