Happy Reading

Superintendent
Jason P. McCandless, Ed.D.

Principal
Matthew W. Bishop

 

English Department Chair Catherine Quinn

School Counseling Director Ann Marie Mutz

Dear Parent/Guardian,
The English teachers at Pittsfield High School are already making plans to welcome your child next year. Each Pittsfield High School student will complete a summer reading assignment. Returning to school in September is much easier for those who have maintained the habit of responsive reading during the summer. Those who read over the summer months continue to develop their vocabulary, better their understanding of language, increase their ability to read more easily and more fluently, and excite their imagination. Students who read as a source of intellectual stimulation and general relaxation are also likely to gain the benefits of being lifelong readers.

This year we are excited to offer your child a choice of high interest books! Below are the titles for each grade level. Each student should read the book for his/her grade and complete annotations following guidelines at the end of this letter. Advanced Placement and Search for Values students have very specific assignments. If you have any questions about the assignment, please contact the English Department chair or the Advanced Placement instructor of your course. Each book can be purchased at Barnes and Noble, online on websites like Amazon.com, or borrowed free of charge from the Berkshire Athenaeum. In some cases, titles may be available at Pittsfield High School have your student check with teachers before the end of the school year. See you in September!

Freshman Reading List
Intensive A and Intensive B (Standard) students will complete ONE ​book choice with a response journal. ALL the books are chosen as high interest novels, the (*) indicates great books for reluctant readers!

On the Devil’s Court​ by Carl Deuker (*) Far North​ by Will Hobbs
Boy 21 by Matthew Quick (*)
The Truth About Forever​ by Sarah Dessen The Secret Life of Bees​ by Sue Monk Kidd Light on Snow​ by Anita Shreve

Thirteen Reasons Why​ by Jay Asher
Be More Chill​ by Ned Vizzini
The Glass Castle​ by Jeannette Walls (memoir)
Uglies, Specials, Pretties ​or ​Extras​ by Scott Westerfeld (*) First Part Last​ by Angela Johnson (*)
The Girl on the Train​ by Paula Hawkins
Challenger Deep​ ​by ​Neal Shusterman
The Miseducation of Cameron Post​ by Emily M. Danforth I Will Give You the Sun ​by Jandy Nelson
True Legend ​by Mike Lupica

Freshman Nonfiction Reading List:

Seabiscuit: An American Legend ​by Laura Hillenbrand
They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group​ by Susan Campbell Bartoletti Getting Away with Murder: The True Story of the Emmett Till Case ​by Chris Crowe

Freshman Honors Reading List:
Must read a total of ​THREE​ novels:​ ​The Secret Life of Bees​ by Sue Monk Kidd​, ​ONE​ book of your choice from the ​Non­Fiction List​ and ​ONE ​book of your choice from the ​Freshman Reading List​.

Sophomore Reading List
Intensive B (Standard) requires ONE​ book choice with annotations. ​Intensive A requires TWO​ book choices and annotations for both.

Speak ​by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet​ by Jamie Ford Sold​ by Patricia McCormick
The Ocean at the End of the Lane​ by Neil Gaiman Handbook For Boys​ by Walter Dean Myers
The Good Braider ​by Terry Farish
The Fifth Wave​ by Rick Yancey
Strong Inside​ by Andrew Maraniss
Romeo’s Ex: Rosalind’s Story​ by Lisa Fiedler
City of Bones​ by Cassandra Clare
The Perks of Being a Wallflower​ by Stephen Chbosky Concussion​ by Jeanne Laskas
In the Time of the Butterflies​ by Julia Alvarez
Looking for Alaska​ by John Green
Before We Were Free​ by Julia Alvarez

Sophomore Honors Reading List
In addition to ​TWO​ titles from the list above, Sophomore Honors students must read​ ​The Perks of Being a Wallflower​ by Stephen Chbosky

Junior Reading List
Intensive B (Standard) requires ONE​ book choice with annotations. ​Intensive A requires TWO​ book choices with annotations.

Slaughterhouse Five​ by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Heart of the Sea​ by Nat Philbrick
The Tipping Point​ by Malcolm Gladwell Into the Wild​ by Jon Krakauer

Night Country​ by Stewart O’Nan
The Odd Sea​ by Frederick Reiken
Rite of Passage​ by Richard Wright
The Boys in the Boat​ by Daniel James Brown All the Light We Cannot See​ by Anthony Doerr State of Wonder​ by Ann Patchett

Everything I Never Told You​ by Celeste Ng Wild​ by Cheryl Strayed
At the Water’s Edge​ by Sara Gruen
A Long Way Gone​ by Ishmael Beah

The Light Between Oceans​ by M. L. Stedman Will Grayson, Will Grayson​ by John Green

Junior Honors​ ​­ In addition to ​TWO ​titles​ ​from the list above with annotations, students in this course ​MUST read
A Separate Peace​ by John Knowles.​ Please note that this title is available from PHS but students will have to annotate separately.

Junior Advanced Placement Language and Composition
Complete excerpt journals for ​ALL THREE ​books. Please see Mr. Barsanti for guidelines.

