Franklin Academy: Summer Read and Respond Challenge. Step 1: Choose Three Books from the Book List

Transcription

1 Franklin Academy: Summer Read and Respond Challenge As part of our rigorous program here at Franklin Academy, all students going into grades 6-8, are required to participate in our Summer Read and Respond Challenge. Each student must read and write a literature response essay for at least three books from the Franklin Academy Summer Booklist. The purpose of a response to literature is to state an opinion about a character s traits, the setting, plot, theme, or moral of the story. Typically, the essay is organized with a brief summary of the story, followed by an opinion that is supported by evidence from the text. Many responses include connections to other stories, the world, or the reader s own experiences, as well as a personal reflection that reveals how the story has impacted the reader. For each book that is read, the student is required to fill out the 5 Paragraph Response to Literature Graphic Organizer, and then use that organizer to write a 5 paragraph essay. The graphic organizers, essays, as well as a table of contents and bibliography, will be collected on the first day of school and will be used as their first Language Arts grade for the school year. Step 1: Choose Three Books from the Book List The books are suggested for the grade your student is going into and listed in order of increasing difficulty. The books that you and your child choose should be specific to his/her reading ability. Grade 7 Book Listed by Title, Author Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe Carver: a Life in Poems, Marilyn Nelson Wild Things, Clay Carmichael City of Fire, Laurence Yep Rifles for Watie, Harold Kieth Old Yeller, Fred Gipson Talking with Artists, Pat Cummings Dead End in Norvelt, Jack Gantos The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper Colin Powell A &E Biography, Reggie Finlayson Artemis Fowl: the Arctic Incident, Eoin Colfer Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis

2 Gifted Hands: The Story of Ben Carson, Ben Carson Jim Thorpe: Original All-American, Joseph Bruchac Dovey Coe, Frances Dowell Magnificent Voyage: An American Adventurer on Captain James Cook s Final Expedition, Laurie Lawlor The Wednesday Wars, Gary D. Schmidt Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia, Call of the Wild, Jack Landon Hobbit or There and Back Again, J.R. Tolkien Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Jusice, Hoose Ben Franklin's Almanac, Candace Flemming Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice (Hoose), The Pearl, John Steinbeck The Clock, Wil Mara The Wright Sister: Katharine Wright and Her Famous Brothers, Richard Maurer Travels With Charley: in Search of America, John Stienbeck The Pearl, John Stienbeck This Land was made for you and me: The life and songs of Woody Guthrie, Elizabeth Partridge Geeks: How two lost boys rode the internet out of Idaho, John Katz Phineas Gage, John Fleischman When the Wolves Returned: Restoring Nature s Balance in Yellowstone, Dorothy Hinshaw Patent The Time Machine, H.G Wells Savvy, Ingrid Law Around the World in 80 Days, Jules Verne To Be a Slave, Julius Lester I Heard the Owl Call my Name, Margaret Craven Woodsong, Gary Paulsen Around the World in 80 Days, Jules Verne Vincent Van Gogh: Portrait of an Artist, Greenberg

3 Pride and Predjuice, Jane Austen Freedom Walkers: The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Russell Freedman The Great Fire, Jim Murphy Brian's Winter, Gary Paulsen In Search of our Mothers Gardens, Alice Walker The Longitude Prize, John Dash The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon The Curious incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon Travels with Charley: In Search of America, John Steinbeck The Kid s guide to Money: Earning It, Saving It, Spending It, Growing It Sharing It, Steve Otfinoski Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson Step 2: For Each Book, Fill Out the Graphic Organizers Graphic Organizer ❶Introduction: Write the Quick Summary and the Thesis Statement The author: Genre: Title: Setting: The main character Problem or Main Event in Plot (What did the character do? What happened to the character? Thesis Statement: (Choose one starter and three reflective opinions for your thesis statement.) The character was,, and. The setting in the story was,, and. The plot/events in the story were,, and. The theme/moral of the story was,, and.

4 Graphic Organizer Continued Body: Record Page # s of Evidence. Write: Transitions, Evidence, Analysis, and Connections ❷Evidence: Page # ❸Evidence: Page # ❹Evidence: Page # Analysis of Evidence: Analysis of Evidence: Analysis of Evidence: Connection: To Yourself/A Text You Were Reminded of/how it Relates to the World: Connection: To Yourself/A Text You Were Reminded of/how it Relates to the World: Connection: To Yourself/A Text You Were Reminded of/how it Relates to the World: ❺Conclusion: Restate the Thesis Statement, then Make a Reflection Starters: This convincing evidence proves This proves This clearly demonstrates This specific proof Reflection Starters: Subject: the character the impact of the setting the events were the theme/moral Opinion/Judgement: After reading the book, I (felt, wished, realized, understood) The book deeply affected me because Once I finished the book, I reflected

