Dear Advanced English Students, 

Millsap High School is proud to offer Honors English 1-3 and Advanced Placement Literature courses for the 2021-2022 school year. The advanced English courses offered in grades 9-12 are designed to develop the skills necessary for success in college. 

College coursework and specifically college English courses are rigorous and exposure to a variety of literature will assist and prepare students to be successful in college. Therefore, students who enroll in advanced English courses are expected to complete a summer reading assignment. Summer reading assignments provide many advantages for students, including building and maintaining skills over the summer, developing an understanding of course expectations, promoting independent learning, and stressing the importance of being a life-long learner. 

You have requested to take Honors English 1-3 or Advanced Placement Literature for the upcoming school year. For the summer of 2021, you need to carefully read the corresponding title listed for the course for which you enrolled and complete the reading journal assignment. The completion of the reading and the journal will be due on the first day of school. 

Books may be checked out from a local library, or purchased on-line or at a local bookstore. 

Honors English 1 – Please choose ONE of the following novels. 

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck 

The Poet X by Elizbeth Acevedo 

Honors English 2 – Please choose ONE of the following novels. 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi 

Honors English 3 – Please choose ONE of the following novels. 

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls 

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut 

Advanced Placement Literature – Please choose ONE of the following novels. 

Antigone by Sophocles (Anouilh or Fitz and Fitzgerald translations suggested) 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 

Thank you, 

MHS English Department 

MHS Advanced English Reading Journal Instructions 

For this novel, keep a reader-response journal as you read in a one subject spiral notebook. 

1. Title your journal the name of the novel. 

2. Draw a line down the middle of the page. 

3. Left side: put page number in margin and copy meaningful passages from the book – perhaps a bit of dialogue, a description, a character's thought(s), or the use of a specific literary element that catches attention (such as symbolism or allusion). 

1. 4. Right side: write your response to the passage – Why did you choose it? Did it puzzle or confuse you? Does it have an important significance or clarify your thinking? Does it remind you of something? What does it mean to you? a. If you choose to comment on a personal experience, be sure to connect it to what is happening in the story at that point so I see your reaction to and understanding of the novel. 
2. b. Realize that these entries are NOT a summary or paraphrasing of your reading. They are your RESPONSE to the passage. Journals that only summarize the story will be unacceptable. 
3. c. A good, thoughtful, developed response is no less than 5 sentences. Seriously, the sentences will be counted. 
5. 5. Each book will differ in the amount of entries. Directions for each book are given below. 

 

Honors English 1 

1. • Of Mice and Men has 6 chapters. Students reading Of Mice and Men need to write two entries for each chapter for a total of 12 entries. 
2. • The Poet X does not have chapters, but rather free verse poem sections. Respond to at least 12 of the poems, meaning an excerpt from 12 different poems must be recorded. 

 

Honors English 2 

• • Children of Blood and Bone has 85 chapters. Don’t worry! We want one entry per 6 chapters. 
• • Fahrenheit 451is divided into 3 parts. There must be 4 entries per part. 

 

Honors English 3 

• • The Glass Castle is divided into five parts. Each of these parts has several chapters. Students reading The Glass Castle need to choose three chapters from each part and write an entry for each for a total of 15 entries. 
• • Slaughterhouse Five has 10 chapters. One entry per chapter and an additional 5 of your choice for a total of 15 entries. 

 

Advanced Placement Literature 

• • Antigone is divided into eight parts. Students reading Antigone will write two entries from each part for a total of 16 entries. 
• • Jane Eyre is divided into 38 chapters. Students reading Jane Eyre will write one entry for every two chapters for a total of 19 entries. 
• • Wuthering Heights is divided into 34 chapters. Students reading Wuthering Heights will write one entry for every two chapters for a total of 17 entries. 

 

6. Remember that this journal needs to be neat and adhere to all grammar, punctuation, and usage rules. 

 

See you in August!