Summer Reading Packet

7th grade Summer Reading Assignment

Dear Students and Parents,

As the year comes to a close, it is time to start preparing our seventh grade Language Arts students for eighth grade. Part of that transition is to ensure that students are aware of and complete the required assignments over the summer to be ready for the first day of school.

Each incoming eighth grader will be required to read The Raft by S.A Bodeen, complete a Reader Response Journal, and answer the attached reading comprehension questions. The journals and questions will be collected, and students will be tested on the novel within the first two weeks of school.

Within this packet you will find the instructions to the Reading Journal, a sample entry for guidance, and the comprehension questions. (100 point assignment – 30 points for the journal entries and 70 points for the questions.)

If you have any questions, please feel free to email the eighth grade Language Arts teachers.

Mr. Miller:

------Please complete and detach bottom portion ------

Student Name: ______Date: ______

I have reviewed and understand the summer reading requirements. I further understand the importance of completing this assignment prior to the start of the 2015-2016 school year.

Parent Signature______Student Signature ______

Requirements for Reading Journal (30 points)

  • You will complete a total of three (3) entries for the Reading Journal. After reading approximately 80 pages, you should stop to record in your journal. If you are in the middle of the chapter after reading 80 pages, feel free to finish the chapter first.
  • Your journal should have two columns, Cornell Notes style.
  • Your journal must be legible. Handwriting is allowed, but typing is encouraged.
  • Each entry will include a:
  • Heading
  • Summary
  • Quote/Passage
  • Reflections (2)
  1. Heading:
  • Place the heading in the top left corner
  • Your Name
  • Title of the Book
  • Entry # _____
  • Date
  • Pages read for this entry
  1. Summary
  • On the LEFT side:
  • Write the word “Summary”
  • On the RIGHT side:
  • Write a summary of your reading in complete sentences. Include essential information of who, what, when, where, why and how of the action.
  1. Quote/Passage
  • On the LEFT side:
  • Copy a meaningful quote/passage from the reading section and indicate its page number.
  • This passage should show something important to a theme, a character’s development, plot advancement or personal connection.
  • On the RIGHT side:
  • Write your response to the quote/passage’s significance. Explain why this passage is important or meaningful and why it caught your attention.
  1. Reflections (2)
  • Each journal entry should have two (2) reflections on that section. The reflection should begin with one of the reflection starters listed on page 4.
  • Once you have used a reflection starter, it cannot be repeated in any of the other three journal entries.
  • On the LEFT side:
  • Copy the reflection starter
  • On the RIGHT side:
  • Complete the reflection starter.

Reflection Starters

  • I do not understand…
  • I noticed that…
  • I wonder about…
  • I predict…
  • A question I have is…
  • I now understand…
  • I see, I hear, I feel, I think… (Choose just one (1) to begin)
  • The (story, event, character, phrase) makes me (feel, think)…
  • Draw a picture in your response (be sure to explain what your picture be sure to explain what your picture represents
  • Identify the author’s viewpoint, his or her attitude toward the subject, what you think the purpose is behind the piece of writing.
  • I (agree/disagree) with______because…
  • This character reminds me of myself (or someone else) because…
  • If I were (name of character) at this point, I would….
  • I would like to give the following advice to (name of character)….
  • If I could change anything in this story, I would change _____ because…
  • The author is creating conflict between ____ and _____ by….
  • The setting seems to be…
  • OI think the setting is important because…
  • I really (like/dislike) this (idea, person, attitude, or party of this book) because…
  • This scene reminds me of (my own life, a movie, a TV show, or another character in another novel) because…
  • Something I (noticed, appreciate, don’t appreciate or wonder about) is______because…
  • I now (realize or think) that….
  • A phrase or line I like is _____ because….
  • Why does…..
  • List all the things you know about a character at this point that you did not know before.

The Raft Questions (70pts)

Directions: Answer each question thoroughly with complete sentences.

Chapter 1

1. How does Robie describe the good vs. bad of living on Midway? (Page 3) ______

2. Where do Robie and her parents live? How do you think this might be important to the storyline?

______

Chapter 2

3. What happens to Robie when she goes out for her dinner? ______

4. There’s a shift in the mood of the story from chapter one to chapter two. Write down a quote from the chapter that supports this shift in mood.

______

Chapters 3-6

5. How would the story have been different if Bobbi had been able to watch Robie?

______

6. Describe the mishaps at the airport that move the story along?

“I waited for them to come and tell me to get weighed. The G-1 could only hold 3,800 pounds of cargo and people, because that’s how much it could still fly with if one engine went out…” Larry shook me awake. “We’re ready to go.” Then he asked me something about Max and weighing in a paperwork or something. (Page 19)

What inference should you make about this exchange?

