ESOL Summer Reading List

2014

These lists of books are a suggestion for fun reading during the summer. Each grade-level has
been chosen based on the subject matter and the level of difficulty. We, as the ESOL
Department, wish you an enjoyable time in experiencing new adventures through the use of
words found on the pages of these fine books. We hope that your imagination will find delight
and joy in these readings.

9th Grade ESOL Literature/ Composition:

So Far From the Bamboo Grove, Yoko Kawashima Watkins
An autobiography of a Japanese 11-year old girl who is trying
to escape Korea, as the Communist Koreans take back their country during World War II.

Please answer the following questions and create a map:
Who are the characters in the story? What is the setting of the novel? Write 10 new words you
learned in the story. Write sentences for them. Why must Yoko and her family leave Korea
where she has lived all her life? Yokos family has taken precautions against the dangers of war.
What war, and what are the precautions? Create a map of the areas discussed in the book. Locate
China, Russia, Japan, and the seas around Korea. During the novel, Yokos life changes many
ways. Explain. How would you react to such changes in your life?


9
th
Grade ESOL Support Literature/Composition:

The Miracle Worker, William Gibson

This is a remarkable true story of Helen Keller and her teacher Annie
Sullivan. An illness renders infant Helen Keller blind and deaf. Pitied and badly spoiled by her
parents, Helen is taught no discipline and, by the age of six, grows into a wild, angry, tantrum-
throwing child in control of the household. Desperate, the Keller family hires Anne Sullivan to
serve as governess and teacher for their daughter.

Please answer the following questions:
Who are the characters in the story? What is the setting? Describe one favorite scene of the
book. Write a short summary of the story. Write 10 new words you have learned in the book.
Write sentences for the new words.
Do research on Helen Keller or Annie Sullivan. Write a paragraph on Helen Keller or Annie
Sullivans life.







10
th
Grade ESOL Literature/Composition:

The Cay, Theodore Taylor

An adventure about a young boy named Phillip who is stranded on a cay with a West
Indian sailor and learns not to be so judgmental and prejudice toward colored people.

Please answer the following questions and create a map: Who are the characters in the book?
What is one conflict in the story? What caused Phillip to be stranded on the cay? How did
World War II affect Phillips life and beliefs? What are three specific experiences in The Cay,
and how did each change Phillip? What is the Devils Mouth in the book? Create a map of the
cay and Phillips living quarters. Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or Why not?

11
th
Grade Sheltered Literature: Choose one book.

An Edgar Allan Poe Reader, Edgar Allan Poe

This book contains some stories and poems that have made Edgar
Allan Poe a world figure and that have given pleasure to readers for almost 150 years.

Please do the following activities:
Choose one story and one poem to read. Tell what group the readings are in: mystery, horror and
fear, humorous, or psychological and why. Cite evidence. Identify the mood. What is the main
idea of the readings? Given 10-15 new words you found and cite where you found them in the
readings. Do research on Edgar Allan Poe. Write a paragraph on Edgar Allan Poes life.

Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye illustrates a teenager's dramatic struggle against
death and growing up in the 1950s. Holden Caulfield recounts the days following his expulsion
from Pencey Prep, a private school.

Please do the following activities:
Who are the characters in the story? What is the setting? What point of view is the story? How
does Holden change in the story? Give a summary of the story. Do research on J.D. Salinger.
Write a paragraph on J. D. Salingers life.


Communication Skills:

Javiers Dream, Linda Sibley
A young Mexican boy struggles to get to America for a better life.
Please answer the following questions:
Who are the characters? What is the setting? What is the problem? Write a summary of the
story. Draw a picture of your favorite scene in the book. Write 5 new words you learned. Write
sentences for these new words. Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or Why not?
Reading and Listening:

The Case of the Disappearing Kidnapper, Dorothy Francis
Children try to solve a case with the help of friends.

Please answer the following questions:
Who are the characters? What is the setting? What is the problem? How is the case solved?
Who solves the case? Write a summary of the story. Draw a picture of your favorite scene in the
book. Write 5 new words you learned. Write sentences for these new words.