English Language Arts Summer Break Packet

Transcription

1 English Language Arts Summer Break Packet The BELL Academy 2015 Audience: Subject: Teacher: Incoming Seventh Graders English Language Arts Ms. McCusker Student Name: Class: Due Wednesday, September 9th

2 NOTES FOR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES INTRODUCTION Emblematic of the text complexity and vocabulary you will experience in Seventh Grade, To Build a Fire by Jack London weaves complex sentences and advanced vocabulary words into a story of survival in a harsh environment. It is important to develop the skills necessary to identify and decode words and phrases to which you are unfamiliar. INDEPENDENT READING Additionally, it is vital that students read independently on a regular basis. The amount of free reading done outside of school has consistently been found to relate to growth in vocabulary, reading comprehension, verbal fluency, and general information (Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding 1988; Greaney 1980; Guthrie and Greaney 1991; Taylor, Frye, and Maruyama 1990). Students who read independently become better readers, score higher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have greater content knowledge than those who do not (Krashen 1993; Cunningham and Stanovich 1991; Stanovich and Cunningham 1993). The suggested summer reading list at the end of this packet will assist students in choosing their books. DIRECTIONS Read To Build a Fire by Jack London, accessible online here: Complete the multiple choice and reading comprehension short response questions. Compose a 5-paragraph essay in response to the prompt. Using newsela.com, find three articles that relate to the theme, central idea, or content in To Build a Fire. Compose a one-paragraph response connecting the article to the short story. Only the answer sheets should be returned, not the short story or articles. Due Wednesday, September 9, 2015 Responses may be typed or handwritten HELPFUL HINTS: Newsela.com articles may be read in a variety of lexile levels, thus enhancing understanding and readability. To Build a Fire is one of many stories that Jack London wrote using his experiences during the Klondike Gold Rush of in Canada and Alaska. This short story is about a man on the trail in sub zero weather trying to survive. Still renowned as the richest gold strike in North American mining history, the Klondike Gold Rush set off a stampede of over 100,000 people on a colossal journey from Alaska to the gold fields of Canada's Yukon Territory between 1896 and 1899.

3 To Build a Fire by Jack London Multiple Choice Questions Instructions: Circle the correct answer. 1. Where is the man going? a. The man is going to the Yukon. b. The man is going to his camp. c. The man is going to Alaska d. The man is going to the top of a mountain? 2. What kind of dog is travelling with the man? a. a black labrador retriever b. a husky c. a Saint Bernard d. a German shepherd 3. What is the main conflict of this story? a. man against nature b. man against dog c. dog against nature d. dog against fire 4. How could the relationship between the man and the dog be described? a. The man and the dog are best friends. b. The man and the dog do not know each other at all. c. The man and the dog are companions but are not too friendly. d. The man and the dog are enemies and only stay together because they are lost. 5. What is the man s name? a. Jack b. Manny c. London d. We never find out 6. At what temperature does the old-timer tell the man it is dangerous to travel alone? a. Thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit b. Seventy degrees Fahrenheit below zero c. Fifty degrees Fahrenheit below zero d. Zero degrees Fahrenheit 7. What is the man fearful of as he walks along the trail? a. Bears b. Moose c. Hidden springs d. Wet snow

4 To Build a Fire by Jack London Short Answer Response Questions Instructions: Answer the below-listed questions using full sentences. 1. What evidence is there that this is a very cold day? 2. How does the dog get wet? 3. What happens to the man that makes it necessary for him to build another fire? 4. What mistake does the man make in building his second fire? What happens as a result?

5 5. Why does the man have trouble lighting the matches? 6. Why does the man decide to run? 7. What message do you think London was trying to tell in this story? 8. How does this story make you feel about the power of nature?

6 To Build a Fire by Jack London 5 Paragraph Essay Prompt: In the story, a man who thinks is contrasted with a dog that follows its instinct without thinking. Describe how the man and dog differ in the way they approach the great cold of the Yukon. Explain which approach is more effective at battling the extreme cold of the Yukon. In your essay, be sure to explain: In what ways are their approaches similar? In what ways are their approaches different? Which approach do you believe is more effective?

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8 Newsela Article Instructions: Using newsela.com, find one article that relates to the theme, central idea, or content in To Build a Fire. Write a one-paragraph response connecting the article to the short story. Article #1 Title: Lexile: One-paragraph response connecting the article to the short story:

