Incoming Eighth Grade Students
Summer Reading Assignment
May 2013
Dear Eighth Grade Students and Parents,
To keep our reading momentum going during the summer break, I am asking that each eighth grade
student read three books. The titles and assignments are as follows:
Mississippi Trial, 1955, Chris Crow
Please read the book and come prepared to discuss a time you witnessed an example of bigotry or
prejudice. This can be from your own experience, a family member’s experience, a movie, or a book. Be
ready to describe the incident and explain how you felt about it and why.
Chains, Laurie Halse Anderson
Please answer the following questions in essay format (introduction, support for ideas and opinions,
conclusion):
The American Revolution was about freedom and liberty. Mr. Lockton, a Loyalist, thinks that freedom
and liberty has many meanings. Define freedom from his point of view. How might the patriots define
freedom and liberty? Isabel has lived her entire life in bondage, but dream of freedom. What does
freedom look like in Isabel’s mind?
What does Isabel mean when she says, “I was chained between two nations”? There are several
references to chains throughout the novel. How is the word “chain” used as an antonym to the word
“freedom”?
The Dream Keeper and Other Poems, Langston Hughes
Read the collection of poems, select ONE poem, and answer the following questions: (please answer in
paragraph form, using complete sentences)
In your opinion, what is the poem’s meaning? What is Hughes trying to say?
Make connections between the meaning of the poem and what was happening historically and socially
during the time Hughes was writing. (you may need to research this for historical accuracy)
Did you enjoy the poem? Why or why not?
Please do not read the following books, as they are part of the eighth grade curriculum: To Kill a
Mockingbird, Call of the Wild, The Pearl, My Brother Sam is Dead, The Diary of Anne Frank.
I hope you have a wonderful summer! Get ready for a great eighth grade year!
Mrs. Cindy Hunt
Language Arts