Windham Middle School 2011-2012 Summer Reading
Program
It is very important to engage students’ minds over the summer to maintain or continue
the gains they made over the school year. It is for these reasons that this assignment
is highly suggested for all incoming sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students;
however, it is not mandatory. Students who bring a completed project to class the first
day of school, or have their project uploaded to Mrs. Rogers’ Moodle page by August
21 will receive a quiz grade in Reading that may replace a lower quiz grade earned
during the first quarter of the school year.
The assignment will consist of 3 parts:
Part I—Heading
1. Write the title, author, and genre of your book.
2. Include a picture representing the book. It may be hand or computer
generated.
Part II—Written Response
1. Write answers in paragraph form to the 20 questions attached. Incoming 6th
graders must choose any five questions, incoming 7th graders must choose 7,
and incoming 8th graders must choose any 9.
2. Your answers must display reflective thinking and use standard conventions of
English. Be sure to use a topic sentence to start each response.
Part III—Vocabulary
1. Make a list of unknown words you find while you read. Incoming sixth graders
should find 5 words, incoming 7th graders should find 7 words, and incoming
8th graders should find 9 words. Write the words in the context found in the
book.
2. Then, write, in complete sentences, what you thought the word meant.
3. Finally, look up the word in a dictionary and write the actual definition,
including the part of speech.
If you are creating a poster, place the items from above on an 11”x18” poster.
All written components should be typed. If you are posting to Moodle, you may
create a Word document, use Publisher to make a poster, or create a brochure.
Once you have your document finished, upload it to Moodle. Login with your
current username and password, go to WMS – Grade 6—Team 2 – Mrs. Rogers
WMS Summer Reading Information. Your username and password will be
available until August 20.
***Additionally, be prepared to present your poster to your reading class when you
return to school.***
Question Options
1. Describe the most exhilarating part of the book. What made it exhilarating?
2. What is the best, or most meaningful, quote from the book? Why?
3. Describe the best scene. Why do you consider this the best scene?
4. Who is your favorite character? Why? Use four sophisticated adjectives to describe him/her.
5. What was the most boring part of your novel? Why? What would have made it more exciting?
6. What was so outstanding about the conclusion, denouement, or falling action of your novel?
7. If the conclusion, denouement, or falling action of your novel was sub-par, how would you change
it to make it better?
8. What was the most devious action made by a character in your book? Explain.
9. What was the most altruistic action made by a character in your book? Explain.
10. If you could be any one character in your novel, who would you be? Why?
11. What was the most unexpected turn of events in the plot?
12. What was the author's most compelling attribute to his/her writing?
13. What emotions did you experience as you read the book?
14. Quote a part of the book that you think is an example of good writing. Explain your reasons.
15. Were there any clues or foreshadowing that the author built into the story that helped you
anticipate the outcome or ending? If so, what were they? Did you think these clues were important?
16. Describe the character you find to be most admirable or the most shallow and give specific
reasons for your opinion?
17. Was the title appropriate for the book?
18. Is there anything that makes this particular author's work special or unique? If so, explain.
19. What is the main idea or theme of the story? Draw a picture which illustrates this theme with a
caption to explain
20. Did the main character change at all during the course of the novel? As a reader, did you think
this was a positive or negative thing?
WMS Summer Reading Suggestions
These titles are recommendations only. Look for other titles by the same authors. We realize that not all books
are appropriate for all children. Please help your child to make appropriate choices.
Lexile
Author
Title
550
Asher, Jay
Th1rteen R3asons Why
570
Bodeen, S.A.
