Summer reading: objective, rationale and a word to parents

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Objective: The objective of this project is to help students choose engaging literature during the summer months and to help instill a love of reading that BCHS and the English department will develop and enhance through the academic year.

Rationale: The English department at Bishop Chatard High School has modified the traditional summer reading program by helping our students move into the 21st century through student choice. Guiding our students with a list of approved novels allows for choice which will help foster reading for enjoyment as well as afford them the opportunity to choose books that meet chosen themes and have established literary merit. This new approach allows students to engage in 'reading flow,' an idea promoted by renowned education expert, Kelly Gallagher. Reading flow allows students to experience the flow of a novel by being so engrossed in it that they seemingly can't put it down. Thus, we can help students continue to or 'fall in love with reading' again.

Furthermore, by taking a different approach to the assessment tool, this project allows our students a greater chance for success. Students will be less apt to reach for Spark Notes when they have to provide knowledge beyond a multiple-choice test--on which most students do .less than expected.. You will notice this list includes both 'classics' and young adult/mature adult literature. Bishop Chatard and its students are able to take advantage of this dual approach and combine the two to meet a variety of needs as well as continue to demand excellence from our students.

The books provided on this list have been chosen due to their thematic elements and allow students to choose between myriad genres. Some titles will undoubtedly challenge your student with use of narrative structure, vocabulary, and thematic elements. Some books feature mature themes, and we encourage parents to read with your student to help with comprehension and engage in conversation. Books on this list have been chosen to help your student begin to reflect on real-world situations and how to deal with them in light of Church teaching.

In order to help students and parents choose titles that are appropriate for reading level and interest we ask that you use amazon.com to access reviews of the literature and help students understand how to 'choose a book'.

Two (or Three) Books To Read
ALL STUDENTS and Faculty will read a common book this summer. The common book is Under the Overpass: A Journey of Faith on the Streets of America by Mike Yankoski (available at Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com).

In Under the Overpass, the author, Mike, "and his traveling companion, Sam, journeyed as homeless men for five months. Not for a project or even in response to a dare, he needed to know if his faith in God was real, if he could actually be the Christian he said he was apart from the comforts he'd always known" (Multnomah Publishers).

All Students will also read a second book of their choice by grade level from the list below.

AP Literature and AP Language students will read a third book .

Two Assessment Projects
All students will complete two assessment projects over the summer: one for 'Under the Overpass' and one for their second book of choice. Except for Freshmen, students have three different options for their assessment project.
   Reminder: On the first day of school, all students should bring their books and completed assessments.

Freshman Second Book Choices:

1. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
2. They Poured Fire on Us from the Sky by Benson Deng
3. In These Girls, Hope is a Muscle by Madeleine Blais
4. Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer
5. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
6. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Sophomore Second Book Choices:

1. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
2. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
3. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
4. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
5. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
6. Wild Blue by Stephen Ambrose

Juniors and Seniors Second Book Choices:

1. 1984 by George Orwell
2. The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
3. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
4. Going After Cacciato by Tim O'Brien
5. The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston
6. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
7. I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak
8. How to Build a House by Dana Reinhardt
9. In Harm's Way by Doug Stanton
10. The Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

AP Literature Students Third Book:

1. The Odyssey by Homer

AP Language Students Third Book:

1. The Color of Water by James McBride