May 2018

Summer Reading Assignment- 6th grade

Dear Incoming 6th grade Students and Parents:

I am looking forward to an exciting year with you as your 6th grade teacher. Over the summer, I am asking you to read two books. The first is When My Name was Keokoby Linda Sue Park and the second book is Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. Both books will tie into curriculum we will be covering in Literature and Social Studies. Students may check out the books from the library as they do not need a copy at the beginning of the year.

Students are expected to complete the following assignments for the books:

1. Complete the attached plot diagram after reading When My Name was Keoko.

2. While reading Fish in a Tree, answer the following questions in paragraph form. Please handwrite your responses.

After reading pages 1-91, answer the following:

At the beginning of the story, we learn that school is painful for Ally and that she doesn’t feel as if she fits in with her peers. When thinking about her class, she says, “Maybe they think I can’t hear their words: Freak. Dumb. Loser” (p. 3). How might Ally feel having heard classmates use these words in describing her?

On page 158, Mr. Daniels inspires Ally with a quote sometimes attributed to Albert Einstein: “Everyone is smart in different ways. But if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life thinking it’s stupid.” How does this quotation speak to Ally and her experiences? How did this moment in the text serve as a turning point for Ally?

All assignments are due on the second day of school and grades will be included in the first quarter.

Have a great summer!

Mrs. Newman

Literary Terms:

Rising action- the buildup of the story/plot to the climax

Climax- the main point of the plot

Falling action- the winding up of the story/plot

Protagonist- the central character- good person

Antagonist – character(s) that stands in opposition to the protagonist

Resolution – conclusion or solving of the problem, end of conflict

Conflict- main problem of the plot

Theme – main idea or meaning behind the story.