HARRISON CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT Louis M. Klein Middle School 50 Union Avenue Harrison, New York 10528 June 2015 Dear Sixth Grade Reader and Parents/Guardians: Reading is a skill that needs to be practiced every day. To be sure this practice continues over the summer, the sixth grade English teachers are requiring each incoming sixth grader to read one book. The list of recommended books includes a variety of fiction and nonfiction for young adult readers. When choosing a book, we recommend that you read the back cover or jacket of the book to see if the story line interests you. You might also read the summaries available online. We also suggest that you read a page anywhere in the book to make sure that the vocabulary level and author’s style are suitable, a “just right” book. After reading your book, answer the questions on the Summer Reading Response Form attached to this letter. Even though only one book is required, we hope that you have the opportunity to read many books this summer. Your ELA teacher will collect and review your worksheet the first week of sixth grade. They will not be graded. Happy reading! Sincerely, Sixth Grade Language Arts Teachers APPROVED TEXTS (in order of increasing lexile complexity level) Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead (670) Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements (690) Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper (700) Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen (720) Ungifted by Gordon Korman (730) Counting by Sevens by Holly Goldberg Sloan (770) Rules by Cynthia Lord (780) Wonder by R.J. Palacio (790) Chomp by Carl Hiaasen (800) Within Reach: My Everest Story by Mark Pfetzer and Jack Galvin (970) Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick (1000) The Watsons Go to Birmingham‐‐1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (1000) The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (1080) ***** Please try to choose a book that is “just right” or a little challenging for you. HARRISON CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
Louis M. Klein Middle School
Name__________________________
Title:______________________________
Summer Reading Response Form
Author:____________________________________
Dates you read this book (ex. From 7/4 – 7/28) ______________________________________________
Summarize the plot. (Describe what happens in the book): _____________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Authors include themes, lessons, and “ big ideas” in their writing. What was one of the “ big ideas” in
your book? ___________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Often, characters experience change from the beginning of a book to the end. Describe how one of the
characters in the book changes. What causes the change? How is he or she different in the end?
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Think about the way the book ended and write what you think could happen next. Use information from
the text to support your answer. ___________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Rate this book from 1-10 (1 being the lowest rating; 10 the highest)._____________