SUMMER 2011
READING & COURSE PREPARATION
The
Williston Northampton School
Introduction The following pages will provide you with the information you need to take full advantage of the learning opportunities you will be offered in the next academic year. Your grade level and specific course enrollment will determine which parts of this booklet pertain to you. It is important that you read and follow all the instructions carefully. We want you to perform at your best level from the start of the year, and a thoughtful review of material and thorough reading of the prescribed books will get you on your way. We have added some optional titles at the end of this booklet for your enjoyment. Read as many as you can! Have a great summer and we look forward to seeing you in September!
Contacts Academic Dean Greg Tuleja . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .gtuleja@williston.com English Department Head Lynn Magovern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .lmagovern@williston.com Mathematics Department Head Elizabeth Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .eanderson@williston.com History and Global Studies Department Head Michael Fay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .mfay@williston.com Language Department Head Nat Simpson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .nsimpson@williston.com Science Department Head Bill Berghoff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .wberghoff@williston.com Fine and Performing Arts Department Head Susanna White . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .swhite@williston.com Middle School Head Jen Fulcher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .jfulcher@williston.com
THE WILLISTON NORTHAMPTON SCHOOL
SUMMER READING & COURSE PREPARATION 2011-2012
Upper School English ESL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 9th Grade English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 10th Grade English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 11th Grade English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 12th Grade English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Languages AP French . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 AP Latin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 AP Spanish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 History and Global Studies World Civilizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 European History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 AP European History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 United States History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 AP United States History . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 All 1st Trimester Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Science All Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Mathematics All Courses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Middle School 7th Grade English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 8th Grade English . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Algebra Standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Algebra Honors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Optional Departmental Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
ENGLISH Assignment f For the required text(s): Identify at least four passages (a significant group of sentences or a paragraph) that are intriguing, complex, and worthy of further analysis. These analytical passages should differ from ones that are simply exciting moments in the plot. This type of identification in itself demonstrates analytical abilities and is a practice often used in classes during the year. The passages will be used for in-class discussions and writing assignments when you return to school. f For the book(s) of choice: Be prepared to discuss the text’s merits in small or large groups so that others may become interested in what you are reading. Teachers may require passage identification and/or short writing assignments related to these books when students return to school. Recommended book titles may be discussed in class with English teachers before students leave for the summer break. For suggestions, check the Optional Departmental Recommendations on p. 12 of this booklet and other suggested reading lists available under “Summer Reading” on the library’s website. ESL–Intermediate and Advanced International students’ level of English study will be determined according to a placement test administered during international student orientation in September. Based on the results of this test, students will be placed in an ESL or standard English section appropriate to their grade level. Every student should read in English the required texts for his or her incoming grade level and attempt the summer reading assignment, regardless of whether she or he expects to be placed in an ESL class.
Entering 9th grade 1) Required text: Montana, 1948 by Larry Watson 2) Read (at least) one book of your choice 3) Complete the summer reading passage identification (see above)
Entering 10th grade 1) Required text: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 2) Read (at least) one book of your choice 3) Complete the summer reading passage identification (see above) 4) Entering 10th graders who anticipate applying for 11th grade AP English in the spring should select one of the following books for their book of choice: f The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz f Collected Stories by Andre Dubus f Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison f Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald f A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway f On the Road by Jack Kerouac f The Road or All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy f Sula by Toni Morrison f Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko f The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck f The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton
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Entering 11th grade 1) Required text: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey 2) Read (at least) one book of your choice 3) Complete the summer reading assignment (see p. 2) 4) AP students only – read and complete the summer reading assignment for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter
Entering 12th grade (including PGs) 1) Required text: The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien 2) Read (at least) one book of your choice 3) Complete the summer reading assignment (see p. 2) 4) AP students only – read and complete the summer reading assignment for The Tempest by William Shakespeare and Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.
LANGUAGES AP French Incoming AP French students are expected to review the formation of all regular and irregular verbs found in the “Ensemble Grammaire” textbook in the following tenses: présent, imperatif, passé composé, imparfait, conditionnel et conditionnel passé, futurs proche, simple and anterieur, subjonctif and plus-que-parfait. In addition, students should keep a journal in which they write eight times over the course of the summer, for 20 minutes each session. Sessions should be dated. Students should listen to a new French song or watch a French film of their choosing over the course of the summer, and it should be the subject of at least one of the journal entries. Students should choose a song or film that interests them.