5 Sample of Graphic Organizer Filled Out ❶Introduction: Write the Quick Summary and the Thesis Statement The author: Chris Van Allsburg Genre: Fantasy Title: The Stranger Setting: In the country in the beginning of fall The main character: The Stranger Problem or Main Event in Plot (What did the character do? What happened to the character? A mysterious man was accidentally run over by Farmer Bailey. Mr. Bailey took the man back to his farm to help him. After that, strange things began to occur. Thesis Statement: (Choose one starter and three reflective opinions for your thesis statement.) The character, the stranger, was very odd. Body: Record Page # s of Evidence. Write: Transitions, Evidence, Analysis, and Connections ❷Evidence: Page # 306 The Stranger s icy cold temperature was one of the first clues to prove he was an odd character. Oh, you can thow that out, he answered. It s broken. The mercury is stuck at the bottom. Analysis of Evidence: A human being would be dead with a temperature that ❸Evidence: Page #308 Another reason the Stranger was an odd character was his inability to button his shirt. The fellow seemed confused about the buttons and button-holes. Analysis of Evidence: How is it possible for a grown man not to know what a button is? ❹Evidence: Page #310 While the Stranger s difficulty with buttons seemed very unusual, his inability to tire really made him stick out. The stranger never etired. He didn t even sweat. Analysis of Evidence: Mr. Bailey, a farmer who is used to hard work, was sweating and exhausted, yet the

6 measured that low on the thermometer. Connection: Reminds me of a sci-fi movie. I wonder what would have happened if Mrs. Bailey used the thermometer later? Connection: Reminds me of reports I have read about amnesia. People forget where they are, but remember everyday functions like buttoning a shirt. Why weren t they more concerned with this problem? stranger was fresh and full of energy. Connection: This reminds me of robot movies about androids that Iook human but never sleep, eat, or tire. I really felt the love of the Bailey family in this part. They didn t fear the stranger. Instead they treated him kindly ❺Conclusion: Restate the Thesis Statement, then Make a Reflection Starters: This convincing evidence proves This proves This clearly demonstrates This specific proof Reflection Starters: Subject: the character the impact of the setting the events were the theme/moral Opinion/Judgement: _exhibiting many bizarre behaviors and actions because he was autumn, not a man. After reading the book, I (felt, wished, realized, understood) After reading the book, and finding out the man was really a season not a man, I wished I could treat people like the Bailey s treated the stranger, with kindness and without judgment. The book deeply affected me because Once I finished the book, I reflected

7 Step 3: For Each Book, Use the Graphic Organizer to Write a 5 Paragraph Essay Example of 5 Paragraph Essay in Response to Literature The Stranger: A Response to Literature ❶In the fantasy short story The Stranger, which occurred during the beginning of autumn out in the country, author Chris Van Allsburg wrote about a mysterious man who was accidentally run over by Farmer Bailey. Mr. Bailey took the man back to his farm to help the unknown man. After that, strange things began to happen. This character, referred to as the Stranger in the tale, was very odd ❷The Stranger s icy cold temperature was one of the first clues to prove he was an odd character. This image was created when the author wrote the doctor told Mrs. Bailey: Oh, you can throw that out, he answered. It s broken. The mercury is stuck at the bottom. A human being would be dead with a temperature that measured that low on the thermometer, so the doctor really thought the instrument was broken, but it wasn t! This scene reminds me of a sci-fi movie when strange events begin to happen. This connection makes me wonder what would have happened if Mrs. Bailey used the thermometer, instead of throwing it away? ❸Another reason the Stranger was an odd character was his inability to button his shirt. This was demonstrated when the author wrote: The fellow seemed confused about the buttons and button holes. How is it possible for a grown man not to know what a button is? The Bailey s should have realized something very strange was happening. This scene reminded me of reports I have read about amnesia. Sometimes people have accidents and forget who they are, and everyday functions like buttoning a shirt. This makes me ask: Why weren t the Bailey s more concern with this problem? ❹While the Stranger s difficulty with buttons seemed very unusual, his inability to tire really made him stick-out. The stranger never tired. He didn t even sweat. It seems impossible for Mr. Bailey, a farmer used to hard work, was sweating and exhausted, yet the stranger was fresh and full of energy. This reminds me of robot movies about androids that look human but never sleep, eat, or tire. After all these strange events, even something like androids seems possible. What was really amazing is the love of the Bailey family in this part. They didn t fear the stranger. Instead they treated him kindly ❺All this convincing evidence proves the character was very odd. Ultimately, the hermit-like man turned out to be the season fall. Now that s odd! After reading this short story, I wished I could treat people like the Bailey s treated the Stranger, without judgment and only with kindness. Step 4: Presenting 1. Put all documents into a presentation folder 2. Add a Table of Contents 3. Add a Bibliography 4. Turn in the folder to your Language Arts Teacher on the first day of school.