Eighth Grade Reach Summer Reading 2017
Book Information:
● Code Talker: A Novel About the Navajo Marines of WWII ​by Joseph Bruchac
● Frankenstein​ by Mary Shelley – ​Dover Edition, ISBN ​978-0486282114
● How to Read Literature Like a Professor for Kids​ by Thomas C. Foster
● Emily Dickinson: Selected Poems​ edited by S. Applebaum – D
​ over Edition, ISBN
978-0486264660
Requirements:
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●
●
●
(over)
Students will read all four books assigned for summer reading.
There will be an assessment on ​Code Talker​ in September.
About the reading selections​: ​Code Talker​ is an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and is a
historical fiction novel set during WWII that follows a sixteen-year-old boy who uses his
native Navajo language as code to aid in the conflict against Japan. Mary Shelley’s classic
horror tale ​Frankenstein ​is​ a​ challenging yet rewarding novel about the consequences of
ambition. Listening to an audiobook while reading the novel is highly suggested to aid in
comprehension. Many audiobooks can be found for free on YouTube. Audible also has
several versions, including an excellent version read by actor Dan Stevens. Shelley’s
characters lead the reader to ask the debated question, Is the creature really the monster, or
did Victor Frankenstein make a fatal mistake? We will also discuss ​Frankenstein ​in the
context of the Victorian Science Fiction genre when we read ​Dracula​ during the school year.
How to Read Literature Like a Professor for Kids​ by Thomas C. Foster is an incredibly useful
text that gives students the tools to analyze literature in a deeper, more meaningful way,
and we will use this text to think about each book we read over the course of the year. Some
topics the book discusses include quests, Biblical and Shakespearean allusions, symbols,
geography, and weather. Finally, ​Emily Dickinson: Selected Poems​ is a collection of over 100
of the author’s most popular works, and this book will be studied in detail over the course of
the year, along with supplemented Dickinson poems not included in the collection.
Literary Analysis Writing​: Part One of the summer reading assignment will focus on
Frankenstein​. Students will choose two topics discussed in ​How to Read Literature Like a
Professor for Kids​ and apply them to ​Frankenstein ​in an analytical essay. ​For each topic
chosen, students should first provide a brief summary of Foster’s topic​. For example, if a
student chooses weather from chapter ten, he or she should summarize the most important
aspects of Foster’s discussion, citing specific examples. ​Then, the student will analyze the
use of that topic in ​Frankenstein, s​ uch as the significance of the weather, Biblical allusions,
symbols, etc. At least two examples of textual evidence from ​Frankenstein ​should be cited​.
Please see attached rubric for specific details.
● Poetry Collection​: For Part Two of the summer reading assignment, students will
choose twelve poems to include in a digital Poetry Collection using Google Slides.
Four of the twelve poems must be from ​Emily Dickinson: Selected Poems. ​Students
are free to explore any type of poetry for the remaining eight poems. Each poem in
the collection should include a reflective paragraph and an informational paragraph
about the poem and its origin, as well as a visual image to accompany the text. The
reflective paragraph​ should explain why that poem was chosen and/or why the
student enjoyed the poem, as well as why the visual image was chosen. It is a
personal reflection to express your thoughts about the text. The ​informational
paragraph​ should provide information about the author and his or her background,
as well as other biographical or historical information the student finds interesting.
If more than one poem by the same author is chosen, only one informational
paragraph needs to be completed for that poet. Please do not include more than
three poems per author. Please cite the source for each poem. Please see attached
rubric for more details.
● Literary Terms: ​Students will define the twelve literary terms found below. These
terms will be added to a Literary Terms Glossary that we will use throughout the
school year.
Literary Terms:
1. Allusion
2. Dialect
3. Flashback
4. Foreshadowing
5. Genre (include Science Fiction)
6. Imagery
7. Inference
8. Irony (Three types: Dramatic, Situational, and Verbal)
9. Motif
10. Symbol
11. Theme
12. Tone
Eighth Grade Reach Summer Reading 2017
Literary Analysis Rubric
Name: ______________________________________________________
Beginning
1 point
Developing
2 points
Accomplished
3 points
Exemplary
4 points
Selection of Topics
One topic from
Foster’s ​How to
Read ​is discussed
with insufficient
detail.
