2014 Summer Reading Assignments
Grade 8
Incoming eighth grade students will read a total of four books over the summer. Read the
boxes below for book choices and required activities. Students are required to turn in all four
written activities on the first day of school and should be prepared to actively participate in
focused reading groups. Both the written and group activities will be graded as part of the first
quarter assignments.
Fiction
Nonfiction
Choose two (2) of the following
books to read over the summer
break. For each of the books you
read, complete a Story Structure
Worksheet for Summer Reading
Assignment: Fiction handout.
Choose one (1) of the following
nonfiction books to read over the
summer break. After reading the
book, complete the 5 W’s
Organizer for Summer Reading
Assignment: Nonfiction handout.
• Okay for Now by Gary
Schmidt
• Criss Cross by Lynn Rae
Perkins
• Jeremy Fink and the
Meaning of Life by Wendy
Mass
• Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
• Gifted Hands by Ben Carson
• Hitler Youth: Growing Up in
Hitler’s Shadow by Susan
Campbell Bartoletti
• Lost Trail: Nine Days Alone
in the Wilderness by Donn
Fendler
Remember, each student is
required to read two fiction novels
from the list above. Two separate
Story Structure Worksheet for
Summer Reading Assignment:
Fiction handouts will be turned in
on the first day of school.
Student Choice
After reading your book of choice,
which should be of your age and
reading level, complete the
Student Choice Assignment
handout.
Name ___________________________________________(
)
Due Date: First Day of School
Story Structure Worksheet for Summer Reading Assignment: Fiction
Point of View
_______________________________
_______________________________
Title: _______________________
Author: _____________________
Protagonist:
________________________
Minor Characters:
Setting
________________________
Theme
General Setting: _____________________________________________
________________________
______________________________
___________________________________________________________
________________________
______________________________
Immediate Setting(s): _________________________________________
________________________
______________________________
___________________________________________________________
Plot Development
Exposition: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rising Action (a series of events leading to the climax):_____________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Climax: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Falling Action (a series of events following the climax): ____________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Resolution: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name ___________________________________________(
)
Due Date: First Day of School
Story Structure Worksheet for Summer Reading Assignment: Fiction
Point of View
_______________________________
_______________________________
Title: _______________________
Author: _____________________
Protagonist:
________________________
Minor Characters:
Setting
________________________
Theme
General Setting: _____________________________________________
________________________
______________________________
___________________________________________________________
________________________
______________________________
Immediate Setting(s): _________________________________________
________________________
______________________________
___________________________________________________________
Plot Development
Exposition: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Rising Action (a series of events leading to the climax):_____________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Climax: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Falling Action (a series of events following the climax): ____________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Resolution: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Name ___________________________________________(
)
Due Date: First Day of School
5 W’s Organizer for Summer Reading Assignment: Nonfiction
Title: ______________________________________________
Author: _________________
Directions: With nonfiction, use the 5 W’s Organizer to gather key information about a subject. By asking yourself a reporter’s
questions, you can learn most of the information about a subject. Complete the chart below using information gathered in the
nonfiction book you chose for the summer reading assignment.
Subject
Who?
What?
Where?
When?
Why?
Name _________________________________
Due Date: First Day of School
Summer Reading
Student Choice Book
St. Elizabeth Catholic School (8___)
Title: ________________________________________________________________
Author:________________________________________________________________
Illustrator: _____________________________________________________________
Publisher: ______________________________________________________________
Copyright Date: _________________________________________________________
Theme (the writer’s message or main idea):
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Main Character(s):
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Setting (time and place):
General Setting: ________________________________________________________
Immediate Setting(s): ______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Summary:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
Reader’s Evaluation (completely explain your point):
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
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In most stories, readers can tell where and when the story occurs. In one or two complete
sentences tell where and when this story takes place, and note any special or unusual
features of the time and place.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Most stories have a main character and one or two others who are particularly important.
Choose two important characters from this book and in complete sentences describe them.
What do they look like? How do they act? What makes them special? What else is important
about them?
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
If the book is non-fiction, disregard the first two questions on this page. Instead, please
share five or more new and interesting facts that you have learned about this subject. Write
your answers in complete sentences in paragraph form. Use looseleaf if more space is
needed.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
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