Pocono Mountain School District Instructional Supervisors Office

PO Box 200 ∙ Swiftwater, PA 18730 ∙ 570-839-7121

English/Language Arts

Honors 9 Summer Reading Assignment

Welcome to Honors 9! Honors classes are designed to be more rigorous and challenging than the required English/Language Arts courses. Please be aware that Honors English requires more complex reading and writing assignments throughout the school year, as well as a summer reading assignment with a specific writing component. A study guide is available at www.pmsd.org on the Academics link under “Summer Reading.” Since this is an independent reading assignment, completion of the study guide is highly recommended.

Students who have enrolled in Honors 9 will be required to read Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief. This novel tells the story of Leisel Merminger, a 9-year-old girl who struggles to survive after she is placed with a foster family in Nazi Germany. In her tumultuous world, books and the words within them become Leisel’s most powerful tool as she learns to read and fight for her life. This fictional work is available through libraries, bookstores and online vendors.

Upon completion of the novel, please write a minimum two-page, typed, double-spaced paper in MLA style in response to the following prompt:

A symbol is an object, action, or event that represents a bigger or more important idea or theme in a work of literature. In this essay, explain the symbolism of Death as the omniscient narrator of The Book Thief. Then, explain how the use of colors symbolizes Death’s feelings for his victims. Finally, explain why Death is haunted by humans.

Please refer to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/677/01/ for assistance in formatting your paper and any internal documentation. This essay, which is due September 12, 2014, is worth 10% of your first marking period grade. After discussion and review of the novel in class, further assessments may occur. Enjoy The Book Thief, and have a safe and restful summer. Sincerely,

Dr. Catherine Sweeney Dr. Catherine Sweeney Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Pocono Mountain School District

COMMON CORE STATE STANDARDS WRITING RUBRICS ARGUMENT

© 2012 iParadigms, LLC This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License 0812

CCSS WRITING RUBRICS 2

ARGUMENT

Description

5 Exceptional

4 Skilled

3 Proficient

2 Developing

1 Inadequate

Claim:

The text introduces a clear, arguable

claim that can be supported by

reasons and evidence.

The text introduces a compelling

claim that is clearly arguable and

takes a purposeful position on an

issue. The text has a structure and

organization that is carefully crafted

to support the claim.

The text introduces a precise claim

that is clearly arguable and takes

an identifiable position on an issue.

The text has an effective structure

and organization that is aligned with

the claim.

The text introduces a claim that

is arguable and takes a position.

The text has a structure and

organization that is aligned with

the claim.

The text contains an unclear or

emerging claim that suggests a vague

position. The text attempts a structure

and organization to support the posi-

tion.

The text contains an unidentifiable

claim or vague position. The text has

limited structure and organization.

Development:

The text provides sufficient data

and evidence to back up the claim

while pointing out the strengths and

limitations of both the claim and

counterclaim. The text provides a

conclusion that supports the

argument.

The text provides convincing and

relevant data and evidence to back

up the claim and skillfully addresses

counterclaims. The conclusion

effectively strengthens the claim

and evidence.

The text provides sufficient and

relevant data and evidence to back

up the claim and fairly addresses

counterclaims. The conclusion

effectively reinforces the claim and

evidence.

The text provides data and evidence

to back up the claim and addresses

counterclaims. The conclusion ties

to the claim and evidence.

The text provides data and evidence

that attempt to back up the claim and

unclearly addresses counterclaims or

lacks counterclaims. The conclusion

merely restates the position.

The text contains limited data and

evidence related to the claim and

counterclaims or lacks counterclaims.

The text may fail to conclude the

argument or position.

Audience:

The text anticipates the audience’s

knowledge level, concerns, values,

and possible biases about the claim.

The text addresses the specific

needs of the audience.

The text consistently addresses the

audience’s knowledge level, con-

cerns, values, and possible biases

about the claim. The text addresses

the specific needs of the audience.

The text anticipates the audi-

ence’s knowledge level, concerns,

values, and possible biases about

the claim. The text addresses the

specific needs of the audience.

The text considers the audience’s

knowledge level, concerns, values,

and possible biases about the

claim. The text addresses the needs

of the audience.

The text illustrates an inconsistent

awareness of the audience’s

knowledge level and needs.

The text lacks an awareness of the

audience’s knowledge level and

needs.

Cohesion:

The text uses words, phrases, and

clauses as well as varied syntax to

link the major sections of the text,

creates cohesion and clarifies the

relationship between the claim and

reasons, between reasons and

evidence, and between claims and

counterclaims.

The text strategically uses words,

phrases, and clauses as well as

varied syntax to link the major

sections of the text. The text explains

the relationships between the claim

and reasons as well as the evidence.

The text strategically links the

counterclaims to the claim.

The text skillfully uses words,

phrases, and clauses as well as

varied syntax to link the major

sections of the text. The text

identifies the relationship between

the claim and reasons as well as the

evidence. The text effectively links

the counterclaims to the claim.

The text uses words, phrases, and

clauses as well as varied syntax to

link the major sections of the text.

The text connects the claim and

reasons. The text links the

counterclaims to the claim.

The text contains limited words,

phrases, and clauses to link the major

sections of the text. The text attempts

to connect the claim and reasons.

