Requirements for MHS English Department

Reading

 

9th Grade College Prep
Required Reading (CHOOSE ONE):

1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian- Sherman Alexie

2. March- John Lewis

3. Everyday- David Levithan

4. A Separate Peace- John Knowles

5. Taking Hold- Fransisco Jimenez

6. Piecing Me Together-Renee Watson

7. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

8. Being Jazz: My Life as a (transgender) Teen by Jazz Jennings

9. The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri

10. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng

 

Assignment:

Directions for the written assignment can be found here: Summer Reading Puzzle Project

 

9th Grade Honors
Required Reading: The Odyssey, by Homer;  we recommend the Penguin Classics version, translated by Robert Fagles, ISBN-13: 978-0143039952. 

Assignment:

Read Books 1-24 of The Odyssey and take Cornell Notes.   Directions for Cornell Notes are found on the slideshow.

It is not necessary to take notes on the introduction.  Please come to class with your handwritten notes.

 

Not required, but helpful: This study guide will not be checked, but may help with comprehension.

 

10th Grade College Prep
Required Reading: To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

Assignment:

There is no required assignment other than reading. We encourage you to take notes on significant quotes and notable literary devices (like symbolism, motifs, themes, etc.).

 

10th Grade Honors
Required Reading: To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Assignment:

Take handwritten Cornell Notes on the novel and bring them with you at the start of the school year.  Be sure you have also made note of any significant quotes and larger themes, like the concept of identity (how it is shaped, impacted, changed, etc.), and how one’s home shapes one’s identity.

 

11th Grade College Prep

Required Reading (CHOOSE AT LEAST ONE): 

1. All the Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

2. A Knock at Midnight - Brittany K. Barnett

3. Born a Crime - by Trevor Noah 

4. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - by Jamie Ford

5. Sissy: A Coming of Gender Story - Jacob Tobia

6. The Cruel Prince - Holly Black

 

Assignment:

There is no required assignment other than reading. We encourage you to take notes on significant quotes and notable literary devices (like symbolism, motifs, themes, etc.).

 

11th Grade Honors

Required Reading (CHOOSE AT LEAST ONE): 

1. All Over Creation - Ruth Ozeki

2. The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba - Chanel Cleeton

3. Klara and the Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro

4. The Vanishing Half - Brit Bennett

5. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

6. Sing, Unburied, Sing - Jesmyn Ward

7. A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving

8. Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides

9. The Nickel Boys - Colson Whitehead

10. The Leavers - Lisa Ko

 

Assignment:

Take handwritten Cornell Notes on the novel and bring them with you at the start of the school year. We encourage you to take notes on significant quotes and notable literary devices (like symbolism, motifs, themes, etc.).

 

Advanced Placement Literature & Composition (Grades 11 and 12)
Required Reading: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Assignment: Detailed assignment requirements and expectations for the reading are outlined on the AP Literature & Composition Summer Reading Assignment doc linked HERE

 

Advanced Placement Language & Composition (Grade 12)
Required Reading: 

1. The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids - Alexandra Robbins

2. Choose one (1) full-length non-fiction book to read. You must choose a book you have not read in school. 

 

Assignment: Detailed assignment requirements and expectations for both readings are outlined on the AP Language & Composition Summer Reading Assignment doc linked HERE

12th Grade College Prep AND Honors

In recognition of the time many of our seniors will be investing in college applications and personal narratives over summer break, there is no required reading for any senior College Prep or Honors classes.  We do, however, have a recommendation:
Recommended Reading for ALL 12th Grade College Prep and Honors Courses:

1-Where You Go is Not Who You Will Be- Frank Bruni

Please note that personal narrative workshop time will be incorporated into the first semester in all senior classes. Students are encouraged to begin working on their personal narratives, regardless of their post-graduation plans.

 

A pdf version of the information on this page can be found HERE.