BCS Middle School Summer Reading Program

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Beverly Griffith
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1 Dear Students and Parents, BCS Middle School Summer Reading Program One of the objectives in middle school English is to encourage students to acquire a foundation in good literature. We believe that reading is the fundamental prerequisite to learning and becoming truly educated. Each student is required to read at least two books over the summer. For grade six, the two specific books are Old Yeller and Island of the Blue Dolphins. For grade seven, The Ultimate Gift and The Witch of Blackbird Pond are required. For grade eight, The Outsiders and True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle are required. Upon completion of each book, the student will fill out a reading log, which will include the title, author, number of pages, and parent signature. Grade 6: Each student will be required to both read Old Yeller and watch the movie. The student will then need to handwrite or type a three-paragraph comparison essay. In the first paragraph, tell how the movie and book are similar. In the second paragraph, explain how the movie and book differ. Then, in the third paragraph, the student is to explain which s/he liked better and why. This essay will be due the first day of school in August. Accelerated Reader comprehension quizzes will be given over both Old Yeller and Island of the Blue Dolphins during the first week of school. The grades earned on the essay over Old Yeller and the Accelerated Reader quizzes covering both Old Yeller and Island of the Blue Dolphins will be averaged together and count as the first reading test grade of the year. Grade 7: On the first day of school, each student will turn in a typed five-paragraph essay over The Ultimate Gift which will analyze the main character. Your essay must include an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. You may use the character charts to help plan and guide your writing. This essay will be due the first day of school in August. During the first week of school, students will take Accelerated Reader quizzes over both The Ultimate Gift and The Witch of Blackbird Pond. The first English test grade of the quarter will be an average of the essay and Accelerated Reader quizzes. Students must purchase a copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond and bring their copy to class for various writing camp activities. Grade 8: On the first day of school, each student will turn in a typed four-paragraph essay over True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle which will analyze the theme of the book. Your essay must include an introduction, two body paragraphs, and a conclusion. This essay will be due the first day of school in August. Also, the Eighth Grade Summer Reading Form (used with The Outsiders) will be completed and brought to class along with the novel on the first day of school. This form will be graded and used during the writing camp. Please purchase The Outsiders with the ISBN , as it will benefit all students to be able to refer to the same page numbers of the text. During the first week of school, students will take Accelerated Reader quizzes over the required novels, The Outsiders and True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle. The first English test grade of the quarter will be an average of the essay and Accelerated Reader quizzes. For all middle school students desiring to go above and beyond the minimum requirement, we recommend reading an additional three books from the Additional Book Options list, bringing the total to five books read this summer. No written work will be required over these three extra books; however, the books need to be from the Additional Book Options list and ones the students have not read previously. If students have fulfilled the reading requirements by reading a total of five books, not only will they have expanded and enhanced their educational experience, but they will also be treated to a pizza party. We look forward to seeing you in August. In the meantime, have fun reading! Sincerely, English Department Revised Spring 2016 Page 1 of 5

2 BCS Middle School Reading Log Summer Reading Program Title Author Total # of pages Parent Signature Date Book Completed As the student reads each book, fill in the log completely. Turn this log in to the English teacher on the first day of school. The signatures on this page indicate that the books have been read in their entirety. Student Signature Grade Parent Signature Page 2 of 5