The Compound
1080
Boyne, John
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
varies
Chima, Cinda
Warrior Heir series
varies
Collins, Suzanne
Hunger Games, Catching Fire
670
Cooney, Caroline
If the Witness Lied
600
Fisher, Catherine
Incarceron
580
Flinn, Alex
Beastly
590
Friend, Natasha
Perfect
varies
Grant, Michael
Gone, Hunger (Gone series)
varies
Haddix, Margaret Peterson
Found (Missing series)
680
Han, Jenny
Shug
varies
Horowitz, Anthony
Crocodile Tears (Alex Rider Series)
770
Johnson, Maureen
13 Little Blue Envelopes
varies
Korman, Gordon
Schooled, Peak, Swindle, I, Q
760
Landy, Derek
Skulduggery Pleasant
varies
Lupica, Mike
Heat, Summer Ball, Travel Team
740
Mass Wendy
Every Soul a Star
770
Pfeffer, Susan Beth
Life as We Knew It, the dead and the gone
varies
Riordan, Rick
Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson & the Olympians Series)
820
Trueman, Terry
Stuck in Neutral
varies
Ursu, Ann
Shadow Thieves (Cronus Chronicles series)
Isinglass Teen Read Award Nominees 2011 2012
Author
Buckingham,
Royce
Clare,
Cassandra
Carter, Ally
Condie, Ally
Davies, Stephen
Deuker, Carl
Feasey, Steve
Fisher,
Catherine
Haddix,
Margaret
Peterson
Henry, April
Herlong,
Madaline
Kagawa, Julie
Lore, Pittacus
Maberry,
Jonathan
Reichs, Kathy
Sedgwick,
Marcus
Sherlock, Patti
Shulman, Mark
Sonnenblick,
Jordan
Van Draanen,
Wendelin
Title & Lexile when available
Dead Boys - 850L
Clockwork Angel - 780L
Heist Society - 800L
Matched - 680L
Hacking Timbuktu - 730L
Payback Time -750L
Wereling - 1050L
Incarceron - 600L
Uprising - 790L
Girl, Stolen - 700L
Great Wide Sea - 660L
Iron King - N/A
I Am Number Four - 700L
Rot and Ruin - 780L
Virals - 480L
Revolver - 890L
Letters from Wolfie - 760L
Scrawl - 650L
Notes from the Midnight Driver
- 930L
Running Dream - 650L
Great Stone Face Book Award Nominees 2011 - 2012
Author
Title & Lexile Where Available
Strange Case of Origami Yoda Angleberger, Tom
760L
Barrow, Randi
Saving Zasha - 670L
Behrens, Andy
The Fast and the Furriest - 660L
Clement, Andrew
We the Children - 860L
Cottrell Boyce,
Cosmic – 670L
Frank
Draper, Sharon
Out of My Mind - 700L
Gidwitz, Adam
Grant, Katy
Henson, Heather
Jennings, Patrick
Kehret, Peg
Mack, Winnie
Messner, Kate
A Tale Dark and Grimm - 690L
Hide and Seek - 700L
Dream of Night - 470L
Guinea Dog - 600L
Ghost Dog Secrets - 730L
After All, You're Callie Boone - 800L
Sugar and Ice - 710L
Naylor, Phyllis
Reynolds
Emily's Fortune - 840L
O'Connor, Barbara The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester - 770L
Paulsen, Gary
Masters of Disaster - 1100L
Big Nate in a Class by Himself Peirce, Lincoln
500L
Sparkes, Ali
Frozen in Time - 770L
The Adventures of Nanny Piggins Spratt, R.A.
900L
Stevermer,
Magic Below Stairs - 720L
Caroline
Stanley, Diane
Saving Sky - 620L
Tanner, Liam
Museum of Thieves - 640L
Walsh, Pat
The Crowfield Curse - 840L
Wells, Rosemary
On the Blue Comet - 730L
West, Jacqueline
The Shadows - 770L
Grading Rubric
Component
Heading
Title
Author
Genre
Picture
Questions
Appropriate Number
Paragraph Format
Sufficient Response
Response displays
reflective thinking
Standard conventions of
English
Vocabulary
Appropriate Number of
Words
Words in Context
Definition of Word
Total (out of 12)
Includes
Component
Does Not Include
Component