2019 English Language Arts Summer Assignment

Grade 11 Instructions

summer_assignment_grade_11.pdf


Instructions for Incoming Eleventh Graders:
  1. Read one text from the list provided for English Language Arts (see below); you can get a copy of the text at your local library or online.
  2. Complete one text-analysis response, based upon your selected text, following the directions provided (see below).
  3. Write one complete paragraph responding to the Common Application essay prompt provided (see below).
  4. Complete the College and Career chart in its entirety (see below). 
 
**All of your writing pieces should be typed and saved – preferably as a Google Doc.  

Assignment Guidelines and Requirements:
  • All work must be your own. Do not plagiarize. You will not receive credit for the assignment if your work is copied from any source.
  • The text analysis essay is directly correlated to the text you are reading.
  • The paragraph responding to the Common Application essay prompt is a modified personal statement.
  • The College and Career chart will require you to self-reflect and research your options for the future. 

1. Text-analysis directions:

Your Task: Closely read one of the texts below and write a well-developed, text-based response of three paragraphs. In your response, identify a central idea in the text and analyze how the author’s use of one writing strategy (literary element or literary technique or rhetorical device) develops this central idea. Use strong and thorough evidence from the text to support your analysis. Do not simply summarize the text.

Central Idea: The central idea is the central, unifying idea of the story, which ties together all of the other elements used by the author to tell the story. The central idea can be best described as the universal truth found in the story.

Guidelines: Use these guidelines when writing your text-analysis response.

Be sure to:
· Identify a central idea in the text
· Analyze how the author’s use of one writing strategy (literary element or literary technique or rhetorical device) develops this central idea. Examples include: characterization, conflict, denotation/connotation, metaphor, simile, irony, language use, point-of-view, setting, structure, symbolism, theme, tone, etc.
· Use strong and thorough evidence from the text to support your analysis
· Organize your ideas in a cohesive and coherent manner
· Maintain a formal style of writing
· Follow the conventions of standard written English
 

2. Common Application prompts and directions: 

Your Task: Write one well-developed paragraph (7-10 sentences each) answering the question below:

Describe a problem you've solved or a problem you'd like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma - anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.

3. College and Career chart:

Your Task: Follow the directions on the chart and make sure to complete the chart entirely. The chart is attached below in both PDF and Microsoft Word format:

college___career_research_chart.pdf

​college___career_research_chart.docx

Grade 11 ELA Texts

Choose ONLY one of the texts below to read and use for your text-analysis response. 

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (fiction)

or

Rest in Power by Sybrina Fulton; Tracy Martin (non-fiction)

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