*PLEASE NOTE: All material available on this website is meant to help guide students. EACH GRADE LEVEL HAS AN ASSIGNMENT DUE THE SECOND DAY OF SCHOOL.
MOST linked documents will open in an additional window through Dropbox or directly through the web. You can view these documents or download them.
Be patient, it will take an extra moment or two for these documents to open.
MOST linked documents will open in an additional window through Dropbox or directly through the web. You can view these documents or download them.
Be patient, it will take an extra moment or two for these documents to open.
General Information for MHS Summer Reading
Movies and Professional Study Sites
As a PAP/AP student, you are expected to be able to read sophisticated, complex, and mature pieces of literature, and to be able to comprehend, interpret, and evaluate the author’s meaning. These pieces of literature will cover the fiction and non-fiction genre from early writings to present time. Additionally, you should be able to interpret how the author uses figurative language, diction, syntax, logos, pathos, and ethos to achieve his meaning and purpose.
A movie is a director’s insight into the author’s created world. Due to the limitations of film, a movie rarely tells the whole story. Watching a movie will not substitute for a thoughtful reading of the author's work. Students who merely watch the movie cannot pass the assignments in class or adequately participate in the class activities and discussions.
Likewise, summaries and explanations, such as Cliff's Notes or Spark Notes, debase and cheapen the author’s words he so carefully crafted. While the notes may help with basic comprehension questions, they do not allow you as a reader to interact with the author’s craft of writing. Without this interaction, you will not be able to answer the complex questions presented in PAP/AP reading and writing questions. Again, those who read the summaries without reading the texts harm themselves by not being able to pass the assignments or participate in the discussions.
A movie is a director’s insight into the author’s created world. Due to the limitations of film, a movie rarely tells the whole story. Watching a movie will not substitute for a thoughtful reading of the author's work. Students who merely watch the movie cannot pass the assignments in class or adequately participate in the class activities and discussions.
Likewise, summaries and explanations, such as Cliff's Notes or Spark Notes, debase and cheapen the author’s words he so carefully crafted. While the notes may help with basic comprehension questions, they do not allow you as a reader to interact with the author’s craft of writing. Without this interaction, you will not be able to answer the complex questions presented in PAP/AP reading and writing questions. Again, those who read the summaries without reading the texts harm themselves by not being able to pass the assignments or participate in the discussions.
Vocabulary Philosophy
With an independent study of a novel, such as a summer reading, to read past unfamiliar words will diminish your ability to fully appreciate the work. When you encounter an unfamiliar word, you need to make note of it and look up both the connotative and denotative meaning. When you encounter a familiar word used differently from how you normally see it, you need to make a note and look to see the alternative meaning- connotative and denotative.
By looking online, you can find lists of words that are in the book that you may need to know in order to get the most out of the piece of literature.
Never read past a word, deciding it is unnecessary. Authors are word-smiths who make their choices carefully. Reading over a word might deprive you of the full meaning intended.
By looking online, you can find lists of words that are in the book that you may need to know in order to get the most out of the piece of literature.
Never read past a word, deciding it is unnecessary. Authors are word-smiths who make their choices carefully. Reading over a word might deprive you of the full meaning intended.