“MUST HAVES” – These are items that each student is required to purchase for the current school year.

  English Language Arts:

  1 two inch 3-ring binder

  1 pack of 5 divider tabs

  1 pack multi-color highlighters

  1 pack of blue pens

  1 pack of red pens

  2 packs of 3 X 5, lined, white index cards

  1 index card box

  (optional) an electronic spell checker

  Math:

  4 3-ring binders

  1 pad of graph paper

  1 scientific calculator with square root, sin, cos, tan keys

  History:

  1 (one subject) spiral notebook

  Science:

  2 composition books

  Spanish

3/4 inch binder with dividers

  Used in all classes:

  loose leaf college-ruled notebook paper

  5 two-pocket folders (one for each class)

  pencils and erasers

  hand-held pencil sharpener

  1 pack of colored pencils

“WISH LIST” – These are items that are not required to be purchased, but donations of these items would be valuable for general classroom use. A donation of any items below would be greatly appreciated.

  1 bottle of hand sanitizer

  1 pack of Expo markers

  1 container of Clorox wipes

SUMMER READING LIST – GOING INTO GRADE 8

All students must read Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli. Students will be assessed on the book upon returning to school. A review session and test will take place during the first week of school.

Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
/ A view of the Holocaust as seen through the eyes of a child who struggles to understand the world around him. In Warsaw in 1939, a boy wanders the streets and survives by stealing what food he can. He knows nothing of his background. Befriended by a band of orphaned Jewish boys, he understands very little of what is happening when the Nazis march into town. Themes: historical fiction, World War II, the Holocaust, survival

IN ADDITION, you must choose one book from the following list. This book should be used to complete the “Independent Summer Reading Project.” This project is meant to help students think analytically about what they are reading. This assignment will be due approximately two weeks after school starts.

After Tupac & D Foster by Jacqueline Woodson
/ “The summer before D Foster’s real mama came and took her away, Tupac wasn’t dead yet.” From this first line in her quiet, powerful novel, Woodson cycles backward through the events that lead to dual tragedies: a friend’s departure and a hero’s death. In a close-knit African American neighborhood in Queens, New York, the unnamed narrator lives across from her best friend, Neeka. Then D Foster wanders onto the block, and the three 11-year-old girls quickly become inseparable. Because readers know from the start where the plot is headed, the characters and the community form the focus here. A subplot about Neeka’s older brother, a gay man serving prison time after being framed for a hate crime, sometimes threatens to overwhelm the girls’ story.
Virals by Kathy Reichs
/ Tory Brennan, 14, lives on an island off the coast of South Carolina. Her newly discovered father works in science research for the University of Charleston, which is why she and her friends with similar pedigrees attend the ritzy prep school in town with the local aristocracy. Tory and her three friends, all boys, are science geeks and love to explore the outer islands where monkeys and other wildlife abound. While exploring a supposedly deserted lab complex, they discover the caged offspring of a wolf and German shepherd that has been diagnosed with parvovirus. Tory's concern leads the group to rescue the pup with the notion of curing and saving it from science experiments. Tory knows that parvo cannot infect humans, but once the treatment begins the four teens start to experience symptoms that make them doubt her initial belief. Along the way, they also stumble upon a murder mystery dating back to the Vietnam War era that quickly becomes linked to the mysterious science experiments that are being kept hidden on the islands. What starts as a science mystery thriller takes a sharp right turn into the realm of science fiction with genetically altered DNA and superhuman senses that may cause more savvy readers to scoff. However, the fast-paced thrills, cool science, and great characters will create a flood of fans waiting for the next installment.–
Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonneblick
/ Steven recalls the past school year during which his five-year-old brother, Jeffrey, was diagnosed with and treated for leukemia. Steven is an avid drummer, journal writer, and generally a good student. But the pressures of dealing with Jeff's illness stresses his entire family as his school-teacher mom takes a leave to care for him, Dad withdraws, and Steven stops doing homework. Renee Albert is the object of his lust, while Annette, the piano player in jazz band, gradually becomes beautiful in his eyes. Steven's frequent faux pas seem belabored early in the book, but they do eventually work to show him to be an admirable fellow who grows in his ability to deal with others, including Renee and Annette, the school counselor, his parents, and Jeff.
Standing Against the Wind by Traci L. Jones
/ Patrice Williams was happy living in Georgia with her grandmother, then her mother lured her to Chicago and ended up in jail. Living in the projects, Patrice is an easy target for everyone. Not only won’t she stand up for herself, she cares about her grades—unlike her classmates. But that draws the attention of Monty Freeman, another eighth grader who asks Patrice to tutor his little brother. When Monty becomes her guardian angel, Patrice begins to think something stronger than friendship might be growing between them. Still, nothing will stop her from applying for a scholarship at prestigious Dogwood Academy—except her mother.
Death Cloud by Andrew Lane
/ It is the summer of 1868, and Sherlock Holmes is fourteen. On break from boarding school, he is staying with eccentric strangers—his uncle and aunt—in their vast house in Hampshire. When two local people die from symptoms that resemble the plague, Holmes begins to investigate what really killed them, helped by his new tutor, an American named Amyus Crowe. So begins Sherlock’s true education in detection, as he discovers the dastardly crimes of a brilliantly sinister villain of exquisitely malign intent.
13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison
/ While visiting her grandmother's house, an old photograph leads Tanya to an unsolved mystery. Fifty years ago a girl vanished in the woods nearby - a girl Tanya's grandmother will not speak of. Fabian, the caretaker's son, is tormented by the girl's disappearance. His grandfather was the last person to see her alive, and has lived under suspicion ever since. Together, Tanya and Fabian decide to find the truth. But Tanya has her own secret: the ability to see fairies. And, after disturbing an intruder in the night, it emerges that someone else shares her ability ...The manor's sinister history is about to repeat itself ...
Bound by Donna Jo Napoli
/ Young Xing Xing is bound. Bound to her late father's second wife and daughter. Bound to a life of servitude as a young girl in ancient China, where a woman is valued less than livestock. Bound to be alone, with no parents to arrange for a suitable husband. Xing Xing spends her days taking care of her half sister, Wei Ping, who cannot walk because of her foot bindings, the painful tradition for girls who are fit to be married. Even so, Xing Xing is content to practice her gift for poetry and calligraphy, and to dream of a life unbound by the laws of family and society. But all of this is about to change as Stepmother, who has spent nearly all of the family's money, grows desperate to find a husband for Wei Ping. Xing Xing soon realizes that this greed and desperation may threaten not only her memories of the past, but also her dreams for the future.
Mister Monday by Garth Nix
/ Seven days. Seven keys. Seven virtues. Seven sins. One mysterious house is the doorway to a very mysterious world -- where one boy is about to venture and unlock a number of fantastical secrets.
The Underdogs by Mike Lupica
/ Will Tyler can fly on a football field. He may not be the biggest running back around, but no one can touch him when it comes to hitting the hole and finding the end zone. And no one can match his love of the game. When Will has a football in hand, he may as well be flying for real because life can't touch him - his dad isn't so defeated, his town isn't so poor, and everyone has something to cheer for. All of which does him no good if the football season is canceled. With no funding for things like uniforms and a cared-for playing field, with seemingly every other family moving to find jobs, there simply isn't enough money or players for a season. Unless one kid can rally an entire town and give everyone a reason to believe.

