2010SummerreadingProgram

uPPerSchool

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.

- Joseph Addison

Student achievement begins with confident reading. So this summer don’t forget to tuck a book into camp trunks, carry-on luggage and hiking knapsacks. Leave room in the beach bag for a book by your favorite author!

He that loves a book will never want a faithful friend, a wholesome counselor, a cheerful companion, an effectual comforter. By study, by reading, by thinking, one may innocently

divert and pleasantly entertain himself, as in all weathers, as in all fortunes.- Barrow

Does not wisdom call and does not understanding raise her voice? - Proverbs 8:1

The failure to read good books both enfeebles the vision and strengthens our most fatal tendency -- the belief that the here and now is all there is. - Allan Bloom

Children are made readers on the laps of their parents. - Emilie Buchwald

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him. - James 1:5

Read, read, read. - William Faulkner

Today a reader, tomorrow a leader. - W. Fusselman

To read is to empower To empower is to write To write is to influence

To influence is to change To change is to live.

- Jane Evershed

The greatest gift is the passion for reading.It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites,

it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind.It is a moral illumination.

- Elizabeth Hardwick

2010 Summer Reading Program

Researchers have confirmed what you may have observed as a parent - that children differ widely in how much they read. Some children are voracious readers who keep a flashlight by the bed while other children believe that reading is a painful experience devised by adults who just don’t understand all that life has to offer.

Researchers have shown that students who read consistently and widely develop fluency, a rich and useful vocabulary, expand their knowledge of God’s world, other people, historical events, and culture. Most significantly, reading is a fundamental skill that positively correlates with academic achievement.

Simple reading is not enough. Chall, Jacobs, and Baldwin (1990) emphasize that challenging but comprehensible reading materials need to be the primary portion of students’ reading diets. Reading easy, entertaining, enjoyable books or an “old favorite” is appropriate once in awhile but should be considered an occasional treat.

We encourage students, with parent help and direction, to choose books to read that appeal to their interests. Students are encouraged to read with purpose—to learn or for pleasure. We also advocate designating some reading time each day.

For middle students, the themes or concepts that students learn about through summer reading assignments will be integrated in the curriculum in August. Summer reading gives students the background information they need to participate in meaningful class discussions.

The quantity of thought-provoking supplementary books that are beneficial for students preparing themselves for college grows every year. Students can use the summer months to their advantage by reading a wide variety of books. Upper school students may be able to include their thoughts and reflections about books that have impressed them as part of college essays.

All choices for summer reading for lower school students are personal. We have listed favorite series, authors and award winning books. Again we encourage students to read within their reading zone. Middle and upper school students have both required and optional reading suggestions. Thank you in advance for supporting encouraging your children to read consistently throughout the summer.

Chall, J., B.Jacobs, and L. Baldwin. “The Reading Crisis.” Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1990.

Why Read Throughout the Summer?

Charlotte Christian School faculty and staff have not read all of these books. We have, however, read reviews and have tried to recommend books that are wholesome and uplifting. There may be times when reviews may not reveal language or ideas that members of the Charlotte Christian community consider inappropriate; therefore, we recommend that families read together. Reading with family members benefits students in several ways. Reading as a family supports the concept (value) that reading often and reading on a variety of topics creates a well-read educated person. Students retain information better when they have an opportunity to discuss (retell) what they have learned or experienced by reading. Students can ask questions about unfamiliar concepts or vocabulary. Explanations will foster additional learning that becomes new background knowledge. This new background knowledge can be used for making connections to even more new learning in the future.

For upper school students, reading consistently throughout the summer months prepares them for the academic courses that they will take in the fall. The quantity of thought-provoking supplementary books that are beneficial to students preparing themselves for college grows every year. Students can use the summer months to their advantage by reading a wide variety of books. Reading prepares students to deal with new ideas and provides a basis for discussion and reflection on a common topic.

Every student in every grade in the upper school is required to read at least one book. The book assignments are generally made by grade level. Students in honors and/or Advanced Placement® classes have additional reading assignments. There are also lists of optional books for those students who want to learn more in a particular area.

Teachers have specific units and activities planned that will deal with the content of the required books. Teachers may ask students to read paying attention to specific concepts, themes, ideas, characterization and so forth and will directly communicate their expectations to students.

