Middle School Summer Reading

Pre-Advanced Placement

7th Grade English

2016

The House of the Scorpion

By Nancy Farmer

Dear Parents of ECISD English Pre-AP students,

As this school year comes to a close, the middle school English teachers here in the Edinburg C.I.S.D. would like to let you know that we have your child’s education in mind when we make decisions about summer reading assignments. We understand how important it is for students to develop a love of reading as part of their intellectual growth and future success.

We have high expectations for all our students, but especially for our pre-AP students. Pre-AP classes help prepare students for the rigorous, yet rewarding academic challenges they will face when they enter high school and, later, college. Students need to develop a sense of responsibility and dedication to work to ensure their success—now and for the future.

In order to help develop your child’s independent reading skills and critical thinking skills, we require all 6th grade pre-AP, 7th grade pre-AP, and 8th grade English I pre-AP students to read an assigned novel during the summer months. Students will also be required to complete an assignment over their reading and may be assessed over the novel through tests, essays, and class activities at the beginning of the school year.

All students registered for 6th grade English pre-AP, 7th grade English pre-AP, and English I Pre-AP for the 2016-2017 school year MUST read the assigned novel and complete the corresponding assignment during the summer.

The Summer Reading Assignment is due by the end of the first school week in August 29, 2016 with the exam on August 30, 2016

Thank you,

ECISD Middle School Pre-AP English teachers

Summer Reading Assignment:

1 Essay and Comic Strip Activity

After reading the novel, The House of the Scorpion, you will write a character analysis on the protagonist, Matt. Summaries will not be accepted.

This essay must be TYPED (double spaced, Times New Roman Font and 12 size font) and must be 1 ½ pages long. A cover page will also be required.

Students must use examples from the book to write their essays. Please refer to the essay portion of this packet for further explanation of your assignment. A writing rubric has also been provided for assistance.

Students will also be required to complete a graphic illustration activity. This page must be colorful and neat with direct references to the novel.

Both assignments must be submitted in a folder with brackets.

The House of the Scorpion

Essay Portion

1.) Read and study The Seven Types of Heroes page. Become familiar with them as you will need these notes to evaluate Matt’s character.

2.) After reading the novel, you will write an essay connecting Will to ONLY ONE of these seven hero types.

WRITE: Based upon what you read about Matt in the novel, The House of the Scorpion, choose the one hero type that Matt best represents and write an essay explaining why he fits into this particular hero type.

Make sure to use specific examples and situations in the story to clearly explain why he fits into this one hero category.

Think about –

Ø Matt’s actions throughout the novel

Ø How Matt reacts to certain situations

Ø Matt’s thoughts and emotions throughout the novel

The Seven Types of Heroes

(Remember to only choose ONE when writing about Matt)

1. The Chief: The chief is a dynamic leader. He has time for nothing but work. He might have been born to lead, or perhaps he fought his way to the top. He’s tough, good at decision making, and completely focused on his task. Because the hero is so goal-oriented, he can be a bit overbearing and stubborn.

2. The Bad Boy: He is dangerous to know and likes to walk on the wild side. This is the rebel, or the boy from the bad side of town. He is rude and violent with an anger that is always ready to come out at any given moment. This hero may have a sweet side but it is a rare thing to see. It has to be someone really special to make him into the hero he is to become.

3. The Best Friend: He is sweet and safe. He never lets anyone down. Kind, responsible, decent, and a regular guy would be used to describe this protagonist. He does not enjoy fighting and people will sometimes take advantage of his sweetness. He does not like to hurt anyone’s feelings but will fight for someone they absolutely love.

4. The Lost Soul: This is a sensitive protagonist. He has had a bad childhood so he is secretive and brooding. He can be very unforgiving, almost mean in character. There is an air of mystery about this hero. He might be an outcast or a loner. This character does not like to work with others and keeps to himself.

5. The Professor : This is a highly intelligent protagonist. This protagonist is so smart, it almost seems like he has no emotion. He looks at everything in a very observant way and doesn’t like to get emotions involved. He may not have a lot of friends, even though his feelings are genuine. He likes cold, hard facts but can also be honest and faithful to the few friends he does have. He is also a go-getter and will not let you down in a tough situation.

