Entering
Grade 1
Summer Reading
Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa
by Erica Silverman
Assignment:
CHOICE 1: Cereal Box: Paint or cover a cereal box with paper.
Be sure to include the title, author, your name, etc.
Cover: Draw a picture of the 2 main characters.
Back: Draw a picture of how Kate and Cocoa are important to each other.
Side 1: Write a sentence about your favorite part of the story.
Side 2: Draw a picture of the setting of the story.
CHOICE 2: Collage: Find or draw pictures and write captions explaining how Kate
and Cocoa were important to one another. Glue on a poster.
Assignments are due on the first day of school.
Reading Log
Please record additional books you have read here. Also, have staff from the various sites
you visit sign here when participating in the Book Scavenger Hunt.
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25.
My child has read the books listed above.
Parent Signature
Suggested Reading List (K-1)
Stories
Minarik, Else Holmelund. Little Bear
Eastman, P. D. Are You My Mother?
Seuss, Dr. Green Eggs and Ham
Lopshire, Robert. Put Me in the Zoo
Lobel, Arnold. Frog and Toad Together
Lobel, Arnold. Owl at Home
DePaola, Tomie. Pancakes for Breakfast
Arnold, Tedd. Hi! Fly Guy
Poetry
Anonymous. “As I Was Going to St. Ives”
Rossetti, Christina. “Mix a Pancake.”
Fyleman, Rose. “Singing-Time.”
Milne, A. A. “Halfway Down”
Chute, Marchette. “Drinking Fountain”
Hughes, Langston. “Poem”
Ciardi, John. “Wouldn’t You?”
Wright, Richard. “Laughing Boy”
Greenfield, Eloise. “By Myself ”
Giovanni, Nikki. “Covers”
Merriam, Eve. “It Fell in the City.”
Lopez, Alonzo. “Celebration”
Agee, Jon. “Two Tree Toads.”
Read-Aloud Stories
Baum, L. Frank. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Wilder, Laura Ingalls. Little House in the Big Woods
Atwater, Richard and Florence. Mr. Popper’s Penguins
Jansson, Tove. Finn Family Moomintroll
Haley, Gail E. A Story, A Story
Bang, Molly. The Paper Crane
Young, Ed. Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood
Story from China
Garza, Carmen Lomas. Family Pictures
Mora, Pat. Tomás and the Library Lady
Henkes, Kevin. Kitten’s First Full Moon
Read-Aloud Poetry
Anonymous. “The Fox’s Foray”
Langstaff, John. Over in the Meadow
Lear, Edward. “The Owl and the Pussycat”
Hughes, Langston. “April Rain Song”
Moss, Lloyd. Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin
Informational Texts
Bulla, Clyde Robert. A Tree Is a Plant
Aliki. My Five Senses
Hurd, Edith Thacher. Starfish
Aliki. A Weed is a Flower: The Life of George
Washington Carver
Crews, Donald. Truck
Hoban, Tana. I Read Signs
Reid, Mary Ebeltoft. Let’s Find Out About Ice Cream
“Garden Helpers.” National Geographic Young Explorers
“Wind Power.” National Geographic Young Explorers
Read-Aloud Informational Texts
Provensen, Alice and Martin. The Year at Maple Hill Farm
Gibbons, Gail. Fire! Fire!
Dorros, Arthur. Follow the Water from Brook to Ocean
Rauzon, Mark, and Cynthia Overbeck Bix.
Water, Water Everywhere
Llewellyn, Claire. Earthworms
Jenkins, Steve, and Robin Page. What Do You Do
With a Tail Like This?
Pfeffer, Wendy. From Seed to Pumpkin
Thomson, Sarah L. Amazing Whales!
Hodgkins, Fran, and True Kelley. How People Learned to Fly
Entering
Grade 2
Summer Reading
Starfish
by Edith
Thacher Hurd
Assignment:
CHOICE 1: Puzzling Topics: Students create puzzles with pictures on front and facts on back.
1. Cut a poster board into nine puzzle pieces.
2. On one side of each puzzle piece, write a fact related to the topic.
On the flip side, draw a picture related to the fact.
3. Place the pieces in a plastic bag.
CHOICE 2: T-Shirt: Design a T-shirt that tells others about your book. Use words, pictures, and designs that provides information about your book.
Assignments are due on the first day of school.
