Summer 2017 Reading Program
Framingham Middle Schools
Grades 6-8
The Summer Reading Program is designed to foster enjoyment of reading, to expose
students to a variety of genres, and to encourage independent reading. It is intended to
help students maintain the reading proficiencies acquired during the school year.
Students are required to read one of the two district selections and one other book of
their choice. Students are encouraged to read as many other books as possible. The
required titles have been selected to appeal to a wide variety of student interests and
reading levels. Books can be found at the Framingham Public Library, at the Framingham
middle school libraries, and at area book stores.
Student Expectations
1. For the District Selection (see choices as follows): Complete a Socratic Seminar
reading ticket. You will be responsible for creating four open-ended questions to ask of
the group based on your book. (Socratic Seminar ticket is attached.)
Grade Level District Selections:
Grade 6: Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, by Grace Lin
OR The Color of My Words, by Lynn Joseph
Grade 7: Out of My Mind, by Sharon Draper
OR Freak the Mighty, by Rodman Philbrick
Grade 8: The Boy on the Wooden Box, by Leon Leyson
OR Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly available in original edition
and a Young Reader’s edition
2. For the students’ choice book: Complete one journal entry. (Choose one journal
prompt from the attached list.)
Framingham Public Schools Summer 2017 Reading Program
Middle Schools – Grades 6-8
Summer 2017 Reading Program
Framingham Middle Schools
Grades 6-8
Journal Entry Prompts
Choose one of the following prompts and write a response based on
your students’ choice book selection:
 Describe the author's craft (language and style). What was
good about the author's writing? What things might you try to
do in your writing that you learned from this author?
 Identify a moment that propels (moves) the action forward in
the story. Why is this important to the overall story?
 Describe an important inference (a conclusion reached on the
basis of evidence and reasoning) you made while reading this
text. Use several pieces of evidence to explain this inference.
Revised: May 1, 2017
Framingham Public Schools Summer 2017 Reading Program
Middle Schools – Grades 6-8
6th Grade Reading Notebook Exemplars
1. I am reading Zebra Forest by Adina Rishe Gewirtz. I have read pages 73 to 100. An
interesting character to me is Rew, the youngest in the family. I think he is interesting
because when he figures out that the man who broke into their house was his dad, he was
still angry and wanted him to go back to jail. Rew does not like having his dad in the house,
while the other family members don’t mind him around. Rew tries to threaten and bother
his dad so much that he leaves, but it doesn’t work. So Rew tries to make a plan. His plan is
to write a letter to the head police about the man who broke into his family’s house. Rew
tells his sister: “You will put the letter into the mailbox because Dad only trusts you.” But
when his sister Annie is out shopping for food she purposely does not put the letter in the
mailbox, breaking her promise to Rew. I’m interested to know if Rew is going to find out
what Annie did and if he is ever going to change his behavior and accept his dad.
2. This week I finished reading Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume. The
setting has a big effect on Margaret. Margaret used to live in New York City but then she
moved to the New Jersey suburbs. This has really changed her because she is used to
seeing building after building, no lawns, streets everywhere, but now she actually has
someone to mow the lawn! She now lives in a neighborhood where the houses are really
far apart, unlike New York. To get to school Margaret has to walk. She has never walked to
school before in the city because her mom said it was too dangerous. Lastly, New Jersey
has really affected her because she moved away from her grandmother. Margaret and her
grandmother are like best friends. Margaret’s grandmother has no car, she is afraid of
heights, and thinks trains are dirty, so when Margaret moved she knew she would barely
see her grandmother, which made her sad. The setting in this book totally changed, and it
was a big adjustment for Margaret.