AP Latin: Vergil Read The Aeneid in any translation. Read a few pages first, and select a translation that appeals to you; translations by Knox, Fagles or West are suggested. You will need a copy for the entire school year. It is recommended that you study the course – specific vocabulary available from your teacher, or purchase Vergil Vocabulary Cards for AP Selections by Dennis De Young.
AP Spanish 1) Read an article from an online Spanish newspaper each month (June, July, and August) and submit a summary of the article (including the day the article was read and the name of the newspaper) to Mr. Garcia at egarcia@williston.com. In addition, email the answers to the following questions. f Why did you choose to read that article? f What did you learn from the article? f What did you think about the article? Some newspapers online: www.elmundo.es, www.ideal.es, www.elpais.es, or any other e-publication from a Spanish-speaking country. 2) Students should read a short story of their choice in Spanish and be ready to share their thoughts about it during the first week of classes.
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HISTORY & GLOBAL STUDIES World Civilizations
Title: God Grew Tired of Us Author: John Bul Dau Prepare written answers for the following questions and be ready for a quiz during the first week of classes. 1) How does the author describe the values and culture of a Dinka tribesman? 2) What were the challenges that John and others faced during their route from Duk Payuel to Pinyudu? What lessons did John learn from Abraham? 3) Why were the boys forced to move out of the camp in Ethiopia? Describe their escape from the camp. Discuss the international response to the political events in Sudan. How did the United Nations help refugees survive? 4) How does John view Christianity? Explain the role of religion throughout the novel. How does the title of the book fit with John’s story? 5) Discuss the importance of education for the refugees. How does John describe his education in Kakuma? How does he describe it in the United States? 6) How is America described to the refugees? Is it the same America you know? What is the vision of the Sudanese American dream? 7) How were refugees selected to come to America? What event occurred in the United States just before John Bul arrived?
European History I & AP European History Title: Year of Wonders Author: Geraldine Brooks Prepare written answers for each question and be ready for a test in the first week of classes. 1) How did the plague first come to Eyam? How did it spread? What do we learn about the nature of the plague from reading this story? 2) What theories did the villagers of Eyam have about the causes of the plague? How did they try to treat the plague? 3) What was the role of the Gowdie women in the novel? What was it about these women that drove their neighbors to murderous rage? How did their nonconformity lead to their becoming scapegoats?
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4) Who were the Bradfords? Why did they leave the village? Were you surprised that they left? Explain. 5) How and why did Mompellion convince most of the village to stay? What challenges existed in the village after they decided to isolate themselves? 6) Can we relate the story of this town's extraordinary sacrifice to our own time? Is it unrealistic to expect a village facing a similar threat to make the same decision nowadays? What lessons might we learn from the villagers of Eyam?
Additional Reading for AP European History Title: Candide: A Norton Critical Edition (It must be this version.) Author: Voltaire Prepare written answers for each question due on the first day of school and be ready for a test in the first week of classes. 1) The Anabaptist James makes this statement to Candide and Pangloss: “Men have somehow corrupted Nature, for they are not born wolves, yet that is what they have become. God gave them neither twenty-four-pound cannons nor bayonets, yet they have manufactured both in order to destroy themselves." (p. 9) Do you agree with Voltaire’s assessment of human nature? Do you think Voltaire believed there is only evil in the world or are there redeeming qualities to the characters in Candide? 2) Even in his naiveté, Candide knows that nothing in his world can be obtained without money, and so he takes jewels with him when he leaves Eldorado. In what instances does Voltaire show that greed is an intricate part of human nature? Is Candide greedy for taking the jewels with him? Do you agree with Voltaire that greed is one of the main causes of evil in the world? 3) Immediately upon leaving Eldorado, Candide and Cacambo encounter a slave who has had a leg and a hand cut off. He tells them, “It is the price of the sugar you eat in Europe” (p. 40). What relationship is Voltaire suggesting here between happiness and suffering, between the best of all possible worlds and the worst of all possible worlds? How might Voltaire make this point if he were writing today? 4)The old woman tells Candide: “Imagine, if you will, the situation of a pope’s daughter, fifteen years old, who in three months’ time had experienced poverty, slavery, had been raped almost every day, had seen her mother quartered, had suffered from famine and war, and who now was dying of pestilence in Algiers” (p. 22). What does this passage, and others like it, suggest about the reality of women’s lives during the Age of Reason? 5) At the end of the novel, Martin says, “Let us set to work and stop proving things,
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for that is the only way to make life bearable” (p. 93), echoing the Turkish farmer who says, “our work keeps at bay the three great evils: boredom, vice, and necessity” (p. 92). Do you think Voltaire is endorsing this view? Why would doing physical work be preferable to the life of a philosopher? 6) Through the adventures of Candide and his friends, Voltaire illustrates the supposed ridiculousness of the philosophy that “all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds.” Does he achieve this? What are the main targets of Voltaire’s satiric wit? Is Candide an effective satire? 7) In what ways does Voltaire’s satire extend beyond his own time? What would Voltaire think of our own age, for example? What aspects of our thought and behavior might he satirize most fiercely? What kinds of political, philosophical, and religious hypocrisy are most prevalent today?
