Dr. M artin Luther King, Jr. M iddle School
Expect Excel l en ce • Provide Excel l en ce •Produce Excel l en ce
Summer Reading 2015: Rising 8th Grade Students
Dear Parents/ Guardians:
Reading is a life-long skill that a person not only needs to succeed as a student and a worker, but it is also
an essential skill in civic and personal activities for pleasure and inspiration. Perhaps even more
importantly, reading opens the world to a person through various forms of literature. By reading,
students have the opportunity to learn about people, times, regions, and ideas that may enhance their
knowledge and development as 21 st Century thinkers and learners. As a Candidate School for the
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB MYP) which believes in developing inquiring,
knowledgeable, and caring young people; students of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School will be
provided opportunities to continue being life-long learners.
Research strongly suggests that reading, like most skills, is strengthened and improved with practice. It
also shows that if students do not continue to read over the summer, they will lose reading
gains made during the previous school year. Therefore, consistent with our commitment to prepare
all students for success, we continue in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) to encourage all
students to read during the summer.
Students must complete the two attached assignments: Literary Terms and Reading Activity Board.
On Friday, September 4, 2015, English or reading teachers will collect the two activities, which will
each count as a homework grade (two HW grades total). The activities have been created to offer
students choice while reinforcing skills and frontloading information they will need to be successful in
Advanced English. Students who register after August 1, 2015 will have until the September 28, 2015 to
complete the summer reading packet.
In order for your child to be successful, we are inviting you to support us by reviewing the summer
language and literature packet with your child. There are various places throughout the packet that
require a parent’s signature to avoid students becoming overwhelmed and rushing to complete at the
last minute. In the event you need resources to help your child with completing the packet, contact the
school or email the IB MYP Coordinator, Renée S. Hill ([email protected]).
If you should need another packet, they are available in MLK’s Main Office. Additionally, the entire
packet is available on our website at http:/ / montgomeryschoolsmd.org/ schools/ mlkms/ . If you have any
questions, you may contact Angelica Smith ([email protected]) Language Arts Content
Specialist, at 301-353-8080.
Thank you for your support of the Summer Language & Literature Program.
Through: Dana E. Davison
Sincerely,
Angelica Smith
Language Arts Content Specialist
Get Your Read On!
8th Grade Summer Language & Literature Packet
Why Read or Review during Summer Break?
Reading can enable thinking, promote creativity, and reinforce learning. Do you know about
the “Summer Slide?” According to Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), students who do not read
over the summer can lose more than two months of reading progress. No need to worry; we’ve
compiled a variety of activities to keep your minds engaged in reading and learning over the
summer. Montgomery County Public School System (MCPS) advocates that students continue
to grow as learners throughout the summer. As you read and review over the summer, you will
be sure to avoid the unproductive “Summer Slide,” and gain lots of pride! Therefore, students
attending Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School (MLK) will be required to complete the
activities listed in this packet. All packets will be due to your English teacher on Friday,
September 4, 2015 for a completion grade. If it is not submitted on the due date, the last date
for acceptance of packet will be September 28, 2015 (deadline).
________________________
__________________________
(First Name)
(Last Name)
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School
Dana E. Davison, Principal
Mrs. Maggie Jones, Assistant Principal
Mr. Roy Liburd, Assistant School Administrator
You will have approximately 11 weeks of summer vacation (June 15- August 31, 2015). As a Balanced
21st Century learner, it’s important to stay organized & manage your time wisely. In order to complete
the tasks outlined, calendars have been provided to help you plan your work.
Be a knowledgeable learner by practicing and using the self-management skills below to help you
experience success.
Organizational Skills:
 Plan to complete the activities by selecting the options or choices you want to do.
 Use the calendars below to keep track for working on summer reading activities.
 Organize your information for summer reading by using a notebook or saving documents on
a flash drive.
 Use your learning style (visual, tactile, or auditory) to keep your mind engaged for
completing activities.
Affective/Emotional Skills:
 Practice focus and concentration.
 Practice positive thinking to overcome giving up when you think something is challenging or
considered boring.
 Practice being a risk-taker by working on the activities independently or with a friend.