3. I am reading The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman. I thought that the setting really affected
the characters. Will, a boy from our world, finds a magical portal that takes him to a
mysterious place called Cittagazze. The world has only children in it—at least that’s what
Will thinks—so he feels completely safe. He feels so safe that as he walks by stores, he
takes whatever he wants, and he sleeps in any hotels he can find. Another character named
Lyra also gets into the world via magical gateway, and the two join together. A lot of people
are looking for this pair. One man, named Lee Scoresby, finds a way to get through to the
other world, but when he learns about Specters, which are monsters that eat into the soul,
he begins to get extra careful: “This is a dangerous world, mind. Those specters are worse
than anything in your world or mine.” Later on, some of the searchers join up with Will and
Lyra, and they have to journey across some tough terrain: “the travelers found themselves
in a tangled land of dry gullies and cliffs, and boulder strewn valleys where not a single
green leaf grew, and where the stridulating insects were the only sound.” Along this trek,
the travelers talked little, and grew very solitary. These descriptions of the setting help
explain why the characters act as they do throughout the story.
4 I am reading The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas. I am currently on page 30. One
interesting and important character is Conn. His full name is Connwaer and they do not
mention his last name within the first thirty pages. Conn is the main character and he
Revised: May 1, 2017
Framingham Public Schools Summer 2017 Reading Program
Middle Schools – Grades 6-8
interests me because he is a pickpocket and has incredibly fast hands. Hardly anyone ever
notices him because, as the story says, “he is the shadows.” At the very beginning of the
story, it says he is in a dark alley in the Twilight (a dark, spooky part of the town they live
in, Wellmet) when he sees a powerful wizard named Nevery Flingas who was very wellknown in Wellmet for his potions and spells. Every wizard has something called a Locus
Magicalicus. It is pretty much their source of power and without it they would be a normal
human being. Nevery has a very strong Locus Magicalicus and Conn intends to steal
it. When he did so, it began to glow and everything around him became cold and dark. This
interested me because afterwards, when Conn met Nevery, the great wizard explained to
Conn that his Locus Magicalicus was actually supposed to kill anyone except for Nevery
who touched it. This made me wonder what Conn had to do with Nevery even though they
were so different…or so I thought.
Revised: May 1, 2017
Framingham Public Schools Summer 2017 Reading Program
Middle Schools – Grades 6-8
Ejemplares del cuaderno de lectura de 6º grado
n.o1
Estoy leyendo Zebra Forest por Adina Rishe Gewirtz. He leído las páginas 73 a
100. Un personaje interesante para mí es Rew, la más joven de la familia. Yo
creo que es interesante porque cuando él se da cuenta que el hombre que se
metió en su casa era su papá, él estaba todavía enojado y quiso que volviera a la
cárcel. A Rew no le gusta tener en casa a su papá, mientras que a los otros
miembros de la familia no les importa. Rew intenta amenazar y a molestar
tanto a su padre para se vaya, pero no funciona. Rew intenta hacer un
plan. Su plan es escribir una carta a la jefe de policía sobre un hombre se metió
en la casa de su familia. Rew le dice a su hermana: "Pon tu la carta en el buzón
porque papá sólo te confía a ti." Pero cuando su hermana Annie va de compras
al mercado, intencionalmente no pone la carta en el buzón, rompiendo su
promesa a Rew. Estoy interesado en saber si Rew va a averiguar lo que hizo
Annie y si cambiará su comportamiento y acepta a su papá.
n.o 2
Esta semana terminé de leer Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret por Judy Blume. La
ambientación afecta mucho a Margaret. Margaret solía vivir en la ciudad de Nueva York, pero
luego se mudó a los suburbios de Nueva Jersey. Esto realmente la ha cambiado porque está
acostumbrada a ver edificio tras edificio, no céspedes, calles por todas partes, ¡pero ahora
realmente tiene alguien para cortar la grama! Ahora ella vive en un barrio donde las casas están
bien separadas, a diferencia de Nueva York. Para llegar a la escuela, Margaret tiene que
caminar. Nunca tuvo que caminar a la escuela en la ciudad porque su mamá dijo que era
demasiado peligroso. Por último, New Jersey la ha realmente afectado porque se mudó lejos de
su abuela. Margaret y su abuela son como mejores amigos. La abuela de Margaret no tiene
coche, teme las alturas, y piensa que los trenes son sucios, así que sabía que al mudarse Margaret
apenas vería a su abuela, que la puso triste. El ambiente en este libro cambia totalmente, y fue
un gran ajuste para Margaret.
