Incoming 9th Grade

To the Montclair High School Class of 2023:

I want to take this opportunity to welcome you to Montclair High School and tell you about a summer reading enrichment experience your World Literature teachers have prepared for you. So much of your success as a high school student will depend on your active and careful reading, and we are convinced that your continued reading over the summer will support and enrich your learning as a ninth grader.

The World Literature summer enrichment reading invites you to take a walk in the world of others as they share important insights about their own lives and humanity as a whole. The three pieces selected by the World Literature teachers are from different sources, but all center around the question of “what shapes our identity?” As you read, pay careful attention to the factors that influence how we see ourselves in the world. Following your reading, you will respond to each text. In addition, you will select and write about what has shaped your world and influenced who you are as a person. You also will need to make a creative cover that visually represents your world and how you see yourself as an individual.

The summer assignment is attached to this welcome packet. Please read the instructions carefully, and if you have any questions about the requirements and expectations of the assignment, email Ms. Dorian at adorian@montclair.k12.nj.us. She is the World Literature teacher who will reply to your questions throughout the summer.

If you would like to participate in a summer workshop with two World Literature teachers who will be providing support for this summer reading and writing work, please contact Ms. JoAnn McCullough from IMANI at imani@imaniprograms.org or (973) 509-2822.

I hope you enjoy these texts and continue reading for your own interest and satisfaction throughout the summer.

Sincerely,

Principal Grosso

Telephone: 973.509.4100 ~ Fax: 973.509.0892 ~ Email: agrosso@montclair.k12.nj.us

Montclair High School

World Literature Summer Assignment 2019

English Department

Note: This assignment is due on the first day of school to your World Literature teacher; not submitting it will result in a grade of ZERO. This work will be counted as your first homework assignment and will inform the initial writing and discussions you will do in your English class.

Required Reading:

Please click on each title to access the text

“Hands” by Xiao Hong, a short story taken from A Walk in My World, edited by Anne Mazer

“Holding on to Heritage” by Rachel Swarns, a New York Times article published on September 18, 2012

“The Opportunity of Adversity” by Aimee Mullins, excerpted from a TED talk given in October of 2009

As you read these three texts, keep in mind the following guiding idea:

As we grow up, many factors shape who we become as people. For example, the foods our families pass down, the experiences we have, where we live and travel, and the people in our lives all greatly influence how we see ourselves and the world. You will see this reality unfold differently in each of the three texts.

Assignment Directions

This assignment will require you to analyze the three texts, using the aforementioned “guiding idea.” You will mark and annotate the texts. Then, you will use this information to write three separate analytical responses that further explain how the writers, characters, and you have been shaped by the world. You will also create a cover that shows us who you are as a person. Use the directions and samples below to help you do this work.