Students Entering 7th Grade
Summer Reading Assignments
All students entering 7th grade are asked to read The Giver, Out of the Dust, and Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the
Nazi Death Camps. Upon completion of reading the books, the children are asked to complete the assignments.
All assignments are due the first day of school, August 24, 2016. Any assignments turned in after that date will
be given partial credit.
All books can be found at the Barnes and Noble at 170 S. Abilene st., at your Iocal library, and a small quantity
are available for checkout at Vanguard Classical School.
The Giver
After reading The Giver, choose one of the projects to complete about The Giver.
Create a Book Jacket
Create your own book jacket for this book.
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The front coyer should be an illustration that includes the title of the book and author's name.
Your illustration may not be copied from the book.
On the inside pages, write a 3-4 paragraph summary of the text.
The back cover should have a teaser that will give prospective readers an idea of the main
themes of the book without giving away the plot or story.
Create a Storyboard
In movies, directors create story boards to visualize the plot. Create your own oriqinal story board
with at least s illustrations (not copied from the book). One drawing represents the beginning, 3
drawings from the middle, and one from the end of the book. For each hand drawn color picture,
you will write a paragraph explaining the event, and its relation to the plot of your book. Include the
reasons why you chose each event.
Create a presentation:
This book is an example of a dystopian novel. Compare and contrast this text with another text you
have read. The two texts should have similar themes or ideas throughout them as well as
contrasting information. Use this information to create a powerpoint presentation about The Giver
that explains the main themes and ideas to your audience.
Some examples of themes in this story are:
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Individuality
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Memory and the past
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Rules and order
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Choice
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Language and Communication
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Isolation
Out of the Dust
Answer questions on a separate piece of paper as you read the book. Reference page numbers to
support your answers when applicable. Answers should be high quality and at least 1-2 paragraphs
in length.
1 ) Toward the beginning of the book, Billie Jo plays the piano in a big show. The show is a very
exciting moment for her. Describe a time when you felt a rush of excitement as well as
anxiety similar to what Billie Jo felt.
2) The main character, Billie Jo, goes through a lot of difficult situations, but she learns to find
joy in music. How did she find joy in this? Can you relate to finding joy in something during
difficult times? Explain.
3) The Dust Bowl makes farming difficult. How does Billie Jo's father adapt to this difficult time
in order to survive? What are some other ways he might have been able to adapt? Why is
being able to adapt a good skill to have?
4) The title Out of the Dust has a very literal meaning, but also a figurative meaning. What do
you think the figurative meaning of this title could be? Explain your reasoning behind this
answer.
5) What impact did World War l have on the theme of this book? What would it be like for the
characters without this impact?
6) Write your own ending to the book in 4 stanzas or more.
Surviving Hitler: A Boy in the Nazi Death Camps
You will be summarizing the amazing story of Jack Mandelbaum and his Iife before, during, and after the
Holocaust and World War 11 from the book Surviving Hitler by Andrea Warren. You must choose one
assignment to complete with the best of your ability and high quality work. You will be graded on the accuracy
of your summarization, the neatness and beauty of your assignment, and the completeness and quality of the
work overall. All work you do towards this project must be your own work and not work copied from the book
itself, websites, other people, or other sources of information.
Your options are as follows:
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s paragraph summary: you must have a structured introduction, body paragraphs with direct evidence
from the book, and a strong conclusion
Comic book: your comic book must have at Ieast 15 panels that are fully illustrated, in color, and
accurate to the story.
Children's book: your children's book must be at Ieast 10 pages, fully illustrated, in color, and accurate
to the story. Each page must have at Ieast 4 sentences and the picture must relate.
Video: In this video, you will summarize the story of Jack Mandelbaum, acting out the events of the
book. Your video must be at least 3 minutes, well edited, and accurate to the story.
Poster: Your poster must fully summarize the events of Jack's Iife, be neatly constructed and organized,
and include color.