Rising Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Graders 2012-2013
The summer months provide ample opportunity for a student to read a good book. However, with three summer months, why not read three great books? (Can you see where this is going?) This year’s assignment is as follows:
The Basics:
You must read three books that you have not read previously
Two books that you read must be chosen from the list provided**
One book that you read is entirely of your choosing (it can be from the list but it does not need to be)
**Books in the same series do not count as separate books from the summer reading list (i.e. The Lightning Thief and The Last Olympian would only count as ONE book from the list since they are part of the Percy Jackson series)**
The Assignment:
Prepare a 4”x6” index card for each of the books you read (that means three cards)
On one side of the card, please write:
Your Name
Author’s Last Name, First Name
The Title of the Book (underlined)
The Publisher, Where Published, Copyright Date
On the other side of the card, please write a brief summary of the book you read. Indicate what genre (fantasy, science fiction, historical fiction, non-fiction, biography, etc.) your novel is and if you would recommend it to others.
Make a mini-book for one of the books you chose to read from the required reading list
Your book should be on paper, cardboard, poster board, etc. and should have 8 pages (including the front and back covers). The typical size of a mini-book is roughly 4.5”x6”.
On the front cover, illustrate cover art for your book, write the title and author of the book as well
On the next page (back side of your cover) write the bibliographic information for your book: publisher, where the book was published, and the copyright date. This would be a good place to put your name as well.
The next page is a Title Page for your book (again, this page usually has the title of the book, the author, and possibly another illustration)
The main “spread” (two facing pages) of your mini-book should contain an illustration of your favorite part of the novel, along with an explanation telling why it is your favorite part.
The next page after that should be used to write and define five words from the book whose definitions you did not know (please include page numbers next to the words)
The inside of the back cover should be used to write a brief “about the author” paragraph. This information should be about the author of the book you read, not the author of the mini-book…which would be you!
On the back cover, write a teaser for the book that would entice others to read it. Think of this part as if you were trying to “sell” the novel to others (… “a fascinating tale of romance, chivalry, and intrigue”…etc.).
The Goal:
My goal is to introduce you to some literature that gets your mind ready for Language Arts at The Williams School. I hope that you enjoy your reading selections over the summer and that you have fun creating your mini-book. To see examples of mini-books, stop by the Language Arts room on the second floor of the 419 building; examples from last year’s summer reading are on the bulletin board right outside of Mrs. Justesen’s classroom door!