n.o 3
Estoy leyendo The Subtle Knife por Philip Pullman. Pensé que la ambientación realmente
afectó a los personajes. Will, un chico de nuestro mundo, encuentra un portal mágico que lo
lleva a un lugar misterioso llamado Cittagazze. Este mundo tiene sólo niños — por lo menos eso
es lo que piensa Will - por lo que se siente completamente seguro. Se siente tan seguro que
mientras camina por las tiendas, toma lo que quiere, y duerme en cualquier hotel que pueda
encontrar. Otro personaje llamada Lyra también se mete en el mundo a través del portal mágico,
y los dos se unen. Mucha gente está buscando este par. Un hombre llamado Lee Scoresby
encuentra una manera de pasar al otro mundo, pero cuando él aprende sobre los Espectros, que
son monstruos que comen en el alma, empieza a poner mucho más cuidado: "este es un mundo
Revised: May 1, 2017
Framingham Public Schools Summer 2017 Reading Program
Middle Schools – Grades 6-8
peligroso, o es la mente. Los espectros son peores que cualquier cosa en tu mundo o el
mío". Más tarde, algunos de los buscadores se juntan con Will y Lyra, y tienen que pasar por un
terreno difícil: "los viajeros encontraron una tierra enmarañada de quebradas secas y precipicios,
valles cubiertos de rocas donde ni una sola hoja verde crecía, y donde el sonido de los insectos
estridentes era el único que se escuchaba." A lo largo de este viaje, los viajeros hablaron poco y
crecieron muy solitarios. Estas descripciones escenográficas ayudan a explicar por qué los
personajes actúan como lo hacen a lo largo de la historia.
n.o 4
Estoy leyendo The Magic Thief por Sarah Prineas. Actualmente estoy en la página 30. Un
personaje interesante e importante es Conn. Su nombre completo es Connwaer y no mencionan
su apellido dentro de las primeras treinta páginas. Conn es el personaje principal y me interesa
porque es un carterista y tiene unas manos increíblemente rápidas. Casi nunca nadie lo nota
porque, como dice la historia, "el es la sombra". Al principio de la historia, dice que está en un
callejón oscuro en Crepúsculo (una parte oscura y espeluznante de la ciudad en que viven,
Wellmet) cuando ve un poderoso mago llamado Nevery Flingas quien era muy bien conocido en
Wellmet por sus pociones y hechizos. Cada mago tiene algo llamado un Locus Magicalicus. Es
prácticamente la fuente de energía y sin ella sería un ser humano normal. Todos tienen un Locus
Magicalicus muy fuerte y Conn tiene la intención de robarlo. Cuando lo hizo, todo a su
alrededor comenzó a brillar y se puso frío y oscuro. Esto me interesó porque luego, cuando
Conn se encontró con Nevery, el gran mago le explicó a Conn que su Locus Magicalicus
realmente debió matar a todos los demás, excepto a Nevery, porque él lo había tocado. Esto me
puso a pensar lo que tenía que hacer Conn con Nevery, porque eran tan diferentes... o eso pensé.
Revised: May 1, 2017
Framingham Public Schools Summer 2017 Reading Program
Middle Schools – Grades 6-8
Preparing for Summer Reading Socratic Seminar
Socrates (470-399 B.C), a Greek philosopher, was convinced
that the surest way to attain reliable knowledge was through the
practice of disciplined conversation. He called this method
dialectic, meaning the art or practice of examining opinions or
ideas logically, often by the method of question and answer,
so as to determine their validity.
Participants in a Socratic seminar respond to one another
with respect by carefully listening instead of interrupting.
They are encouraged to paraphrase essential elements of
another’s ideas before responding, either in support of or in
disagreement. Members of the dialogue look each other in the
eyes and use each other’s names. They also raise their hands to
be called on, and wait for the moderator to acknowledge them
before speaking.
Participant Preparations – What to do before coming to a Socratic seminar:
I.
II.
