Summer Reading Requirements

Transcription

1 Rocky River High School Detroit Road Rocky River Ohio Summer Reading Requirements Dear Parents and Guardians, Each summer students are required to do a summer reading project. The goal of our summer reading program is for students to learn that reading can be a fulfilling endeavor all by itself and to encourage our students to read over the summer. Your child may choose one of the four novels listed below that has both the interest and reading level that will allow comprehension on an independent basis along with the story providing an enjoyable experience. The books are all contemporary, award winning, young adult fiction. We encourage you to read one of the novels with your child and to discuss it with them. In addition to the reading, each student is required to complete two assignments that go along with their summer reading that will be turned in the first week of school. The first assignment is to complete a novel data sheet to demonstrate understanding of the novel. The second requirement is to complete a creative project based on the novel they chose to read. Have a wonderful summer! We look forward to working with you and your child in the upcoming school year. Sincerely, Mrs. Ghazoul and the LRS Department

2 Summer Reading for the School Year Mrs. Ghazoul Potential Book Options for Grades 9 and 10 Stuck in Neutral by Terry Trueman 9 10 Interest Level 820 Lexile Level Shawn McDaniel is an enigma and a miracle except no one knows it, least of all his father. His life is not what it may seem to anyone looking at him. Not even those who love him best have any idea what he is truly like. In this extraordinary and powerful first novel, the reader learns to look beyond the obvious and finds a character whose spirit is rich beyond imagining and whose story is unforgettable. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer 9 10 Interest Level 660 Lexile Level Matteo Alacran was not born; he was harvested. His DNA came from El Patron, lord of a country called Opium a strip of poppy fields lying between the United States and what was once called Mexico. Matt's first cell split and divided inside a petri dish. Then he was placed in the womb of a cow, where he continued the miraculous journey from embryo to fetus to baby. He is a boy now, but most consider him a monster except for El Patron. El Patron loves Matt as he loves himself, because Matt is himself. As Matt struggles to understand his existence, he is threatened by a sinister cast of characters, including El Patron's power hungry family, and he is surrounded by a dangerous army of bodyguards. Escape is the only chance Matt has to survive. But escape from the Alacran Estate is no guarantee of freedom, because Matt is marked by his difference in ways he doesn't even suspect.

3 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie 9 10 Interest Level 600 Lexile Level Wanting to better his life, fourteen year old Junior, a teenager on the Spokane Indian reservation, begins attending a nearby all white school. Regarded as a traitor by his own people, Junior struggles to make new friends as he adjusts to his new academic environment. Based on the author's own experiences, this first young adult novel by bestselling author Sherman Alexie features poignant drawings by acclaimed artist Ellen Forney that reflect the character's art as it chronicles the contemporary adolescence of one Native American boy attempting to break away from the life he was destined to live. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd 9 10 Interest Level 840 Lexile Level Fourteen year old Lily lost her mother in a gun accident ten years ago and has lived a decade of loneliness and abuse at the hands of her father. Set in the turbulent 1960s, The Secret Life of Bees gives the reader a look at what it was like to be African American in the southern United States as Lily and her nanny run away from home. In her debut novel, Sue Monk Kidd follows Lily as she is taken in by three black, bee keeping sisters in South Carolina. She explores Lily's search for the truth about her mother; her courage to tear down racial barriers; and her joy as she claims her place within a community of women. As she enters their mesmerizing secret world of bees and honey, she discovers a place where she can find the single thing her heart longs for most.

4 Creative Project Options for Summer Reading Choose one of the following projects below for the creative portion of your summer reading project. You will also need to complete and turn in the novel data sheet as the second part of your summer reading project. Diorama o Create a diorama depicting your favorite scene from the novel you read. Movie Trailer or Scene Depiction o Create a movie trailer for your novel or recreate and act out your favorite scene. Characters Interview o Write at least 10 interview questions for two of the main characters as though you are interviewing them for a documentary. Each of the two characters has to respond to each question. It must be typed. Casting Director o Decide which actors would best fit each role in a movie based on the novel. Explain why you think each person is suited for that character. You need to include at least 5 characters. o You must also include an illustration of a movie poster to go along with your novel. Song or Poem o Write an original song or poem inspired by your novel. Graphic Novel o Choose five chapters from your novel and create and design a comic depicting those chapters. Include visuals, dialogue, and captions. Scrapbook o Create a scrapbook that represents ten major events in the novel. Use a page or more to show each event and use one quote or passage from the novel to depict each event. Must be at least ten pages Must have a visual and a quote for each page Art Project o Create some sort of artwork depicting the story. It cannot be just a simple drawing, but a painting, sculpture, 3D scene, etc. Projects will be graded on EFFORT and ACCURACY. It is very important that you try your hardest and pay attention to the details!

5 Novel Data Sheet Complete the following chart using information from your summer reading novel. Title Author Genre (type of book: adult fiction, young adult fiction, nonfiction, etc): Main Character Other Major Characters Setting Time: Place: Conflict (central problem): Plot events: (Things that happen to move the story forward toward the resolution of the conflict and/or the end of the story) Theme: (main message)