Mr.

Feldman
mfeldman@philasd.org

English III Summer Reading 2017

READING:
Please purchase and read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

ANNOTATING:
As you read The Great Gatsby, make an average of 1 2 annotations (written
comments) on each page of the book. Annotation is the act of talking to the text
as you read it. Though you may not be speaking out loud, you will be writing/taking
notes about what you are reading as you read it.
Write your name on the inside cover of the book; it will be collected upon your return to
school.

BASIC ANNOTATION GUIDELINES

Central Question: What stands out to me as I examine this text?
1. Underline or highlight any unfamiliar words. Look them up, and write a
synonym or brief definition of these words in the margin.
2. Underline or highlight main ideas or important passages the author
presents. Also note supporting details with arrows or other symbol to show
connection to main idea.
3. Make brief notes in your own words about the main idea or action of a
paragraph or page. Note when a something first appears in the text: a character,
a conflict, a setting, a symbol.
4. If something in the text causes you to ask a question, make a note of it in
the margin.
5. If something in the text causes you to have a comment, make a note of it
in the margin. These can be informal personal reactions of the kind you might
make watching a TV show, such as whyd he do that?! or favorite character or
I hope she doesnt miss the train. Or they can also be literary and academic in
nature, like why repetition here or too much dialogue or all this description is
boring or Theme!
6. Finally, you may want to create your own consistent method of symbols to use
while annotating, such as stars, acronyms, exclamation points, or other symbols.

WRITING:
After you finish reading The Great Gatsby, write a 5-paragraph literary analysis essay about the novel.
Use what you learned in your previous English classes to analyze and construct an argument about the text,
forming a thesis and providing textual evidence to craft your argument. Highlight your thesis using the
highlight tool on Google Docs.

Write your essay on a Google Document, using your school district Google account (which is your student
ID number @philasd.org). (If you cant access this account for some reason, complete it on a different account.)
Title your file Your Full Name English III Summer Work. Share this file with Mr. Feldman at
mfeldman@philasd.org any time before the first day of school!
Where can you get The Great Gatsby? www.abebooks.com is a great website for cheap used books.
Amazon.com has affordable new and used books as well. The Barnes and Noble in Neshaminy Mall should
have plenty of copies, as they have been notified of Rush summer reading assignments.

SEE REVERSE FOR HONORS ENGLISH III REQUIREMENTS

Mr. Feldman
mfeldman@philasd.org

HONORS English III Summer Reading 2017

If you have selected to be in Honors English III, and you meet the criteria to be in the class, please work
under the assumption that you will be placed into that class and do the extra work. If you have questions,
please email Mr. Feldman at mfeldman@philasd.org. I will do my best to provide you with guidance; however,
nothing can be guaranteed or set in stone until the rostering process is complete.

READING:
Honors English III students please purchase and read The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. You will also
read parts of two texts that you can access at www.tinyurl.com/feldmanfulltexts - one called Critical Theory
Today, the other How to Read Literature Like a Professor. See below for more details.

ANNOTATING:
Complete the annotation work for The Great Gatsby as described on the reverse side of this sheet.

WRITING:
Write BOTH of the following assignments on a single Google Document, using your school district
Google account (which is your student ID number @philasd.org). (If you cant access this account for some
reason, complete it on a different account.) Title your file Your Full Name HONORS English III Summer
Work. Share this file with Mr. Feldman at mfeldman@philasd.org before the first day of school!

1. Access the online textbook called Critical Theory Today at http://tinyurl.com/feldmanfulltexts (you can read
online or download the PDF). Read the introductory chapter (pages 1 10), and then choose another chapter
with a Critical Theory that youd like to learn about. Read that chapter (up to the Questions for further
practice page; you can skip the sample essay that follows), and do your best to apply that Critical Theory to
The Great Gatsby to write a 5-paragraph essay, using the ideas, terminology, and approach to this method
set forth in the chapter. In this essay, construct an argument about the text using the Critical Theory, forming a
thesis and providing textual evidence to craft your argument. Highlight your thesis in blue using the highlight
tool on Google Docs.

2. Access How to Read Literature Like a Professor on the same site. Read the Introduction chapter, and then
choose and read ten (10) of the remaining chapters. For each of these chapters, write the following (in the same
Google Doc, under your Gatsby essay):
o 2 direct quotes from the chapter that you think are particularly significant;
o 5 carefully paraphrased important points (information from the chapter in your own words.
These can be in the form of bullet points, like this list);
o A paragraph applying the information from that chapter to The Great Gatsby. (For example,
if you read the chapter concerning violence, then identify and analyze the significance of
some of the violent acts in Gatsby.)