CTC Rising 8th Grade
Important Information:
Mandatory Summer Reading
1. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
and
2. one book of choice
Assignment: Dialectal Journal (at least FIVE entries for
each book) – See attached for information on this
assignment.
Due: First week of school
Proposed Field Trips
Peace Center
8th Grade End of Year Trip
Special Events:
Shakespeare Festival
Spelling Bee
Poetry Café
“Poe-tober”
Supply Lists
General
1 large Binder or 2 smaller Binders (student preference)
2 packages of 5 section Dividers
Notebook Paper
Zipper Pouch or Pencil Box
Highlighters
Glue Sticks (4 or more)
Tissues
Colored Pencils and Markers
Blue, Black and Red Pens
Pencils—sharpened (a million!)
Personal Pencil Sharpener w/ lid
Ear Buds in a plastic bag labeled with student’s name
Memory Stick with minimum 256mb of storage
PTA H.W. Planner (available in the fall)
Social Studies
1 Marble Composition Notebook
Pocket Folder w/ 3 Prongs
Sharpie Markers (2 black med. point) to be left in
classroom for projects
Math
TI-84 Silver Edition Calculator
(bring UPC if purchasing new)
Zippered Pouch for Calculator
8 pack of AAA Batteries (for calculator)
Graph Paper, loose-leaf, 3 hole punched
1 pack 3x5 Index Cards (Geometry only)
Science
1 Composition Notebook
ELA
th
1 Composition Notebook (may reuse from 7 grade ELA or
from Summer Reading Dialectal Journal)
Novels to be purchased*+ (may be purchased over the
summer, or we will also collect money and purchase at the
start of the school year – approximately $30 worth of
books):
 Mythology by Edith Hamilton
 Lord of the Flies by William Golding
 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
 Antigone by Sophocles
 Either one of the following (student choice):
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
*If you are unable to purchase novels, please let Ms.
Johnston ([email protected]) or Ms. Royal
([email protected]) know, and they will provide a
copy for your child.
+ Novels may also be downloaded to an e-reader if you are
OK with your student bringing the device to school.
Spanish
1 pack 3x5 LINED Index Cards (100 ct)
Homeroom:
1 Box of Tissues
1 Pack of Disinfecting Wipes
CTC Rising 8th Grade
SUMMER READING
English I Honors
All students enrolled in English I Honors for 2013-2014 school year will be expected to read TWO books over the summer. One
book has been selected by the teachers- The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. The other book may be one of your choosing. Copies of The
Outsiders are available at local bookstores.
In English IH, you will keep a Dialectal Journal. We will be using this journal all year. Please purchase a “marble” composition
notebook to begin this assignment. The Dialectal Journal will be a chance for you to record your impression and analysis of things
you have read.
You will be expected to make FIVE entries for each novel. Prior to reading, you may want to choose the spots you will stop to
make a journal entry. Do not summarize the text, but show an understanding of it by making inferences and connections back to
it.
Summer Reading Dialectal Journal Instructions
The term dialectic indicates the tension between reader and text that occurs when students struggle to derive
meaning from a difficult or unfamiliar work.
What is it?
The journal is a double-entry, note-taking process done while reading any genre of literature. It is an attempt to transfer a
reader’s interior monologue on paper by providing two columns which are in dialogue with one another, not only developing a
method of critical reading but also encouraging habits of reflective questioning/thinking.
Why is it important?
In the right-hand column, the reader “owns” or “comments” on important text that has been identified. The dialectal journal helps
readers critically think about the text they are reading. By keeping a dialectal journal, students are brought to think “for
themselves” about a text and offer their own interpretations.
How is it done?
Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper, thereby making two columns. (If you don’t include the page number in the left
column, you’ll need a middle column for page numbers. See the examples attached.) The left column, labeled “Quote” is used for
traditional note forms of direct quotations and citations. Thus, when the reader finishes, he or she has not only important quotes
and ideas from the book, but also a summary of the material read.
The right column is used for commenting on the left-column notes. Here students record their questions, comments, and ideas next
to the text that has piqued their interest. They analyze rhetorical conventions of the author’s writing style, looking for effective
use of sentence structure and diction.
What are my minimum requirements?
For each book you choose to read this summer (remember, you must read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and one other book of
your choosing), you must have a minimum of FIVE entries PER book. You may use the same composition notebook for each book,
but be sure to distinctly mark where one book’s journal ends and the other begins (a post-it note would work).
What should I write about in the right-hand column?
You want to RESPOND, ANALYZE, and EVALUATE. Why do you find that particular passage important? What connections with
your life or other texts, concepts, and events can you make? What point do you think the author was trying to make? Include
your word count for each entry. Find examples on next page..
**Please bring your completed Journal and copy of The Outsiders the first day of class.**
NOTE: Honor pledge request: We will watch the movie together during the first week of class, so please do not watch
it yourself over the summer!
CTC Rising 8th Grade
Sample Dialectal Journal: Night by Elie Wiesel
Source Material
(Provide a direct quotation or paraphrase and a
parenthetical citation)
Page
#
Respond, Analyze, and Evaluate
(Why do you find this passage interesting or
important?)
83
(RESPOND) I can picture the men standing in the
concentration camp, watching the snow blanket
the ground. It is silent there. The snow-covered
ground is smooth and soft. (ANALYZE) Wiesel
describes the snow as being “gentle” and
“warm.” This comparison is not what one would
expect. Standing barefoot in the snow would be
very painful. The cold would cut deep into one’s
feet. So why does he say it is warm? Maybe his
feet are frozen, numb to the pain. Perhaps the
snow provides insulation from night’s bitter cold.
(EVALUATE) This comparison creates a sense of
peace, a moment without terror and fear. It is as
if he is home again, safe and warm. 111 words
(What are you analyzing?)
Simile
“The snow was like a carpet, very gentle, very
warm” (83).
(What are you analyzing?)
Personification/ Internal Conflict
“Death wrapped itself around me till I was
stifled. It stuck to me. I felt that I could touch it.
The idea of dying, of no longer being, began to
fascinate me. Not to exist any longer” (82).
82
(RESPOND) This is a sad moment for Elie. He has
fought to survive, but cannot fight any longer. I
can’t imagine being fourteen and wanting to die.
I can’t imagine being fourteen and losing my
family, my dignity, my soul. What a tragedy.
(ANALYZE) In this passage, Wiesel personifies
death to show the control it has over those who
are suffering in the camps. In this case, Death
silences Elie, overpowering his will and subduing
his hope of survival. Elie is conflicted. He wants
to survive. He wants to take care of his father.
But he doesn’t know how much more he can
take. (EVALUATE) This is important because we
see that Elie has reached a breaking point.
Death has come for him so many times but has
failed. This time, however, Elie is too tired to run,
too tired to fight. He has had enough. Death is
offering a gift—an escape from this horrible
existence. 153 words
Focus your entries on the following literary elements.




Motif
Internal and external conflict
Symbolism and theme
Literary devices and strategies (for example, simile, metaphor, imagery, personification, repetition, etc.)