8th Honors
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Summer Honors English Language Arts Assignment 2024
Grade 8 ELA
Mrs. Strehlau
The summer ELA assignment, in preparation for 8th grade, will entail the first ten lessons in Simple Solutions as well as A Separate Peace by John Knowles, "Prometheus and Pandora's Box" translated by James Baldwin and "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. Should you have any questions at any time, please email me. I check my email regularly during the summer.
Simple Solutions
The first ten lessons in the Simple Solutions English and Grammar book must be completed. The work must reflect effort and will be graded. Please note that all questions can be successfully navigated through the Help Pages found in the back of the book.
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Summary:
Set at a boys' boarding school in New England during the early years of World War II, A Separate Peace is a harrowing and luminous parable of the dark side of adolescence. Gene is a lonely, introverted intellectual. Phineas is a handsome, taunting, daredevil athlete. What happens between the two friends one summer, like the war itself, banishes the innocence of these boys and their world.
This novel serves to bridge some of the thematic implications and historical context that we will study over the course of the year.
Each student is required to complete the following:
Annotate the text while reading. This may be done in the book if it is a personal copy or the use of post-it notes/flags may be employed.
A Separate Peace packet
"Prometheus and Pandora's Box" translated by James Baldwin
"Prometheus and Pandora's Box" explores the human condition of curiosity, weakness and power; themes relevant to A Separate Peace.
Each student is required to completete the following:
Annotate the text while reading. Annotations should be evident in every paragraph of the text. Complete the questions that accompany the text.
"The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
Each student is required to complete the following:
Highlight the figurative language and label it.
Complete an explication for each stanza. Explication is simply removing excessive language in order to strip the lines down to create understandable meaning in your own words. Answer the four questions that accompany the poem.
Please note that poetry is an exercise in interpretation, and as such there is often no "right" answer. Credit will be dependent on the support provided for the answer.
The expectation is that all work will be completed thoroughly and submitted on the FIRST day of school. A solid start to your 8th grade year is dependent on your effort and work ethic. I wish you a happy and restful summer and look forward to a wonderful 8th grade year!
"Nothing will work unless you do"
-Maya Angelou
