Dear Entering Sixth Graders,
Reading is a very important skill. As with any skill, it is important that you keep your skills sharp. The middle
school teachers are asking you to read this summer. Please choose one of the books below to read over the
summer. There is a form attached to fill out while you are reading the book that you choose from the list.
There is also a sheet entitled "Literary Terms" to help you when you are filling out the form. The form is due
Wednesday, September 7.
You must read one book from this list:

Absolutely Normal Chaos - by Sharon Creech

Crispin-The Cross of Lead by Avi

Maniac Magee - by Jerry Spinelli

Hatchet - by Gary Paulsen

Touching Spirit Bear - by Ben Mikaelson

Rules - by Cynthia Lord

Peak - by Roland Smith

Road Trip - by Gary Paulsen
I highly recommend you read five books this summer, as that is a good number to keep your skills sharp.
You only have to fill out the form for one book, but on the form list the other books that you read this
summer. They do not have to be from this list, but they can be if you like.
I have copies of some of these books. Check with me before school is out to borrow a book for the summer.
All of these books should be available through your local library, also. Happy reading!
Have a fun and safe summer !
Mrs. Kodada
Setting
(time, location and mood of the story)
Where does the story take place? Is this location real or
fictional?
Thinking-While-Reading Strategies
th
To get the most out of your reading experience, think while
you read using the strategies below.
6 G ra de
1. Identify the comprehension problem-Are you stuck on a
word? Confused by a sentence? Did you just read a
whole page but not remember anything you read?
When does the story take place- the past, present, future? In a specific date or time period? How do you know?
Is the story set in a specific culture?
What is the mood or the feeling of the story? What details
from the story give you this idea?
(who is telling the story)
Who is the narrator-a character in the story or an unnamed observer who is watching the action unfold?
Does the narrator know all sides of the story or just one
side?
\!A mmer lteadlnJl
'\
.·: c/ 1
2. Fix the comprehension problem-Use a dictionary to look
unknown words, reread anything that doesn't make
sense, figure out what is distracting you while reading.
3. Picture the text-Imagine what you would see if the book
were a movie playing in your head. Use details from
the book to help you form a picture, but use your imagination too.
4. Hear the text- Imagine sounds from the book. How do
characters speak? What sounds are part of the setting?
To prevent summer learning loss·university research
5. Make predictions-What will happened next? How will
that affect the story?
during the summer break. Keep track of the books you
6. Make comparisons-What does this story remind you of?
Your own experiences? Someone you know? Another
book? Something in the news?
to talk with you about the books you read when you re-
7. Make inferences-What does the narrator or a character
hint at, but not say?
Point of View
-
Name
8. Make comments-Have a conversation with yourself as
you read. What do you wonder about? What do think
about characters and their choices?
Theme
shows students of all ages should read at least FIVE books
read this summer. Your teachers and classmates are eager
turn to school in September!
My Summer Reading book title:
Author:
Other books I read this summer:
(the book's message, lesson or central idea)
By reading this book, what can you can learn about yourself,
other people, or life in general? "Learn" does not mean
something factual,as in a school lesson, but rather a life
lesson about humans.
Book title: ----------------
-----------------
Author:
Book title: ----------------
------------------
Author:
Book title: ---------------Author:
What is the effect of the narrator on you? Do you know
more about what is going on than the characters? Or do
you feel like you are missing important information?
What "big picture" ideas come up in this book? Some common themes in literature include friendship, family, race,
growing up, dealing with adversity, good versus evil, making
choices, courage, loyalty, and journeys.
-----------------
--------------------------------
Book title:
Author:
CHARACTER
(person or being that carries out the action of a story)
As you read your novel, write down the names of characters you think are important to the story:
PLOT (the series of events that make up a story)
What is the main character's confl ict? What are
some significant problem s/he faces?
1.
2.
3.
As you read your book, list, in order, significant events
from the story.
1.
2.
3.
Which characters above seem to be the MOST important? Which characters are directly involved in the conflict? Which
characters seem to be at the center of the action? Choose up to THREE main characters and write down their personality
(not physical) traits.
Character
Personality traits
What happens in the book that shows this trait
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Character
Personality traits
What happens in the book that shows this trait
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
How did the conflicts listed above get resolved by the
Character
Personality traits
What happens in the book that shows this trait
end of the book?
1.
2.
3.
Literary Terms
Character: A person or being who carries out the action in a novel, play, etc.
• Protagonist/Main character: the most important character in a piece of literature.
• Antagonist: the character who is in conflict with the protagonist (main character).
• Major character: a character central to the conflict and the action of the story. A novel has only a few (13) of these most-important characters.
• Minor character: a character in the story, but not central to the conflict. This character plays an
important role in the story at some points, but is not the focus of the story's conflict or action.
Characterization: How the writer shows characters' traits or personalities. There are five ways this is done:
1. The character's actions
2. What the character says (spoken aloud or in the character's thoughts)
3. What others say about the character
4. Motivations (why the character acts a certain way)
5. Direct description; the author tells you directly about the character
Setting: Time, place and mood of the action of a story. Setting can include culture as well.
Point of View: Who is telling the story, how much that narrator knows and how that affects the reader.
• Narrator - who is telling the story
• Most fictional stories use one of these three types of narrators:
1. First person - a character in the story telling the reader what he/she sees. The reader only knows
what this character knows
2. Limited third person - a nameless observer outside the story who only knows and sees what one
character in the story knows and sees
3. Omniscient third person - a nameless observer outside the story who knows what all the characters
know and sometimes knows more than the characters know
Theme: What the reader is supposed to learn about life from a literary work. This concept may be more clearly
explained this way:
1. the central idea of a story (NOT the main idea)
2. sometimes a theme is stated as a moral or lesson at the end
3. the idea is one that can be applied outside of the story to your life.
4. the message or lesson the author wants the reader to get through reading the book
Plot: the sequence of events in a story. The following terms are all part of the plot:
1. Conflict is the central problem in a piece of literature. Conflicts may be internal, or in the mind (ex: a
difficult decision) or they may be external (a fight with another person, battling illness). All fiction has
conflict.
2. Rising Action refers to the increase in tension in a story. In other words, the problem becomes more
serious or intense. Suspense will increase.
3. The climax refers to the point in the story when the problem is at the point where there must be a
solution--good or bad.
4. Falling action refers to when the problem has moved beyond the climax and the tension is reduced.
5. The resolution refers to the point at which the problem has been worked out. The resolution to a
problem in literature DOES NOT have to be a happy one.