Robert T. Hill 6th Grade Summer Reading Project
Every student will be required to complete a summer reading project. Your project will be due
Friday, August 28, 2015. Please come to school prepared because you will be given a reading test
on your book the first week of school. The project will account for 20% of your first sixweeks grade.
PART 1: Choose ONE of the following books to read over the summer. Most of the following books can be
found at your local public library borrowed for free with a free library card, purchased at a bookstore, or
access some of the books for free as an E -book. You can check out E books at your local Public Library or
go to library.dallasisd.org – click on E –book – click on Overdrive – Digital Library. Put in your DISD
Student ID number and your Pin number will be the last four digits of your Student ID number.
You can also access E books through our School website: dallasisd.org/hill – click on Library Tab –
Click on E-book Library on the left hand side, click on Overdrive – Digital Library and put in ID
number and Pin (just as above)
For a list of local public libraries, hours, and directions, please visit http://dallaslibrary2.org/hours.php
PRE-AP PART 1: Choose TWO of the following books to read over the summer. Most of the following
books can be found at your local public library and borrowed for free with a free library card, purchased
at a bookstore, or used for free as an eBook. Read directions in Part 1.
For a list of local public libraries, hours, and directions, please visit http://dallaslibrary2.org/hours.php.
See the synopsis of each book listed below before making your selection(s).
Fiction:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The Night Gardner by Jonathan Auxier
Always, Abigail. by Nancy Cavanaugh
Saving Lucas Biggs by Marisa de los Santos and David Teague
Sky Jumpers by Peggy Eddleman
Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina by Rodman Philbrick
Nonfiction:
1. Outcasts United: The Story of a Refugee Soccer Team That Changed a Town (nonfiction) by
Warren St. John
2. Kids at Work Lewis Hine and the Crusade Against Child (nonfiction) by Freedman, Russell
Synopses:
The Night Gardener
“Don’t go through the green door!” Nothing is what it seems in this
Victorian ghost story. Two Potato Famine orphans reluctantly take
jobs at a decrepit English manor. What secrets are within? More than
your average bone chiller, this mesmerizing tale stands as a moral
fable about human greed and the power of storytelling.
Always. Abigail
Abigail’s adventure into sixth grade is thrown for a loop when her
two best friends are assigned a different homeroom class, and she is
partnered with the most unpopular girl at school for her English
assignment. As the year progresses, Abigail learns an important
lesson on friendship, tolerance, and resisting peer pressure. Abigail’s
authentic voice, inner conflict, and creative writing style depicts a
realistic portrayal of middle grade issues that will resonate with all
readers.
Saving Lucas Biggs
Two years, two life changing events. In Saving Lucas Biggs, it's 2014
for Margaret and 1938 for Josh. One person ties Margaret’s and
Josh’s lives together, but can they work together to save him?
Alternating points of view, authentic era voices, and a sprinkle of
time travel provide a familiar background for young Texas readers.
Sky Jumpers
Bomb’s Breath, invisible but deadly, has thickened the air around a
post-World War III town, protecting it from bandits. A community
focused on nonelectric technology requires everyone four and older
to invent
Zane and the Hurricane:
A Story of Katrina
Outcasts United: The
Story of a Refugee
Soccer Team That
Changed a Town
Kids at Work: Lewis
Hine and the Crusade
Against Child Labor
What happens when you fly to New Orleans to meet your Grandma
for the first time and Hurricane Katrina hits town? This is the story of
Zane and his little dog Bandy in the uncertainty of the hurricane and
the chaos of its aftermath. Standout parts of this book include the
relationship between a boy and his pet, the dialect of the Lower Ninth
Ward, and Katrina facts, ushering in a new era of historical fiction.
Young people's version of the adult bestseller, Outcasts United: An
American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make
a Difference, is a complex and inspirational story about the Fugees, a
youth soccer team made up of diverse refugees from around the
world, and their formidable female coach, Luma Mufleh. Clarkston,
Georgia, was a typical southern town until it became a refugee
resettlement center. The author explores how the community
changed with the influx of refugees and how the dedication of
Lumah Mufleh and the entire Fugees soccer team inspired an entire
community.
Photobiography of early twentieth-century photographer and
schoolteacher Lewis Hine, using his own work as illustrations. Hines's
photographs of children at work were so devastating that they
convinced the American people that Congress must pass child labor
laws.
PART 2: Complete any ONE of the following projects for the book you read. Be sure to include your name,
the title, and the author on your choice of assignment.
PRE-AP PART 2: Complete any TWO of the following projects for the book you read. Be sure to include
your name, the title, and the author on your choice of assignment.
PART 3 (PRE-AP INCLUDED): Make sure your project is turned in by Friday, August 28, 2015. You will
be given a reading test on your book the first week of school. Please come to school prepared.
The
project will account for 20% of your six week grade.
PROJECT CHOICES
Create a “soundtrack” for the
book. What 5 songs would you
choose? Give an explanation for
why you chose each song and
how it connects to the events or
characters in the book. Include the
title, artist and lyrics for each song.
Write a 2-3 paragraph proposal to
have the book you’ve read made
into a movie. Include which actors
will play the main characters in the
movie and why, and the location
where the movie will be filmed and
why. Create a movie poster for the
book. It should include elements
from a real movie poster such as
slogan, the actors and the rating.
Using materials like clay, wood, or
soap, make 3-D models of three
objects which were important in
the book you read. On a card
attached to each model, explain
why that object was important in
the book.
Write a one sentence summary of
each chapter and illustrate the
sentence.
Create a timeline of 15 events for
the book, including an illustration
and a caption for each event.
On a poster or large sheet of
paper, draw 10 objects or symbols
to represent the book. Using
complete sentences, explain what
each object or symbol represents
and explain how the symbol is
important to the book.
Complete each of these eight
ideas with words or ideas from the
book you read: This book made
me wish that…, realize that…,
decide that…, wonder about…,
see that…, believe that …, feel
that…, and hope that… In an
essay, explain whether or not you
would recommend this book to
others.
Write a diary that one of the story’s
main characters might have kept
before, during, or after the book’s
events. Remember that the
character’s thoughts and feelings
are very important in a diary. The
diary should contain at least 15
entries.
Do research on a topic brought up
in your book. Write a one page
paper on your topic. Explain why
that topic is important.
Find the top 10 web sites a
character in your book would most
frequently visit. Include 2-3
sentences for each on why your
character likes each of the sites.
Create a children’s picture book
based on your book. Draw or
create pictures that illustrate the
important concepts of the story
line of your book and be sure to
tell the main points in your picture
book.
In a Power Point or Windows Movie
Maker presentation, create a book
talk that explains what the book is
about, the theme, the author, and
information from the book. Use
pictures and/or video that
accurately shows the contents of
the book. Presentation should be
no longer than 3-5 minutes.
Stories are based on conflicts and
solutions. Choose three conflicts
(problems) that take place in the
story and give the solutions. Pick
one that you wish had been
handled differently and explain
how it should have been handled.
Create a mural containing at least
four scenes from the book using
paints, markers, or watercolors.
Select one character from the
book you read who has the
qualities of a heroine or hero. List 6
qualities and tell why you think
they are heroic.