~ June 2015 ~
◄ May
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
July ►
Thursday
Friday
~ July 2015 ~
◄ June
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
5
6
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
12
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Notes:
Tuesday
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
August ►
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4
7
8
9
10
11
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Notes:
~ August 2015 ~
◄ July
Wednesday
Wednesday
September ►
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
Notes:
I.
Literary Terms
As a reader and writer, you will need to use various literary terms to communicate effectively
about literature. Below is a list of terms for Advanced English 8 students to know and be able to
use.
Parent Signature for completion: __________________________________________________
Literary Terms:
figurative language
simile
alliteration
situational irony
metaphor
idiom
personification
verbal irony
dramatic irony
hyperbole
imagery
foreshadowing
Place a checkmark next to Option A or Option B to indicate how you will demonstrate your
understanding of the literary terms.
Watch the videos linked below to learn about our literary terms:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p50_yNQLj5c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDwYTcgWx5Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deFICUvDlME
Look for Wifi access? Try visiting: The public library in Germantown Town Center, Starbucks,
McDonald’s, Target, and Home Depot/Lowe’s.
Option A
 Use a dictionary or the
Internet to write the literary
definitions for at least 10
literary terms. This can be
typed or handwritten neatly.
Option B
 Create a flip book with
pictures that demonstrate
literary definitions and
examples for at least 10
literary terms.
II.
Reading Activity Board
Welcome to Advanced English 8 where the choice is yours! Please review the Activity Board below to
help you decide which option is best for you. Then, place a checkmark next to Option A or Option B.


Option A: Choose a book from the library, Amazon, or Kindle and complete at least one activity from the Activity
Board below.
Option B: Choose at least five articles from Smithsonian Tween Tribune or Time for Kids to read and complete at least
one activity from the Activity Board below.
Links
Tween Tribune: http://www.tweentribune.com/
Time for Kids: http://www.timeforkids.com/news
Parent Signature for completion: _______________________________________________
Activity Board
(See next page for IB Learner Profile definitions and characteristics)
Be a Communicator by taking on the
role of a screen writer, and use the
website www.powtoon.com to create
a trailer for a movie/play about your
book or article.
Read a book or article about a science
or social studies topic. Create an
animated video on www.powtoon.com
to demonstrate how you are more
Knowledgeable about the topic.
Check out a book from the library, read
it, and write a letter to the author
explaining which character was the
most Principled.
Choose an article about a real person
and explain if his or her actions/choices
were Principled. Why or why not?
Read the same book with one or two
friends and form a book club. Write
three discussion questions to pose to
your book club members: One for the
beginning, middle, and end of the
book. After your discussion, explain
two characteristics from the IB learner
profile Risk-taker that you used while
preparing and participating in the club.
Read a book or article about a science
or social studies topic. Create an
animated video on www.powtoon.com
that demonstrates how you are more
Knowledgeable about the topic.
Read a book or article about a real
person who had to overcome
challenges. Choose at least two
characteristics from the IB Learner
Profile Thinker, and explain how the
person demonstrated those
characteristics. Create a written or
video blog on social media sharing your
thoughts.
Find a book or article that could make
you more Balanced. For example: a
book about a hobby, a skill, or another
subject about which you want to learn
more or would enjoy doing. Use
PowerPoint or Prezi to create at least
five slides that communicate what you
learned. Explain how your book has
helped you become balanced in your
social or professional life as a student.
Be an Inquirer by taking on the role of
a video blogger and create 6-8
questions you would ask the author of
your book or article. Video tape
yourself asking the questions and post
to social media (i.e. Instagram,
YouTube, etc) as a video blog.
After reading your book or five articles,
write two paragraphs explaining how
you grew from the reading experience
and became Open-minded.
Read to someone younger than you
every day for three-five days, and
create a photo album on PowerPoint to
document the experience. On the
slides, explain how the experience
helped you achieve at lea st two of the
characteristics from the IB learner trait
Caring.
Upon finishing your book or five
articles, write a letter to your future,
end-of-8th-grade self. Be Reflective by
writing about your personal and
academic experiences this summer.
Then, share your personal and
academic goals that you’d like to
achieve by the end of 8 th grade.
IB Learner Profiles