Required Summer Reading Assignment 2018
Students entering Seventh Grade
Reading during the summer is so important in helping children maintain the skills learned during the year. Reading everyday advances current reading levels and creates lifelong readers and learners. The students entering seventh grade this year will be required to read one non-fiction text, read one novel, and watch one film. Thenon-fiction textwill be chosen from two options offered by the Language Arts department; each of these texts will also have a film to accompany it. Meanwhile, the novel will be a self-selected choice from the list provided. Upon students’ arrival in September, they will be expected to complete an in-class compare and contrast essay based on the non-fiction text and accompanying film.
Along with the aforementioned essay during the first week of school, we are expecting the students to become active readers this summer. Being an active reader requires thinking, questioning and visualizing the text while reading. In doing so, the Language Arts department will collect a dialectical journal for the non-fiction text. Meanwhile, chapter-end reflections will accompany the student-chosen novel. In addition, students will complete a compare/contrast worksheet for the non-fiction text and its accompanying film. Directions for the chapter-end reflections are included on the second page of this document. Directions for the dialectical journal entries and the compare/contrast worksheet are included as pages three/four and five, respectively.
Non-Fiction Text Choices and Accompanying Films
OPTION #1:
Book: Hidden Figures, Young Reader’s Edition by Margot Lee Shetterly (1120 Lexile Measure)
Before John Glenn orbited the earth, or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of dedicated female mathematicians known as “human computers” used pencils, slide rules, and adding machines to calculate the numbers that would launch rockets, and astronauts, into space. This book brings to life the stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Johnson, and Christine Darden, four African-American women who lived through the civil rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War, and the movement for gender equality, and whose work forever changed the face of NASA and the country.
Accompanying Film: Hidden Figures
An incredible and inspiring untold true story about three women at NASA who were instrumental in one of history’s greatest operations – the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit.
OPTION #2:
Option #2:
Book: The Boys in the Boat, Young Readers' Adaptation by Daniel James Brown(1000 Lexile Measure)
Out of the depths of the Great Depression comes the astonishing tale of nine working-class boys from the American West who at the 1936 Olympics showed the world what true grit really meant. With rowers who were the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew was never expected to defeat the elite East Coast teams, yet they did, going on to shock the world by challenging the German boat rowing for Adolf Hitler.
Accompanying Film: PBS Documentary, The Boys of '36
Student-Chosen Novel Reflective Chapter End Journal Directions:
Reflective chapter end journal entries will be a lot like the dialectical journals in the sense that we are asking you to reflectively think, question and respond to what was read. Rather than choosing specific lines to react to, we want you to think about the chapter as a whole and then write 1-2 paragraphs about anything you feel warrants a discussion. We want you to think of the reflective journals as a discussion on paper. In other words, if you were going to bring the journals to class to share in a discussion with your peers, what subjects/ topics/ ideas/ concerns etc. are you interested in discussing? That’s what you should be writing about!
Options for Second Novel
A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen (810 Lexile Measure)
When her family is abruptly divided by the rise of the Berlin Wall, twelve-year-old Gerta harbors forbidden thoughts about freedom and reuniting with her loved ones before a coded message from her father inspires a daring plan.
Animal Farm by George Orwell (1170 Lexile Measure)
Politically minded farm animals undergo a revolution against their human master and establish a new government that fails because of a corrupt leader tempted by greed and power.
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau (680 Lexile Measure)
Twelve-year-old Lina and her friend Doon Harrow trade jobs on Assignment Day, hoping to decode a secret message and save the city of Ember from decay.
Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by JordanSonnenblick (940 Lexile Measure)
Thirteen-year-old Steven has a totally normal life: he plays drums in the All-Star Jazz band, has a crush on the hottest girl in the school, and is constantly annoyed by his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey. But when Jeffrey is diagnosed with leukemia, Steven's world is turned upside down. He is forced to deal with his brother's illness and his parents' attempts to keep the family in one piece.
Fast Break by Mike Lupica (840 Lexile Measure)
Since his mother's death, twelve-year-old Jayson has focused on basketball and surviving. When he is found out and placed with an affluent foster family, he must learn to accept many changes, including facing his former teammates in a championship game.
Flipped byWendelin Van Draanen (720 Lexile Measure)
In alternating chapters, Juli Baker and Bryce Laski, who have been neighbors since second grade, describe their lives together as they grow from a casual friendship to a budding eighth grade relationship.
