Summer Reading

Incoming Honors 9th Summer Reading: Karns High School
English I Honors Summer Reading 2026:
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
Directions: 
❖ Book can be read online at 
https://www.bydewey.com/Peace.pdf or can be purchased online from Amazon or Target 
for around $10.
❖ Audio versions can be found on YouTube to assist in reading. 
❖ The book should be read in its entirety before the first day of school.
❖ While reading, the students will annotate the text. Active reading for school includes 
annotating the text, so helpful resources are provided below:

                 https://girlspring.com/5-helpful-tips-for-annotating-a-book-for-school/

                  https://www.tckpublishing.com/how-to-annotate-a-book/

❖ If the book is read online, the students can keep a notebook of the annotations making 
note of the page numbers correlating with the notes taken.
❖ The annotations are not optional and should be completed while reading the book. 
Ideally, the students will have at least one annotation on each page of the novel.
❖ Annotations will be checked by the teacher, so please do not fail to do them while 
reading.
❖ Once class starts, the students will have multiple assignments to show their understanding 
of the novel. 

Sophomore Honors Summer Reading
Due Date: First day of class
Books:
● How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas Foster
● Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley

Assignment: For your summer reading, you will be required to read two books. You must read the selected chapters from How to
Read Literature Like a Professor before you read Frankenstein. This is imperative. You will be focusing on analysis of Frankenstein
through the lens of the selected chapters.
Chapters to read in How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster:
● Introduction: How’d He Do That?
● Every Trip Is a Quest (Except When It’s Not)
● …Or the Bible
● It’s Greek to Me
● It’s More Than Just Rain or Snow
● …More Than It’s Gonna Hurt You: Concerning Violence
● Is That a Symbol?
● It’s All Political
● Geography Matters…
● …So Does Season
● Marked for Greatness
● Don’t Read With Your Eyes
Respond to each chapter listed by completing the chart. On the left side, summarize and explain the chapter from Foster’s book. Then,
write a well-developed paragraph that explains how the main points Foster is making applies to Frankenstein in the right column. The
minimum for your paragraphs is 150-250 words. Include at least two specific textual examples (one example must be a direct quote
from Frankenstein) that show how Mary Shelley utilizes the idea or technique discussed in Foster’s chapter. Use MLA parenthetical
citation to indicate where in the novel you found your examples. This will be due the first day of class. ONLY HAND-WRITTEN
COPIES WILL BE ACCEPTED. The use of an A.I. will earn a permanent, non-recoverable zero.
*Notes on Materials: You may purchase any edition of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Shop around places like McKays for discounted
used books. Barnes and Noble and Books-A-Million also have very affordable versions of the novel. Most bookstores should have a
copy of Foster’s How to Read Literature Like a Professor. The listed chapter titles vary by edition, but chapter titles do not. If you
cannot find a physical copy of Foster’s text, there are free versions online. Teachers will be incorporating other chapters of the text into
our studies this year, so a physical version would be the most helpful for students.
**Notes using the texts in class: Depending upon which teacher you have, both texts could be referenced several times in class.
Some assignments may require students to compare and contrast Frankenstein with other texts that we read in class. The class as a
whole may use the lenses in How to Read Literature Like a Professor to anchor discussion and for other assignments. Students may
be asked to bring both of these books to class.
The project will be a graded assignment. This assignment will be worth five percent of your total course grade. There will
also be a comprehension quiz about the content related to this project on the first full day of class.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email your teacher.
Mr. King: joseph.king@knoxschools.org
Mrs. Monday: rachel.monday@knoxschools.org
Mrs. Payne: sara.payne@knoxschools.org

AP LiteratureKarns High School
Summer Reading/Watching/Listening/Engaging 2026 
AP Literature
When utilized well, summer reading should be meaningful, enjoyable, and reasonable. Overloading you
with tedious, meaningless tasks in order for you to prove that you deserve a spot in the course just isn’t
our style. Summer reading should serve to benefit you by helping you retain the skills you will need to
succeed next year and by making you more well-rounded culturally. Because reading and writing are the
most important skills necessary for your success in AP Lit, your summer reading experience will involve
both. It is our hope that you will find these activities fulfilling and thought-provoking.
1. Summer Reading/Watching/Listening:
Attached, you will find lists of some of the most celebrated works of literature, film, and music from our
culture. Students should read ONE novel, watch ONE film, listen to ONE album, and complete ONE
activity from the lists. Upon return to school, students will write their first essay on these, and our first
classes will consist of discussions over the relevance of these works. Students are responsible for
obtaining their own copies of these works either from a bookstore or a local library. The Knox County
Library has copies of the vast majority of the films and albums. Many can also be found on Netflix,
Spotify, iTunes, or even YouTube.
*** Some of these works are for a mature audience. Those that are definitely controversial in nature are
indicated with a * or an R-rating. Still, students should talk with their parents before reading,
watching, or listening to ANY of the works. I highly encourage parents to read/watch/listen to and
discuss them with their children. This can be an enjoyable experience for everyone in the family!
2. Dialectical Journal:
Students should complete a dialectical journal as they read/write/listen. This journal is due on the first day
of class. See attached information on how to format entries.
Feel free to email Mrs. Monday and/or Mrs. Shoults if you have a question. Please allow a minimum of
24 hours to respond.
rachel.monday@knoxschools.org
april.shoults@knoxschools.org