Reading Log
Please record additional books you have read here. Also, have staff from the various sites
you visit sign here when participating in the Book Scavenger Hunt.
1.
2.
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21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
My child has read the books listed above.
Parent Signature
Suggested Reading List (2-3)
Stories
Gannett, Ruth Stiles. My Father’s Dragon
Averill, Esther. The Fire Cat
Steig, William. Amos & Boris
Shulevitz, Uri. The Treasure
Cameron, Ann. The Stories Julian Tells
MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall
Rylant, Cynthia. Henry and Mudge:
The First Book of Their Adventures
Stevens, Janet. Tops and Bottoms
LaMarche, Jim. The Raft
Rylant, Cynthia. Poppleton in Winter
Rylant, Cynthia. The Lighthouse Family:
The Storm
Osborne, Mary Pope. The One-Eyed Giant
Silverman, Erica. Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa
Poetry
Dickinson, Emily. “Autumn”
Rossetti, Christina. “Who Has Seen the Wind?”
Millay, Edna St. Vincent. “Afternoon on a Hill”
Frost, Robert. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
Field, Rachel. “Something Told the Wild Geese”
Hughes, Langston. “Grandpa’s Stories”
Jarrell, Randall. “A Bat Is Born”
Giovanni, Nikki. “Knoxville, Tennessee”
Merriam, Eve. “Weather”
Soto, Gary. “Eating While Reading”
Read-Aloud Stories
Kipling, Rudyard. How the Camel Got His Hump
Thurber, James. The Thirteen Clocks
White, E. B. Charlotte’s Web
Selden, George. The Cricket in Times Square
Babbitt, Natalie. The Search for Delicious
Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy
Say, Allen. The Sign Painter
Read-Aloud Poetry
Lear, Edward. “The Jumblies”
Browning, Robert. The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Johnson, Georgia Douglas. “Your World”
Eliot, T. S. “The Song of the Jellicles”
Fleischman, Paul. “Fireflies”
Informational Texts
Aliki. A Medieval Feast
Gibbons, Gail. From Seed to Plant
Milton, Joyce. Bats: Creatures of the Night
Beeler, Selby. Throw Your Tooth on the Roof:
Tooth Traditions Around the World
Leonard, Heather. Art Around the World
Ruffin, Frances E. Martin Luther King and the
March on Washington
St. George, Judith. So You Want to Be President?
Einspruch, Andrew. Crittercam
Kudlinski, Kathleen V. Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs
Davies, Nicola. Bat Loves the Night
Floca, Brian. Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
Thomson, Sarah L. Where Do Polar Bears Live?
Read-Aloud Informational Texts
Freedman, Russell. Lincoln: A Photobiography
Coles, Robert. The Story of Ruby Bridges
Wick, Walter. A Drop of Water: A Book of Science & Wonder
Smith, David J. If the World Were a Village:
A Book about the World’s People
Aliki. Ah, Music!
Mark, Jan. The Museum Book:A Guide to Strange
and Wonderful Collections
D’Aluisio, Faith. What the World Eats
Arnosky, Jim. Wild Tracks! A Guide to Nature’s Footprints
Deedy, Carmen Agra. 14 Cows for America
Entering
Grade 3
Summer Reading
A Chair for My Mother
by Vera B. Williams
Assignment:
CHOICE 1: Cereal Box: Paint or cover a cereal box with paper. Be sure to include the title, author, your name, etc.
Cover: Draw a picture of the main characters.
Back: Write and draw a picture about how the family achieved their goal.
Side 1: Write sentences about the problem the family had to overcome.
Side 2: Write about your favorite part of the story.
CHOICE 2: Storyboard: Be a director for a film version of the book. Before filming begins, a storyboard of the various scenes of the film must be prepared. A storyboard is a comic strip style summary of the book. Be sure that your storyboard shows at least 5 of the major scenes from the book in order
including the problem and the solution.
Assignments are due on the first day of school.
Reading Log
Please record additional books you have read here. Also, have staff from the various sites
you visit sign here when participating in the Book Scavenger Hunt.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
My child has read the books listed above.
