COLUMBIA SECONDARY SCHOOL for Math, Science & Engineering

A Public School, Community and University Partnership

Strength in Diversity Challenging Academics A Passion for Science and Reason

9th grade
Mandatory Interdisciplinary Text- Physics of the Impossible: Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel by Michio Kaku Math- A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper by John Allen Poulos ELA- Choose ONE: Goddesses in Everywoman: A New Psychology of Women OR Gods in Everyman: A New Psychology of Mens Lives and Loves by Jean Shinoda Bolen

Significant Passages Project

(a.k.a. Your Summer Reading Assignment) Text: Choose ONE: Bolen, Jean Shinoda. Goddesses in Everywoman: A New Psychology of Women OR Gods in Everyman: A New Psychology of Mens Lives and Loves. (You may, of course, read both; however, you may only submit work for ONE book.) Assignment: 1. Read and annotate the book. 2. Complete the Significant Passages Project. 3. The project is due on the second day of class, Friday, 9 September 2011, and your teacher will determine its point value. No late projects will be accepted! I. Reading Directions: Annotate your book thoroughly. Methods of annotation include 1) highlighting/underlining important passages, and 2) writing ideas in the margins or on sticky notes to record any patterns that you may see. Caveat: Highlighting/underlining a passage without an accompanying explanation is NOT analysis. You must explain why the highlighted/underlined passage is significant. How to Annotate: Lingering Questions Rule of thumb record anything you dont understand. If it confuses you in any waywrite it down. As weve all heard, there are no stupid questions. If youre having trouble, rely on the good ol 5 Ws and H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How). Make Connections Making connections is extremely important becausewithout those connectionsthe book will remain meaningless to you. Think about how the text relates to your own life and/or to the world around you. Once you start making connections to yourself and to the world, youll be surprised at how much this book really does relate to you and the world you live in!
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COLUMBIA SECONDARY SCHOOL for Math, Science & Engineering

A Public School, Community and University Partnership
Strength in Diversity Challenging Academics A Passion for Science and Reason

II.

Significant Passages Project Directions:

Process Annotate your book as you read. Yes, this process will slow your reading down, but annotating will force you to read the authors words critically and carefully. Each time you encounter a particularly important, provocative, dramatic, surprising, or disturbing passage, mark it. Only when you have completed the reading will you look at all of the annotated passages and decide which five (5) passages should be included in the Significant Passages Project. Do NOT throw away any annotations. A. Interesting/Valuable Passages (Part I) For the first part of this assignment, you will choose four (4) significant passages. Your passages can be phrases, clauses, sentences, or passages that you feel represent some universal or important statement that the text makes. Copy the passages downincluding page numbersand write about each passage in the following ways: 1. First, in a well-written paragraph explain how the passage fits into the text. 2. Then, in a well-written paragraph react to the passage as a reader. Explain WHY you have selected this passage. To generate responses, you can consider the following as suggested prompts or questions: Why does the passage impress, intrigue, horrify, or puzzle you? Do you find the authors use of language appealing or powerful? Does it prompt a strong response from you as you read it? Is the passage particularly meaningful? Is it a high point in the book? Do you find yourself in agreement/disagreement with the ideas expressed? Does the passage remind you of a situation you have lived as well? Does the passage make you laugh out loud or make you sad? Does the author raise intriguing questions or issues? Does the passage challenge or expand your thinking? You are not limited to the above list, nor are you expected to answer all of the above. However, your responses to the passages should clearly explain WHY these passages mean something to you, and WHY they caught your attention. B. Passage of the Book For the second part of this assignment, you will your final passage The Passage of the Bookthat one passage that captures the essence, the true meaning, of the text for you, the reader. In a well-written paragraph, explain exactly HOW this passage is the one, perfect passage from the book. (Think of the fifth and final passage that you choose as the one
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COLUMBIA SECONDARY SCHOOL for Math, Science & Engineering

A Public School, Community and University Partnership
Strength in Diversity Challenging Academics A Passion for Science and Reason

passage that you would absolutely want saved should your book ever be lost or destroyed.) C. Reflective Letter Lastly, you will write a reflective letter about reading and annotating this text. Write about the thoughts, feelings, observations, and new insights that you experienced while reading. Write about the passages that stood out to youand the passages that you chose to include in this project. You may wish include: What you struggled with or worked the hardest on during this assignment What you did well or what you learned in this process What drew you into the text and what pulled you away from the text What you consider to be the authors greatest strengths and weaknesses How the text is similar to your own life or the world What value, other than entertainment, this text has What your overall impressions of the text are If you found yourself changing your mind about the text and/or the assignment What you as a reader and as a student need to focus on in the upcoming year

Your reflective letter is your chance to talk about the novel and your experiences completing this assignment. With your letter, describe your workand your learningthrough your eyes. Important to Note: *All aspects of this assignment must be submitted in MLA format. For additional help on MLA, go to the Purdue University Online Writing Lab: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/ *Passages must be at least two (2) sentences long. Many of your passages shouldand will belonger than two sentences. *All passages must be in quotation marksand be careful to copy the passage exactly as it appears in the novel. *All passages must include the page number from which they are taken. *This assignment is due on the second day of school, Friday, 9 September 2011.

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