Junior Summer Reading: English III College Prep

Your summer reading includes the following two books:

Breathing In, Breathing Out by Ralph Fletcher
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I recommend reading them in the order listed, but that is not 100% necessary. The Fletcher book is a slim volume, and it is a nifty little handbook of sorts about keeping a notebook. You will keep a reading and writing notebook throughout the year. This notebook will be a place for you to jot down your thoughts about a novel or a poem; it will be a place for you to generate ideas for your own writing; in short, it will be you all-purpose English journal, so you should make sure you have one just for this class. You may choose any style of notebook, though I recommend your standard composition notebook because it's a good size, and it is inexpensive (it's what I use myself).

To begin with, use your notebook this summer to record your thoughts and ideas about the three books you read. What you record (observations, ideas, questions, reactions, analysis) and how you record it (by date, by chapter, by section, by complete work) is entirely up to you.

When you have finished reading a book and writing about it, return to your notebook and highlight some of your favorite writing/observations/questions/analyses and post them to this Summer Reading Blog. Also, comment on posts made by your classmates -- this will allow us to have a "classroom" discussion without being at school. I will weigh in from time to time as well. If you have any questions about this, please feel free to contact me by email any time. Happy reading and writing! ~ Ms. R

2 comments:

AnonymousAugust 13, 2011 at 12:23 PM
Okay, Gals, it's time to get this blog rolling, I think. If you've checked the blog and have been shy about posting a comment, here's one to get you started. You can post a comment about my comment, or you can comment on something else. Check in now and again to see what others are saying and chime in whenever you are moved to do so. Here goes: In Fletcher's "Breathing In, Breathing Out," I am particularly drawn to Chapter 5, in which he basically gives us permission to use our writer's notebook as a place to keep lists and questions and other bits of random information. I like hearing from a "real" writer that my notebook does not have to be full of powerful & insightful observations about the world. I love the notion of the "odds and ends" drawer, that one's notebook can be that catch-all drawer of information and ideas.
Maggie ProfennoAugust 19, 2011 at 7:25 AM
So I have finished reading Breathing In Breathing Out and I thought It was a really good book and I enjoyed reading it!! :) I agree with Ms Redlon, I also enjoyed reading cahpter 5 and I agree with what Ms Redlon is saying about the chapter!! I also really liked how in this chapter Ralph Fletcher broke it down into sections about different types of things that you can write or jot down in your notebook and other special things that you would like to hold in your notebook!