This summer you will read BOTH Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser ...

***Greetings, Rising Juniors! This summer you will read BOTH Fast Food Nation by Eric
Schlosser AND The Awakening by Kate Chopin. You will respond to discussion board questions
for Fast Food Nation on Turnitin.com, and you will upload a word document onto Turnitin.com
answering questions about The Awakening. The postings and the upload for both books will be
due the FIRST DAY class meets which will be a 7-PERIOD REVIEW DAY. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Pace yourself, and don’t procrastinate! Detailed instructions are below.***
Elizabeth Seton High School Summer Reading --- Grade 11
Required Text: Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Your summer reading assignment will be completed through the Turnitin.com website by posting five times on your
assigned discussion board. The grade you receive on this assignment will be based on both the quality of your ideas and
the quality of your writing. Take your time on this assignment. Posts will be monitored by an English teacher throughout
the summer. Posting options will be closed on the first day of school. Please note that there is no “I had computer issues”
excuse for not posting on the discussion board. DO NOT USE INTERNET SOURCES, CLIFF’S NOTES, OR ANY
OTHER OUTSIDE SOURCES WHILE READING THE BOOK OR WHILE WORKING ON THIS ASSIGNMENT.
Any student who is found to use outside sources will be given a zero. We want to see YOUR ideas only!
*Note: Please abide by the alphabetical assignments below no matter what teacher you will have junior year.*
• Students with last names beginning with A-L should sign up for the following discussion board:
Class Title: Junior Summer Reading A-L
Class ID: 4034818
Enrollment password: english2011
• Students with last names beginning with M-Z should sign up for the following discussion board:
Class Title: Junior Summer Reading M-Z
Class ID: 4034824
Enrollment password: summer2011
Please be sure you have signed up on Turnitin.com to discuss the book (directions are attached).
POSTING GUIDELINES:
Each post can be observation or analysis and should include at least one question you have about the reading. Each
post should be about 8-10 sentences. Each original post that you write (not a reply to a peer’s post) should be given a
title (i.e. “Teenage Fast Food Employees in Fast Food Nation”). Naturally, all posts must have proper grammar,
punctuation, spelling and should demonstrate your vast vocabulary knowledge.
Note: These prompts are just to get you thinking. You DO NOT need to answer EVERY question in each prompt, but you
do need to give a coherent and insightful paragraph for each post. Remember that you do not always have to start from
scratch---your post can be in response to one of your classmate’s ideas, either agreeing (in which case, you might add
additional support for her argument) or disagreeing (in which case, you will offer CONSTRUCTIVE criticism and support
for why you disagree).
POST ONE: INTRODUCTION and CHAPTER 1: “The Founding Fathers” and CHAPTER 2: “Your Trusted Friends”
Before you even open the book, take a close look at the outside: consider the cover illustration, the title, the blurb on the
back---everything on the surface. What do you think this book will be about (DO NOT just summarize the back blurb)?
What does the title reflect about America? What do you make of Schlosser’s story about Cheyenne Mountain in the
introduction? What manifestations of fast food do you see in the media? What was most notable about the fast food
founding fathers? How do fast food restaurants target children? How do you see yourself or your family as a target of fast
food marketing? What are your thoughts on fast food/your interaction with it and how do you think they might change by
the end of this book? Have you ever thought about the operation BEHIND the counter, not just the people working or the
operations behind the counter? Who do you think is the driving force of fast food and what do you think their intentions
are? What has led you to believe this about the "big guys" of your favorite fast food restaurant?
POST TWO: CHAPTER 3: “Behind the Counter” and CHAPTER 4: “Success”
What is most notable about Schlosser’s story of Colorado Springs? What do you make of the fact that “teenagers have long
provided the fast food industry with the bulk of its workforce” (70)? If you have worked in the fast food industry, what has
been your experience? Explore your reaction to the following idea: While “the fast food industry now employs some of the

