• E108 Freshman English Honors

    SUMMER READING 2024

     

    Mr. Curtin bcurtin@d211.org

    Ms. Darby adarby@d211.org

    Mrs. Peterson kpeterson@d211.org

    Ms. Postelli gpostelli@d211.org

     

    ATTENTION:  FRESHMAN STUDENTS ENROLLED IN HONORS ENGLISH (E108)

    All freshman students enrolled in E108 for the fall, need to read a book over the summer and complete the assignment before the first day of school.  The book is entitled Alas Babylon by Pat Frank Information about this book and the assignment is below and under the English academic tab on our website.

     

     

    E108 - Alas Babylon by Pat Frank 

    The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

    Overview:

    Alas Babylon by Pat Frank – E108 summer reading 

    Alas, Babylon is a 1959 novel by Pat Frank. Written during the Cold War, it is one of the earliest post-apocalyptic novels to deal with the potential consequences of nuclear war. It examines themes of nationalism, natural selection, deterrent force, and resilience.

     Application: 

    Alas, Babylon is a book that deals with many themes. When reading, consider characterization, symbols, motifs, author’s purpose, etc. If you have already learned annotation strategies, feel free to annotate, but it is not required and it will not be graded. We will discuss annotation strategies when we get to our short story unit.    

    Fall 2024 Alas, Babylon Assignments:

    1. Read Alas, Babylon
    2. (to be completed before the first day of class)
    3. Socratic Seminar (to be conducted in class)

     

    What is a Socratic Seminar? 

    A Socratic Seminar is a formal, student-lead, graded discussion based on the text. Students can prepare for the Socratic Seminar by thoroughly responding to the discussion questions and providing textual evidence when necessary.  During a Socratic Seminar, students are expected to demonstrate their depth of understanding of the text while using their notes and their book to support their responses.  

    When school begins and prior to the Socratic Seminar, students will learn about and practice effective discussion skills such as posing open-ended questions, responding to open-ended questions, drawing connections, expanding on other student comments, respectfully providing alternate or contradicting perspectives, and supporting thoughtful responses with textual evidence. Students will also have time during the first week of class to respond to the questions. 

    The Socratic Seminar grade will be based on two parts: student's written responses and student's oral participation in the discussion.



     
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