Summer Assignments- 6th Grade, 7th Grade, and 8th grade
​Due Date:  First Day of School

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Graded Summer Assignment  for Incoming Sixth Graders

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     Please read at least two books and be ready to  present a Book Talk on each book.  A book talk is a short presentation about a book with the goal of convincing other people to read it. It’s not a formal book report or review. 

A book talk could highlight the plot or it could focus on a character or it could recreate a book’s mood to ignite readers’ curiosity. (from weareteachers.com)  Your book talk cannot be longer than 10 minutes total.  You may use notecards to help you during your Book Talk, but you should not read from the cards.  One (and only one) Free Homework Pass to any student who reads more than two books this summer and adds those extra titles to their ten minute book talk.    Remember- only ten minutes total to talk about two (or more) books. 

  Great website about Book Talks:

https://www.weareteachers.com/what-is-a-book-talk/   

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Graded Summer Assignments for Incoming Seventh Graders

 

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1.  Actively read and annotate  one Fiction and one Nonfiction book.   

Use Post-its to write your thoughts, questions, or opinions or write directly in the book, if allowed.  Use these notes to help you write your journal entries.

 

3.  Write 5 Journal entries about the Fiction book.

4.  Write 5 Journal Entries about the Nonfiction book.

            

Journal Entry Expectations:

• Each entry needs to be at least a full page long

• Each entry needs to be neat and legible- typing is fine- staple typed pages into the notebook.  Make sure the pages are not sticking out.

• Spelling counts

• Title of the book needs to be written at the top of each entry

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Possible Journal Topics:

• Any connection to the book and yourself, family, or friends?

• Any connection between the book and the world?

• Why did you choose these two titles?

• Compare/Contrast your  book to another book-how are they alike and different?

• Would you make any changes to the book- why or why not?

• Favorite/Least favorite characters and why?

• Did you learn anything new? If so, what?

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• Did you go beyond with this book and research something you learned- if yes- what did you research? Did anything surprise you?  Did your initial research take you in any other directions?   Give details

• Rate the book and explain your rating system and why that book received the rating

• Golden lines (copy the exact lines and highlight them in yellow ) and explain why you chose these lines- Be specific!

• If your book was already made into a movie-compare and contrast the book to the movie- how were they alike and/or different?  Did you prefer one over the other, why?

• If YOU  were to make this book into a movie- who would play the leading roles- why did you choose these actors to play the lead parts?  Give details.

• Who would you recommend this book to (name the person) and why?

Here is a good website for the reason to annotate: https://davidrickert.com/2020/07/15/is-annotating-necessary/

Here is a great video with tips: https://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+annotate+for+middle+schoolers&oq=how+to+annotate+form+midd&aqs=chrome.1.69i57j0l5.7654j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#kpvalbx=_1YoTX5icLMeMsQWWwavYBw27

Free Homework Pass (only one ) to any student who reads and journals about more than two books. 

Free Homework Pass- Choose a fiction and nonfiction books that are about the same topic.

 

8th Grade- Graded Summer Assignments for incoming 8th graders

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Read one fiction and one nonfiction book and compete one of the assignments listed below.  Please follow directions.

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Choice # 1: 

Fiction Book Interactive Poster Project- 
                 on 12 by 12 card stock type paper-
                                         (Scrapbook paper-sold at Michael's)
Design and Construct an Interactive Book Poster-an interactive poster is a poster that encourages interaction- Flaps that open, slots where paper can be pulled out, scrolls that come off the poster, Velcro items that can be taken off and on , envelopes that can be opened with information inside, paper circles that spin, etc..

     Fiction Poster Must Include:
 5 Literary Elements of your Fiction Book
Literary Elements: 
  A.  Characters- Share and Describe the Protagonist, Antagonist
       - Appearance, Personality, Interests, Way of Speaking, 
            What others think of these characters, 
            How do these characters treat others
       Are these characters-
             Dynamic (changes over time)
                      or Static (No changes over time)
  B. Plot Structure - show in words and pictures 
                   the plot of your fiction book
      Include the following words: Exposition, Rising Action, 
                                           Climax, Falling Action, Resolution
C.  Conflict- struggle between 2 opposing forces- 
                  Describe using lines from the novel
D.  Theme- Message of the novel- Describe with words 
                      and/or pictures
E.  Setting- Time and Place- Describe with words and pictures- 
               Is this place important to this story?  How?

8th Grade- Choice #2-

Complete an interactive Poster about your nonfiction book choice.
12 by 12 paper- sold at Michael's

Poster must include:
A.  Details about the people in your nonfiction book- describe the main people, background information, etc.
B.  What did you learn from reading this nonfiction book.
C.  Interesting facts and why these facts are interesting to you.
D.  Any questions you have for the author.
E.  Anything you would have done differently than the real people in your book.
F.  Did you go any further after reading he book?  Do you do more research?  Did you read other books or articles about the topic of your nonfiction book- if yes, why?  If no, why not?
G.  Images (computer generated or original art work) of important people, events, or things with captions.

Extra-Credit:  Choose a fiction book and a nonfiction book  about the same topic. Figure out how to weave the two books into your interactive poster.

One Free Homework Pass (and only one) if you read more than two books and journal  about the  other titles.  Must have at least one journal entry for each extra book. Length of each entry: one page- Use Binder paper since I have your journals.