Summer Reading Study Advice

The summer reading test is fairly basic and the questions are concrete — Who is this person? What did they do? What are they known for?

Remember, the story is important. Don't just look up a description of the character.  Find out what happened to them and what other characters were involved. Consider the overall theme of their story. 

Analysis isn't necessary at this point — we will do that, together, in class.

The fastest way to get the information is to just read the portion of the text concerning the listed character/place/object. Google the name if you can't find it in an index. Then, read the story and take brief notes. Don't be afraid to use an online encyclopedia as a starting place, but remember, the best and often fastest/shortest way to get the info is to read the original text (e.g. the Bible and Edith Hamilton's mythology).

Resources: 

• Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, by Edith Hamilton

• Greek Gods and Goddesses and Heroes, Myths and Creatures 

• Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology

• Wikipedia — Yes, go ahead. Just be sure to check the quality of the article which will be noted at the top with symbols.

  • Bronze star = best of the best, featured article which is peer reviewed and checked for excellence

  • Lock = excellent article, fact checked and reviewed, only certain people may edit

  • Disputed article warning box = facts/research of article under dispute. Avoid these articles.

• The Bible, online (there are many versions online, so find the one that you like best)

• Bible Encyclopedia/Dictionary, online (again, there are many online versions. Warning: the entries are often many times longer than the original Bible story, so, it is always better to read the original text)