Summer Reading
Required Summer Reading for GT/Pre-AP Grade 8

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

As defined by the College Board, Pre-AP/GT students will engage in curriculum that will provide depth and complexity, called differentiation.

Depth is the exploration of content within a discipline.
            · Analyzing from the concrete to abstract, familiar to the unfamiliar, known to the                     unknown;
            · Exploring the discipline by going past facts and concepts into                     generalizations, principles, theories, laws;
             · Investigating the layer of experience within a discipline through  
                   details, patterns, trends, unanswered questions, and
                    ethical considerations

Complexity is
              · Extending content in, between, and across disciplines through the study of themes,                 problems, and issues;
              · Seeing relationships between and among ideas in/within the topic, discipline,                 and/or disciplines;
              · Examining relationships in, between, and across disciplines over time, and from                 multiple points of view.

The GT/Pre-AP ELA student entering 8th grade is required to read the following:

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

The last novel Ernest Hemingway saw published, The Old Man and the Sea has proved itself to be one of the enduring works of American fiction. It is the story of an old Cuban fisherman and his supreme ordeal: a relentless, agonizing battle with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream.

After reading the novel, students are required to answer one of the following open-ended questions. Be sure to support your upon with text evidence from the novel. This response is due upon return to school for the fall semester:

            1. What do Santiago and Manolin have in common? Support your answer with                  evidence from the book.
            2. What are Santiago’s feelings toward the marlin? Support your answer with                 evidence from the book.
            3. Why does Manolin have such faith in Santiago? Support your answer with                  evidence from the book.
            4. What does the marlin represent? Support your answer with evidence from the                  book.
            5. What does the sea represent? Support your answer with evidence from the book.
                 Is the old man defeated at the end of the story? Why or why not? Support your                  answer with evidence from the book.

It is imperative that students complete this assignment in order to be successful in their 8th Grade GT/Pre-AP ELA class.