First and foremost, I hope that you will enjoy the works that you choose to read/write/listen to this
summer. Second, realize that these are some of the most important works of art in our culture. Consider
why and what makes them lasting. To help you in this process, and to share your discoveries with me, you
will use a dialectical journal.
Dialectic means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving
question and answer.” The “dialectic” was the method Socrates used to teach his students how to be
actively engaged in the struggle to obtain meaning from an unfamiliar and challenging work. A dialectical
journal is a written conversation with yourself about a text that encourages the habit of reflective
questioning. You will use a double-entry form to examine details of a passage and synthesize your
understanding of the texts.
Procedure:
● Purchase a spiral bound notebook or composition book.
● Divide pages into three columns (see examples that follow).
● As you read, choose passages that stand out to you, and record them verbatim in the left
hand column. You should choose one passage for each chapter/section in your book. For
film, you will simply have one long response to the film. For the album, you will have a
response for each track. For the activity, one long response is adequate.
● In the right hand column, write your response to the text. For the novel, you must label
your responses using the following codes:
- (Q) Question - ask about something in the text that is unclear.
- (C) Connect - make a connection to your life, the world, or another text.
- (P) Predict – anticipate what will occur based on info in the text.
- (CL) Clarify – answer earlier questions or confirm/disaffirm a prediction.
- (R) Reflect – think deeply about what this passage means in a broad sense.
What is the author trying to say about the world or human nature? What
implications might this have for future reading?
- (E) Evaluate – make a judgment on the value of this particular section.
- For the film, consider how the filmmaker uses shot composition, soundtrack, scripting, etc,
to communicate the message to the viewer. What is the message and why is it so
important? For the album, consider how the lyrics and melody work together to
communicate a specific mood. Why might the artist’s message have been so important
during the time the album was released? What is it about this work that has helped it to
stand the test of time? For the activity, consider what you can take from the activity - how
might it influence your way of looking at the world moving forward? REMEMBER – You
will not have coded entries for the film, album, or activity, but your commentary should
still be thoughtful and thorough.
                                   Sample Dialectical Journal Entry – The Hunger Games                                                                         

Passages from the text - Make sure to number them.	Page #	Response to the passage – Each response must pertain to one of the codes listed above. Be sure to use a variety. Using the same codes for most or all of your entries will result in a lower score
“This teaming up with the Career wolf pack to hunt down the rest of us. No one from District 12 would think of doing such a thing! Career tributes are overly vicious, arrogant, better fed, but only because they are the Capitol’s lapdogs. Universally, solidly hated by all but those from their own districts. I can imagine the things they’re saying about him back home now. And Peeta had the gall to talk to me about disgrace?”	162	(E) It’s things like this that make me truly dislike Katniss. I know there wasn’t really a way for her to know that Peeta was just tricking the Careers, but she should have more faith in the boy! Peeta is kind, considerate, generous and an empathizer. Katniss is none of these. The only people she really cares about are Gale, her sister and mother (kind of). Other than that she tends to keep people at a distance. Is that a defense mechanism, or is she just cruel?

Sample Dialectical Journal Entry – Star Wars: A New Hope

Note that for a film, you need only record a response.

Wow! I had never seen this before, and now I  understand what all the fuss is about! I found  it fascinating how well this matches up with  most “hero quest” stories that I have read. In  fact, Luke seems like he might fit the  paradigm of an epic hero, though whether or  not he is a perfect match remains to be seen. I  like the way that George Lucas sets the tone  immediately through the epic, sweeping music  along with the words on the screen during the  first shot…(your response will be longer☺)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sample Dialectical Journal Entry – Prince – Purple Rain

Track number and title

Response

1. “Let’s Go Crazy”

Interesting how this opens with the famous “We are gathered here to get through this thing called life” intro. It kind of sounds like a eulogy which is strange because the song is so upbeat. Also, why begin an album with words that signal an ending? I kind of like that unexpected juxtaposition, and it completely works with the mood of both the album, and the song. I mean, the whole idea of going crazy – doing something different and outside of what is expected. The guitar at the end – woah… I’m sure this was an unusual sound even in the 1980s when it was released. The blend of R&B and rock – I can see why Prince is so lauded.