The text contains few, if any, words,

phrases, and clauses to link the major

sections of the text. The text does not

connect the claims and reasons.

Style and Conventions:

The text presents a formal, objective

tone that demonstrates standard

English conventions of usage and

mechanics while attending to the

norms of the discipline (i.e. MLA,

APA, etc.).

The text presents an engaging, formal

and objective tone. The text

intentionally uses standard English

conventions of usage and mechanics

while attending to the norms of the

discipline (i.e. MLA, APA, etc.).

The text presents a formal,

objective tone. The text demon-

strates standard English conven-

tions of usage and mechanics

while attending to the norms of the

discipline (i.e. MLA, APA, etc.).

The text presents a formal tone.

The text demonstrates standard

English conventions of usage and

mechanics while attending to the

norms of the discipline (i.e. MLA,

APA, etc.).

The text illustrates a limited awareness

of formal tone. The text demonstrates

some accuracy in standard English

conventions of usage and mechanics.

The text illustrates a limited aware-

ness of or inconsistent tone. The text

demonstrates inaccuracy in standard

English conventions of usage and

mechanics.

POCONO MOUNTAIN SCHOOL DISTRICT HONORS 9

ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS SUMMER READING

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Study Guide

1. Discuss the symbolism of Death as the omniscient narrator of the novel. What are Death’s feelings for each victim? 2. Describe Death’s attempt to resist Liesel. Death states, ―I’m always finding humans at their best and worst. I see their ugly and their beauty, and I wonder how the same thing can be both. 3. What is ugly and beautiful about Liesel, Rosa and Hans Hubermann, Max Vandenburg, Rudy Steiner, and Mrs. Hermann? 4. Why is Death haunted by humans? 5. What is ironic about Liesel’s obsession with stealing books? Discuss other uses of irony in the novel. 6. The Grave Digger’s Handbook is the first book Liesel steals. Why did she take the book? 7. What is significant about the titles of the books she steals? 8. Discuss why she hides The Grave Digger’s Handbook under her mattress. 9. Describe Hans Hubermann’s reaction when he discovers the book. 10. What does the act of book thievery teach Liesel about life and death? 11. Explain Rudy’s reaction when he discovers that Liesel is a book thief.

12. How does stealing books from the mayor’s house lead to a friendship with the mayor’s wife? 13. Explain how Liesel’s own attempt to write a book saves her life. 14. Liesel believes that Hans Hubermann’s eyes show kindness, and from the beginning she feels closer to him than to Rosa Hubermann. How does Hans gain Liesel’s love and trust? 15. Is Liesel a substitute for Hans’s children, who have strayed from the family? Why/Why not? If so, how? 16. Why is it so difficult for Rosa to demonstrate the same warmth toward Liesel? 17. Discuss how Liesel’s relationship with Rosa changes by the end of the novel. 18. Abandonment is a central theme in the novel. The reader knows that Liesel feels abandoned by her mother and by the death of her brother. How does she equate love with abandonment? 19. At what point does she understand why she was abandoned by her mother? 20. Who else abandons Liesel in the novel?

21. Is she abandoned by circumstance or by the heart? 22. Guilt is another recurring theme in the novel. Hans Hubermann’s life was spared in France during World War I, and Erik Vandenburg’s life was taken. Explain why Hans feels guilty about Erik’s death. 23. Guilt is a powerful emotion that may cause a person to become unhappy and despondent. Discuss how Hans channels his guilt into helping others. Explain Max Vandenburg’s thought, ―Living was living. The price was guilt and shame.Why does he feel guilt and shame? 24. Compare and contrast the lives of Liesel and Max Vandenburg. How does Max’s life give Liesel purpose? 25. At what point do Liesel and Max become friends? 26. Max gives Liesel a story called ―The Standover Man‖ for her birthday. What is the significance of this story? 27. Death says that Liesel was a girl ―with a mountain to climb.‖ (p. 86) What is her mountain? 28. Who are her climbing partners? 29. What is her greatest obstacle? 30. At what point does she reach the summit of her mountain (obstacle)? 31. Describe her descent (fall). 32. What does she discover at the foot of her mountain?

33. Hans Junior, a Nazi soldier, calls his dad a coward because he doesn’t belong to the Nazi Party. He feels that you are either for Hitler or against him. How does it take courage to oppose Hitler? 34. There isn’t one coward in the Hubermann household. Discuss how they demonstrate courage throughout the novel. 35. Describe Liesel’s friendship with Rudy. 36. How does their friendship change and grow throughout the novel? 37. Death says that Rudy doesn’t offer his friendship ―for free. What does Rudy want from Liesel? 38. Discuss Death’s statement, ―The only thing worse than a boy who hates you [is] a boy who loves you. Why is it difficult for Liesel to love Rudy? 39. Discuss why Liesel tells Mr. Steiner that she kissed Rudy’s dead body. 40. How does Zusak use the literary device of foreshadowing to pull the reader into the story? 41. Liesel Meminger lived to be an old woman. Death says that he would like to tell the book thief about beauty and brutality, but those are things that she had lived. How does her life represent beauty in the wake of brutality? 42. Discuss how Zusak’s poetic writing style enhances the beauty of Liesel’s story.