Parent Signature
Suggested Reading List (2-3)
Stories
Gannett, Ruth Stiles. My Father’s Dragon
Averill, Esther. The Fire Cat
Steig, William. Amos & Boris
Shulevitz, Uri. The Treasure
Cameron, Ann. The Stories Julian Tells
MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall
Rylant, Cynthia. Henry and Mudge: The First Book
of Their Adventures
Stevens, Janet. Tops and Bottoms
LaMarche, Jim. The Raft
Rylant, Cynthia. Poppleton in Winter
Rylant, Cynthia. The Lighthouse Family:
The Storm
Osborne, Mary Pope. The One-Eyed Giant
Silverman, Erica. Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa
Poetry
Dickinson, Emily. “Autumn”
Rossetti, Christina. “Who Has Seen the Wind?”
Millay, Edna St. Vincent. “Afternoon on a Hill”
Frost, Robert. “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”
Field, Rachel. “Something Told the Wild Geese”
Hughes, Langston. “Grandpa’s Stories”
Jarrell, Randall. “A Bat Is Born”
Giovanni, Nikki. “Knoxville, Tennessee”
Merriam, Eve. “Weather”
Soto, Gary. “Eating While Reading”
Read-Aloud Stories
Kipling, Rudyard. How the Camel Got His Hump
Thurber, James. The Thirteen Clocks
White, E. B. Charlotte’s Web
Selden, George. The Cricket in Times Square
Babbitt, Natalie. The Search for Delicious
Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy
Say, Allen. The Sign Painter
Read-Aloud Poetry
Lear, Edward. “The Jumblies”
Browning, Robert. The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Johnson, Georgia Douglas. “Your World”
Eliot, T. S. “The Song of the Jellicles”
Fleischman, Paul. “Fireflies”
Informational Texts
Aliki. A Medieval Feast
Gibbons, Gail. From Seed to Plant
Milton, Joyce. Bats: Creatures of the Night
Beeler, Selby. Throw Your Tooth on the Roof:
Tooth Traditions Around the World
Leonard, Heather. Art Around the World
Ruffin, Frances E. Martin Luther King and the
March on Washington
St. George, Judith. So You Want to Be President?
Einspruch, Andrew. Crittercam
Kudlinski, Kathleen V. Boy, Were We Wrong About Dinosaurs
Davies, Nicola. Bat Loves the Night
Floca, Brian. Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
Thomson, Sarah L. Where Do Polar Bears Live?
Read-Aloud Informational Texts
Freedman, Russell. Lincoln: A Photobiography
Coles, Robert. The Story of Ruby Bridges
Wick, Walter. A Drop of Water: A Book of Science & Wonder
Smith, David J. If the World Were a Village:
A Book about the World’s People
Aliki. Ah, Music!
Mark, Jan. The Museum Book:A Guide to Strange and
Wonderful Collections
D’Aluisio, Faith. What the World Eats
Arnosky, Jim. Wild Tracks! A Guide to Nature’s Footprints
Deedy, Carmen Agra. 14 Cows for America
Entering
Grade 4
Summer Reading
Spacebusters:
The Race to the Moon
by Philip Wilkinson
Assignment:
CHOICE 1: Collage: Find or draw pictures and write captions of what the astronauts of Apollo 11 discovered by exploring the moon.
CHOICE 2: Storyboard: Be a director for a film version of the book. Before filming begins, a story
board of the various scenes of the film must be prepared. A storyboard is a comic strip style summary of the book. Be sure that your storyboard shows at least 5 of the major scenes from the book in order including the problem and the what the astronauts of the Apollo 11 discovered while exploring the moon.
Assignments are due on the first day of school.
Reading Log
Please record additional books you have read here. Also, have staff from the various sites
you visit sign here when participating in the Book Scavenger Hunt.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
My child has read the books listed above.