IMPORTANT:
*Write down your thoughts, questions, ideas, and insights while you read or immediately after
reading a chapter. DO NOT try to write all entries after finishing the book. You will find this to be
extremely tedious and not worth your efforts. The whole point is that this will help you to think deeply
about the text AS YOU READ.

GRADING SCALE:
A - Meaningful passages, plot, and quotation selections. Thoughtful interpretation and commentary
about the text; avoids clichés. Includes comments about literary devices such as theme,
narrative voice (POV), imagery, conflict, etc. and how each contributes to the meaning of the
text. Makes insightful personal connections and asks thought-provoking questions. Coverage
of text is complete and thorough. Journal is neat, organized and professional-looking; student
has followed directions in creation of journal. A variety of entry codes are used.

B - Less detailed, but good plot and quote selections. Some intelligent commentary; addresses some
thematic connections. Includes some literary devices, but less on how they contribute to the
meaning. Some personal connections; asks pertinent questions. Adequately addresses all parts
of reading assignment. Journal is neat and readable; student has followed directions in the
organization of journal. A variety of entry codes are used.

C - Few good details from the text. Most of the commentary is vague, unsupported, or plot summary
/ paraphrase. Some listing of literary elements; virtually no discussion of meaning. Limited
personal connection; asks few, or obvious questions. Addresses most of the reading
assignment, but is not very long or thorough. Journal is relatively neat, but may be difficult to
read. Student has not followed all directions. Lacking variety in entry codes.

D - Hardly any good details from the text. All notes are plot summary or paraphrase. Few literary
elements, virtually no discussion on meaning. Limited personal connections, no good
questions. Limited coverage of the text; way too short. Did not follow directions in organizing
journal; difficult to follow or read. No page numbers. No variety in entry codes.

F - Did not complete or plagiarized.
**Note:
Some of you are probably wondering – “Why should I bother?” Answer: Writing is born out of experience. A large
part of this class is about helping you find your voice. Finding your voice takes time. Writing throughout the summer will give
you time to begin to figure out your voice. Be yourself when you write. Don’t try to be too serious or academic. Be funny. Be
sarcastic. Be vulnerable. Be real. Your journal is for you.
A journal is what you make of it -- the more you put into it, the more benefit you will see. Hopefully your journal will be
much more (and a little less) than a diary. Your thoughts are valuable.
The List
Books – READ ONE
*The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
A Death in the Family by James Agee
*Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
*I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
*In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
*Never Let Me Go - Kazuo Ishiguro
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
*The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Movies: (From the American Film Institute’s 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time) – WATCH ONE
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, G)
All the President’s Men (1976, PG)
American Graffiti (1973, PG)
Bonnie and Clyde (1967, R)
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969, PG)
Casablanca (1942, PG)
Chinatown (1974, R)
Citizen Kane (1941, PG)
Dr. Strangelove (1964, PG)
E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982, PG)
The General (1926, NR)
The Godfather (1972, R)
The Gold Rush (1925, NR)
In the Heat of the Night (1967, NR)
Jaws (1975, PG)
M.A.S.H. (1970, R)
Network (1976, R)
Psycho (1960, R)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1982, PG)
Rear Window (1954, PG)
Rocky (1976, PG)
Schindler’s List (1993, R)
Shane (1953, NR)
Vertigo (1958, PG)

Albums: (From Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Albums of All
Time and The Guardian’s 50 Albums That Changed
Music) – LISTEN TO ONE
The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
The Beatles – Abbey Road
The Byrds – Sweetheart of the Rodeo
Johnny Cash – At Folsom Prison
Ray Charles – Modern Sounds in Country and Western
Music
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue
Bob Dylan – Blood on the Tracks
Aretha Franklin – I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love
You
Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On
The Grateful Dead – American Beauty
Lauryn Hill - The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
Michael Jackson – Thriller
*Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp a Butterfly
Led Zeppelin – Physical Graffiti
Joni Mitchell – Blue
Van Morrison – Astral Weeks
*Nirvana – Nevermind
Pink Floyd – Dark Side of the Moon
Elvis Presley – Elvis Presley (1956)
*Radiohead – OK Computer
Run DMC – Run DMC
Frank Sinatra – In the Wee Small Hours
*Patti Smith - Horses
Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run
U2 – The Joshua Tree
Stevie Wonder – Innervisions