AP U.S. History & U.S. History Title: Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War Author: Nathaniel Philbrick Students are expected to provide typed responses to the following questions on the first day of class. 1) What is the significance of the word “accommodation” as it relates to the Pilgrims and the Native Americans in the 1620s? How did their accommodation of each other change over the years? 2) The author tells this story mostly through the writings of William Bradford, Edward Winslow and Benjamin Church, as found in “Of Plymouth Plantation” and “Mourt’s Relation,” among many other documents. Which of these men do you feel you have come to know best? Why? 3) Who are the people among those that Philbrick portrays that you would most like to meet? Why? 4)There are many details describing the efforts that the Puritans made to book passage on a ship to the New World. Some members of the group gave up and decided to stay in Leiden, Holland. Others came later. What are some of the issues that made this passage so complicated? 5) It is fascinating to learn in detail what some Puritans felt about each other. Which relationships among the settlers intrigues you most and why? 6) It is a certainty that Puritan and Indian women played a crucial role in Pilgrim life in their display of courage, community involvement and leadership. Yet their stories are less obvious in many early historical narratives. Which women in this story intrigue you? Which women had you been unaware of? Which women would you like to know more about? 7) What is a “memory hole”? What kind of importance did the Indians attach to such
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landmarks? What parallels do you think exist in 21st century geography? 8) What do you think of Massasoit as a leader? How does his style compare with King Philip? 9) Which local area of Massachusetts and/or Rhode Island discussed in the book would you like to become more familiar with? Which areas, if any, still convey a sense of history to you? 10) Which scenes stand out as being the saddest, most touching, or poignant to you?
Additional Reading for AP U.S. History Title: Founding Brothers Author: Joseph Ellis Students are expected to provide typed responses to the following questions on the first day of class. 1) Outline an explanation for the title of each chapter including the specific event, as well as the broader significance of that event in American history. 2) Evaluate this quotation from the Preface: “Lincoln once said that America was founded upon a proposition that was written by Jefferson in 1776. We are really founded upon an argument about what that proposition means.�
Selected First Trimester Elective Courses (AP Microeconomics, AP Comparative Government & Politics, Native American History, International Relations, Hitler & Nazi Germany, and History of Modern Japan)
Title: Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything Authors: Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner Prepare a typed paragraph response for each of the questions posed at the start of Chapters 1-6.
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SCIENCE
Welcome Advanced Placement science students! You have chosen a challenging course that that we hope you will find interesting and fulfilling. There is a significant amount of material to cover prior to the AP exams next May. Being successful is the result of thoughtful preparation and consistent effort on the part of both you and your teacher. We ask that you begin this process during the summer by reviewing topics covered in your previous courses. In addition you should access our Moodle site (Go to http://willylearn.mrooms2.net. Click on “Science Summer Review” under “Science” and login as a “guest.”) and see detailed information pertaining to your class. You can expect to be tested on the assigned material during the first week of classes.
MATHEMATICS Next fall you will be starting a new math class at Williston. We hope that you will find the class interesting and challenging and that you do very well in it. Being successful is not an accident; it is the result of good preparation. To help you have success next year, we are asking you to review the topics that you have studied in your previous math courses. All summer review work can be found in WillyNet (see directions below). At this website you will find: 1) Homework problems that are due on the first day of classes, and 2) more examples and practice problems, with answers, relating to each topic.
You will be tested on the topics related to your particular course within the first week of classes. Directions to Mathematics website: Go to: http://www.williston.com/mathsummerreview Your questions are listed under “Assignments by Class.” Please print out the problems, complete them as best as you can, and bring your work on the first day of school. Please note that the problems on this webpage are intended for review purposes only and should not be used as any sort of placement guide.
