You will be reading 2 books this summer- 1 on slavery and 1 on either the Vietnam War or life for immigrants in the Gilded Age. We will discuss the books when we get to them at their historic point during the school year.
Book Choice #1-A slavery memoir:
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington
OR 2026
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass
Book Choice #2-historical fiction:
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien (the Vietnam War)
OR
The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (Immigrant life in the Gilded Age/factory work)
There are two elements for you to complete for each book:
As you are reading: Keep a piece of paper in the book or use some similar method to write down facts you learn about the topic and then submit a copy on the google classroom assignment in the fall. It will be important to maintain a copy of this list as you will work with other students who read the same book to teach the overarching ideas later in the school year. While this list does not have a specific number of things to write down, less than 10 details is too few.
After you have completed each book: Complete the prompts below on a google doc and submit in the fall on google classroom. These answers should be around 1 paragraph each (not one sentence).
How would you summarize the point of view of the author? (their attitude towards the subject matter)
What seems to be the author’s purpose in writing this book? (why did these write the book)
Why do you think this book is one of the few used to learn about this topic in US History?
What is your opinion of the book? Are there any particular passages that stood out to you?
Once google classroom has been generated for the fall, I will make a spot for you to put all of this work. It will be due the day after Labor Day weekend. If you have questions please contact Mrs. Dollard at mdollard@plumsteadchristian.org.