Thank you for your continued support of your child’s academics and success at school. If you have any questions regarding the summer reading lists, please contact Beth Sein via email () during summer break or via phone beginning August 16, 2012 at ext. 2053.

Sincerely,

The Michelangelo Team

Name______

Independent Summer Reading Project

You are about to embark on a literary study of your choice novel. In conjunction with what you have learned in literature class, you will dissect and analyze the four main literary elements of your book. As you read, you will also keep an interactive reading log.

This project is intended to allow you to read the book of your choice while integrating what you have learned in literature. To be successful on this project you must follow all directions as stated!

Your project will be due during the second week back to school.

1. To get you started, complete the following information on your novel:

Title: ______

Author: ______

Number of pages: ______

2. Next, you will divide your book into 5 parts. The easiest way to do this is to take your total number of pages (from step # 1 above) and divide by 5.

______pages / 5 = ______pages per section

(Example: My book is 220 pages long. If I divide 220 pages by 5, I get 44 pages per section.)

3. Now, look at your book to determine where to break up the pieces using the number from step # 2. Chances are your book won’t break evenly on chapters at these spots, so you will need to adjust some to keep complete chapters together. However, don’t start recounting your page numbers from your adjusted spot, or you will end up with a chunk of text that is really large at the end!

Put your proposed page ranges for the five sections below:

Section 1: ______– ______

Section 2: ______– ______

Section 3: ______– ______

Section 4: ______– ______

Section 5: ______– ______


4. Next you will complete a worksheet for each of your sections. Pace yourself in completing this packet. It doesn’t have to be done right away, but don’t wait until the last minute either. The following are specific instructions pertaining to the reading log you will complete for every section:

Interactive Reading Log

While you are reading your book, you must keep an interactive reading log. As you complete each section of your book, write a brief summary (no more than a paragraph) of significant events. Please record the date and pages read with each summary.

Along with the summary, you will record two interactions with the text. Each interactive response entry should be about a paragraph in length. You can’t be wrong in your responses, as these reflect your personal reactions to the text. Take some risks and be honest. Use the sample prompts to help you get started with expressing your likes/dislikes, confusion, and observations. Tell me what you think something means. Make predictions about what might happen later. Use your personal experiences to connect with the plot, characters, setting, etc. You may only use a sentence starter once in the ten reactions you will write.

The following are sample interactive prompts:

·  I really don’t understand the part where . . .

·  I really like/dislike this idea because . . .

·  This character reminds me of somebody I know because . . .

·  This character reminds me of myself because . . .

·  I think this setting is important because . . .

·  This scene reminds me of a similar scene in (title of book/movie/TV show) because . . .

·  I like/dislike this writing because . . .

·  This part is very realistic/unrealistic because . . .

·  I think the relationship between ______and ______is interesting because . . .

·  This section makes me think about . . .

·  I like/dislike (name of character) because . . .

·  This situation reminds me of a similar situation in my own life. What happened was . . .

·  If I were (name of character) at this point, I would . . .

·  I began to think of . . .

·  I love the way . . .

·  I can’t believe . . .

·  I wonder why . . .

·  I noticed . . .

·  I think . . .

·  I’m not sure . . .

·  My favorite character is ___ because . . .

·  I like the way the author . . .

·  I felt sad/happy/excited/scared/etc. when . . .

·  I wish that . . .

·  I was surprised . . .

·  It seems like . . .

·  I’m not sure . . .

·  I want to know more about . . .

·  I predict . . .


Section 1