Parent Signature
Suggested Reading List (4-5)
Stories
Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden
Farley, Walter. The Black Stallion
Saint-Exupery, Antoine de. The Little Prince
Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting
Singer, Isaac Bashevis. “Zlateh the Goat”
Hamilton, Virginia. M. C. Higgins, the Great
Erdrich, Louise. The Birchbark House
Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy
Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Poetry
Blake, William. “The Echoing Green”
Lazarus, Emma. “The New Colossus”
Thayer, Ernest Lawrence. “Casey at the Bat”
Dickinson, Emily. “A Bird Came Down the Walk”
Sandburg, Carl. “Fog”
Frost, Robert. “Dust of Snow”
Dahl, Roald. “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf ”
Nichols, Grace. “They Were My People”
Mora, Pat. “Words Free As Confetti”
Informational Texts
Berger, Melvin. Discovering Mars: The Amazing Story of the Red Planet
Carlisle, Madelyn Wood. Let’s Investigate Marvelously Meaningful Maps
Lauber, Patricia. Hurricanes: Earth’s Mightiest Storms
Otfinoski, Steve. The Kid’s Guide to Money: Earning It, Saving It, Spending It, Growing It, Sharing It
Wulffson, Don. Toys!: Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions
Schleichert, Elizabeth. “Good Pet, Bad Pet”
Kavash, E. Barrie. “Ancient Mound Builders”
Koscielniak, Bruce. About Time: A First Look at Time and Clocks
Banting, Erinn. England the Land
Hakim, Joy. A History of US
Ruurs, Margriet. My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World
Simon, Seymour. Horses
Montgomery, Sy. Quest for the Tree Kangaroo:
An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea
Simon, Seymour. Volcanoes
Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
Cutler, Nellie Gonzalez. “Kenya’s Long Dry Season”
Hall, Leslie. “Seeing Eye to Eye”
Ronan, Colin A. “Telescopes”
Buckmaster, Henrietta. “Underground Railroad”
Entering
Grade 5
Summer Reading
Mrs. Frisby and
the Rats of NIMH
by Robert C. O’Brien
Assignment:
CHOICE 1: Cereal Box: Paint or cover a cereal box with paper. Be sure to include the title,
author, your name, etc.
Cover: Draw and write a paragraph about Mrs. Frisby’s greatest challenge.
Back: Draw and write a paragraph about how Mrs. Frisby’s overcame her challenge.
Side 1: Make a list of ingredients that represent Mrs. Frisby’s character traits.
Side 2: Write as to whether or not you would recommend this book to a friend and why.
CHOICE 2: Time Capsule: Put together a time capsule for the novel. It will be opened 200 years in the future, so it must contain items and descriptions that truly highlight the major
challenges of the novel. You must include at least 3 letters that Mrs. Frisby writes to a
friend letting her know of her experiences. What artifacts would be preserved?
Be creative! Make it colorful!
Assignments are due on the first day of school.
Reading Log
Please record additional books you have read here. Also, have staff from the various sites
you visit sign here when participating in the Book Scavenger Hunt.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
My child has read the books listed above.
Parent Signature
Suggested Reading List (4-5)
Stories
Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Burnett, Frances Hodgson. The Secret Garden
Farley, Walter. The Black Stallion
Saint-Exupery, Antoine de. The Little Prince
Babbitt, Natalie. Tuck Everlasting
Singer, Isaac Bashevis. “Zlateh the Goat”
Hamilton, Virginia. M. C. Higgins, the Great
Erdrich, Louise. The Birchbark House
Curtis, Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy
Lin, Grace. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
Poetry
Blake, William. “The Echoing Green”
Lazarus, Emma. “The New Colossus”
Thayer, Ernest Lawrence. “Casey at the Bat”
Dickinson, Emily. “A Bird Came Down the Walk”
Sandburg, Carl. “Fog”
Frost, Robert. “Dust of Snow”
Dahl, Roald. “Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf ”
Nichols, Grace. “They Were My People”
Mora, Pat. “Words Free As Confetti”
Informational Texts
Berger, Melvin. Discovering Mars: The Amazing Story of the Red Planet
Carlisle, Madelyn Wood. Let’s Investigate Marvelously Meaningful Maps
Lauber, Patricia. Hurricanes: Earth’s Mightiest Storms
Otfinoski, Steve. The Kid’s Guide to Money: Earning It, Saving It, Spending It, Growing It, Sharing It
Wulffson, Don. Toys!: Amazing Stories Behind Some Great Inventions
Schleichert, Elizabeth. “Good Pet, Bad Pet”
Kavash, E. Barrie. “Ancient Mound Builders”
Koscielniak, Bruce. About Time: A First Look at Time and Clocks
Banting, Erinn. England the Land
Hakim, Joy. A History of US
Ruurs, Margriet. My Librarian Is a Camel: How Books Are Brought to Children Around the World
Simon, Seymour. Horses
Montgomery, Sy. Quest for the Tree Kangaroo:
An Expedition to the Cloud Forest of New Guinea
Simon, Seymour. Volcanoes
Nelson, Kadir. We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball
Cutler, Nellie Gonzalez. “Kenya’s Long Dry Season”
Hall, Leslie. “Seeing Eye to Eye”
Ronan, Colin A. “Telescopes”
Buckmaster, Henrietta. “Underground Railroad”
Summer Reading
Entering
Grade 6
The Great Gilly Hopkins
by K. Paterson
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Choose Three across, down or diagonal.