Calculators: A TI-Nspire handheld (not TI-Nspire CAS) or a TI-84+ graphing calculator is required for all math courses. The Nspire is the most powerful, but either model will do. Not all graphing calculators have the same capabilities. Please do not buy a more expensive model thinking that it is better; it might be worse. These are the only calculator models for which classroom instruction is provided. If you own a different calculator, you will be responsible for learning its keyboard, its features, and its programming commands.
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MIDDLE SCHOOL ENGLISH 7th Grade Choose one book from List #1 and one book from List #2. You should choose books that you have not read before.
Book #1 For your book from List #1, answer the following short-answer questions: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)
Who are the characters that stand out in your mind? What makes them important in the story? Where does the story take place? When does it take place? Who do you think is telling the story? What is the problem facing the major character or characters? How does the problem get resolved?
7th Grade List #1 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury The Good Earth by Pearl Buck Homesick: My Own Story by Jean Fritz The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman by Ernest Gaines Call of the Wild by Jack London Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Book #2 For your book from List #2, pretend you are a character from the book. Write a paragraph describing either of the following situations: 1) How you feel about an event in the book. 2) What your life is like after the story ends.
7th Grade List #2 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams The Absolute True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie Sounder by William Armstrong Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Looking for Home by Jean Ferris Dragon’s Egg by Robert L. Forward Juniper by Monica Furlong Morning is a Long Time Coming by Bette Green
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Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle Journey to America by Sonia Levitin Number the Stars by Lois Lowry Indian Captive by Lois Lenski The Quality of Courage by Mickey Mantle Park’s Quest by Katherine Paterson The Transall Saga by Gary Paulsen Finishing Becca by Ann Rinaldi Holes by Louis Sachar Interstellar Pig by William Sleator Let the Circle Be Unbroken by Mildred D. Taylor The Rain Catchers by Jean Thesman The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien The Road Home by Ellen Emerson White
8th Grade Choose two books from the following list and read them before school starts in September. For each book you choose, select two passages (a significant group of sentences or a paragraph) that are intriguing, complex, and worthy of further analysis. These analytical passages should differ from ones that are simply exciting moments in the plot. This type of identification in itself demonstrates analytical abilities and is a practice often used in classes during the year. The passages will be used for in-class discussions and writing assignments when you return to school.
8th Grade List The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver Into Thin Air by John Krakauer Walkabout by James Vance Marshall The Life of Pi by Yann Martel Monster by Walter Myers My Name is Asher Lev by Chaim Potok A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
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MIDDLE SCHOOL MATHEMATICS Pre-Algebra 7th graders enrolled in Pre-Algebra do not have summer math work.
Algebra Standard or Algebra Honors Students taking Algebra Standard or Algebra Honors are required to complete the problems on Williston’s Mathematics webite. Directions to Mathematics website: Go to: http://www.williston.com/mathsummerreview Your questions are listed under “Assignments by Class.” Please print out the problems, complete them as best as you can, and bring your work on the first day of school.
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OPTIONAL DEPARTMENTAL RECOMMENDATIONS English The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood A Lesson before Dying by Ernest Gaines Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe Fine and Performing Arts Frederick by Leo Lionni The Alchemist by Paul Coelho Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman Art & Fear by David Bayles and Ted Orland The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
Many other titles can be found at Williston’s Clapp Memorial Library website: www.williston.com/library. Follow the link for Summer Reading. History and Global Studies 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789-1989 by Michael Beschloss Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell The Life of Pi by Yann Martel A Border Passage by Leila Ahmed The Autobiography of Malcolm X Baraka (film), directed by Ron Fricke Languages: Films Spanish: El Viaje de Carol, directed by Imanol Uribe, NR French: Les Comperes, directed by Francis Veber, PG Latin: I, Claudius, directed by Herbert Wise (television miniseries), PG Chinese: Mulan, directed by Tony Bancroft, G
Mathematics Fantasia Mathematica by Clifton Fadiman, ed. The Mathematical Magpie by Clifton Fadiman, ed. Proof by David Auburn Science Backyard Ballistics by William Gurstelle Leonardo’s Mountain of Clams, Diet of Worms by Stephen J. Gould The Ten Most Beautiful Experiments by George Johnson The Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif and F. Gonzalez-Crussi What is Life? by Lynn Margulis and Dorian Sagan
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A downloadable version of this book is available at www.williston.com/summerreading
The Williston Northampton School 19 Payson Avenue, Easthampton, MA 01027 | 413.529.3000 | www.williston.com