Dear Middle School Students,
Attached are your assignments for summer homework. This summer, you will have a project (the S.V.P.) and a book to read. The project and book are both for your English class. The goal of the S.V.P. is to keep up your writing skills during the summer, and allow your teachers to see these skills when you return to school. The goal of the summer reading is a) to give us a literature unit to begin together when we return, and b) to keep your own reading skills from getting rusty over the summer. All assignments are due on the SECOND day of school, August 30th. Pace yourself, so that you can enjoy the assignments. Do not leave them to the last minute, because then it will be stressful and you will not be able to show your best work. These are meant to be a FUN way for you to keep learning this summer!
Sincerely,
Your Teachers
Summer Reading:
v In bold at the top of each list is the book that you are required to read for your grade level. You ONLY need to read this book; there will be no assignments for it until school resumes.
v The other books listed are optional; they are recommendations if you are looking for a book to read in order to occupy yourself this summer.
v You can find these books at a bookstore or at a LIBRARY.
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER!
Eighth Grade
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (estimated reading time: 2 weeks)
Animal Farm by George Orwell
White Fang by Jack London
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
Night Hoops by Carl Deuker
Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie by David Lubar
A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass
Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen
Emma by Jane Austen
Dracula by Bram Stoker
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
The Eye of Minds by James Dashner
The House of Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac
Heist Society by Ally Carter
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
Death Cloud by Andrew Lane
Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James Swanson
The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights by Steve Sheinkln
The Mark of the Dragonfly by Jaleigh Johnson
Seventh Grade
Call of the Wild by Jack London (estimated reading time: 3 weeks)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi
Midnight Magic by Avi
Harris and Me by Gary Paulsen
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
Anything but Typical by Nora Raleigh Baskin
The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake
Heat by Mike Lupica
SLAM! by Walter Dean Myers
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Facts of Life by Gary Soto
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
The Schwa Was Here by Neal Shusterman
Charles and Emma: the Darwins’ Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
Candy Bomber: The Story of the Berlin Airlift’s “Chocolate Pilot” by Michael O. Tunnel
The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
Flygirl by Sherri Smith
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson
Brian’s Winter by Gary Paulsen
The River by Gary Paulsen
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney
Road Trip by Gary Paulsen and Jim Paulsen
Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
Sixth Grade
No required book
The Dolphins of Shark Bay by Pamela S. Turner
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Buddy by M.H. Herlong
Hoot by Carl Hiaasen
Crash by Jerry Spinelli
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman
Knucklehead by Jon Scieszka
The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielson
Airborn Kenneth Oppel
When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
H.I.V.E.: The Higher Institute of Villainous Education by Mark Walden
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko
Apothecary by Maile Meloy
One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd
Closed for the Season by Mary Downing Hahn
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson
Peak by Roland Smith
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit
Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
The Black Pearl by Scott O’Dell
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander
Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
Tesla’s Attic by Neal Shusterman and Eric Elfman
Hook’s Revenge by Heidi Shulz
Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle
Additional Reading Suggestions (6-8)
Squids Will Be Squids: Fresh Morals, Beastly Fables by Jon Scieszka
Briar Rose by Jane Yolen
The Remarkable Journey of Prince Jen by Lloyd Alexander
The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
The Marvelous Misadventures of Sebastian by Lloyd Alexander
The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn by Dorothy Hoobler
The Schernoff Discoveries by Gary Paulsen
A Murder for Her Majesty by Beth Hilgartner
Who Was That Masked Man, Anywway? By Avi
Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques
The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
Jesse by Gary Soto
The Fire Pony by Rodman Philbrick
The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
Scrib by Davis Ives
River Rats by Caroline Stevermer
Victory by Susan Cooper
Flunked by Jen Calonita
It’s Like This, Cat by Emily Cheney Neville
Homer Price by Robert McCloskey
Count Karlstein by Philip Pullman
Space Station Seventh Grade by Jerry Spinelli
The King’s Shadow by Elizabeth Alder
Misty’s Twilight by Marguerite Henry
The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer
Mistress Pat by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Half Magic by Edward Edgar
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Five Little Peppers and How they Grew by Margaret Sidney
The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Dogs of War by Sheila Keenan
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
The Iron Trial by Holly Black
Masterminds by Gordon Korman
The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer L. Holm
(Summer Vacation Project)
Dear Saint Monica’s student,
This summer, your main project will be the summer vacation project. For this project, you will take photos and write a paragraph to accompany each picture. You have the freedom to take pictures of anything you want! This project will serve as your way to introduce yourself to new classmates and share some fun things that you did over vacation.
