Choose a novel you have at your house. It may be a novel you have already read, but a novel that is new to you would be best. Do not let the type of novel you have available hinder how you approach this assignment. In other words, any book will do! Have fun reading the book, even if it’s for the second or third time.

The assignments below will take a maximum of three weeks to complete. Do not try to complete all of this in one week (reading the novel, completing the assignments with the novel, and writing the essay). Make yourself a schedule and stick to it. *You started work on some of these activities during the week of March 30 - April 3. You should have created a schedule for yourself so that you can move on to what needs to be done during this week of April 6-10.

You may complete these assignments on paper or on a Google Doc. Record the title of the book/text and the pages read each day in your learning log.

1. Write a summary of each chapter of the novel. IF the novel does not have chapters, write a summary of every twenty pages.

2. Choose one scene in the novel and write one paragraph explaining how the setting of that scene contributes to the theme/big idea of what is happening in that scene.

3. Choose one character in the novel and trace that character’s development through the whole novel. Answer these questions, providing textual evidence for each answer:

   1. How does the character change?

   2. What is the character’s most important relationship in the novel? How do you know?

   3. What motivates the character? How do you know?

   4. What does the character value? How do you know?

4. Consider the opening paragraph of the novel (the first one) and the closing paragraph of the novel (the last one). How does each contribute to the overall meaning of the novel? Explain

5. What would you consider to be the most important theme of the novel? What three scenes in the novel best indicate the development of this theme? (Remember that a theme is an idea that the novel argues about the human experience. For example, a theme of Star Wars is good triumphs over evil. Another theme of Star Wars is the darkness that exists in man, and his struggle to overcome it.)

6. Choose a passage in the novel that is especially descriptive, about a character, the setting, etc. Write a paragraph analyzing how the imagery in the passage contributes to the meaning.

7. Research and find a news article or story about a real person or event that relates to your novel in some way. Write a short response, one or two paragraphs, explaining how the novel and the news article are similar and how they are different. Use textual evidence to support your ideas.

8. Go to poetryfoundation.org and find a poem that relates to your novel in some way. It could be similar in theme, setting, etc. Read the poem, and then write a paragraph analyzing how the novel and the poem are similar, and how they are different. Use textual evidence from the novel and the poem to prove your ideas.

9. Think about these questions. Did you like the book? Would you recommend that someone else read it? Why or why not?

Write an essay taking a position on whether reading is an important activity in life. Use your reading, your experience, or your observations to defend your position.

Be sure to —

• state your position clearly

• use appropriate organization

• provide specific support for your argument

• choose your words carefully

• edit your writing for grammar, mechanics, and spelling

10. Once you have written your essay (one full page), get a dictionary and check the spelling of any word you are unsure of.

11. Highlight every other sentence in your essay. Then, read each sentence individually. Is each sentence a complete thought? If not, revise it to be a complete thought.

12. Underline your thesis sentence. Is it a strong position on the importance (or not)of reading, that might make someone want to argue with you? If not, revise.

13. Circle the first word of each sentence. Are there many sentences that begin the same? What are some ways you can vary your sentence beginnings, by adding a phrase like “After the speech” or “Sitting in front of a huge crowd” to add detail.

14. Double underline your topic sentences of your body paragraphs. Are these ideas/reasons that support your thesis? If not, revise.

15. Bracket the evidence/support you used to develop each body paragraph. Is it specific and convincing? What detail might you add to make it more persuasive? Revise.

16. Put a square around your concluding paragraph. Does it make your strongest point? Your call to action, if you are making one? Your comment on society? Your conclusion should keep your reader thinking about your argument. Revise.

17. Once you have finished all of your revisions, write a final draft of your essay. Take a photo of it and email it to your teacher, or if you wrote it in Google, share it with your teacher.

Write down any questions you may have had about any of these assignments, so that you can ask your teacher when he/she communicates with you.