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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.

__ Prompt for Paragraph One - A Reflection of Your Choice __ This summer, I read the book //True Grit// by Charles Portis because I enjoy westerns. On my Summer Reading Proposal sheet, I said I chose to read this book because "I have seen both versions of the movie and enjoyed them but I want to know if there are parts the movie cut out, and my dad and brother also recomended it," and in fact I did find scenes that were cut out of the movies and i actually liked the book more than either movie, just as my dad and brother thought (Whitfield Reading Proposal). I liked it more because it did not leave out any detail like the movies, although some of the lines were verbatum with that of the book, both the movies left out a major part of the conclusion of the book that ties up the relationship between Mattie and Rooster by describing how Rooster loses his marshal badge and has a rough life for his remaining years and, because of this, he cannot communicate with Mattie, dieing after only talking t﻿o her a few times after their adventure (Portis 217-224). I loved the book and reading it affirmed my original reasons for choosing it.
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Wednesday, 8/24 **

Portis, Charles. //True Grit//. New York, NY: The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc., 2010. Print.

__ Prompt for Paragraph Two - A Discussion of What You Gained by Reading Your Book __ After reading //True Grit// by Charles Portis, not many of my thoughts or beliefs were changed or supported at all; however, I did learn and gain something from reading it. In the novel, a teenage girl named Mattie Ross goes on an adventure to revenge the death of her father and, naturally, people do not believe her and write her off as a naive young girl. However, she does in fact avenge her father, teaching me the lesson that if one truely is determined to accomplish a task, he can succeed no matter how seemingly unsurmountable the task. Mattie displays her determination when quarreling with Rooster about her coming with him to get the outlaw that killed her father or not, "You told me what your price for the job was and I have come up with it. Here is the money. I aim to get Tom Chaney and if you are not game I will find somebody who is game" (Portis 87). Mattie's perserverance taught me that any goal can be accomplished with enough willpower. Portis, Charles. //True Grit//. New York, NY: The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc., 2010. Print. //﻿//
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Thursday, 8/25 **

__ Prompt for Paragraph Three - What to do With it... __ To be honest, there are not many boundaries on the type of person who would enjoy this book, although a slight interest of the western genre may be necessary. I say that it may be necessary because the book has an "old west" setting and﻿ aspects pertaining to it that would only pertain to a western piece, however I believe that everyone who would read this book would enjoy it. It is narrorated by a girl, but is not feminine, the book has fighting and action scenes but is not graphic, it is dramatic but has comic relief; this book can be enjoyed by all gendres and ages. It has been considered an American masterpiece for centuries and is //New York Times// bestseller, and I would recommend this book to literally anyone who enjoys an orginial, exciting, and also funny story.
 * *Must be posted to the WIKI by midnight on Sunday, 8/28 **

You have good points in response to the prompts, but you should work on revision to strengthen your writing. You should focus on clarity and then use complex sentence structures. Be cautious and use the built-in spelling and grammar check, the words underlined in red are incorrect. // An outstanding response to the prompts will include the following: //
 * Scoring: Your three paragraphs will be given one overall grade, and the timeliness of your posts will be reflected in your "timeliness" grade. **
 * 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