3 BCS Middle School Summer Reading Book List Revised spring 2016 Required Reading for Grade 6: Old Yeller by Fred Gipson Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O Dell Required Reading for Grade 7: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare The Ultimate Gift by Jim Stovall Required Reading for Grade 8: The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi Additional Book Options: Alcott, Louisa May Armstrong, William Beatty, Patricia Bernheim, Mark Burnett, Francis Carroll, Lewis Carson, Ben Cleaver, Vera and Bill Dahl, Roald Dravecky, Dave Dumas, Alexander Eareckson, Joni Edwards, Julie Elliot, Elizabeth Evans, Richard Gibson, William Grahame, Kenneth Greene, Bette Hamilton, Virginia Hautizig, Esther Herriot, James Hunt, Irene Hurnard, Hannah Keith, Harold Keller, Helen Kipling,Rudyard Little Women Sounder Turn Homeward, Hannalee Father of the Orphans, The Story of Little Lord Fauntleroy Alice s Adventures in Wonderland Gifted Hands, The Ben Carson Story Where the Lilies Bloom James and the Giant Peach Comeback The Count of Monte Cristo Joni The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles Through Gates of Splendor The Christmas Box Miracle Worker Wind in the Willows Summer of My German Soldier House of Dies Drear The Endless Steppe All Things Bright and Beautiful Across Five Aprils Hind s Feet on High Places Rifles for Watie Story of My Life The Jungle Book LaHaye and Jenkins Lawhead, Stephen Lewis, C. S. London, Jack London Margaret Lowry, Lois Montgomery, L. M. North, Sterling O Dell, Scott Orczy, Baroness Emma Paterson, Katherine Patton, Francis Gray Paulsen, Gary Porter, Sydney Raskin, Ellen Rawlings, Marjorie Sewell, Anna St. John, Patricia Steer, Roger Stevenson, Robert Taylor, Mildred Thoene, Brock & Bodie Tolkien, J. R. R. Travers, P. L. Verne, Jules Washington, Booker T. Wyss, Johann Left Behind: The Kids Arthur, Merlin, Taliesin Prince Caspian The Call of the Wild Anna and the King of Siam Number the Stars Anne of Green Gables (series) Rascal Zia The Scarlet Pimpernel Jacob, Have I Loved, Bridge to Terabithia Good Morning, Miss Dove Hatchet A Girl of the Limberlost Westing Game The Yearling Black Beauty Treasures of the Snow George Muller Treasure Island Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Any series The Hobbit Mary Poppins Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Up From Slavery Swiss Family Robinson Students may also read other books by the authors listed above. Page 3 of 10

4 Title of book: The Ultimate Gift Grade 7 Student name: Thesis: Title of essay: Introduction: I. Topic sentence: (1) What happened? How did the main character respond? (concrete detail) o (2) o (3) o (4) o (5) o (6) o (7) II. Topic sentence: (1) What happened? How did the main character respond? (concrete detail) o (2) o (3) o (4) o (5) o (6) o (7) III. Topic sentence: (1) What happened? How did the main character respond? (concrete detail) o (2) o (3) o (4) o (5) o (6) o (7) Conclusion: What does this show about the main character? (commentary) What does this show about the main character? (commentary) What does this show about the main character? (commentary) Page 4 of 5

5 Use MLA format, be sure to DOUBLE SPACE, and come up with a CREATIVE TITLE. Make sure you include in your introduction: o title (italics when typed) o author o genre o publisher and date of publication o setting (time and place) o main characters (describe them, don t just name them) o thesis (must cover three major points of three body paragraphs) Each body paragraph (I, II, III) must have: o 7 sentences total: 1 topic sentence; 3 concrete detail sentences w/ internal citations; 3 commentary sentences Every paragraph must have: o no more than 2 be verbs (am, is, are, was, were, be, being, been) o varying sentence openers (no more than 2 subject openers) o elevated word choice for openers (avoid using these words for openers: then, this, that, when, since, as, next, now, after, during, one day, once, later) o no contractions o third person point of view (Do not use: I, me, my, mine, we, us, our, ours, you, your, yours) o avoid word redundancy o present tense only o avoid banned words: a lot, bad, mean, big, small, come, came, get, got, go, goes, went, good, like, make, nice, say, said, see, saw, look, then, think, thought Concluding paragraph must have: o first sentence sums up main character s change from beginning of novel to end (elaborate!) o theme sentence o clincher sentence Theme ideas: Page 5 of 5

6 P re -W riting B ub b le C ha rt ( G ra d e 7 ) N a m e : P re -W ritin g fo r T h e U ltim a te G ift Seventh Grade Reading Bubble Chart Page 1 of 1

7 Eighth Grade Summer Reading Form Name: Title: The Outsiders Author: Date Published: Date Read: Genre: Setting: Characters: Descriptions & Page # Characters: Descriptions & Page # Point of View: Theme: Personal Reflection: Eighth Grade Reading Bubble Chart Page 1 of 4

8 Eighth Grade Summer Reading Form Plot Line: Personal Reflection: Favorite Scene and Why? Favorite Character and Why: Eighth Grade Reading Bubble Chart Page 2 of 4

9 Eighth Grade Summer Reading Form Create some type of visual representation of the book: Eighth Grade Reading Bubble Chart Page 3 of 4

10 Eighth Grade Summer Reading Form Favorite Quotes Eighth Grade Reading Bubble Chart Page 4 of 4

ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA CATHOLIC SCHOOL SUMMER READING 2014

Davies 1 ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA CATHOLIC SCHOOL SUMMER READING 2014 RISING SEVENTH GRADE Read one of the required books and two books from the choice list and complete the required assignments. When you