Department of English

Outside Reading Requirements

 1. During the summer holiday, all students except for rising seniors (English IV and Advanced Placement English Literature students) must read two (2) books from the outside reading list for their particular grade level.

Students in English IV and Advanced Placement English Literature must read one (1) book from their list.

2.  During the winter break and January Term, all students in all grade levels will read one (1) additional book.

3.  All students will be evaluated on their book choices during the first two weeks of fall and spring semesters. 

4.  Only one (1) of the three books chosen may be a play.

5.  Students may read only the books listed for their particular grade level.  They may not substitute other books, nor may they report on books from the list for another grade level.

6.  No credit will be given for a book that has been read or studied in another class.  For example, if a student reads The Good Earth for her history class, she may not use it for outside reading in English.

7.  The English department at Salem Academy does not allow the use of any such superficial and often faulty literary supplements such as Cliff's Notes, Pink Monkey, Spark Notes, and so forth.  These supplements are not permitted for any outside reading texts or for classroom texts read throughout the year in any English class.  A teacher will confiscate any such materials and the incident will be reported to the Honor Cabinet.

8.  No outside sources of any type are permitted for the outside reading evaluation.  Be aware that online book reviews, notes on the back cover and book jacket, critical essays, or any other type of material written by someone else about your book choice gives you an unfair advantage over others, and will be reported to the Honor Cabinet.  ALL TEXTS MUST BE READ IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE.

9.  Students must have read completely each book on which they report.  Failing to read and report honestly on a book constitutes a violation of Salem's Honor Code.

10.  As always, any deliberate, careless, or negligent use of another's ideas-whether a direct quotation or a borrowed idea-must be fully and correctly cited in any outside reading report.  The English department reports every instance of plagiarism to the Honor Cabinet, and the student receives a zero for the assignment.

For detailed information about specific required readings, please click on your grade level.