Activities - COMPLETE ONE
*Having a broad range of experiences upon which one can draw is important to understanding the resonance
of many of the works we read.
1. Attend a summer festival. Try DollyFest, the Oak Ridge Lavender Festival, Maryville’s Big BBQ Bash, the
Granger County Tomato Festival, or any others you can find.
2. Go to a museum or historic attraction you haven’t been to previously. Try the Knoxville Museum of
Art, East Tennessee History Center, Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame, Oak Ridge’s Museum of Science
and Energy, James White’s Fort, Blount Mansion, Museum of Appalachia, etc.
3. Spend a day without electronics (no TV, cell phone, air pods, iPads, etc.) You will survive this one.
4. Spend a day with animals. Go to the zoo or visit the Humane Society or Young-Williams animal shelter.
5. Hike at least five miles in the Smoky Mountains. Or, if that’s too far, try a local hike like House
Mountain.
6. Talk to a grandparent or older adult (50+) about life in their younger years. Bonus if you record it on
Storycorps (https://storycorps.org/).
7. Go tent camping.
8. See a classic movie at the Tennessee Theatre. Their Summer Movie Magic series includes classic films
on Fridays and Sundays all summer long.
9. Eat a meal from a foreign culture (something you haven’t tried previously).
10. Spend an evening playing cards or board games with your family or friends.
11. Volunteer at a shelter or a food pantry.
12. Attend the Juneteenth Memorial March & Parade in downtown Knoxville.
13. Visit with patients at a nursing home.
14. Prepare a meal for your family and enjoy it with them.
15. Pick berries and make a cobbler or pie.
16. Attend a service of a different religion or interview someone who is of a different religion.
17. Repair or build something, or learn how to do some kind of maintenance (changing oil, rotating tires).
18. Learn to crochet, knit, or cross stitch.
19. Write a thank you letter to your parent/guardian. Do NOT use AI to help you - use your own words so
it’s genuine.
20. Attend an event related to the semiquincentennial (America’s 250th birthday). Some local options are
listed here: https://tinyurl.com/ye29a

AP English Language and Composition
Summer Reading Assignment for the 2026-2027 School Year
Congratulations, you have signed up for an amazing class, “AP English Language and Composition!”
Now, perhaps you just read the title and your first thought was, “Wait! Ugh! Summer Reading? How
amazing can AP Lang be if we have to do summer reading?” Well, here’s the thing, most, if not all of you
are taking this course with the intention of taking the exam. And, if you are going to take the exam, you
certainly want to do well on it. Right? So, the cheat code is that the AP Lang exam is, like the ACT, a
reader’s test. That means students who are stronger readers usually do better on the test. Some of you
may be thinking, “I’m not much of a “reader”. Hey, that’s okay, but it’d be awesome if you were to
improve in that area. The great news is that becoming a better reader is easy. You just need to read more.
And the best part? It doesn’t greatly matter what you read, just that you do. So, here is the first part of the
summer reading for the 2026-2027 school year:
1. Mr. Cionfolo (That’s me. Yes, I am writing in the 3rd person.) is an avid reader. For the two months of
school-free summer (June & July) he will read between 10-15 books. He challenges you to out read him.
Part 1 of the summer reading is to read at least one book of your own
choosing, but also see if you can out read Mr. Cionfolo. (I know, some of you are more
than up for this and thinking “Challenge accepted! Bring it old man!”) Regardless of where you stand on
the reading spectrum, start by picking out a book you think you will enjoy.
Great! We’ve got you reading, but unfortunately that by itself is not enough. Now we need you to do
some thinking about your reading. The AP exam will ask you to read a few short essays (think a full page
to a page and a half), think about them and then answer questions about how they were written. This
leads us to Part 2 of the summer reading for the 2026-2027 school year:
2. Read 5 articles in which the author is trying to get the reader to do
something. It could be something as small as changing their mind or as large as changing the world.
Do not feel the need to pick articles that deal with politics or major issues. Feel free to pick articles that
focus on subjects you are interested in. (For example, maybe you are a college football fan. You could
read an article in which the author is trying to persuade the readers that this is UT’s year to beat Florida
(not gonna happen) or win the SEC (definitely not gonna happen, I mean really, if you can’t beat Florida
how can you win the SEC?) While you are reading, focus on how the author is trying to move the reader
to do what he/she wants the reader to do.
Now that you have read each article, you need to do one more step.

For each article you will do a brief, paragraph long analysis. Your analysis
should include:
A) the title of the article and the author
B) Identify if the author used logic, emotion, morality, his/her credibility or
some combination of these to convince the audience
C) Identify specific words or phrases he/she used that got or should have
gotten a reaction out of the audience. Be sure to explain why those words or
phrasing would have gotten that reaction and
D) Identify the author’s tone.
You will submit this during the first week of your AP Lang class for a grade. It can be handwritten,
printed or shared as a Google doc.
See, that’s not too bad. Doing these 2 things will help make your semester in AP Lang and the exam a bit
easier.
But wait! There’s more! If you email Mr. Cionfolo (john.cionfolo@knoxschools.org) during
the summer and you introduce yourself, give a little of your background and reasons for taking AP Lang,
he will give you a little extra credit to start the semester off.
NOW GET OUT THERE AND READ, READ, READ
(Did you get the paraphrased reference there? IYKYK. If you did and correctly identify it in your email
to me, you will get even more extra credit