______

7. Explain why chapter 5 is a turning point in the story.

______

8. What did Robie realize when the co-pilot dug something out from underneath the galley’s shelves?

______

Chapter 7

9. What directions did Max give to Robie before the plane crashed?

______

10. “Shudders and squeaks and an anguished mechanical groan like something out of a horror movie. Max barreled down the aisle toward me and with a loud grunt, ripped the exit window open. The wind and rain burst in and would have nearly blown me away if I hadn’t been strapped in.” (Page 32)

Figurative language creates imagery for the reader. Explain why you do or do not believe the author was successful in creating urgency after the plane crashed. Which words or phrases helped to create the mood of the situation?

______

Chapters 9-11

11. How do you feel about Robie after reading chapter 9?

______

12. “Dying was so much easier than I ever thought.” (Page 39)

Explain this quote from Robie. Do you think she is correct?

______

13. How does Robie’s description of trying to reach the surface of the ocean demonstrate she was not ready to die?

______

Chapter 12

14. Do you believe Robie was really upset with Max for throwing her out of the plane?

______

15. Explain why the author uses repetition in this chapter? What is the purpose of it?

______

Chapter 13

16. Why does Robie continue to accuse Max of throwing her out of the plane?

______

17. What do you think Max’s answer to Robie’s question means for Robie?

______

Chapter 14

18. Explain why Robie feels guilty.

______

19. Explain Robie’s need to make sure she was not alone in the raft.

______

Chapter 15

20. Why was Robie upset with the contents of the bag?

______

21. Explain how Max is doing?

______

Chapter 16

22. Why did Robie think Max was the type of person Max is?

______

23. Explain why Robie thought tiger sharks were worse than great white sharks?

______

Chapters 17-19

24. What did Robie realize was the new enemy?

______

25. What did Robie find behind Max?

______

26. What must Robie do to ensure her and Max’s survival in the raft?

______

27. How does Robie show respect to Max?

______

Chapter 20-25

28. Why did Robie push Max out of the raft?

______

29. What did Robie realize when she looked at the manifest?

______

30. What information was on the “Survival at Sea” card?

______

31. How did Robie justify opening what she found in the bag?

______

31. What does Robie realize at the end of chapter 25?

______

Chapter 26-30

32. What did Robie need to convince herself of in order to survive?

______

33. Why did Max forgive Robie for putting him in the water?

______

34. What can you infer about Robie’s nose after reading about her touching it?

______

35. What happened when Robie tried to flip the raft back over?

______

36. “I pinched a piece of skin on the back of my hand and let it go. The skin stayed up, in a little mound, before slowly going back.” Page 101

What does it mean when your skin doesn’t spring back immediately?

______

37. Why did Max start telling Robie about his childhood?

______

38. At the end of the chapter, Max tells Robie about eating all the Christmas cookies and then throwing them all up. Why would the author include this in the story?

______

Chapters 31-34

39. Why was Robie interested in the thumb print?

______

40. What did Robie find in the debris floating by the raft? What comforted her?

______

41. “I thought about The Hunger Games, how when the main character was about to give up, a little silver parachute would come floating down with exactly the item she needed.” What literary element does this quote contain?

______

42. Describe how Robie made fishing gear.

______

43. Explain why Robie forced herself to continue drinking water.

______

44. Why was Max’s story significant to their situation?

______

Chapters 34-40

45. Why was Robie happy to see the Laysan albatross flying above the raft?

______

46. Why was Robie excited about seeing the baitball?

______

47. Why did Robie throw the rest of the fish far from the raft?

______

48. Max began telling Robie about Brandy. “I was always polite. But she [Brandy’s mother] didn’t trust me with her daughter. I could tell. Maybe she had a feeling, an intuition. Maybe she knew something we didn’t.” (Page 132)

What can you infer from this statement of Max’s?

______

49. Why do you think Max is sleeping so much?
______

50. Explain what happened after Robie heard the C-130.

______

51. What did Robie see the next morning that gave her hope?

______

52. Explain why running into a reef would be dangerous.

______

53. Describe the situation Robie found herself in after going through the reef.

______

54. What did Robie decide to do with the lighters she found on the island?

______

55. Where was Max?

______

Chapters 41-50

56. Explain why you do or do not think it was courageous of Robie to do what she did to the seal.

______

57. Do you think Robie was correct in calling the shark a monster? Explain your answer.

______

58. What do you think is wrong with Max? Why doesn’t he help Robie more?

______

59. Robie names the baby seal. How do you think she will feel if anything happens to the baby seal?

______

60. Do you think it is a good sign that Max is sleeping all of the time?

______

61. What does the situation about Max say about Robie’s state of mind?

______

62. What three things did Robie find on the beach? Explain why each was important to her.

A.______

B. ______

C.______

Epilogue

63. What was Robie’s silver parachute?

______

64. Why did Robie find it impossible to eat Starbuck?

______

65. Why did Robie think the boat was a hallucination?

______

66. Who stopped at the island and why?

______

67. How long had Robie been missing?

______

68. How does Max play an important part in Robie’s survival?

______

69. How does the necklace symbolize the relationship Robie had with Max?

______

70. Why does Robie maintain she was never alone? What does she mean by this?

______

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