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
Map