Role Play
Choose a scene from the text where there is action or conversation; rewrite this scene as a drama. Your
script should include a minimum of two characters. While it needs to be based on the text, it should
be your own original work. It should be at least one page in length!
Alternate Ending
Rewrite the story’s ending; you may either continue from where the story ends or redo the current ending
of the text. In your story be sure to use what you have learned about the characters to continue your story.
It should be at least one page in length!
Comic Strip
Draw at least 3 comic strips that highlight at least three important events in the text. Make sure the
dialogue is realistic for the characters. Illustrations should be neat and in color.
Information Cube
Make an information cube about the book with the following on the six different sides of the cube: title,
characters, setting, plot, favorite part and illustration of a scene. Create your cube by folding paper or
covering a Pop Tart or mac and cheese box.
Time Line
Make a time line sequencing 10 important events spanning through the book including, beginning, middle
and end. Be sure to include important details in the plot. A picture and sentence is needed to represent each
event you include.
Write a letter
Write a letter from one character to another about something that happened in the book. Take on the point
of view of the character as you write a letter that is at least two paragraphs. Be sure it is original.
Book Cover
Create an alternate book cover to illustrate the text and persuade people to read the book. Write a new blurb
on the back to entice or tempt the reader- the blurb should be a brief summary - don’t be afraid to give away
the ending. Must include the: title, author, awards etc… Make it colorful!
Cast the Movie
Pretend you are a Hollywood director and you are casting The Great Gilly Hopkins as a movie.
Create a list of the characters and what Hollywood actors you would select to be that character. Explain
why you chose that actor to play the character. Extra credit if you include a picture of the actor.
Soundtrack
Produce a sound track (music that goes with a movie). Select 5 songs that represent the text. Include a brief
explanation of how each song represents the characters or events in the text as well as what place in the text
your song choice would be played.
Reading Log
Please record additional books you have read here. Also, have staff from the various sites
you visit sign here when participating in the Book Scavenger Hunt.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
My child has read the books listed above.
Parent Signature
Suggested Reading List (6-8)
Stories
Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time
Cooper, Susan. The Dark Is Rising
Yep, Laurence. Dragonwings
Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Hamilton, Virginia. “The People Could Fly”
Paterson, Katherine. The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks
Cisneros, Sandra. “Eleven”
Sutcliff, Rosemary. Black Ships Before Troy:
The Story of the Iliad
Drama
Fletcher, Louise. Sorry, Wrong Number
Goodrich, Frances and Albert Hackett.
The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play
Poetry
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. “Paul Revere’s Ride”
Whitman, Walt. “O Captain! My Captain”
Carroll, Lewis. “Jabberwocky”
Navajo tradition. “Twelfth Song of Thunder”
Dickinson, Emily. “The Railway Train”
Yeats, William Butler. “The Song of Wandering Aengus”
Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken”
Sandburg, Carl. “Chicago”
Hughes, Langston. “I, Too, Sing America”
Neruda, Pablo. “The Book of Questions”
Soto, Gary. “Oranges”
Giovanni, Nikki. “A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long”
Informational Texts: English Language Arts
Adams, John. “Letter on Thomas Jefferson.”
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself
Churchill, Winston. “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat:
Address to Parliament on May 13th, 1940.”
Petry, Ann. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the
Underground Railroad
Steinbeck, John. Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Informational Texts: History/Social Studies
United States. Preamble and First Amendment to the
United States Constitution. (1787, 1791)
Lord, Walter. A Night to Remember
Isaacson, Phillip. A Short Walk through the Pyramids
and through the World of Art
Murphy, Jim. The Great Fire
Greenberg, Jan, and Sandra Jordan. Vincent Van Gogh:
Portrait of an Artist
Partridge, Elizabeth. This Land Was Made for You and
Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie
Monk, Linda R. Words We Live By: Your Annotated
Guide to the Constitution
Freedman, Russell. Freedom Walkers: The Story of the
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Informational Texts: Science, Mathematics, and
Technical Subjects
Macaulay, David. Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction
Mackay, Donald. The Building of Manhattan
Enzensberger, Hans Magnus. The Number Devil:
A Mathematical Adventure
Peterson, Ivars and Nancy Henderson. Math Trek:
Adventures in the Math Zone
Katz, John. Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode
the Internet out of Idaho
Petroski, Henry. “The Evolution of the Grocery Bag”
“Geology.” U*X*L Encyclopedia of Science
“Space Probe.” Astronomy & Space:From the Big Bang
to the Big Crunch
“Elementary Particles.” New Book of Popular Science
California Invasive Plant Council. Invasive Plant Inventory
Entering
Grade 7
Summer Reading
Schooled
by Gordon Korman
Assignment: Six Dialectical Journals and 10 Short Answer Questions
The theme of any story illustrates a lesson about like that any human being can relate to or learn
from. A theme teaches a lesson about what it means to be human. Schooled contains theme topics
such as change, popularity, coming of age, bullying, being different and friendship. A thematic
statement tells what lesson can be learned about a particular theme topic. For example, if one were to
say that popularity was a theme topic in Schooled, what lesson about popularity can be learned from
the story?
Choose a theme topic and annotate for that theme.
1. As you read, annotate specific text, quotes, or events that show or illustrate theme. Lessons can
be learned from events, characters, dialogue, actions, etc.
2. In the left column, write the text that shows or hints at theme.
3. In the middle column, identify the theme and specific words that are important from
this passage.
4. In the right column, discuss, in detail how theme is revealed. You may discuss the author’s
diction (word choice), imagery, links to previous evidence of theme in the text, etc. This is your
discussion and analysis about the text and how theme is revealed by the author’s words.
You will be expected to create a thematic statement at the beginning of school, based on your
understanding of the book. Thematic statement will be also be based on the theme topic and
the evidence of theme you have gathered from the text.
Create 6 dialectical journal entries, following the dialectical journal format. Your entries should be
50-150 words in length, be properly cited and formatted. An example has been provided for you.
Student Name:
Student Name
Incoming
7th Grade Summer Reading
th
7 Grade Summer Reading
September 5, 2013
Dialectical Journal – Schooled Chapter 1
Topic (Coming of Age)
Theme Topic
Quotation
“I was thirteen the
first time I saw a
police officer up close.
He was arresting me
for driving without a
license. At the time, I
didn’t even know what
a license was. I
wasn’t too clear on
what being arrested
meant either.”
(Gantos 1)
Authors Last Name
& Page Number
This is the opening
paragraph to the story
of Capricorn, the 13
year old main
character of Schooled.
Theme
Topic/Diction
Theme Topic
Coming of Age
Diction( important
words/phrases that the
author uses)
first, too clear
Commentary
Coming of age themes deal with growing up and
the changes that kids go through as they grow
and learn about what it means to be a grown up.
Cap seems pretty innocent and protected
because he hadn’t ever seen a police officer “up
close’. He states that it was the “first time” and
the word “first” is an important one when
anyone talks about a kid’s life. It’s a big deal
when a baby gets their first tooth or takes their
first steps. As a child grows, those “firsts”
change to the first bike ride without training
wheels and the first day of school. Coming of
age “firsts” mark the time between being a
teenager and taking the first steps to being an
adult. I think that this first for Cap will lead to
some changes in the way that he sees the world.
The fact that Cap wasn’t “too clear on what
being arrested meant” tells me that he has
definitely been sheltered. I don’t know of any
13 year old kid that hasn’t seen what being
arrested looks like on TV. I wonder if this means
that he has lived on a deserted island or maybe
he doesn’t have a TV or a computer
Your Name
Incoming 7th Graders
Dialectical Journal - Schooled Chapter
Topic
Quotation
Theme Topic
Theme
Topic/Diction
Theme Topic
Diction (Important
words/phrases that the
author uses)
Commentary
7th Grade Summer Reading Questions
Answer the following 10 questions.
1. Pretend that Zach and Cap were switched at birth. How do you think their
personalities would (or would not) be different?
2. Change is a big theme throughout the book. Choose a character, and cite
significant changes within him or her during the course of the story.
3. How would you react if a student like Cap walked into your school?
4. What was the author trying to accomplish by adding the character Hugh to the mix
of characters?