9 Summer Reading List Being out of the classroom for two months, students often lose lexile level points over Summer Break. To combat this, I recommend students read a minimum of 35 minutes per day for 4 days per week while on vacation. According to the Middle School Common Core standards, books in the lexile range of 955 to 1155 are appropriate for students in 6th through 8th grades. Thus, the below-listed book list features novels in this lexile band. These novels are available at your local library. Lexile Book Title Author Genre/ Subject 920 The Dark is Rising Susan Cooper Adventure/ Fantasy/ Series 930 Deadly Julie Chibbaro Historical Fiction/ Mystery & Suspense 940 The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe C. S. Lewis Classics/ Fables/ Fantasy 950 The Gammage Cup Carol Kendall Classics/ Science Fiction & Fantasy 950 The Adventure of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain Adventure/ Classics/ Science & Fiction 950 The Twisted Window Lois Duncan Suspense 970 The Secret Garden Frances Hodgson Burnett Classics 970 Princess in Waiting (Princess Diaries Book #4) Meg Cabot Realistic Fiction/ Series 970 The Siren Song Anne Ursu Fantasy/ Adventure 980 Silverboy N. M. Browne Fantasy/ Adventure 980 Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows JK Rowling Adventure/ Fantasy/ Series 990 Tunnels Brian Williams Action & Adventure 990 How to Train Your Dragon Cressida Cowell Adventure/ Comedy & Humor/ Fantasy 990 Anne of Green Gables Lucy Maud Montgomery Classics/ Realistic Fiction/ Series 990 The Wednesday Wars Gary Schmidt Coming of Age/ Young Adult 1000 The Midwife's Apprentice Karen Cushman Medieval 1000 The Phantom Tollbooth Norton Juster Fantasy 1000 Parrot in the Oven: Mi vida Victor Martinez Coming of Age 1000 Freak the Mighty Rodman Philbrick Fantasy/ Coming of Age 1000 Where the Broken Heart Still Beats: The Story of Cynthia Ann Parker Carolyn Meyer Cultural Identity/ Historical 1010 Travels with Charley: In Search of America John Steinbeck. Non-Fiction/ Historical 1010 The Call of the Wild Jack London Classics/ Survival/ Animals 1010 Victory Susan Cooper Adventure/ Historical Fiction 1010 The Egypt Game Zilpha Keatley Snyder Mystery & Suspense 1030 City of the Beasts Isabel Allende Young Adult 1030 Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Jules Verne Classics/ Science Fiction & Fantasy 1050 The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader Ryder Windham Adventure/ Sci Fi & Fantasy/ Series 1050 My Thirteenth Winter Samantha Abeel Autobiography 1060 The Invisible Thread Yoshiko Uchida Autobiography 1060 Harris and Me Gary Paulsen Coming of Age 1070 The Time Machine H. G. Wells Classics/ Science Fiction & Fantasy 1100 Montmorency Thief, Liar, Gentleman? (Montmorency Book #1) Eleanore Updale European/ Historical Fiction

10 1110 Pure Dead Brilliant Debi Gliori Fantasy/ Magic 1120 A World After.. Nuclear Disaster Alex Woolf Informational/ Adventure 1130 King Arthur And His Knights Of The Round Table Roger Lancelyn Green Legends 1130 Walk the Dark Streets Edith Baer Historical Fiction/ Holocaust 1140 World After an Asteroid Strike Alex Woolf Informational/ Adventure 1150 My Life in Dog Years Gary Paulsen Autobiographical/ Animals 1150 Road Kill (Insomniacs) S. R. Martin Thriller/ Adventure 1180 King of the Mild Frontier: An Ill-Advised Autobiography Chris Crutcher Autobiographical/ Coming of age

11 Expository Writing Evaluation Rubric Criteria CCLS Content & Analysis: -Clearly addresses the -Somewhat addresses -The introduction The extent to which the topic in the the topic in the does not address essay contains complex introduction with a introduction. the topic/ contain a ideas and information that valid claim. relevant claim. support the claim. W7.2 -Clearly addresses the topic in the introduction with compelling writing including a hook sentence and a valid claim. -Insightfully analyzes the text. Command of Evidence W7.9 -Includes well-chosen TBD s Coherence, Organization, and Style The extent to which the essay logically organizes complex ideas, concepts, and information using formal style and precise language. -Consistently uses varied and relevant evidence. -Clearly organized into 5 paragraphs that have varied transitions that connect each paragraph. -Use of grade level vocabulary with a notable sense of voice. -The conclusion is compelling and is clearly relevant to the topic and information presented. -Analyzes the text at a grade-appropriate level -Includes relevant TBD s - Consistently uses evidence, but may have a lack of variety. -Clearly organized into 5 paragraphs, but lacks variation in transitions. -Uses some grade level vocabulary. -The conclusion is relevant to the topic and information presented. Includes literal retelling or summarizing of the text instead of analysis. -Somewhat includes TBD s, some of which may not be relevant. -Uses relevant evidence inconsistently. -Contains 4 paragraphs, that are relevant to the task. -Does not use gradelevel vocabulary. -The conclusion is somewhat relevant to the topic and information presented. -Demonstrates little understanding of the text. -Attempts to use TBD s, some of which may not be relevant. -Contains 3 paragraphs that are relevant to the task. Vocabulary is wellbelow grade level. -The conclusion is not relevant to the topic and information presented. -Demonstrates a lack of comprehension of the task. -Includes no TBD s. -Contains one to two paragraphs. -Vocabulary is either incoherent or writing is illegible. -No conclusion was included.