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Summer Program in Reading Enrichment
Aspire
(verb) 1. To have a great ambition or ultimate goal; desire strongly.
2. To soar.
"God
is what makes you aspire beyond yourself, aspire incredibly."
José Limón (1908-1972)
Go
beyond yourself this summer, read!
1.
Our Goals
- To
encourage our students to become life-long readers who read critically,
insightfully, and enjoyably.
- To
give our faculty and staff an opportunity to model the behavior
of life-long readers.
- To
familiarize our students with authors and literary works that
include a range of genres and universal themes transcending place
and time.
- To
challenge our students to grow, to reach, to stretch, and to broaden
their experience about what it means to be human.
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2.
Who will participate?
All
rising 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students.
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3.
How do I participate?
- Our
faculty and staff members have selected a favorite book that they
would like to share in a discussion with you.
- These
books will be on display in the library in April.
- A
registration form and book list will be given to you in English
class.
- List
your top three book choices on the form.
- Visit
the library any time between on sign-up days to sign up for your
book choice. Be sure to bring your registration form.
- Discussion
group size is limited to 20 students. Sign up early for
the best chance to get your first choice. We will try to
open a second group for the more popular books.
- Read
your selection over the summer, and be ready to talk about it
(See below). Book Discussion Day will be in August during
a long assembly period.
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4.
How do I get ready for the discussion?
Your
first challenge and pleasure lies in a careful reading of your
book. After you have read the book, get ready to discuss
the book by doing the following:
- Select
a passage (half to full page) that you found particularly striking
or significant, particularly moving or humorous. Photocopy the
passage, type it out, or bring the book with the passage marked.
Be prepared to share your insights into the passage and your reasons
for selecting it.
- Prepare
and write down two questions about the book that you would like
to ask during the discussion.
- Has
your book been made into a movie? If so, be sure to watch
it during the summer so you can make some comparisons during the
discussion.
- For
fiction books : Select one character which evoked the
strongest response in you. Was this character easy to sympathize
or identify with, easy to admire or react to? Was the character
particularly moving or irritating, mysterious or believable? Were
you struck by the character's dramatic change or mistakes, growth
or uniqueness? Organize your ideas and insights so that you can
share them.
- For
non-fiction books: Which chapter did you find most
significant and why? What do you know now that you
didn't know before? What is the significance of the title?
Think about any connections there might be between this book and
your own life. If you could ask the author one question,
what would it be?
In
August, you will participate in a discussion group with classmates
and a teacher.
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6. Which Books
Can I Choose From?
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7. What if my
ASPIRE book is also on my English Reading List?
You
are expected to read a minimum of three books. You cannot
read one book and make it count for your English requirement
and your ASPIRE book.
We
also expect that you will select a book that you haven't already
read.
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8. What
if I forget which book I am supposed to read?
Email the
Library
and you will get an answer within 24 hours. Remember to
tell us who you are.
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