Franklin Academy: Summer Read and Respond Challenge
As part of our rigorous program here at Franklin Academy, all students going into grades 6-8,
are required to participate in our Summer Read and Respond Challenge. Each student must
read and write a literature response essay for at least three books from the Franklin Academy
Summer Booklist. The purpose of a response to literature is to state an opinion about a
character’s traits, the setting, plot, theme, or moral of the story. Typically, the essay is
organized with a brief summary of the story, followed by an opinion that is supported by
evidence from the text. Many responses include connections to other stories, the world, or the
reader’s own experiences, as well as a personal reflection that reveals how the story has
impacted the reader.
For each book that is read, the student is required to fill out the 5 Paragraph Response to
Literature Graphic Organizer, and then use that organizer to write a 5 paragraph essay. The
graphic organizers, essays, as well as a table of contents and bibliography, will be collected on
the first day of school and will be used as their first Language Arts grade for the 2014-2015
school year.
Step 1: Choose Three Books from the Book List
The books are suggested for the grade your student is going into and listed in order of
increasing difficulty. The books that you and your child choose should be specific to his/her
reading ability.
Grade 6 Book Listed by Title, Author
Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
Fallen Angels, Walter Dean Myers
Ship Breaker, Paolo Bacigalupi
Calling on Dragons, Patricia Wrede
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Football Genius, Tim Green
Moon over Manifest, Clare Vanderpool
Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
Any Which Wall, Laurel Snyder
Hugo Cabret, Brian Schnick
Fire From the Rock, Sharon Draper
Flush, Carl Hiaasen
Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition among Snow Leopards in Mongolia, Sy Montgomery
The Lost Hero, Richard Riordan
20000 Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne
Slob, Ellen Potter
Dragonwings, Laurence Yep
The View from Saturday, E.L. Konigsburg
Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
Carver: a Life in Poems, Marilyn Nelson
Wild Things, Clay Carmichael
City of Fire, Laurence Yep
Rifles for Watie, Harold Kieth
Old Yeller, Fred Gipson
Talking with Artists, Pat Cummings
Dead End in Norvelt, Jack Gantos
The Dark is Rising, Susan Cooper
Colin Powell A &E Biography, Reggie Finlayson
Artemis Fowl: the Arctic Incident, Eoin Colfer
Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis
Dovey Coe, Frances Dowell
Magnificent Voyage: An American Adventurer on Captain James Cook’s Final Expedition, Laurie Lawlor
The Wednesday Wars, Gary D. Schmidt
Seabiscuit, Laura Hillenbrand
Ben Franklin of Old Philadelphia, Margaret Cousins
Hobbit or There and Back Again, J.R. Tolkien
Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, Philip Hoose
The Pearl, John Steinbeck
Step 2: For Each Book, Fill Out the Graphic Organizers
Graphic Organizer
¶❶Introduction: Write the Quick Summary and the Thesis Statement
The author: ___________________
Genre:_____________________
Title: __________________________
Setting: ________________________
The main character________________________________________
Problem or Main Event in Plot (What did the character do? What happened to the character?
____________________________________________________________________________
Thesis Statement: (Choose one starter and three reflective opinions for your thesis
statement.)
The character was ________________, _________________, and ______________.
The setting in the story was _______________, ______________, and ________________.
The plot/events in the story were ____________, ____________, and _______________.
The theme/moral of the story was ___________, ______________, and ______________.
Body: Record Page #’s of Evidence. Write: Transitions, Evidence,
Analysis, and Connections
¶❷Evidence: Page #
¶❸Evidence: Page #
¶❹Evidence: Page #
Paragraph Transition:
Paragraph Transition:
Paragraph Transition:
Evidence: Quote/Paraphrase:
Evidence: Quote/Paraphrase:
Evidence: Quote/Paraphrase:
Analysis of Evidence:
Analysis of Evidence:
Analysis of Evidence:
Connection: To Yourself/A
Text You Were Reminded
of/How it Relates to the
World:
Connection: To Yourself/A
Text You Were Reminded
of/How it Relates to the
World:
Connection: To Yourself/A
Text You Were Reminded
of/How it Relates to the
World:
Graphic Organizer Continued
¶❺Conclusion: Restate the Thesis Statement, then Make a Reflection
Starters:
 This convincing
evidence proves
 This proves
 This clearly
demonstrates
 This specific proof
Subject:
 the character
was…
 the impact of the
setting was…
 the events were…
 the theme/moral
was…
Opinion/Judgement:
__________________________
__________________________
__________________________
Reflection Starters:
 After reading the book, I (felt, wished, realized, understood)
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
 The book deeply affected me because
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
 Once I finished the book, I reflected
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Sample of Graphic Organizer Filled Out
¶❶Introduction: Write the Quick Summary and the Thesis Statement
The author: __Chris Van Allsburg_____
Title: ___The Stranger________
Genre:______Fantasy________
Setting: __In the country in the beginning of fall______
The main character:______The Stranger_________
Problem or Main Event in Plot (What did the character do? What happened to the character?
A mysterious man was accidentally run over by Farmer Bailey. Mr. Bailey took the man back
to his farm to help him. After that, strange things began to occur.
