HARRISON CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
Louis M. Klein Middle School
50 Union Avenue
Harrison, New York 10528
June 2016
Dear Sixth Grade Reader and Parents/Guardians:
We are excited to welcome you to sixth grade ELA. This coming year, we will be reading
engaging texts in many different genres. Reading is an important personal experience as well as a skill
that will help you grow as a learner. Like any lifelong skill, good practice leads to success. To be sure that
your reading practice continues over the summer, the sixth grade English teachers require each
incoming sixth grader to read one book. The list of recommended books includes a variety of quality
fiction and nonfiction for young adult readers.
When choosing a book, we recommend that you read the back cover or jacket of the book to
see if the story line interests you. You might also read the summaries available online. We also suggest
that you read a page anywhere in the book to make sure that the vocabulary level and author’s style are
suitable. Making sure it is a “just right” book will lead to enjoyable reading.
After reading your book, answer the questions on the Summer Reading Response Form attached
to this letter. Your ELA teacher will collect and review your worksheet the first week of sixth grade. Even
though only one book is required, we encourage you to read many books from the reading list. This will
help prepare you for the exciting literature you will read in sixth grade.
We wish you a wonderful summer break that is filled with the joy of reading.
Sincerely,
Sixth Grade Language Arts Teachers
APPROVED TEXTS (in order of increasing lexile complexity level)
Smiles to Go by Jerry Spinelli (490)
Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead (670)
Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements (690)
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (700)
Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen (720)
Ungifted by Gordon Korman (730)
Counting by Sevens by Holly Goldberg Sloan (770)
A Mango- Shaped Space by Wendy Mass (770)
Rules by Cynthia Lord (780)
Wonder by R.J. Palacio (790)
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (810)
Within Reach: My Everest Story by Mark Pfetzer and Jack Galvin (970)
Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick (1000)
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (1000)
The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (1080)
HARRISON CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
Louis M. Klein Middle School
Name__________________________
Summer Reading Response Form
Title:______________________________
Author:__________________________________________
Dates you read this book (ex. From 7/4 – 7/28)
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Summarize the plot. (Describe what happens in the book):
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Authors include themes, lessons, and “ big ideas” in their writing. What was one of the “
big ideas” in your book?
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Often, characters experience change from the beginning of a book to the end. Describe
how one of the characters in the book changes. What causes the change? How is he or
she different in the end?
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Think about the way the book ended and write what you think could happen next. Use
information from the text to support your
answer._________________________________________________________________
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Rate this book from 1-10 (1 being the lowest rating; 10 the
highest).___________________