most disadvantaged members of American society,” Schlosser argues that “the stance of the fast food industry on issues
involving employee training, the minimum wage, labor unions, and overtime pay suggests that its motives in hiring the
young, the poor, and the handicapped are hardly altruistic” (71). How would you evaluate the experiences of Dave
Feamster and Peter Lowe? What are some misconceptions that you believe most people have about fast food employees
behind the counter? How and why have these misconceptions become so widespread?
POST THREE: CHAPTER 5: “Why the Fries Taste Good” and CHAPTER 6: “On the Range”
What do you make of J.R. Simplot’s story? What stood out to you about the “highly secretive” flavor industry (120)? How
have the roles of ranchers and cowboys evolved? How has the fast food industry been a driving force of that evolution?
Any predictions about the future of the cattle industry? What is your reaction to Hank’s story?
POST FOUR: CHAPTER 7: “Cogs in the Great Machine” and CHAPTER 8: “The Most Dangerous Job”
How are the changes and the current environment in Greeley, Colorado indicative of the influence of fast food? Analyze
the chapter 7 title, “Cogs in the Great Machine.” What did you learn about the slaughterhouse industry? Analyze the
chapter 8 title, “The Most Dangerous Job.” Explore OSHA’s relationship with the meatpacking industry. What do you
make of Congressman Tom Lantos’ statement that IBP is “one of the most irresponsible and reckless corporations in
America” (180)? What is your reaction to Kenny’s story? What do you make of the stories of female sexual harassment?
What are your thoughts on how little you knew about what goes into the fast food industry (speaking in terms of the
meatpacking industry and even farming and agriculture)? Are any of your thoughts/ideas about fast food starting to further
develop and/or change? How?
POST FIVE: CHAPTER 9: “What’s in the Meat,” CHAPTER 10: “Global Realization” and EPILOGUE
What do you make of Schlosser’s facts about E. Coli and other foodborne pathogens and illnesses? What should the
government do to combat these pathogens? How has the fast food industry affected the global market? What are the
ramifications of global realization? What are your predictions for the future of fast food? Did this book change the way
you view fast food? Can you see yourself changing your behavior when it comes to fast food and your interaction with it?
How will your behavior change and why? If it won't change, then please justify your decision to keep doing what you have
been doing. Overall, how would you rate this book on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the best? Explain your rating. Would you
tell a friend this book was worth reading? What did you like or dislike specifically? Do you think you’ll read another book
by this author? Why or why not?

Elizabeth Seton High School Summer Reading --- Grade 11
Required Text: The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Your summer reading assignment will be completed through the Turnitin.com website by uploading a Word document of
the assignment below (use MLA format). The grade you receive on this assignment will be based on both the quality of
your ideas and the quality of your writing. Take your time on this assignment. It is due the first day of school (the 7-period
review day). If you have “computer issues” and are unable to upload your document, bring a hard copy on the first day of
class. DO NOT USE INTERNET SOURCES, CLIFF’S NOTES, OR ANY OTHER OUTSIDE SOURCES WHILE
READING THE BOOK OR WHILE WORKING ON THIS ASSIGNMENT. Any student who is found to use outside
sources will be given a zero. We want to see YOUR ideas only!
***In addition to completing this assignment, students should also be prepared for a CHECK TEST on The
Awakening within the first 2 cycles of the school year. Your teacher will give you more information about this test
the day you return.***
Use the same Turnitin.com class that you used for the Fast Food Nation discussion board (copied below for your
reference). Under the “assignments” tab, you will see a place to upload your document under an assignment titled “The
Awakening” (detailed directions for uploading assignments are attached). Just as a reminder, the class ID information and
password are as follows:
• Students with last names beginning with A-L:
Class Title: Junior Summer Reading A-L
Class ID: 4034818
Enrollment password: english2011
• Students with last name beginning with M-Z:
Class Title: Junior Summer Reading M-Z
Class ID: 4034824
Enrollment password: summer2011
Respond to each of the following questions in 8-10 sentences. You can opt to number your paragraphs, if you prefer.
Naturally, all writing must have proper grammar, punctuation, spelling and should demonstrate your vast vocabulary
knowledge.
1) After The Awakening’s publication in 1899, it was banned and received harsh public criticism for decades. Why do you
think Chopin’s novel was so ill-received in the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries? How would the response Chopin received
back then differ from the response that she would get if she was releasing her book in the 21 st century? Explain your
answer.
2) Is The Awakening a coming-of-age novel? Why or why not? Explain using at least two specific events (quotes or
narration cited according to MLA guidelines) from the novel. You may want to think about whether the protagonist, Edna
Pontellier, experiences a loss of innocence or rites of passage or whether she tries to “re-invent” herself. How might Edna’s
coming-of-age compare to a young woman “coming of age” in 2011?
3) Why has Edna chosen the path she has at the conclusion of the novel? Do you admire her? Pity her? What other
emotions do you feel towards her? How has your opinion of Edna changed throughout the novel?
4) Analyze Edna Pontellier from a SOCIAL perspective (the social setting is an elite community in the southern United
States in the late 1800s). Some questions to guide you (you do not need to address every question):
- How is she defined, limited, and/or guided by society?
- Does Edna’s gender, social status, and/or race affect her?
- Does Edna hold social power? Over whom? Who holds power over her?
- Does Edna comply with her expected role as a lady of the south in the late 19 th century?
- How might Edna be perceived socially in today’s society?
5) Birds and the sea are significant symbols in the novel. Choose one and analyze its significance. Cite at least two specific
passages from the novel (quotes or narration) in your analysis. Be sure to discuss the object itself (birds or the sea) and its
deeper meaning.