Thesis Statement: (Choose one starter and three reflective opinions for your thesis
statement.)
The character, the stranger, was very odd.
Body: Record Page #’s of Evidence. Write: Transitions, Evidence,
Analysis, and Connections
¶❷Evidence: Page # 306
¶❸Evidence: Page #308
¶❹Evidence: Page #310
Paragraph Transition: The
Stranger’s icy cold
temperature was one of the
first clues to prove he was an
odd character.
Paragraph Transition:
Another reason the Stranger
was an odd character was his
inability to button his shirt.
Paragraph Transition: While
the Stranger’s difficulty with
buttons seemed very unusual,
his inability to tire really
made him stick out.
Evidence: Quote/Paraphrase:
“Oh, you can thow that out,”
he answered. “It’s broken.
The mercury is stuck at the
bottom.
Analysis of Evidence: A
human being would be dead
with a temperature that
measured that low on the
thermometer.
Connection: Reminds me of a
sci-fi movie. I wonder what
would have happened if Mrs.
Bailey used the thermometer
later?
Evidence: Quote/Paraphrase:
“The fellow seemed confused
about the buttons and
button-holes.”
Analysis of Evidence: How is
it possible for a grown man
not to know what a button
is?
Connection: Reminds me of
reports I have read about
amnesia. People forget
where they are, but
remember everyday functions
like buttoning a shirt. Why
weren’t they more concerned
with this problem?
Evidence: Quote/Paraphrase:
“The stranger never etired.
He didn’t even sweat.”
Analysis of Evidence: Mr.
Bailey, a farmer who is used
to hard work, was sweating
and exhausted, yet the
stranger was fresh and full of
energy.
Connection: This reminds me
of robot movies about
androids that Iook human but
never sleep, eat, or tire. I
really felt the love of the
Bailey family in this part.
They didn’t fear the stranger.
Instead they treated him
kindly
Sample of Graphic Organizer Filled Out Continued
¶❺Conclusion: Restate the Thesis Statement, then Make a Reflection
Starters:
 This convincing
evidence proves
 This proves
 This clearly
demonstrates
 This specific proof
Subject:
 the character
was…
 the impact of the
setting was…
 the events were…
 the theme/moral
was…
Opinion/Judgement:
_exhibiting many bizarre behaviors
and actions because he was
autumn, not a man.
__________________________
Reflection Starters:
 After reading the book, I (felt, wished, realized, understood)
After reading the book, and finding out the man was really a season not a man, I
wished I could treat people like the Bailey’s treated the stranger, with kindness and
without judgment.
 The book deeply affected me because
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
 Once I finished the book, I reflected
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
Step 3: For Each Book, Use the Graphic Organizer to Write a 5 Paragraph Essay
Example of 5 Paragraph Essay in Response to Literature
The Stranger: A Response to Literature
¶❶In the fantasy short story The Stranger, which occurred during the beginning of autumn
out in the country, author Chris Van Allsburg wrote about a mysterious man who was accidentally run
over by Farmer Bailey. Mr. Bailey took the man back to his farm to help the unknown man. After that,
strange things began to happen. This character, referred to as the Stranger in the tale, was very odd
¶❷The Stranger’s icy cold temperature was one of the first clues to prove he was an odd
character. This image was created when the author wrote the doctor told Mrs. Bailey: “Oh, you can
throw that out,” he answered. “It’s broken. The mercury is stuck at the bottom.” A human being would
be dead with a temperature that measured that low on the thermometer, so the doctor really thought
the instrument was broken, but it wasn’t! This scene reminds me of a sci-fi movie when strange events
begin to happen. This connection makes me wonder what would have happened if Mrs. Bailey used the
thermometer, instead of throwing it away?
¶❸Another reason the Stranger was an odd character was his inability to button his shirt. This
was demonstrated when the author wrote: “The fellow seemed confused about the buttons and button
holes.” How is it possible for a grown man not to know what a button is? The Bailey’s should have
realized something very strange was happening. This scene reminded me of reports I have read about
amnesia. Sometimes people have accidents and forget who they are, and everyday functions like
buttoning a shirt. This makes me ask: “Why weren’t the Bailey’s more concern with this problem?”
¶❹While the Stranger’s difficulty with buttons seemed very unusual, his inability to tire really
made him stick-out. “The stranger never tired. He didn’t even sweat.” It seems impossible for Mr. Bailey,
a farmer used to hard work, was sweating and exhausted, yet the stranger was fresh and full of energy.
This reminds me of robot movies about androids that look human but never sleep, eat, or tire. After all
these strange events, even something like androids seems possible. What was really amazing is the love
of the Bailey family in this part. They didn’t fear the stranger. Instead they treated him kindly
¶❺All this convincing evidence proves the character was very odd. Ultimately, the hermit-like
man turned out to be the season fall. Now that’s odd! After reading this short story, I wished I could
treat people like the Bailey’s treated the Stranger, without judgment and only with kindness.
Step 4: Presenting
1. Put all documents into a presentation folder
2. Add a Table of Contents
3. Add a Bibliography
4. Turn in the folder to your Language Arts Teacher on the first day of school.