Dear Incoming Eighth Grade English Student and Parent:
This letter is to provide you with information about the 2015- 2016 PreAP/GT summer reading
assignments for MISD’s incoming Junior High 8th grade English course. We strongly encourage
incoming 8th grade students to complete the assignments before the start of school. Timely preparation
is essential for success in the PreAP courses. These assignments will be included as part of the first six
weeks grading period.
Copies of the assignments are available on the district and campus websites or may be downloaded and
printed from the district website. The district website is www.midlandisd.net. Click on AP Summer
Reading. If you need help in locating this information or you have any questions concerning the AP
Summer Reading, please contact the appropriate campus you will attend next year.
Below you will find the name of the reading selections for your course as well as contact information
concerning the assignment. Incoming 8th grade PreAP English students will read four short stories.
Assignments will be turned in to your incoming 2015-2016 English teacher.
The AP/PreAP English summer reading program is an essential feature of the rigor in AP and Pre-AP
classes, and it serves to keep students active as readers and thinkers over the summer. Do not
procrastinate. There will be an assessment over these works during the first six weeks of school.
We are pleased that you have chosen to participate in the Advanced Placement/Pre-AP program, and we
look forward to working with you next year. Happy Summer Reading!
Incoming Grade 8 Pre-AP/GT Summer Reading for English
“The Lady or the Tiger?” by Frank Stockton
“All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury
“A Grey Sleeve” by Stephen Crane
“Boy Soldier,” an excerpt from Soldier’s Heart by Gary Paulsen
The assignments are due on Monday, August 31, 2015. If you have questions, please contact the
department chairs at your campus school:
Abell JH:
Suzanne Palmer, English
[email protected]
Alamo JH:
Carol Bradshaw, English
[email protected]
Goddard JH:
Melanie Jones, English
[email protected]
San Jacinto JH:
Mary Kinder, English
[email protected]
MISD policies regarding collaboration, collusion and plagiarism will be enforced. This is an
assignment for the individual student, not group work.
Eighth Grade Summer Reading 2015
For Incoming 8th Grade English Students
Midland ISD
“The Lady, or the Tiger?” by Frank Stockton
4 pages
“All Summer in a Day” by Ray Bradbury
4 pages
“A Grey Sleeve” by Stephen Crane
13 pages
“Boy Soldier,” an excerpt from Soldier’s Heart by Gary Paulsen
5 pages
All stories can be found on the Midland ISD website under AP Summer Reading:
www.midlandisd.net
For each story, complete the following:
1. A Story Map. See rubric for grading criteria. Be sure the plot events you include are
important to the story.
2. A Dialectical Journal. Students will choose four passages from each story that are
significant and powerful. The passages can be as short as one sentence or as lengthy
as an entire paragraph as long as the student can prove why this particular passage
chosed is meaningful to both him or her and the story. Attached you will find an
example of a dialectical journal entry that you can use as a model. You may print off
the template and use it or you can use notebook paper.
DUE DATE: Monday, August 31, 2015
Name________________________________
Date_______________
8th Grade Summer Reading Story Map Rubric
Grammar
Neatness/
Creativity
Significant
Content
All Parts
Due Date
20
Student had
zero to one
grammatical
errors on their
assignment
15
Student had
two to three
grammatical
errors on their
assignment
10
Student had
four to five
grammatical
errors on their
assignment
5
Student had
more than six
grammatical
errors on their
assignment
Student
showed
significant
amount of
neatness and
creativity
Student
showed some
amount of
neatness and
creativity
Student
showed a little
amount of
neatness and
creativity
Student
showed no
neatness or
creativity
Student used
only significant
content on
their
assignment
Student used
mostly
significant
content on
their
assignment
Student
completed
some parts of
the
assignment
Student used
some
significant
content on
their
assignment
Student
completed a
few parts of
the
assignment
Student used
no significant
content on
their
assignment
Student turned
in their
assignment by
the end of
class on
August 31
Student turned
in their
assignment
during class on
August 31
Student
turned in their
assignment by
the end of
class on
August 31
Student
completed all
parts of the
assignment
Student turned
in their
assignment
during class on
August 31
Student
completed
none of the
assignment
_______
_______
_______
_______
_______
Grade_________
Dialectical Journal Entries
How to set up an entry:
Story Name
Passage
Responses
Copy down a passage of text that you find
1. What did you think was important
meaningful or important. (You are copying
about this passage and why did you
word for word so use quotation marks.)
choose this part of the text?
2. What is the purpose of the quote?
Page #
Did it reveal tone, mood, setting,
characterization, theme, etc…? (Then
tell what is revealed.)
3. What are your closing thoughts about
this quote?
Example using
“Raymond’s Run”
“To the right, a blurred Gretchen, who’s got
1. This part of the story was extremely
her chin jutting out as if it would win the
important, because it shows that
race all by itself. And on the other side of
Squeaky is proud of her brother and
the fence is Raymond with his arms down to
that she becomes more excited about
his side and the palms tucked up behind
his first run than winning the race
him, running in his very own style, and it’s
herself and beating Gretchen, her
the first time I ever saw that and I almost
rival.
stop to watch my brother Raymond on his
2. During this passage we begin to see
very first run.”
the climax of the story which is the
big race; however, it reveals more
Page 45
about Squeaky’s character than
expected. Although she acts tough,
she really is very compassionate and
loving toward her brother.
3. I like this quote because we see
Squeaky change for the better. She
now understands what the important
things in life are – friends and seeing
her brother shine!