Step One: Choosing a Text
To help create a library of works that address contemporary issues, and to begin critically examining a relevant social concern at length, each Honors PSL Seminar scholar must choose a text (fiction or non-fiction) that addresses current problem(s) within our society. Some suggested texts are listed below, however you are welcomed and encouraged to discover additional options that meet the needs of our course, provided they address a social injustice and meet the academic expectations of a 12th grade honors student. While many of the texts listed are contemporary non-fiction, you are welcome to select a piece of fiction that addresses relevant social issues, or to choose a classical text with a social justice theme that resonates in the 21st century.
If you need help selecting a text, feel free to email Mr. Soeder or Mrs. Trentanelli throughout the summer. You should also consider visiting the Perry Public Library, or contacting other experts as you make your decision.
If you need help selecting a text, feel free to email Mr. Soeder or Mrs. Trentanelli throughout the summer. You should also consider visiting the Perry Public Library, or contacting other experts as you make your decision.
Texts to Consider (based on recommendations from previous PSL students)
All American Boys (Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely)
Americanah (Chimamanda Adichie)
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Educated (Tara Westover)
Enrique's Journey (Sonia Nazario)
Firekeeper's Daughter (Angeline Boulley)
Hillbilly Elegy (J.D. Vance)
Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi)
Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson)
Maid (Stephanie Land)
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town (Jon Krakauer)
Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist (Bill McKibben)
Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson)
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope (William Kamkwamba)
the curious incident of the dog in the night-time (Mark Haddon)
The Good Food Revolution (Will Allen)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
The Red Bandanna (Tom Rinaldi)
Turtles All the Way Down (John Green)
Unsheltered Love: Homelessness, Hunger, and Hope in a City Under Siege (Traci Medford-Rosow)
You'd Be Home Now (Kathleen Glasgow)
All American Boys (Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely)
Americanah (Chimamanda Adichie)
Between the World and Me (Ta-Nehisi Coates)
Educated (Tara Westover)
Enrique's Journey (Sonia Nazario)
Firekeeper's Daughter (Angeline Boulley)
Hillbilly Elegy (J.D. Vance)
Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi)
Just Mercy (Bryan Stevenson)
Maid (Stephanie Land)
Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town (Jon Krakauer)
Oil and Honey: The Education of an Unlikely Activist (Bill McKibben)
Speak (Laurie Halse Anderson)
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope (William Kamkwamba)
the curious incident of the dog in the night-time (Mark Haddon)
The Good Food Revolution (Will Allen)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Rebecca Skloot)
The Red Bandanna (Tom Rinaldi)
Turtles All the Way Down (John Green)
Unsheltered Love: Homelessness, Hunger, and Hope in a City Under Siege (Traci Medford-Rosow)
You'd Be Home Now (Kathleen Glasgow)
Texts You May NOT Use
(because anticipate reading them in class this year)
The Everyday Ambassador
The Glass Castle
Heroine
The Other Wes Moore
Outcasts United
Tuesdays With Morrie
any text you have read before, whether assigned in a class or for personal intellectual pursuit
(because anticipate reading them in class this year)
The Everyday Ambassador
The Glass Castle
Heroine
The Other Wes Moore
Outcasts United
Tuesdays With Morrie
any text you have read before, whether assigned in a class or for personal intellectual pursuit
Step Two: Constructing a Dialectical Journal
A dialectical journal is intended to be a conversation between you and your selected text, and will provide the foundation for our seminar conversations during the initial weeks of school. It is a venue for you to explore the passages and themes that resonate with you, and to provide you with the space to process the text critically and thoughtfully.
Your journal should be handwritten in a spiral-bound notebook or binder, and each entry should be a minimum of one page, though some passages/text might demand an extended reflection. When complete, your journal should have at least eight (8) thoughtful entries. In addition to your summer reading assignment, you will continue to use this notebook to for lecture notes, service reflections, and other course-related assignments throughout the 2018-2019 year.
Heading
Begin each dialectical journal entry at the top of a page. Create a heading with the date, title, and author , as well as chapter and/or page numbers.
Passage
Quote a compelling passage that resonates with you. Cite the page number MLA style in parentheses at the end of the passage. Especially long passages may be abbreviated appropriately with ellipses.
Response
Respond critically to your selected passage. You are welcome to consider the elements below as you construct your response, or you can take a different scholarly approach:
- Discuss what is interesting about the passage, examine the author’s representation of the events, or reflect on the character(s)’ thoughts/actions.
- Consider examining how the theme(s) within this passage might or might not help students develop democratic values by working for justice, becoming advocates, and affecting change.
- Reflect on any stylistic choices within the passage that are significant to the text.
- Review any challenging vocabulary words from the text, and define the word(s) as they are used in the context of the passage.
Odds and Ends
Each Honors PSL Seminar scholar is expected to select and acquire a text by early summer. Please email Mrs. Trentanelli if you need any help with the process.
The journal is due on the first day of class, and will be used as part of our seminar conversations during the initial weeks of school. Please review the rubric below if you are interested in learning how the journal will be assessed.
The journal is due on the first day of class, and will be used as part of our seminar conversations during the initial weeks of school. Please review the rubric below if you are interested in learning how the journal will be assessed.