III.
Read the text thoroughly, marking or using Post-it notes to highlight key passages.
Create 4 open ended questions (insightful questions about the text that will require
proof, evidence, and group discussion and "construction of logic" to discover or explore
the answer to the question) using the sentence stems below if needed.
Record important vocabulary words on the ticket.
What puzzles me is…
I’d like to talk with people about…
I’m confused about…
Don’t you think this is similar to…
Do you agree that the big ideas seem to be…
Another point of view is…
I think it means…
Do you think…
What does it mean when the author says…
Do you agree that…
I have questions about…
Revised: May 1, 2017
Name: _______________________________________________________________________
Framingham Public Schools Summer 2017 Reading Program
Independent Reading Response Rubric
4
Content and
Ideas
Supporting
Details and
Explanation
Spelling and
Mechanics
Response
Structure
Middle Schools – Grades 6-8
3
2
1
Demonstrates strong
understanding of the text.
Demonstrates adequate
understanding of the text.
Demonstrates some
understanding of the text.
Demonstrates little to no
understanding of the text.
Thoughts and inferences are
clearly stated and include
important ideas from the
text.
Thoughts and inferences are
general or implied.
Thoughts and inferences are
inconsistently clear.
Thoughts and inferences are
not included in the response.
There is sufficient relevant
and strong evidence from the
text to support ideas. The
evidence is either quoted or
paraphrased clearly.
There is some evidence from
the text to support ideas.
There is little relevant
evidence to support ideas.
There is no evidence from the
text to support ideas.
Response includes
explanations that are
somewhat clear and
complete.
Response includes
explanations that may be
unclear or incomplete.
Response includes no
explanation of evidence from
the text.
Spelling and capitalization are
generally correct.
Spelling and capitalization are
sometimes uneven.
Spelling and capitalization are
uneven.
Spelling and capitalization or
frequently incorrect.
Grammar and usage are
correct.
Grammar and usage do not
interfere with the meaning
but are not always correct.
Grammar and usage errors
interfere with the meaning of
the text.
Grammar and usage mistakes
are frequent and interfere
with the meaning of the text.
Response includes title,
author, and pages read.
Response includes some of
the requirements and shows
some progress in completing
the book.
Response lacks several
requirements and shows little
progress in completing the
book.
Response does not include
requirements and shows no
progress in completing the
book.
Response is somewhat
cohesive and organized.
Response lacks cohesion
and/or organization.
Response is unorganized.
Response includes
explanations that are
insightful, clear and complete.
Response shows satisfactory
progress in completing the
book.
Response is cohesive and well
organized.
Revised: May 1, 2017
Name: ___________________________________________________________________
S
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Period: __________________________
Write four open-ended questions to ask during the seminar:
Question 1 ___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Question 2 ___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Question 3 ___________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Question 4 ___________________________________________________________
S
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____________________________________________________________________
S
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____________________________________________________________________
Write down other questions or ideas that come up for you during the seminar:
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
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This ticket is non-refundable; good for this day’s seminar—only. Please, no flash photography.
What TWO topics were discussed that interested you most? Why?
_____________________________________________________
Score your performance
_____________________________________________________
For each of the following categories,
circle a ranking of your performance
(5 is highest; 1 is lowest).
_____________________________________________________
Lead: talk to the group, take turns
_____________________________________________________
Explain how the Seminar influenced your thinking or understanding:
_____________________________________________________
(don’t raise hand), encourage peers
5
4
3
2
1
_____________________________________________________
Participate: ask questions, give
_____________________________________________________
answers, build on the dialogue
_____________________________________________________
5
4
3
2
1
What was the best thing about Socratic Seminar? _____________
Respect: listen, clarify, make eye
_____________________________________________________
contact; generous, patient, mature
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
What was most challenging about Socratic Seminar? ___________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
What was one very smart and helpful way that you participated?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
5
4
3
2
1
Understand: paraphrase, think,
look at specifics and the big picture
5
4
3
2
1
Support: use the text, personal
experience, how it fits in your world
5
4
3
2
1