Ninth Honors English - Beckham

Ninth Grade Summer Reading Guiding Questions for Memoir

Choose either Boy by Roald Dahl or One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty. As you read, you should complete the guided reading questions. A template for your answers can be downloaded by clicking below:

• Boy, Guided Reading Template
• One Writer's Beginnings, Guided Reading Template

The questions below are the basis for the templates linked above.

1.  Which words from the chapter did you have to use context clues to understand?
2. Pick three sentences from the chapter that best typify the author’s voice throughout. Write them here and explain why you choose each.
3. Find ten interesting adjectives used by the author in this chapter, list them in context. For five of the adjectives you selected, explain why you found them interesting – each should highlight a different interesting quality.
4. What are the three most surprising verbs in the chapter? What about the choice to use each of those verbs struck you as a reader?
5. Did you notice any colloquialisms (words or phrases that seem unique to the time and place)? What are they and how are the used (in dialogue, as the narrator’s thoughts, etc)?
6. Do the chapters have title names? If yes, to what effect (i.e. are they similar in any way? Unified in some way?)? If no, name each chapter and explain your choice.
7. Be aware of the author’s perspective. Find two examples of when the author transitions from the experience of the moment (as it was lived) to a reflective vantage (looking back). Write those examples down and discuss how the author makes that transition effective – rather than confusing to the reader.

There are no guided reading questions for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time / Mockingbird, but discussion and writing will rely on the students knowledge of the book. Read carefully!