Note: AP Foreign Language teachers will send a summer assignments packet to those students taking an AP Foreign Language class. This is required work for those students.

Upper School Instructions

required reading for riSing grade 9: • The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

In addition, students taking HonorS engliSH are required to read the following book. • Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

required reading for riSing grade 10: • Killer Angels by Michael Shaara In addition, students taking HonorS engliSH and/or aP u.S. HiStory are required to read a second book. Students taking aP u.S. HiStory are also required to read this book. • Albion’s Seed by David Hackett Fischer

Students taking HonorS engliSH but who are not taking aP u.S. HiStory, please select ONE: • The Jungle by Upton Sinclair • How Should We Then Live by Francis Schaeffer • Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe • The Crucible by Arthur Miller • The Light and the Glory by Peter Marshall

required reading for riSing grade 11: • Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton Students in aP euroPean HiStory are required to read one of the following books. • Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths by Regine Pernoud • Templars: The Knights of Christ by Regine Pernoud • The Crusades by Hilaire Belloc • Citadel of God: A Novel of St. Benedict by Louis de Wohl • Joan of Arc by Mark Twain • Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

In addition, HonorS engliSH or aP language and ComPoSition and/or aP u.S. government & PolitiCS also must read ONE of the following books. The descriptions above each book or group of books are there to help students in HonorS or aP language and/or aP HiStory make a decision about the next required book.

Students who are taking HonorS engliSH or aP language and ComPoSition may choose any of the following books: • Barefoot Heart by Elva Trevino Hart • Ake: The Years of Childhood by Wole Soyinka • Siddharatha by Herman Hesse • The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende • Pavilion of Women by Pearl Buck • The Autobiography of Malcolm X These two books are options ONLY for those in aP language and ComPoSition and are not required reading for any student. • Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance* by Robert Pirsig • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings* by Maya Angelo

Students who are also interested in themes that will align with Junior BiBle (Christian Theology and World Religions) might want to read the following book. • Jesus Among Other Gods by Ravi Zacharias

Students who are taking aP u.S. government & PolitiCS might want to read one of the following books: • What’s so Great About America by Dinesh D. Souza • Common Sense by Thomas Paine

Students who are taking the Civil War elective might want to read the following book: • Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara

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required reading for riSing grade 12: • The Stranger by Albert Camus (French author)

(Themes in this book align with both engliSH and BiBle.)

Students in aP literature and ComPoSition classes are also required to read the following book. • Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Students in aP euroPean HiStory are required to read one of the following books. • Those Terrible Middle Ages: Debunking the Myths by Regine Pernoud • Templars: The Knights of Christ by Regine Pernoud • The Crusades by Hilaire Belloc • Citadel of God: A Novel of St. Benedict by Louis de Wohl • Joan of Arc by Mark Twain • Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

Students taking aP enviromental SCienCe are required to read one of the following books & complete the assignment posted on the Web site: • Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey • A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

These lists provide optional choices for students who want to read additional books.

dr. Headley’s recommendations:• Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather• Hiroshima by John Hersey• My Antonia by Willa Cather• The Oregon Trail by Francis Parkman• Son of the Morning Star by Evan Connel• Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana

mrs. Crawford’s recommendations (aP art HiStory): •Mark of the Lion: A Voice in the Wind, An Echo in the Darkness, As Sure the Dawn (Vol. 1-3) by Francine Riversmr. nielsen’s recommendation: • What’s So Great About America by Dinesh D’Souza

US Optional But Recommended List

• Antigone by Sophocles• Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare• Tartuffe by Moliere• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde• Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen• The Seagull by Anton Chekhov• Saint Joan by George Bernard Shaw• Mother Courage by Bertolt Brecht• Our Town by Thorton Wilder

US Theatre Optional But Recommended List• Long Day’s Journey Into Night by Eugene O’Neill• The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams• The Little Foxes by Lillian Hellman• Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller• Lost in Yonkers by Neil Simon• Respect for Acting by Uta Hagen• A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry• Fences by August Wilson• Miss Julie by August Strindberg

7301 Sardis Road • Charlotte, NC 28270 • (704) 366-5657 • www.charlottechristian.com

Charlotte Christian School is a Christ-centered, college preparatory school, equipping and developing students toeffectively integrate Biblical truth and learning into their daily lives and to impact the culture for Christ.