8th Grade Advanced Language Summer Reading

Reynolds School District - Oregon

 

8th Grade Advanced Language Arts Summer Reading Assignment

 

Your assignment is to read THREE books over the course of the summer. There are 73 days of summer vacation to get this assignment done.

Why? Many of you think summer is time to relax and it is a vacation. This is very true and we want you to enjoy yourself. However, studies show kids can lose two or months of learning over the summer. By simply reading a few books over the summer you can stop some of this loss.

How? The summer reading assignment will be given out to you the last week of school and will also be available on the Reynolds Middle School homepage (http://www.reynolds.k12.or.us/rms) . Assignments can be turned in at the beginning of the school year, emailed or mailed to the school.

Mrs.Dickey - ldickey@rsd7.net

Mr.Adamski - madamski@rsd7.net

Reynolds Middle School

Attention: Mrs.Dickey or Mr.Adamski

1200 NE 201st

Fairview, OR 97024

 

What if I don’t do it? This assignment will be part of your grade for the first quarter. If you choose not to do it over summer, you will be put on probation. It is an expectation that Advanced Language Arts students will complete this assignment by the time school begins.

 

You will need to read at least one book from the Oregon Battle of the Books List:

Bigger Than a Bread Box, Laurel Snyder

Magyk, Angie Sage

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life, James Petterson

Million dollar Throw, Mike Lupica

Milo: Sticky Notes & Brain Freeze, Alan Silberberg

The Mostly True Story of Jack, Kelly Regan Barnhill

Night of the Howling Dogs, Graham Salisbury

The Notorious Benedict Arnold, Steve Sheinkin

Okay for Now, Gary D. Schmidt

Operation Redwood, Terrell French

Second Fiddle, Rosanne Parry

Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli

TimeRiders, Alex Sparrow

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, Avi

Uglies, Scott Westerfeld

Wildwood, Colin Meloy

The assignment is simply to read the book. If you think you may participate in Battle of the Books, it might be a good idea to take some notes.

You will need to read two more books, but only need to do ONE of the writing assignments. You can do both if you would like to exceed the expectations.

Your second book needs to be a historical fiction or non-fiction piece about Colonial America or anything through the Revolutionary War/Beginnings of American Government. We will discuss ideas for books in class. We also suggest asking a Multnomah County Librarian for assistance (their website has resources as well). This book should be at least 150 pages and may be much longer. We will be looking at the complexity, length and challenging nature of the book you choose.

You will need to answer the following questions in a short essay response:

What is significant about this time period in American History?

How did this time period/event shape our country? What did we learn, or can we learn, from this time in history?

Make a list of five key questions you have after you have finished reading this book.

What perspective is this story being told from (in the case of a fiction piece)? How does this view point affect how the story is told? How may it be different if another person told the story?

If it is a non-fiction piece, do you feel there is any bias to the information you are reading? Explain your answer.

Finally, your third book should be a fiction or non-fiction book that deals with someone overcoming a hardship. Here is a list of suggestions:

The Pact: Three Young Men Make a Promise and Fulfill A Dream, by Davis, Jenkins, Hunt,

Breaking Through, Fransisco Jimenez

The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls

The Other Wes Moore, Wes Moore

When you are done write an essay responding to the following prompt:

How do you achieve your goals when there are obstacles in your way? Write a five paragraph essay responding to the prompt above. Your essay should have:

·       An introduction that includes a hook (something to pull the reader in) and a thesis (your answer to the question/prompt).

·       Three body paragraphs that explain and support your thesis. Each body paragraph should have supporting details and examples (use examples and details from the book and your own life to explain and support your thesis).

·        A concluding paragraph:  What was learned? Explain the most important message for the reader. How does the reader achieve their dreams in spite of obstacles?

 

Mrs.Dickey will be at the school during Summer School from July 15 - August 2 (she will not be here the last week). You can catch her around 11:00 if you need help. You are also free to email her or Mr.Adamski during the summer with questions. Their emails are listed above.