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (590 Lexile Measure)
In this story about the perils of popularity, the courage of nonconformity, and the thrill of first love, an eccentric student named Stargirl changes Mica High School forever.
Watership Down by Richard Adams (880 Lexile Measure)
A group of hardy Berkshire rabbits share many adventures together as they search for a safe place to establish a new warren after the destruction of their community.
***Students can find these books at a local library, Ray and Judy’s Book Stop, Barnes and Noble, amazon.com, or half.com
*** The films can be found on Amazon.com, Google Play, and Redbox.
DIALECTICAL JOURNALS
The term “Dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using conversation involving question and answer”. Think of your dialectical journal as a series of conversations with the texts we read this year. Use your journal to incorporate your personal responses to the texts, your ideas about the themes we cover and our class discussions. You will find that it is a useful way to process what you’re reading, prepare yourself for class discussion, and gather textual evidence for open-ended constructed response questions.
PROCEDURE:
- As you read, choose two passages per chapter that stand out to you and record them in the left-hand column of the chart (ALWAYS include page numbers).
- In the middle column, include the page and paragraph numbers where you found the information.
- In the right column, write your response to the text (ideas/insights, questions, reflections, and comments on each passage)
- You must label your responses using the following codes:
- (Q) Question – ask about something in the passage that is unclear
- (C) Connect – make a connection to your life, the world, or another text
- (P) Predict – anticipate what will occur based on what’s in the passage
- (CL) Clarify – answer earlier questions or confirm/disaffirm a prediction
- (R) Reflect – think deeply about what the passage means in a broad sense – not just to the characters in the story/author of the article. What conclusions can you draw about the world, about human nature, or just the way things work?
- (E) Evaluate - make a judgment about what the author is trying to say
Sample Dialectical Journal entry: Beyond the Yellow Highlighter
Passages from the text—You must quote at least two per chapter. Make sure to number them. / Pg#/Par. # / Each Passage you quote must relate to one of the following codes above. Make sure to use a variety. Using the same codes for most or all of your entries will result in a lower score.1. "The yellow marks in my college textbooks...did not help me very much.”
2. "Annotations do make me read a lot slower and I wish I didn't have to do them. It is so much harder to fake read if you have to annotate like we have to do now. So now I actually read, because it's too hard to fake annotate" / 82/1
87/2 / (C) I can relate since I often used to highlight what I thought was important and then end up with most of the page highlighted.
(C) It is harder to fake annotate--it almost takes more time. (R) People are prone to find the easy way to do something. Since there's really no easy way to annotate--fake or real--it makes sense to really read and think about the texts. (Q) Is it really harder to fake read if you have to annotate? Or does it just take longer?
CHOOSING PASSAGES FROM THE TEXT:
Look for quotes that seem significant, powerful, thought provoking or puzzling. For example, you might record:
- Effective &/or creative use of stylistic or literary devices
- Passages that remind you of your own life or something you’ve seen before
- Structural shifts or turns in the plot
- A passage that makes you realize something you hadn’t seen before
- Examples of patterns: recurring images, ideas, colors, symbols or motifs.
- Passages with confusing language or unfamiliar vocabulary
- Events you find surprising or confusing
- Passages that illustrate a particular character or setting
RESPONDING TO THE TEXT:
You can respond to the text in a variety of ways. The most important thing to remember is that your observations should be specific and detailed. You can write as much as you want for each entry; however, be sure to make enough of an effort to receive credit!
Basic Responses
- Raise questions about the beliefs and values implied in the text
- Give your personal reactions to the passage
- Discuss the words, ideas, or actions of the author or character(s)
- Tell what it reminds you of from your own experiences
- Write about what it makes you think or feel
- Agree or disagree with a character or the author
Sample Sentence Starters:
I really don’t understand this because…
I really dislike/like this idea because…
I think the author is trying to say that…
This passage reminds me of a time in my life when…
If I were (name of character) at this point I would…
This part doesn’t make sense because…
This character reminds me of (name of person) because…
NAME: ______FILM: ______
Book and Movie Comparison/Contrast Guide
Setting: Ways that the book and movie are the same include… / Setting: Ways that the book and movie are different include…Characters: Ways that the book and movie are the same include… / Characters: Ways that the book and movie are different include…
Plot Events: Ways that the book and movie are the same include… / Plot Events: Ways that the book and movie are different include…
Resolution: Ways that the book and movie are the same include… / Resolution: Ways that the book and movie are different include…