Summer Assignments - 2026
English
ALL STUDENTS:Please refer to the Summer Reading Assignments 2026-2027 below:
Please note: Summer reading assignments only apply to English 1, English 1 Honors, English 2 Honors and AP/IB courses.
Please buy only the versions with the ISBN numbers listed below. Please bring the book the first day of August. It is useful to keep a reading log or journal as you read, make notes about characters, plot, setting and your feelings about the novels.
Essential Documents:
English 1 Honors
The Odyssey by Homer; ISBN: 978-0140268867
- Download the “Guide to Active Reading” (linked above).
- Carefully read, highlight, and annotate the text.
- Read, highlight, and annotate BOTH literary criticisms on The Odyssey, found at the links below.
- You will write a critical review/summary of each criticism. For each summary, identify the critic’s thesis in your topic sentence. In other words, what is the primary focus of the critic’s argument? The remainder of the summary should PARAPHRASE the critic’s argument, with at least 3 direct quotations from the criticism as evidence of the argument.
- Each critical review should be typed (Times New Roman 12 font, double-spaced) on a separate page and should be a minimum of one page in length. THIS ASSIGNMENT IS DUE THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS. YOU WILL BE TESTED ON THE TEXT AND WRITE AN ESSAY DURING THE FIRST FEW WEEKS OF THE SCHOOL YEAR.
Criticisms
English 1
- Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac; ISBN: 978-0142405963
- Code Talker summer assignment
- The packet must be hand-written, printed, and ready for submission on the first day of school.
- Please download the “Guide to Active Reading” and “How to Annotate” (linked in the above section) for instruction and assistance as you read. You are to annotate, highlight, and use marginalia of the text.
- Using the packet provided above, read directions carefully and complete the packet using complete sentences. Be mindful of the necessary time and effort as some questions require research and in-depth analysis. The packet is due on the first full day of class.
English 4 AP/IB
1984 by George Orwell; ISBN: 978-0-452-28423-4
Critically read 1984, highlighting and annotating. Be prepared to discuss the novel during the first full week of school.
English 2 Honors
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight translated by Simon Armitage; ISBN: 978-0393334159
Sir Gawain & the Green Knight summer assignment:
Closely read and annotate Simon Armitage’s translation of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Pay especially close attention to the imagery of Gawain’s shield, the pentangle, the hart, the boar, the fox, and the green girdle. Come to class ready to discuss your interpretations of these symbols and the way in which they suggest meaning.
English 3 AP/IB
- American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. ISBN-13 : 978-1250811899
- Biographical introduction: “NEWSMAKER: GENE LUEN YANG”
- Read and annotate Criticism: “Reading Images in ‘American Born Chinese’ through Critical Visual Literacy”
- Read and annotate Criticism: "Theology and Identity in Gene Luen Yang's 'American Born Chinese"
*You may annotate in OneNote or on printouts. All annotations will be submitted electronically.
In MLA format with proper in-text citations, type a 3-page (minimum) review of the criticisms. The structure of the assignment is as follows:
- An introductory paragraph: a brief overview of the primary work in question (American Born Chinese) including the author of the work (Yang), the author of each criticism (Schieble and Song), and a brief introduction of each of the criticisms.
- Two (2) body paragraphs (one for each criticism): each paragraph should be at least one (1) page minimum with at least three (3) quotes with proper citations in each paragraph. These body paragraphs should identify the criticisms thesis with a direct quote and then go on to outline the development with at least two more quotes.
- A paragraph linking and evaluating the 2 criticisms. Take a critical approach to the criticisms to identify strengths or weaknesses. In other words, discuss the value of the criticisms.
- A paragraph in which you identify a specific issue that you would like to explore if you were going to write a critical essay on "American Born Chinese." Also identify what specific proof from the text you would use. In other words, what authorial choices (specific aspects of story, character, language, etc.) would you employ to prove your argument? you may summarize this proof.
- A preliminary argumentative and synthetic thesis. Your thesis should hint at how you might develop this argument in a separate essay. Your thesis does not need to address directly or even allude to the criticisms but should be a continuation of the criticisms' lines of inquiry. It should be original. Your thesis should be well-stated. It may be more than one sentence. See “Thesis Statement Handout”
- A Works Cited page: there should be 4 entries on it: the 3 sources and the primary text. Consult the MLA Handbook or owl.purdue.edu to ensure proper citations.
Science
IB Chemistry SL
IB Chemistry SL Summer Assignment
AP/IB Environmental Science
AP Biology
IB Biology HL2
Calculus
AB Calculus
- During the first week of class, students will be given three, 50-question, precalculus exams. The topics covered will be Algebraic Functions, Trigonometry, and Logarithms and Exponentials. These exams will be solely multiple choice questions and primarily concentrate on concepts rather than calculation type problems.
BC Calculus
- The first two weeks of class, students will be tested on fundamental concepts of Algebraic Functions from Pre-Calculus Honors, Trigonometric Functions from Pre-Calculus Honors, Logarithms, Exponentials, Polars, Parametrics and Conics from Pre-Calculus Honors and the Calculus Packet from Pre-Calculus Honors. These four exams will be solely multiple choice questions and concentrate on concepts rather than calculation type problems.
Electronic Flashcards