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Home Summer Reading Assignment Students

Given the nature of the 2011 summer reading program, you had significant autonomy in selecting the books you would read. While you were responsible for completing a proposal, you were not given other assignments to complete over the summer. As indicated on your proposal form, you are required to write a letter to your 2011-12 Language Arts teacher that demonstrates your thoughtful reading of your book. We have chosen to break this down further into three focused "Power Paragraphs" for two reasons, one, to introduce you to the idea of a power paragraph, and two, to assist you in covering all aspects of the assignment.

Citation - Haddon, Mark. __The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time.__ New York: Vintage Contemporaries, 2003.

__ Prompt for Paragraph One - A Reflection of Your Choice __ For my summer reading, I hoped to read a novel that interested me by being able "to get insight on how handicapped people think and feel, due to the close people in my life who are" (Summer Reading Proposal). //The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time//, by Mark Haddon is narrated by a handicapped young boy, and I felt the novel clearly met my expectations. Haddon wrote the novel with great detail and really expressed how Christopher, the narrator, felt. For example, "I do not like people shouting at me...I put my hands over my ears and closed my eyes and rolled forward till I was hunched up with my forehead pressed onto the grass" (Haddon 4). Statements like these truly let the reader relate to how Christopher felt, making this novel outstanding. Good job using the power paragraph structure. I would like to see you cut some of the words/phrases that do not add to your paragraph.
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Wednesday, 8/24 **

__ Prompt for Paragraph Two - A Discussion of What You Gained by Reading Your Book __ //The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time// by Mark Haddon was written in the perspective of a mentally handicapped young boy and to see the way he was treated by certain people and what they of him really changed me. Some people treated Christopher badly and accused him of causing trouble just because of his mental condition, but the reader can tell that that people in his life who treat him respectfully truly affects his life drastically. Christopher speaks about Siobhan, his aid at school, as being the one who helps him through all of his tough times, and tries to make things easier for him. For example, "...I don't know what Father means when he says 'Stay out of other people's business'...Siobhan understands. When she tells me not to do something she tells me exactly what it is that i am not allowed to do. And I like this" (Haddon 29). After reading this book it makes me realize how the little things can really make a difference in someone's life, especially one who is usually treated disrespectfully. You have made a good point here, but your language could be clearer. Read the first and last sentences aloud; do they sound right to you?
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Thursday, 8/25 **

__ Prompt for Paragraph Three - What to do With it... __ I would highly recommend the book //The Curious Incident of the Night-time// by Mark Haddon, but mostly to a certain group of people. In order to read and enjoy this book, I feel the reader needs to be able to truly want to connect with the main character, which I would think is mostly girls, teenagers or older. The book is an emotional roller coaster, where Christopher makes comments like "Terry...said I would only ever get a job collecting supermarket trollies or cleaning out donkey shit at an animal sanctuary... " (Haddon 25), and you really feel connected to the main character. This novel is a book that the reader won't want to stop reading, so if thats the kind of book you're looking for, it would be perfect! Avoid "I think/feel" phrases, they just obscure your points. I find it interesting that you say this would be a "girls" book. You don't think boys would relate to a boy main character? Maybe you are trying to say that the book needs a sensitive, caring reader, and boys generally are not this type of reader (at least they don't admit it).
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Sunday, 8/28 **


 * Scoring: Your three paragraphs will be given one overall grade, and the timeliness of your posts will be reflected in your "timeliness" grade. **

// An outstanding response to the prompts will include the following: Good content, just work on format for clarity and focus. //
 * A strong topic sentence that clearly establishes the focus on the prompt
 * Evidence that clearly supports the topic sentence
 * Correct use of internal citations and a properly formatted MLA citation for your book (put this citation at the end of paragraph one)
 * Strict adherence to the Power Paragraph format
 * Mechanics are clean and do not detract from meaning