Junior Transfer Students: Getting Started With TurnItIn.Com
1) Go to www.turnitin.com.
2) Click on “Create Account.”
3) Click on “Create a student profile.”
4) Click on the “Student” link under
“Create a New Account.”
5) When the next screen comes up, enter
the class ID and enrollment password

listed on your summer reading assignment.
6) When asked for your first and last name, enter your
formal first and last name
as you see it on your report
cards, etc. Then enter the
email address you use most
frequently.
7) You will be asked to enter your password twice. Use the same password
that you use to log in to your email. (If you need to add a number, just add a 1 to the
end so that it’s easy to remember.)
8) Then choose a secret question that you
will be sure to remember the answer to.
9) You will then be asked to
read a user agreement. Click on “I am
at least 13 years of age, then click on “I
agree—finish profile.”
10) At this point, you will
have finished the basic setup.
Your class homepage will look like the picture below. After you are
registered in your English classes, any other teachers who will use
TurnItIn.com with you will register you in their classes. You will
automatically see their classes listed,
too.

Transfer Students: Using the Discussion Board on Turnitin.com
11) Make sure you are logged on to www.turnitin.com.
--Use your email address.
--Your password should be the same one you use to log on to your email.
(You may have added a 1 to the end if necessary during registration.)

12) Once you are logged in, click on the class where a discussion has been
assigned. This may also be your summer reading group.
13) IGNORE the assignments listed in the center of the screen. Instead, focus
on the left hand side of the screen, and click on the link that says
“discussion.”
14) Your teacher will have at least one discussion topic listed, more than one
if you are completing your summer reading assignment. Click on the title of
the discussion that you would like to join.

15) Read your teacher’s
directions (that’s the
italicized part), then click on
“Reply to this topic.”
16) Type your comment, then reread it, checking for any grammar or spelling
errors. Remember that this is an assignment that your teacher will be
reading, and that you should use excellent spelling, grammar, and

capitalization (no “u,” “2”, etc. ). Remember to follow any other directions
(word limit, etc.) that your teacher has asked you to follow.
17) You will see your
message appear on the
message board. Your teacher
may have asked you to also
reply to a classmate’s
comment. Read through the
comments on the board and
find one that
you would
like to
respond to. To reply, click on
the “reply” button
underneath their comment, and type your response.
18) Remember to check the message board again later in order to read your
classmates’ comments.
Junior Summer Reading 2010
Instructions for Uploading The Awakening response to Turnitin.com
1) Make sure you are logged into Turnitin.com under Junior Summer
Reading (the same place you visited to post on the discussion board for
Fast Food Nation). Click on “Junior Summer Reading.”

2) You should now see the following screen that says, “The Awakening.”
When you are prepared to submit your word document answering the 5
questions, click the SUBMIT button.
3) After clicking SUBMIT, enter your first and last name and a title for your document.
Next, hit BROWSE to locate your document to upload.

4) After hitting BROWSE, you will see the following screen. Find your document and hit
OPEN. After your document appears in the BROWSE box, click UPLOAD.
5) After hitting UPLOAD, you will see the following screen. ***You ARE NOT finished
uploading your document after you hit UPLOAD.*** There is an additional step you must
take to ensure your paper is submitted. The following screen will appear. Click SUBMIT.

6) After clicking SUBMIT, a confirmation screen will appear to verify that your document has
been successfully uploaded: