New Leadership Charter School Summer Reading List: 2008 Incoming 8th Grade Students
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Mandatory Requirements:
- Read at least two of the books from the summer reading list.
- For each book, complete part 1 and part 2.
- Assignments are due on the first day of school. This will be your first test grade for your ELA class.
Answer the questions below. You may write the information as an essay or you may number your paper and respond to each part separately. Either way, all responses must be in complete sentences. Be sure to respond completely to all parts of all questions.
Questions in this section are graded on: 1) use of standard English conventions and; 2) the accuracy/completeness of your answers.
Questions:
- What was the title of the book? (All book titles should be in italics - if typed - or underlined –if hand-written.) (2 points)
- Who was the author of the book? (2 points)
- Describe the setting of the book. (Don't forget, setting is the time and place.) (2 points)
- Who was the protagonist ? (The person affected by the conflict) What were his/her most admirable traits? What obstacles was s/he faced with? How did s/he overcome them? (2 points)
- Who was the antagonist ? (The person/issue that causes the conflict) How did this character or issue cause conflict for the protagonist? (2 points)
- Clearly state one theme that is present in this book and describe how you know that is what the author was suggesting. (10 pts)
Write a 350-word summary of the book you read. Your summary should include a little bit about all the parts of the book, such as a few memorable events and the ending. Do not write 245 words about the first chapter and then write, "...and if you want to know how it ends, you'll have to read it yourself!"
The composition is graded on a scale of 1-10 for each FCA as follows:
Exceptional 9-10 Very good 7-8 Good 5-6 Needs improvement/Emerging 3-4 Warning 0-2
FCA's:
- Standard English Conventions
- Elaboration/Support
- Variety in sentence structure and vocabulary
- Organization
- Completeness of Summarizing information (events and ending of story)
*Are you interested in earning a little extra credit? Turn the page to see how you can earn 50 more points.
Extra Credit
There are two ways you may earn extra credit (to be applied to your ELA class):
- Read more than one book from the summer reading list and complete parts 1 and 2 of the reading assignment.
- Complete one of the projects listed below.
Extra credit projects will be graded on a scale of 1-10 for each FCA as follows:
Exceptional 9-10 Very good 7-8 Good 5-6 Needs improvement/Emerging 3-4 Warning 0-2
- Standard English conventions and/or artwork (as applicable)
- Completeness
- Aesthetics (How neat and pleasing to the eye/ear is your project?)
- Creativity/Originality
- Accuracy related to book events, characterization, theme etc.
Choose from one of the projects below. Don't forget to have fun!
- Create a Book Jacket: Accurately recreate a book jacket but use your own original artwork and written ideas. Include a description, of the setting, name of the main character(s) and introduce the problem of the story (no ending, please!). On the "spine" put the book title and the author's name.
- Script It: Lights, camera, action! Write a movie script for a favorite scene in your book. At the top of the script you can assign real-life TV or movie stars to play each role. Double bonus (yes, that's 100 points): Video record your script. Create backdrops and costumes for a full effect.
- In the News! Create the front page of a newspaper that tells about events and characters in your book. Include weather reports, an editorial or editorial cartoon, ads, etc. which relate to the book. The title of the newspaper and headlines should be appropriately related to topics/themes from the book.
- Create a comic book! Turn a scene from your book into a comic book, complete with comic-style illustrations and dialogue bubbles.
- Characters Come to Life! Create life-size "portraits" of one of the characters from your book. The portrait should include a written piece that tells about the character including information about events, traits, or conflicts in the book that involve your character. Try adding and labeling objects from sections of the story.
- Picture Books: Create a picture book version of your book that would appeal to younger students.
- "Dear Diary" Create a diary or journal and write at least five entries that might have been written by a character in your book; the entries should share important details and events from the story.
- Jackdaw. A jackdaw is a crow-like bird known for picking up various brightly colored objects to add to its nest. Create a jackdaw by choosing important aspects of your novel and placing them in a container representative of your character and the times. Example: Based on the book Holes, you might choose a suitcase to hold your items. Include in your container such things as letters, maps, diary entries, drawings, newspaper articles, pictures and any other item significant to the main character. Attach a note to each item describing the significance of each item.
New Leadership Charter School
2008 Summer Reading List: Incoming Grade 8
- America by E.R. Frank
- Nearly lost within the foster-care system, America is a 15-year-old boy who attempts suicide, then begins the long road to safety and recovery with the help of a therapist. His story is a harrowing one you won't forget.
- Buried Onions by Gary Soto
- With several members of his family dead from gang violence, Mexican-American Eddie has dropped out of community college. Still he wants more than revenge, he wants a better life, and you'll be rooting for him to find it under the layers of "buried onions."
- Dead Girls Don't Write Letters by Gail Giles
- If you like a good creepy story with plenty of plot twists, try this one. Letters arrive from Sonny's older sister Jazz, thought to be dead in an out-of-town fire. Then Jazz herself appears; or is this an imposter? Till the very last page, you may not be sure.
- Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan
- Esperanza Ortega possesses all the treasures a young girl could want: fancy dresses; a beautiful home filled with servants in the bountiful region of Aguascalientes, Mexico; and the promise of one day rising to Mama's position and presiding over all of Rancho de las Rosas. But a sudden tragedy shatters that dream, forcing Esperanza and Mama to flee to California and settle in a Mexican farm labor camp.
- Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Houston
- During World War II a community called Manzanar was hastily created in the high mountain desert country of California, east of the Sierras. Its purpose was to house thousands of Japanese American internees. One of the first families to arrive was the Wakatsukis, who were ordered to leave their fishing business in Long Beach and take with them only the belongings they could carry.
- Finding Fish: A Memoir by Antwone Fisher
- A New York Times bestseller, Finding Fish is the remarkable story of an African American boy abandoned in an abusive foster home in Cleveland who rises to liberation, manhood, and extraordinary success.
- The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
- Bobby's not just another teenage guy anymore -- he must care for his baby daughter, whom he adores. This winner of multiple awards has all the rhythms and emotions of teen life in the city -- and characters you won't soon forget.
- Gospel According to Larry by Janet Tashjian
- Setting up his own website as a place to express his opinions, 17-year-old Josh takes on the identity of Larry. When "Larry" becomes a media sensation, Josh may be in over his head. This is a fast moving tale that takes on questions about identity, power, and individuality in a multi-media age.
- Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan
- Homeless Bird is the story of Koly, a young Indian girl forced into a tragic marriage with a terminally ill boy. Through the experiences of widowhood, she discovers the truth about who she is and what love really means. Gloria Whelan, winner of the Great Lakes Book Award in 1996, once again offers a story of tragedy and redemption not only to entertain, but to teach young adult readers everywhere.
- Make Lemonade Virginia Euwer Wolff
- This book is absolutely unforgettable. It's just a story about 14-year-old La Vaughn who takes on a babysitting job. She needs to work her way through school to save enough money to get through college. That's how it is in America. She means to study, to get a better job, and to escape the poverty that she is growing up in.
- My Brother Sam is Dead by James and Chris Collier
- This is a story about the hardships of war and how a young boy deals with a very difficult situation.
- The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger
- The book is about the Halloween Nor'easter that hit North America in October 1991, and features the crew of the fishing boat Andrea Gail, based out of Gloucester, Massachusetts, who were lost 575 miles (925 km) at sea during the severe conditions while fishing for swordfish. Also in the book is the story about the rescue of the crew of the sailboat Satori in the Atlantic waters during the storm, by the US Coast Guard Cutter Tamaroa (WMEC-166).
- The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
- Lily Owens is a young girl who lives on a peach farm that her abusive father owns. Rosaleen is a black woman hired by Lily's father to be a stand-in mother for Lily (her real mother died in a horrendous accident that happened when she was a toddler). When Rosaleen insults some of the biggest racists in their town, Lily is forced to take Rosaleen and run away to a town Lily believes her mother once lived in. They go to live with three estranged sisters on a honey farm, and Lily soon learns what it is like to have a real family.
- Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
- Cole Matthews is angry, defiant, and smug -- in short, a bully. His anger has taken him too far this time, though. After beating up a ninth-grade classmate to the point of brain damage, Cole is facing a prison sentence. But then a Tlingit Indian parole officer named Garvey enters his life, offering an alternative called Circle Justice, based on Native American traditions, in which victim, offender, and community all work together to find a healing solution.
- Upon the Head of the Goat: A Childhood in Hungary 1939 -1944 by Aranka Siegel
- A Holocaust survivor tells of her family's grueling experiences in the Jewish ghetto during the Nazi occupation of Hungary, prior to the deportation to the concentration camps.
- Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
- TJ is an intellectually and athletically gifted, adopted teenager who shuns organized sports and the gung-ho athletes at his high school until he agrees to form a swimming team and recruits some of the school's less popular students.
Call the Reference Desk at 413-263-6828 ext. 213, your branch library, or use our Askalibrarian service to reserve a book today! |
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