NEWPORT MILL MIDDLE SCHOOL
GRADE 8 SUMMER 2015
11311 Newport Mill Road
Linda Jasper, Assistant Principal
Kensington, MD 20895
Ph: (301) 929-2244
Fax: (301) 929-2274
Panagiota Tsonis, Principal
Ryan Graves, Assistant School Administrator
COLLABORATIVE SUMMER LIBRARY PROGRAM
SUMMER READING 2015: A REQUIREMENT FOR SUCCESS
Grade 8 Why summer reading?
 Reading improves with practice.
 Reading is a life-long skill required for success as a student and in the workplace.
 Students who do NOT read over the summer vacation can LOSE as much as TWO MONTHS of
achievement per year.
WE WANT YOUR CHILD TO KEEP IMPROVING…DON’T YOU?
To remain successful, your child will be expected to read one fiction novel and two non-fiction articles this
summer. (They may not choose works they have already read.)
Enclosed you will find a list of suggested texts that cover a wide range of reading levels, topics, and types of
text. Librarians and bookstore consultants can help your child find a level of reading that is right for him/her.
Montgomery County’s public libraries also provide free access to a variety of texts for students.
After reading each book, your child must complete the attached fiction and non-fiction worksheets (each
contains a graphic organizer and writing prompt).
All worksheets will be collected by the English/ESOL teacher no later than Friday, August 31st, 2015. The
two worksheets will be assessed as a homework grade.
Students completing this assignment will be rewarded with an invitation to a surprise event!
Copies of the summer reading packet will be available in the main office at Newport Mill Middle School. The
entire packet is also available on Newport Mill’s website with links to a variety of audio and online versions of
text, as well as other helpful tools to make your reading experience a successful one. If you require any other
type of assistance, contact the school or visit the school website at:
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/newportmillms/.
Thank you for your support of the Summer Reading Program.
Enjoy your summer and HAPPY READING!
The English Department
NEWPORT MILL MIDDLE SCHOOL
GRADE 8 SUMMER 2015
11311 Newport Mill Road
Linda Jasper, Assistant Principal
Kensington, MD 20895
Ph: (301) 929-2244
Fax: (301) 929-2274
Panagiota Tsonis, Principal
Ryan Graves, Assistant School Administrator
COLLABORATING LIBRARIES: Kensington Park * Wheaton * Silver Spring
Fiction
Suggested Titles (You are free to choose other books that do not appear on this list.)
Action/Adventure
Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman
Mystery
First Shot by Walter Sorrells
Sixteen-year-old Eon hopes to become an apprentice
to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune
and learn to be its main interpreter, but to do so will
require much, including keeping secret that she is a
girl.
David Crandall, haunted by his mother's murder, decides
to launch his own investigation when he senses that
someone knows more than they're letting on, plunging
him into a dangerous world where a dark family secret
leads him to believe that his own father is the killer.
Fiction/Best-Seller
A Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Realistic Fiction
Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt
Sixteen-year-old Hazel, a stage IV thyroid cancer
patient, has accepted her terminal diagnosis until a
chance meeting with a boy at cancer support group
forces her to reexamine her perspective on love, loss,
and life.
While Doug struggles to be more than the thug that his
teachers and the police think him to be, he finds an
unlikely ally in Lil Spicer, as they explore Audubon's art.
Drama
Izzy, Willy Nilly by Cynthia Voigt
Historical Fiction
The Secret Keeper by Mitali Perkins
A car accident causes fifteen-year-old Izzy to lose
one leg and face the need to start building a new life
as an amputee.
In 1974, when her father leaves India to seek a job in New
York, Asha, a tomboy at the advanced age of six- teen,
feels thwarted in Calcutta where her family must stay and
observe the old-fashioned traditions that Ashi hates.
Read along with free audiobooks online! Go to: http://www.audiobooksync.com/
Non-Fiction
Increase your expert knowledge! Read two articles from the following list of links.
The Argument
 http://animal-testing.procon.org/
 http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/teen-plastic-surgery/
Utopias & Dystopias
 http://www.utopiaanddystopia.com/
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2015/05/27/a-body-count-in-qatar-illustrates-theconsequences-of-fifa-corruption/
Eyewitness Testimony
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/30/AR2010043002051.html
 https://ethicalrealism.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/why-logic-is-important/
 http://www.todayonline.com/commentary/why-we-should-teach-logic-schools
NEWPORT MILL MIDDLE SCHOOL
GRADE 8 SUMMER 2015
11311 Newport Mill Road
Linda Jasper, Assistant Principal
Kensington, MD 20895
Ph: (301) 929-2244
Fax: (301) 929-2274
Panagiota Tsonis, Principal
Ryan Graves, Assistant School Administrator
Character Trait Chart – Fiction
Part 1: Complete the graphic organizer below by identifying three character traits of one character from the
story you read. Use evidence/examples from the text to support your answer. A trait or characteristic is how a
person is all the time – traits don’t change.
Sample Traits: Trustworthy, generous, caring, responsible Sample Evidence: “Trisha always remembered to turn in her homework assignments.” (responsible) Evidence: Trait: Evidence: Character: Trait: Evidence:
Trait: Part 2: Write a well-developed paragraph describing the character you chose using the information from the
graphic organizer above, and the writing organizer below. Please complete all boxes.
Topic Sentence:
#1 Trait/Evidence/Explanation Sentence:
#2 Trait/Evidence/Explanation Sentence:
#3 Trait/Evidence/Explanation Sentence:
Concluding Sentence:
NEWPORT MILL MIDDLE SCHOOL
GRADE 8 SUMMER 2015
11311 Newport Mill Road
Linda Jasper, Assistant Principal
Kensington, MD 20895
Ph: (301) 929-2244
Fax: (301) 929-2274
Panagiota Tsonis, Principal
Ryan Graves, Assistant School Administrator
Main Idea Chart – Non-fiction
PART I: The main idea tells what the text is all about. The details help to describe and explain the main
idea. Complete the graphic organizer in order to identify and explain the main idea within text.
Choose two non-fiction articles. Write the main idea for each article and provide two details to support the
main idea.
Main Idea: Article____ Pg. #____
Main Idea: Article____ Pg. #____
Detail #1
Detail #1
PART II: Detail #2
Write a well-developed paragraph describing the main idea for one of the above articles. Your
paragraph must include a topic sentence, two details, and a concluding sentence.
Topic Sentence:
#1 Detail/Evidence/Explanation Sentence:
#2 Detail/Evidence/Explanation Sentence:
Concluding Sentence:
Detail #2