Each picture must be described in at least one paragraph (5 or more sentences). I am looking for pictures of vacation trips, family get-togethers, daily life, hanging with friends, anything cool and interesting that makes your summer awesome!
Your finished S.V.P. is due to your English teacher on the second day of school. For 7th and 8th graders, your S.V.P. must include at least 15 pictures and paragraphs. For 6th graders, you must include at least 8 pictures and paragraphs. For all grades, each of your paragraphs must be on the same page as the picture it is describing. I suggest using a notebook in which to write your paragraphs; then, simply glue your pictures in once they are developed or printed.
This project requires you to work throughout the summer. You have ALL summer to complete this project, so start taking pictures now! This is supposed to be fun, and a great way to capture your summer memories. Once you return to school you will be expected to share your S.V.P. with the rest of your class.
Have a fun summer!
Sincerely,
Your Teachers
Summer Vacation Project Rubric (6th)
Category / 10 / 7 / 4 / 1Pictures / 8 different and visually interesting pictures that capture your summer are glued securely to the descriptive paragraph. / 6-7 different and visually interesting pictures that capture your summer are attached to the descriptive paragraph. / 4-5 different pictures that capture your summer are poorly attached to the descriptive paragraph. / Less than 4 pictures are included.
Paragraphs / 8 thoughtful, well-written paragraphs (of at least 5 sentences each) that describe their corresponding picture are included. / 6-7 well-written paragraphs (of at least 5 sentences each) that describe their corresponding picture are included. / 4-5 well-written paragraphs (of at least 5 sentences each) that describe their corresponding picture are included. / Less than 4 paragraphs (of at least 5 sentences each) that describe their corresponding picture are included.
Presentation / Makes excellent use of handwriting, colors, stickers, etc. to enhance the SVP. / Makes good use of handwriting, colors, stickers, etc. to enhance the SVP. / Makes use of handwriting, colors, stickers, etc. but occasionally these detract from the SVP. / Use of handwriting, color, stickers, etc. is either not present or distracts significantly from the SVP.
Total Points: /30
Summer Vacation Project Rubric (7th & 8th)
Category / 8 / 5 / 3 / 1Pictures / 15 different and visually interesting pictures that capture your summer are glued securely to the descriptive paragraph. / 12-14 different and visually interesting pictures that capture your summer are attached to the descriptive paragraph. / 8-11 different pictures that capture your summer are poorly attached to the descriptive paragraph. / Less than 8 pictures are included.
Paragraphs / 15 thoughtful, well-written paragraphs (of at least 5 sentences each) that describe their corresponding picture are included. / 12-14 well-written paragraphs (of at least 5 sentences each) that describe their corresponding picture are included. / 8-11 well-written paragraphs (of at least 5 sentences each) that describe their corresponding picture are included. / Less than 8 paragraphs (of at least 5 sentences each) that describe their corresponding picture are included.
Mechanics / 5 or fewer misspellings or grammatical errors. / 6-9 misspellings and/or mechanical errors. / 10-13 misspellings and/or grammatical errors. / 14 or more errors in spelling and/or grammar.
Presentation / Makes excellent use of handwriting, colors, stickers, etc. to enhance the SVP. / Makes good use of handwriting, colors, stickers, etc. to enhance the SVP. / Makes use of handwriting, colors, stickers, etc. but occasionally these detract from the SVP. / Use of handwriting, color, stickers, etc. is either not present or distracts significantly from the SVP.
Oral Presentation / Delivery is interesting, well rehearsed and holds audience attention. / Delivery is rehearsed and mostly holds audience attention. / Delivery is not smooth, but able to hold audience attention some of the time. / Delivery is not smooth and audience attention is lost.
Total Points: /40