Dear 7th Grade Families,

First, I am so excited to meet you and your children next year (though many are familiar faces already!) and to be starting my 2nd year as part of the LCCS family. We’re going to have a lot of fun! (:

This summer, 7th Grade students are asked to complete 3 Tasks detailed below to go along with the 2 books they will be reading:

1)Listening is an Act of Love by David Isay (creator of StoryCorps)

2)An independent reading choice (suggestions below)

Book 1: Listening is an Act of Love

(COMPLETE ALL OF THE FOLLOWING)
Task 1: Reaction Journal

  • Keep a reaction journal and choose five (5) stories to reflect on from the book.
  • Reflections should include: questions, inferences, connections (text to self, text, or world), predictions, and opinions.
  • Reflections should be 1 page in length. May be typed or neatly handwritten.
  • Include name, date, book title, and the names of the interviewer & interviewee.

Task 2:Interview

  • Research interviewing techniques free to research more if you feel you want more tips!)
  • Choose one person (or favorite character!) to interview
  • Create 10 open-ended questions (no easy “yes” or “no” answers)
  • Create a Google Slideshow (1 slide per Q = 10 total) or video with pictures and text from your interview (about 5 min with all the Qs &As)

Book 2: Independent Reading Choice

(CHOOSE ONE TO COMPLETE)
Option 1: Movie Trailer

Create a video that showcases the plot (all 5 parts)one theme from the book. It should be about 1-2 minutes long and include major and minor characters. In 2 paragraphs, write a "pitch" (as if you are trying to sell your trailer to a movie production company who may want to turn it into a full length film) that answers the following questions:

1)Why did you organize the trailer the way you did?

2)What plots points did you want to highlight?

3)What aspects of different characters did you want to showcase?

4)What theme of the book you were trying to emphasize and why?

5)How did you build suspense for the viewers to get them interested in the movie?

6)What parts of the book did you leave out and why?

Option 2:Character Analysis Art & Essay

Create a drawing, poster, or any other creative medium that shows 6 character traits from 1 character in the book.

  • Include text evidence for each trait with page #(s)
  • In a 4 paragraph essay, explain why this character matters. What can the world gain and learn from this character? What can we learn from their choices, strengths, and weaknesses? The body paragraphs should follow the CCEC (Claim, Context, Evidence, Commentary) format.

Option 3:Song Playlist

Create a playlist that reflects the plot, characters, and at least 1 theme of the novel.

  • Total of 10 songs with the singer and song title
  • Showcase the playlist on Google Slides: 1 song per slide
  • Include at least 1 picture per slide
  • For each song, describe in 1 paragraph how it connects to 1 aspect of the book (either character, plot, or theme) and use text evidence.