Summer Assignments

For Rising 7th Graders

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What do I need to do to be ready for school?

Assigned Book Group

Choice Book

FREE CHOICE BOOK

And don’t forget to…

Girls read The Green Glass

Sea by Ellen Klages

Boys read The Wednesday Wars

by Gary Schmidt

All students answer these

questions

Questions to Answer

Answer the following questions in one paragraph each.

1.How does the main character grow up by the end of the book and what lesson(s) does he/she learn?

2.How does the main character’s friendships impact her/him?

3.What was going on in America’s history at the time the book is set and how does that impact the main character?

 Assigned

Books

Group Choice BooksHow to prepare

for discussion

How to Prepare for Discussions

• When you return to school in August, you will discuss your group choice book with other students and an adult who also read that book.

• To prepare for the discussion, choose 3 quotes from the book that you found especially interesting and worth discussing.

• Either mark the page with a sticky-note or write out the quote and page number. Include the reason you found it interesting.

How to find good

quotes

Group ChoiceBooks

How to find good quotes

Quotes are not necessarily pieces of character dialogue and should be one sentence to one paragraph in length. You might choose one for…

great writing because of...

really helps me to imagine the scene

helps me to understand ____ about ____ (a particular character)

makes me wonder about...

helps me figure out the theme (message) of the book

Other?

WINTRY EXAMPLES TO BEAT THE HEAT from Snow Flake Bentley

“He watched snowflakes fall on his mittens, on the dried grass of Vermont farm fields, on the dark metal handle of the barn door.” (pp. 1 – 2; great writing because of well-chosen details; helps me imagine scene)

“‘I can’t afford to miss a single snowstorm,’ he told a friend. ‘I never know when I will find some wonderful prize.’” (p.21; helps me understand Bentley’s passion)

“Neighbors laughed at the idea of photographing snow.” p. 15; (makes me wonder how he ignored neighbors; helps me figure out the theme of book is about following one’s passion courageously to achieve something worthwhile)

Martin, Jacqueline Briggs., and Mary Azarian. Snowflake Bentley. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print.

How to Prepare for Discussions

Group Choice Books

Free Choice BookPick any

“chapter book” you want to read.

Questions to Answer

Questions to AnswerFor the book of your choice, answer the following four questions in one to three complete sentences each.1. What is the story of the book

about?2. How quickly or slowly did the story

move-- at the start, in the middle, at the end?

3. How well and in what ways did you get to know the characters?

4. What emotional reactions did it promote in you-- humor, sadness, suspense, etc.?

Free Choice Book

Rest

Hang out

Have fun!

Go outside

Enjoy friends

MapTitle Page

Main Menu

Google Doc: Math

Assignment

And Don’t Forget to…

Free Choice Book

Group Choice Books

Assigned Book Questions

to Answer

Questions to Answer

Website: Green

Glass Sea

Website: The

Wednesday Wars

Google Doc: Group Choice Info

E-mail to ask which

book chosen

Website: Destiny Quest

Discussion Prep

How to find good

quotes

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