6. The Swashbuckler: This character is ALL about adventure. This guy is action, action, and more action. He’s physical and daring. He loves to take risks and explore anything that comes his way. He needs thrills and excitement in his life or he will be really bored. Danger is his name and having the time of his life is his game.

7. The Warrior: The warrior is a noble champion. He acts with honor and is respectful. He can sometimes hesitate about taking on a mission but will come out as a knight in shining armor. He’s brave and always sticks up for those weaker than him. If you need a protector, this is your guy. He doesn’t buckle under stress and will keep going even when it seems like he won’t succeed.

Essay Rubric

1
Does Not Meet / 2
Does Not Fully Meet / 3
Meets / 4
More Than Meets / 5
Exceeds
CONTENT / Writing does not connect Will with any of the seven hero types. / Writing attempts to connect Will to one of the hero types but does not fully explain. / Writing makes the connection from Will to one of the hero types and uses some valid examples from the novel. / Writing makes the connection from Will to one of the hero types and goes into detail using
direct examples from the novel. / Writing makes an insightful, extremely well-developed connection from Will to one of the hero types. The explanation is clear and detailed.
ORGNIZATION / Writing is disorganized and completely confusing with no direction. / Writing is disorganized. Transitions are weak and ineffective. / Writing is organized and fairly focused. Transitions are adequate. There is a sense of closure. / Writing includes a strong introduction with strong reasoning and effective transitions. There is a strong sense of closure. / Writing is strong throughout the essay and is carefully organized. Includes smooth transitions, and insightful commentary.
VOCABULARY/
WORD CHOICE / Careless or inaccurate word choice, which confuses meaning. / Language is okay but is flat and has little variety. / Uses a variety in word choice to make the writing clear. / Purposeful and effective word choice that makes writing interesting. / Highly effective and engaging use of word choice, including figurative language.
VOICE / Writer’s voice / point of view shows no sense of audience. There is no sense of the author’s personality. / Writer’s voice/ point of view shows that sense of audience is not too clear. / Writer’s voice/point of view shows an understanding of specific audience. / Writer has strong voice/point of view. Writing engages audience. / Writes with a DISTINCT, UNIQUE voice that is clearly engaging to the audience.
SENTENCE
FLUENCY / Many run-ons (no periods) or fragments. Is very confusing to read. / Occasional run-ons or fragments but is manageable when it comes to reading. / Uses simple, compound and complex sentences. Some errors in sentence construction. / Has more complex and compound complex sentences. Few errors in sentence construction. / Consistent variety of sentences. Excellent sentence structure throughout essay.
CONVENTIONS / Too many errors in grammar mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, spelling) / Occasional errors in grammar mechanics (punctuation, capitalization, spelling) / Few errors in grammar mechanics.
Verb agreement okay. / Uses mostly correct punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.
Consistent verb usage. / Almost no errors in punctuation, capitalization and spelling. Consistent verb usage

Instructions: Draw a graphic illustration of one conflict (internal or external) that Matt deals with in the novel. You must also include how the conflict is resolved. Make sure that you use appropriate details from the book. You may use dialogue and thinking clouds in your illustration to add life to your characters and your scene. This must be NEATLY drawn and it must be COLORED. Only quality work will be accepted (NO stick figures.) This assignment must be completed using tag board. Laminating is optional.


Summer Reading

Student/Parent Agreement

Student

By signing below, I am indicating that I fully understand my responsibilities for summer reading and related assignments. I also guarantee to be ready to meet these expectations by the end of the first week of school, August 29, 2016.

School attended in 2015-2016: ______

Name of English teacher (2015-2016): ______

Printed Student Name: ______

Student Signature: ______Date: ______

Parent

By signing below, I indicate an awareness and understanding of my child’s responsibilities for summer reading. I also support my child’s efforts to fulfill his/her classroom expectations and be prepared by the end of the first week of school, August 29, 2016.

Parent Signature: ______Date: ______

Please Note:

Summer reading is REQUIRED for all students who will be taking

Pre-AP/GT English classes during the 2016-2017 school year.

Advanced Academics ~ Gifted Education

EDINBURG CISD