TO: Next year's Humanities 9 students FROM: Mr. Stiles and Mrs. Stefanakos RE: Summer Reading DATE: June 11, 2007 In a few short months you will be freshmen. We hope you are looking forward to beginning your journey at Oakmont.
Humanities 9 is an interdisciplinary course that emphasizes the connections between cultures and history. You will have much reading and many activities to help you explore those connections. In order to prepare for the class, these assignments are due the first day of school:
ASSIGNMENT #1 – An important part of our culture is the myths and legends of the ancient Western world – stories of gods and heroes that have inspired human creativity through history. Read the following selections from Edith Hamilton’s Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes, and then complete the following assignment.
Selections: Part I: The Gods, the Creation, and the Earliest Heroes (all)
Part II: Stories of Love and Adventure (the following selections)
- Cupid and Psyche
- Orpheus and Eurydice
- The Quest of the Golden Fleece
- Pegasus and Bellerophon
- Daedalus
Part III: The Great Heroes before the Trojan War (the following selections)
- Perseus
- Theseus
- Hercules
Part IV: The Heroes of the Trojan War (the following selections):
- The Trojan War
- The Fall of Troy
Writing Assignment: Choose ten gods or heroes that you read about in these selections. Pretend that you invited them to a party at your house (e.g., a barbeque, a formal dinner, a Super Bowl party). Complete A-C below in reference to your party.
- Create one invitation for all, indicating when, where, and what kind of party it is.
- Create a chart that answers these questions:
- Whom did you invite?
- Why did you invite each of these characters?
- What food did each character bring? Why did they bring that food?
- What topic of conversation would each character discuss?
- What special talent did each character offer to make the party enjoyable (e.g., a game, entertainment, lively conversation topics)?
- Write a newspaper article for the society section, which details the party OR create a scrap book with items from the party.
ASSIGNMENT #2 – Read one of the following books:
- Of Nightingales That Weep (K. Paterson) – Romance and tragedy abound in this story of Takiko, a talented but troubled young woman in twelfth century Japan.
- The Chosen (C. Potok) – An award-winning story of two fathers and two sons from a Modern Orthodox Jewish family and a more conservative Hasidic Jewish family. Each faces pressure to pursue the religion that is best suited to each. As the boys grow into young men, they learn about their religion and faith in way that changes both of them.
- 1984 (G. Orwell) - Satire on the possible horrors of a totalitarian regime in England in 1984.
- Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind (S. F. Staples) – Life is both sweet and cruel to strong-willed young Shabanu, whose home is the windswept Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. The second daughter in a family with no sons, she’s been allowed freedoms forbidden to most Muslim girls. But when a tragic encounter with a wealthy and powerful landowner ruins the marriage plans of her older sister, Shabanu is called upon to sacrifice everything she’s dreamed of. Should she do what is necessary to uphold her family’s honor—or listen to the stirrings of her own heart?
Writing Assignment: You are to compose a “literary review” of your book. This review is similar to one that might be found in a newspaper about a newly released book. It would be approximately one type-written page (short enough so that a newspaper would publish it). It should include the following:
- Information about the plot, characters, and possibly other literary elements that are important. The ending should not be fully given away, ruining it for potential readers.
- A discussion about what is positive and negative about the book. What worked, what did not? Do so in the third person and be specific with your supporting reasoning.
- An overall recommendation. Would you tell others to read it? Why or why not? A sort of “thumbs up” or “thumbs down.”
This review of The Scepters of Time is an example of a published review. It is to the point, but offers insight into the general story line, characters, and what the reader may get from the book. This is not offered as a template, but rather as one example. Please note the language that is appropriate for a review.