Dear Parents,
To provide your child with a good start for next September, we are providing this supply list. Please
insure that your child has all of these required supplies for the first day of school. Additionally,
please be sure your child’s full name is on all of his/her belongings.
5th-8th Grade Supply List 2015-2016
Items
(2) 200-250 page hard cover marble notebooks
(1) 1 ½- 2 inch 3 ring hard cover binder
(2) Packets of binder tabs
(7) 2 pocket folders
(1) Binder 3 hole puncher
(2) Packs of loose-leaf
(2) Packs of index cards
(4) Packs of post it Notes – 2 large, 2 small
(4) Number 2 pencils
(1) Pack of pens- blue or black
(2) Highlighters- any color
(1) Pencil case
(1) 12’ ruler
(2) Rolls of scotch tape
(1) Calculator – Texas Instruments Model TI 30X-A
(2) Glue Sticks
(1) Set of markers
(1) Box of crayons or colored pencils
(1) Pack of construction paper
(1) Small pair of scissors
(1) Box of tissues
(2) Large containers of disinfecting wipes
Students are required to have a independent reading book at all times.
ALL STUDENTS MUST HAVE ALL THEIR SUPPLIES EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR
Have a wonderful summer!
- The 5-8th Grade Teachers
Summer Reading for 5th Graders
(entering 6th Grade)
Although summer is a time of rest and relaxation, summer reading is incredibly important.
Summer reading helps maintain and strengthen reading and writing skills while fostering
an enjoyment for reading.
Students are to read 3 novels over summer break and complete one writing assignment on the novel of their
choice (from this list).
Writing assignments: Choose one writing assignment to complete.
1. Write a diary as if you were one of the main characters in the book. Tell not only what is happening to
you and others, but also how you feel about what is taking place. You must make a minimum of 5
sequential journal entries of at least 8-10 sentences each.
2. Write a one-page letter to the author. Emphasize the parts of the book you liked best, one part you would
change (telling specifically), and name your favorite character. Tell exactly why you found the
character likable or believable.
3. Pretend you are a book critic and write a book review for a newspaper. Tell the name of the book, its
author, something about the main characters, plot, setting, and conflict. Do not reveal the ending, but be
sure to evaluate the book and the author’s writing ability by using specific examples.
4. Write a one-page biography of one character. Use any and all information given by the author throughout
the book. Write the facts about the character in chronological order, even if they weren’t presented that
way during the story.
5. Pretend you are a news reporter assigned to the obituary page. Write brief obituaries about two
characters from the book. Give pertinent information about their lives, showing readers what you
have learned about them and the legacies they left.
6. Pretend you are a movie director and write up a plan for how to make a book you read into a movie.
Your plan must include three actors to be in the movie (explain who they will play and why), what
genre of movie it would be, where the movie would be filmed and why, and three songs for your movie
explaining when they would be used and why.
Nonfiction
The Perilous Journey of the Donner Party by Marion Calabro
A realistic and moving account of the ill-fated pioneer journey of the Donner party, through the eyes of 12-year-old Virginia Reed.
Escape!: The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleischman
The fascinating and funny biography of Houdini, the magician who could escape from anything.
The Extraordinary Mark Twain (According to Susy) by Barbara Kerley
A unique introduction to the great writer through his own 13-year-old daughter’s eyes, based on her actual journal entries.
Kakapo rescue : saving the world's strangest parrot by Sy Montgomery
An introduction to the kakapo parrot, a flightless bird found on Codfish Island off the coast of New Zealand, and looks at how the
country's National Kakapo Recovery Team is working to save the kakapos, whose population numbers less than one hundred.
Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus NEWBERY HONOR 2011
FICTIONALIZED BIOGRAPHY
Manjiro is 14 when a freak storm washes him and his fishing companions onto a tiny island far from their Japanese homeland. Shortly
before starving, they are rescued by an American whaling ship. But it’s 1841 and the Japanese consider the whalers barbarians and
the whalers think they are godless cannibals. Captain Whitfield is different and forges a bond with Manjiro. When it comes time for
him to choose between staying with his countrymen or going to America with Whitfield, he picks the path of adventure. A
swashbuckling adventure based on the true story of Manjiro, the young fisherman believed to be the first Japanese person to visit
America.
The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan
Imagines the magic-filled youth of Chilean Nobel Prize-winning poet Pablo Neruda. Through skillful use of language inspired by
Neruda’s work, Muñoz Ryan weaves this stunning tale of a young boy’s discovery of self and the development of his ideologies and
artistic voice. FICTIONALIZED BIOGRAPHY
Fiction
A star * means the book is part of a series or has sequels.
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
In this hilarious tale, Tommy and his sixth grade friends must decide if the advice of an tiny origami finger puppet
of Yoda, who starts dispensing eerily wise advice, can be trusted.
The Conch Bearer by Chitra Banjerjee *
In India, a healer invites 12 year-old Anand to join him on a quest to return a magical conch to its safe and
rightful home, high in the Himalayan Mountains.
Masterpiece by Elise Broach
After Marvin, a beetle, makes a miniature drawing as a gift for 11-year-old James, the two new friends work together to help recover
stolen art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
Born with cerebral palsy, Melody has never spoken a word. She is brilliant, but she will never sing, dance, talk on the phone, or
whisper secrets to friends. She's not complaining, though; she's planning and fighting the odds. She learns to use a keyboard that lets
her "talk", and is moved into a different classroom. Can she overcome her disabilities and the misconceptions that go with them?
A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwirz
As dark and bloody as the title suggests, these six retellings tweak the classic fairy tale as Hansel and Gretel embark on an epic
journey of self-discovery. Warning: Not for the squeamish.
Mission Unstoppable by Dan Gutman
On a cross-country vacation with their parents, twins Coke and Pepsi, soon to be thirteen, fend off strange assassins as they try to
come to terms with their being part of a top-secret government organization known as The Genius Files.
The Popularity Papers: Research for the Social Improvement and General Betterment of Lydia Goldblatt and
Julie Graham-Chang by Amy Ignatow
In a quest for upward social mobility, two fifth graders try changing their looks, taking up new hobbies, and making new friends. They
record their amusing successes and failures scrapbook style.
The Glitch in Sleep by John Hulme *
12-year-old Becker Drane is a fixer and must fix a huge problem in the world so that people will be able to sleep. If he can’t do it in
time, the earth will be destroyed!
Please email me at [email protected] if you have any questions!
Have a great summer!
-Ms. Quinn