Summer Assignment 2: Generations

2: Generations

          What would a summer English assignment be without a little reading?  While reading is often a solitary experience when you’re not in school, you’re going to read with another person.  The reason I call this activity Generations, is that the person with whom you read needs to be someone significantly older than you.  Here’s how it works:

            First, decide with whom you would like to read.  It might be a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, god parent, or an older family friend (who your folks say is ok).

            Next decide with them what you will read.  I would prefer that you choose a book that is new to you and challenging, something that might be considered a “classic.” The work can be a novel or a work of non-fiction, like a history or biography.  We all have our old favorites, but this is about sharing the experience of reading, so a work that is new to you both will be the most fun.  When you have picked your book visit the blog and let us know what you’re reading!

            Now read.  You don’t need to sit down and read together (though that can be fun!).  You should periodically make time to have a quick discussion with your partner about what is happening in the book, what you both think of it, surprises or challenges in the text, and messages or interpretations that you can take from the book.

            Finally: the interview.  After you have both finished the book visit the blog for a set of interview questions about the book and your shared reading process.  The questions will be posted by the end of next week.  You’ll need to write out answers to the questions, or see the enrichment ideas below for some other possible ways to showcase what you learn.

            Enrichment:  If you’re feeling ambitious (and I hope you are!) here are some ways to have more fun with this activity:

• Read with a larger group.  Try picking a book to read with the whole family and include  mixed generations, i.e. Mom, Dad, Grandparents, and younger siblings or cousins
• Try two books, one picked by you and one picked by your partner.  Think about what the choices say about each of you
• Try a work of fiction and a work of non-fiction.  Compare the techniques used by authors of both
• Rather than a written response to the questions, make video of you and your partner interviewing each other.