Filipek- AMDG

St. Edward the ConfessorParishSchool

Summer Reading Assignment for Incoming 8th Graders

You must read TWO books over the summer.

You must read:

The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Speare)

During the first week of school, you will be tested on your knowledge of the characters, plot, setting(s), conflict(s), and the historical background of this book.

You must choose and read one additional work from the following list:

A Connecticul Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (Twain)

Death Be Not Proud (Gunther)

Elizabeth I: Red Rose of the House of Tudor (Lasky)

Farewell to Manzanar (Houston & Houston)

Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad (Petry)

House of Dies Drear (Hamilton)

Last of the Mohicans (Cooper)

My Brother Sam is Dead (Collier and Collier)

Soldier Boys (Hughes)

Summer of My German Soldier (Greene)

The Endless Steppe: Growing up in Siberia (Hautzig)

For one of these booksabove, you will complete a book report (see options on the reverse of this paper).

The Fine Print:

These projects will have a tentative due date no earlier than September 6, 2011.

You must take (and pass)an Accelerated Reader (AR) test for both of these books before September 9, 2011.

I am reachable at or

Happy Summer! 

Independent Reading Book Reports—Summer 2012

(*** This is for the book from the list—NOT for Witch of Blackbird Pond***)

Your writing must show me that you have more than just a cursory knowledge of the book that you chose. That is, that you read, not just skimmed through (or *shudder* watched a movie, or looked at “cheat sheets” on the internet ). Simple book summaries will not be accepted. Any work containing plagiarism (including copied and pasted passages from internet or other sources) will be returned for no credit. You need to only quote/consult one source: the novel itself!

Your written work should be of assigned length, Arial or Times New Roman (or similar, butlegible) 12 pt font, 1” margins, and double-spaced on plain white paper. All work must be typed unless otherwise noted. You will be graded on how well you demonstrate your comprehension of the novel, creativity, complexity of expression, and neatness (spelling, etc.).

Options:

Imagine that you are the author of the book that you have just read. Suddenly the book becomes a best seller. Write a letter to a movie producer trying to persuade that person to make your book into a movie. Explain why the story, characters, conflicts, etc. would make a good film. Suggest filming locations and actors to play the various roles. Use the proper business letter format. 1½ page minimum text. You may only make your own suggestions—do not pitch movies that already exist! You may also attach pictures to demonstrate your ideas.

Write a letter to the main character of your book asking questions, protesting a situation, and/or making a complaint or suggestion. Use the proper “friendly” letter format. 1½ page minimum text.

Write a FULL (physical, emotional, relationship/interactions) description of three different characters in the book. ½ page text each. Hand-draw and color/shade a portrait to accompany each description.

Create a mini-comic book, in color (or quality shading) depicting an ENTIRE chapter of the novel. Include description boxes, thought bubbles, and speech bubbles. Text of the comic should be equivalent to 1 page. Can also be done on the computer (but talk to Ms. F first).

Do a 6-minute “Reading Rainbow”—style PERSUASIVE book talk (ask your parents or look it up—this show was AWESOME!) in front of the class. Talk to the class about your book by saying a little about the author, describe who the characters are, and explain enough about the genre and plot of the story so that everyone will understand what they are going to read. Do not just read from the back of the book! Finally, read an exciting, interesting, or amusing passage from your book. Stop reading at a moment that leaves the audience hanging and add, “If you want to more, you’ll have to read the book.” If the book talk is well done, students will want to read the novel!

  • Digital Age option: prepare a PowerPoint/Prezi presentation or video to go along with your speech.

Write a different ending for your story, or a different beginning. 1½ page minimum text.

Imagine that a character from your story has been transported through time and space and is meeting a character from another story, TV show, or movie. Imagine that these two have to solve a problem together. Write a dialogue/script depicting the conversation these two would have. 1½ page minimum text. Better yet, act it out in a video!

Non-conformist: create your own project--- YOU MUST HAVE MS. FILIPEK’S PERMISSION IN WRITING FIRST!