May 2024
Aloha e Nā Haumāna,
Our school year is quickly coming to an end and, for many of you, summer can’t come fast enough! It is time to find and read a book or two or three. Your English teachers want your Summer Reading experience to:
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- Celebrate reading
- Create a culture of reading
- Offer you choice
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Look for book(s) that pique your interest or feeds your passion, which means, if you don’t like a book, choose another. At least ONE book needs to be read by the end of summer. Here are a few thoughts and links to help you choose and to meet your grade level expectations:
- Freshman, please see the English 9 Summer Reading Program letter from the grade 9 teachers. You may read any grade-level appropriate book that you have not read before. Honors 9 students should refer to the reading list below. There are seven English and two Hawaiian books that you may choose from.
- Sophomores and Juniors, you may choose ANY book of interest, providing that the subject matter is appropriate to discuss in an English classroom. While your interests may be maturing, we ask that you use discretion when selecting your texts, and we encourage you to challenge yourselves as readers.
Just in case, here is the link for the Summer Reading Program Letter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xwVQAOr4FPqld7HCTgG_12bx0Ye9fGC-LfP7JDoFx_s/edit?usp=sharing
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- Seniors: Your Senior kumu designed Ē Ola! Senior English Semester Course Summer Reading response options along with making “possible” book suggestions to get you started.
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Our HONORS English program requires specific books from a shorter list, since the Summer Reading is incorporated into the school year course. Please access the highlighted link for your Honors class assignment:
And for those of you, who are still struggling to find a book, pick one of the top five favorite books of your kumu—see our lists under our faculty pictures.
Try getting your reading out of the way early! For readers grades 9-11, here are five possible ways to complete your requirement before moving on to your next book:
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- Write a letter back to the author expressing your opinions (“Rocked it” and/or “Hated it”) about the book they wrote.
- Write a short story explaining where you think the main character would be in 10 years.
- Choose two people or characters from two different novels (read during the summer) that you think would be great friends and explain why.
- If you choose to read a book that is also a movie, compare and contrast say for instance, the New York bestseller novel, The Sun is Also A Star written by Nicola Yoon TO the movie version that is now streaming on Netflix.
- If you would prefer to wait until school starts, your kumu will provide an opportunity for you to share all about your chosen book.
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Finally, as English kumu, we understand that accessing hard-copies of books in our current pandemic can be a challenge, so we encourage you to use apps available through Midkiff Learning Center [sign-in using username + pswd in SSO] and the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System.
Have a fantastic summer!!!
Kumu Kaiwi
English Department Head
Kamehameha Schools—Kapalama
210 Konia Circle
Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96817
(808) 842-8578