Lakewood City Schools Summer 2011 REQUIRED Reading Assignment for All Middle School Students

Lakewood City Schools Summer 2011 REQUIRED Reading Assignment for All Middle School Students

Lakewood City Schools – Summer 2011
REQUIRED Reading Assignment for all Middle School Students


All future sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students are required to readtwobooks this summer. After reading each book, students choose between twoassignment options. Current middle school students may find their SRI Recommended Reading Report list or a book that falls within their Lexile level a helpful place to start.The website can be consulted as a resource for matching readers with texts. It’s important that students and parentschoose the books together, keeping in mind the reading and maturity levels of the student as well as his/her interests. This assignment is due on or before Friday, September 2, and late assignments will not be accepted.

Grading Procedures:

Students will be graded on this assignment based upon following the instructions listed here for option A and option B. The columns below should be used as a checklist for completion. This assignment will count for up to ten percent of the first quarter grade in language arts. The books selected should be ones the student has not previously read.

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Lakewood City Schools – Summer 2011
REQUIRED Reading Assignment for all Middle School Students

Assignment Option A:

  • Select an appropriate book for your reading and age/maturity level.
  • Complete three journal responses for each book using the response starters below.
  • Each response should be written in a well-

developed paragraph with 5-10 sentences.

  • Respond three times throughout

the book, proofreading for content, spelling,

punctuation and grammar.

Journal Response Starters (choose three different starters for each book):

I was surprised when…

I was angry about…

I liked the way the author …

I don’t understand why the author …

If I were the author, I would have …

I’d compare this author to …

This book reminds me of …

I’d say the theme of this book is …

I didn’t agree with …

I understood…

I didn’t understand…

Why did…

Assignment Option B:

  • Select a book from the list below and participate in a book discussion.
  • All book discussions will be held from 7:30- 8:30 p.m. on the dates listed below in the Multipurpose Room at Lakewood Public Library (15425 Detroit Avenue).
  • Space is limited, so register by stopping in or calling Lakewood Public Library: (216) 226-8275, ext. 140.
  • Students must register for the program, read the book, and actively participate in the book discussion to receive credit.
  • Going on a vacation? Take a book on CD with you to listen to while you follow along with the book. The symbol indicates that the title is available on CDat the Lakewood Public Library.

Obtaining the Books for Assignment Option B:

  • Lakewood Public Library or other local libraries
  • Books-A-Million (216-706-5018) in Westgate, Rocky River
  • Barnes & Noble (440-250-9233) in Crocker Park, Westlake
  • Borders (440-892-7667) in the Promenade Shopping Center, Westlake

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Lakewood City Schools – Summer 2011
REQUIRED Reading Assignment for all Middle School Students

Assignment Option B Book Summaries:

The Graveyard Bookby Neil Gaiman (book on CD available) Tuesday, July 5 or Thursday, July 28 (Lexile 820)

The orphan, Bod, short for Nobody, is taken in by the inhabitants of a graveyard as a child of eighteen months and raised lovingly and carefully to the age of eighteen years by the community of ghosts and otherworldly creatures.

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt (book on CD available) Thursday, July 7 or Monday, August 1 (Lexile 990)

Seventh grader Holling Hoodhood spends Wednesday afternoons with his teacher, Mrs. Baker. He is sure Mrs. Baker doesn't like him. Holling's father wants him and his sister to be on their best behavior, but how can he stay out of trouble when he has so much to contend with?

Eggsby Jerry Spinelli Monday, July 11 or Tuesday, August 2 (Lexile 610)

Mourning the loss of his mother, nine-year-old David forms an unlikely friendship with independent, quirky thirteen-year-old Primrose, as the two help each other deal with what is missing in their lives.

Rulesby Cynthia Lord Tuesday, July 12 or Thursday, August 4 (Lexile 780)

Frustrated at life with an autistic brother, twelve-year-old Catherine longs for a normal existence, but her world is further complicated by a friendship with a young paraplegic.

Hattie Big Skyby Kirby Larson (book on CD available) Thursday, July 14 or Monday, August 8 (Lexile 700)

After inheriting her uncle's homesteading claim in Montana, sixteen-year-old orphan Hattie Brooks travels from Iowa in 1917 to make a home for herself and encounters some unexpected problems related to the Great War being fought in Europe. Despite everything, Hattie's determined to stay until a tragedy causes her to discover the true meaning of home.

Day of the Pelicanby Katherine Paterson (book on CD available) Monday, July 18 or Tuesday, August 9 (Lexile 770)

The Lleshis are Albanians living in Kosovo, a country trying to fight off Serbian oppressors, and suddenly they are homeless refugees. Then, unexpectedly, they are brought to America by a church group and begin a new life in a small Vermont town. The events of 9/11 bring more challenges for this Muslim family, but this country is their home now, and there can be no turning back.

Kaleidoscope Eyesby Jen Bryant Tuesday, July 19 or Thursday, August 11 (Lexile 950)

In 1968, with the Vietnam War raging, thirteen-year-old Lyza inherits a project from her deceased grandfather, who had been using his knowledge of maps and the geography of Lyza's New Jersey hometown to locate the lost treasure of Captain Kidd.

Chasing Vermeerby Blue Balliett (book on CD available) Thursday, July 21 or Monday, August 15 (Lexile 770)

When seemingly unrelated and strange events start to happen, and a precious Vermeer painting disappears, eleven-year-olds Petra and Calder combine their talents to solve an international art scandal.

When You Reach Meby Rebecca Stead (book on CD available) Monday, July 25 or Tuesday, August 16 (Lexile 750)

As her mother prepares to be a contestant on the 1980’s television game show "The $20,000 Pyramid," a twelve-year-old New York City girl tries to make sense of a series of mysterious notes received from an anonymous source that seems to defy the laws of time and space.

The Invention of Hugo Cabretby Brian Selznick (book on CD available) Tuesday, July 26 or Thursday, August 18

When twelve-year-old Hugo, an orphan living and repairing clocks within the walls of a Paris train station in 1931, meets a mysterious toy seller and his goddaughter, his undercover life and his biggest secret are jeopardized. (Lexile 820)

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