One topic from
Foster’s ​How to
Read ​is discussed.
Two topics from
Foster’s ​How to
Read ​are discussed
and with minimal
summary or
textual references.
Two topics from
Foster’s ​How to
Read ​are discussed
and thoroughly
summarized with
ample detail and
textual references.
Application of
Topics
One Topic from
Foster’s ​How to
Read ​is applied to
the novel and/or
direct textual
evidence is not
present.
Two topics from
Foster’s ​How to
Read ​are applied
to the novel with
insufficient detail
or direct textual
evidence.
Two topics from
Foster’s ​How to
Read ​are applied
to the novel with
some detail and at
least two direct
textual references.
Two topics from
Foster’s ​How to
Read ​are applied to
the novel with
ample detail and at
least two direct
textual references.
Analysis
Student discusses
how at least one
topic functions in
the novel. Analysis
is minimal and/or
does not reflect
any understanding
of the texts.
Student discusses
how each topic
functions in the
novel. Analysis is
minimal and does
not reflect
complete
understanding of
both texts.
Student discusses
how each topic
functions in the
novel. Analysis is
solid and reflects
sufficient
understanding of
both texts.
Effort
Student’s work
lacks overall
understanding of
the assignment.
Student’s work
demonstrates
some
understanding of
the assignment.
Student’s work
demonstrates an
understanding of
the assignment.
Length
Essay is fewer
than two pages in
length.
Essay is two
pages in length.
Essay is three
pages in length.
Score____________
Student thoroughly
discusses how each
topic functions in
the novel. Analysis
is sound and
specific and reflects
strong
understanding of
both texts.
Student’s work
demonstrates a
strong
understanding of
the assignment and
goes beyond all of
the requirements.
Essay is four or
more pages in
length.
Score
Eighth Grade Reach Summer Reading 2017
Digital Poetry Collection Rubric
Name: ______________________________________________________
Beginning
1 point
Developing
2 points
Accomplished
3 points
Exemplary
4 points
Selection of Poetry
Student includes
poetry of one style
or perspective.
Student includes
poetry of two or
three different
styles or
perspectives.
Student includes
poetry of a few
different styles or
perspectives.
Student includes
poetry of varied styles
or perspectives.
Diversity of poetry
indicates time and
effort was spent
researching poetry
that interests the
student.
Reflective
Paragraphs
Reflective
paragraphs do not
follow all objectives.
Some reflective
paragraphs are
missing.
Reflective
paragraphs do not
follow all objectives
or do not reveal
much insight into
student’s thoughts. .
Reflective
paragraphs follow all
objectives and reveal
basic thought and
insight into student’s
thoughts.
Reflective paragraphs
follow all objectives
and reveal deep
thought and insight
into student’s
thoughts.
Informational
Paragraphs
Informational
paragraphs do not
follow all objectives.
Some informational
paragraphs are
missing.
Informational
paragraphs do not
follow all objectives
or only reveal
minimal details
about the author
and his or her
cultural
background.
Informational
paragraphs follow all
objectives and reveal
some details about
the author and his or
her cultural
background.
Informational
paragraphs follow all
objectives and reveal
well researched
details about the
author and his or her
cultural background.
Poems
Student includes 9
poems or fewer. No
poems from ​ED:
Selected Poems​ are
included.
Student includes at
least 10 poems, or
no poems from ​ED:
Selected Poems​ are
included.
Student includes 12
poems, but fewer
than four are from
ED: Selected Poems​.
Student includes 12
poems, four of which
are from ​Emily
Dickinson: Selected
Poems​.
Creativity
Student’s Google
Slides presentation
includes images for 7
or fewer poems. The
presentation does
not reflect enough
effort spent on
completion.
Student’s Google
Slides presentation
includes images for
8 or more poems.,
The presentation
may seem hastily
completed.
Student’s Google
Slides presentation
includes at least one
image for each poem.
Student’s Google
Slides presentation
includes colorful,
relevant images and
goes beyond all of the
requirements.
Score: __________
Score