Mrs. Taylor’s 2015 Summer Reading Assignment
Character Analysis
With a specific character from your novel in mind, please think about the following elements.
Fill in as much as you know from the book, and infer (make an educated guess) the rest!
Book:
Character Name:
Age:
Occupation:
Background: (family, environment the character grew up in, education, interests and hobbies)
Mental Characteristics: (intelligent, clever, dull, artistic, etc.)
Spiritual Qualities: (values, attitudes, beliefs, ethical codes, religion)
Emotional Characteristics/Temperament: (confident, outgoing, shy, happy, confused, nervous, angry)
Likes and dislikes:
Motivating Desire: (What does the character want? What is he or she trying to get? What are the
obstacles in the way? How does the character go about getting what he/she wants?)
What does the character fear?
Does the character have a secret that he/she has been keeping? What is it?
Summer 2015 Language Arts Assignments For Students Entering 8th Grade
What Do Students Need To Read?
Honors Section: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
Regular Sections: The Book Thief OR a book of your choice involving World War II/The Holocaust*
*Please see attached note regarding the free-choice option.
What Do Students Need To Do As They Read/After They Have Read?
As They Read:
Pay attention to important details in the book. Make notes in the margins or on stickynotes, or highlight, or
underline, or all three. Be sure that when you go back later, you can easily see WHY you underlined or
marked a certain section. In the margins, make notes to help you, such as: Main Character Motivation,
Conflict Between Characters, Setting Details, Question(s) I Have, Things I Notice, Why the Author Included
This, etc.
After They Have Read:
Complete the attached Character Analysis worksheet.
How Will This Assignment Be Assessed?
Character Analysis worksheet: The worksheet will be the first Homework Grade of the first trimester. Homework will
be graded based on the quality of work and grouped into the following categories: Exemplary (100), Good (85),
Acceptable (70), and Unacceptable (0).
Each student will complete an in-class project the first week of school. This project will be used to share what you have
learned about World War II and The Holocaust from your particular book.
When Is It Due?
The Character Analysis worksheet is due on Friday, August 21, 2015. No late work will be accepted.
Mrs. Taylor’s Notes on the Free-Choice Option
Summer Assignment for Incoming 8th Grade Students
Students may select any book deemed appropriate for students in Grade 6+ that involves World
War II/The Holocaust. Your choice should be grade-level appropriate and you must bring your
book to class the first two weeks of school.
Some suggested books for this age group regarding World War II/The Holocaust are listed
below. Parents should note that not all of these books have been reviewed by Mrs. Taylor.
There may be content and situations that are mature in nature. Summaries, book reading level,
reviews, and other helpful information can be found at www.lexile.com, www.amazon.com,
www.commonsensemedia.com, and www.goodreads.com.
The Summer of My German Soldier
Bette Greene
800 Lexile
The Diary of Anne Frank
Anne Frank
1080 Lexile
World War II: The Right Fight*
Chris Lynch
980 Lexile
Unlikely Warrior: A Jewish Soldier in Hitler’s Army*
Georg Rauch
1040 Lexile
If I Should Die Before I Wake
Han Nolan
840 Lexile
Hana’s Suitcase
Karen Levine
730 Lexile
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit**
Judith Kerr
940 Lexile
The Hiding Place
Corrie ten Boom
900 Lexile
*highly recommended by several MOT Middle School male students
**one of Mrs. Taylor’s all-time favorite books