Into the Wild ​by Jon Krakauer Outliers​ by Malcolm Gladwell Transit ​by Anna Seghers

Senior Reading List
Intensive B (Standard) requires ONE ​book choice with annotations. ​Intensive A requires TWO​ book choices with annotations. Honors has a specific assignment listed below.

Peace Like a River​ by Leif Enger
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wa​o by Junot Diaz
Gone Boy ​by Gillian Flynn
Tuesdays With Morrie​ by Mitch Albom
The Kite Runne​r by Khaled Hosseini
Foul Ball​ by Jim Bouton
Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream​ by H.G. Bissinger What is the What​ by Dave Eggers
Water for Elephants​ by Sara Gruen
The Lovely Bones​ by Alice Sebold
Almost Perfect​ Brian Katcher
Freakboy ​by Kristin Clark
Pink ​by Lili Wilkinson
She’s Come Undone ​by Wally Lamb
Good Omens ​by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance​ by Robert M. Pirsig

Senior “Search for Values” Honors Reading List
Choose ONE ​title from the list above and annotate. ​Then read the following TWO​ titles and annotate. Please note that your annotation guidelines are different than below. Please find Ms. O’Hagerty or Mr. Collingsworth for the handout.

Every Day​ by David Levithan The Watchmen ​by Alan Moore

Senior Advanced Placement Literature and Composition

Please see the Google Classroom if you did not receive the assignments for Ms. O’Hagerty’s course. SPECIFIC ANNOTATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT. FOLLOW THE GUIDELINES AND RUBRIC ON CLASSROOM !I will invite you to a Google Classroom for ALL AP Literature students. The AP Literature assignment is DUE ON THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2. Please bring the books to class. ​Choose ONE​ title from the list above (you are welcome :) ) ​then read and annotate the following TWO titles​:

Let the Great World Spin ​by Colum McCann
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close​ by Jonathan Safran Foer

PITTSFIELD HIGH SCHOOL Simple Annotation Guidelines Bookmark

Bookmark Guidelines and Rubric

Bookmark Guidelines and Rubric

Annotation is a key component of close reading. Since students will annotate texts all year, they need to develop a system that works for them. Effective annotating is both economical and consistent. The techniques are almost limitless. For summer reading we are asking students to do simple annotations. Students will complete one annotation for roughly every 20 pages. This involves underlining or marking with a Post­It note the excerpt you are annotating.​ Briefly note why you chose the excerpt. Excerpts may be chosen because of the book’s themes, symbols, character development, conflict, style, context, or figurative language. Make brief comments in the margins. Use any white space available – inside cover, random blank pages, etc. ​If you are working with a library book please use notepaper or Post­It notes and note the page number on the note. A simple way to mark the text: C = Character PP= Significant Plot Point S = Symbol T= Represents a theme pattern PC = Personal Choice (Hey, I like that quote!) BL =Beautiful Language U = Universal meaning Sample from ​The Great Gatsby ​by F. Scott Fitzgerald "​So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past​." (226) ​BL/T The most common complaint about annotating is that it slows down your reading. Yes, it does. That’s the point. If annotating as you read annoys you, read a chapter, then go back and annotate. Reading a text a second time is preferable anyway. Approach the works with an open mind. Let them inspire you and stretch your imagination. Bring all of your annotated texts to class the first day. RUBRIC ​(PHS copy or library book user will hand in notes ) A​ = Completely underlined throughout the text with notations. B​ – Underlined throughout, some notations C​ – Underlined but limited, some notations D​ – Sparse underlining, no notations 0​ = No annotations

Annotation is a key component of close reading. Since students will annotate texts all year, they need to develop a system that works for them. Effective annotating is both economical and consistent. The techniques are almost limitless. For summer reading we are asking students to do simple annotations. Students will complete one annotation for roughly every 20 pages. This involves underlining or marking with a Post­It note the excerpt you are annotating.​ Briefly note why you chose the excerpt. Excerpts may be chosen because of the book’s themes, symbols, character development, conflict, style, context, or figurative language. Make brief comments in the margins. Use any white space available – inside cover, random blank pages, etc. ​If you are working with a library book please use notepaper or Post­It notes and note the page number on the note. A simple way to mark the text: C = Character PP= Significant Plot Point S = Symbol T= Represents a theme pattern PC = Personal Choice (Hey, I like that quote!) BL =Beautiful Language U = Universal meaning Sample from ​The Great Gatsby ​by F. Scott Fitzgerald "​So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past​." (226) ​BL/T The most common complaint about annotating is that it slows down your reading. Yes, it does. That’s the point. If annotating as you read annoys you, read a chapter, then go back and annotate. Reading a text a second time is preferable anyway. Approach the works with an open mind. Let them inspire you and stretch your imagination. Bring all of your annotated texts to class the first day. RUBRIC ​(PHS copy or library book user will hand in notes ) A ​– Completely underlined throughout the text with notations. B​ – Underlined throughout, some notations C​ – Underlined but limited,, some notations D​ – Sparse underlining, no notations 0​ = No annotations