5. Do you think buying Sophie the bracelet and pretending that it was from her father
was the right thing for Cap to do? Why or why not?
6. Why do you think Hugh turns on Cap toward the end of the story?
7. On page 192, Naomi shares, “I wasn’t a nice person … then I started watching
[Cap]. He showed me a whole different way to be.” Discuss a person in your life who
has had a similar positive impact on you.
8. Why do you think Floramundi left Garland all those years ago?
9. What do you predict would happen in a sequel to Schooled?
10. Why do you think Korman chose to tell the story through the eyes of each character
rather than just sticking with one person’s point of view throughout the story?
Reading Log
Please record additional books you have read here. Also, have staff from the various sites
you visit sign here when participating in the Book Scavenger Hunt.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
My child has read the books listed above.
Parent Signature
Suggested Reading List (6-8)
Stories
Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time
Cooper, Susan. The Dark Is Rising
Yep, Laurence. Dragonwings
Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Hamilton, Virginia. “The People Could Fly”
Paterson, Katherine. The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks
Cisneros, Sandra. “Eleven”
Sutcliff, Rosemary. Black Ships Before Troy:
The Story of the Iliad
Drama
Fletcher, Louise. Sorry, Wrong Number
Goodrich, Frances and Albert Hackett.
The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play
Poetry
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. “Paul Revere’s Ride”
Whitman, Walt. “O Captain! My Captain”
Carroll, Lewis. “Jabberwocky”
Navajo tradition. “Twelfth Song of Thunder”
Dickinson, Emily. “The Railway Train”
Yeats, William Butler. “The Song of Wandering Aengus”
Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken”
Sandburg, Carl. “Chicago”
Hughes, Langston. “I, Too, Sing America”
Neruda, Pablo. “The Book of Questions”
Soto, Gary. “Oranges”
Giovanni, Nikki. “A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long”
Informational Texts: English Language Arts
Adams, John. “Letter on Thomas Jefferson.”
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself
Churchill, Winston. “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat:
Address to Parliament on May 13th, 1940.”
Petry, Ann. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on
the Underground Railroad
Steinbeck, John. Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Informational Texts: History/Social Studies
United States. Preamble and First Amendment to the
United States Constitution. (1787, 1791)
Lord, Walter. A Night to Remember
Isaacson, Phillip. A Short Walk through the Pyramids
and through the World of Art
Murphy, Jim. The Great Fire
Greenberg, Jan, and Sandra Jordan. Vincent Van Gogh:
Portrait of an Artist
Partridge, Elizabeth. This Land Was Made for You and
Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie
Monk, Linda R. Words We Live By: Your Annotated
Guide to the Constitution
Freedman, Russell. Freedom Walkers: The Story of the
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Informational Texts: Science, Mathematics, and
Technical Subjects
Macaulay, David. Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction
Mackay, Donald. The Building of Manhattan
Enzensberger, Hans Magnus. The Number Devil:
A Mathematical Adventure
Peterson, Ivars and Nancy Henderson. Math Trek:
Adventures in the Math Zone
Katz, John. Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode
the Internet out of Idaho
Petroski, Henry. “The Evolution of the Grocery Bag”
“Geology.” U*X*L Encyclopedia of Science
“Space Probe.” Astronomy & Space:From the Big Bang
to the Big Crunch
“Elementary Particles.” New Book of Popular Science
California Invasive Plant Council. Invasive Plant Inventory
Entering
Grade 8
Summer Reading
Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli
Assignment:
Everyone must complete 9 Dialectical Journal Entries from 5 different parts of the book:
1) three quotes from the text related to the importance of staying in school with a reflection
2) three quotes from the text related to conflict with a reflection with a reflection
3) three quotes from the text related to right and wrong decision with a reflection
Select one more activity based on Stargirl
• Write 5 diary entries in which you are a character from Stargirl.
Each entry must be one page long.
• Video-taped trailer that describes the plot, characters, setting, conflicts, and themes.
(2 minutes to 5 minutes long)
• Write a graphic novel 5 pages
• Poster that must include:
• Illustration of the setting
• 1 quote that demonstrates the importance of education (include page number)
• 1 quote that deals with a conflict in the story (include page number)
• 1 quote that deals with a right or wrong decision (include page number)
• Write a one page well developed essay on one of the following themes:
◆ Friendship
◆ Making the right decision
◆ The importance of staying in school
All activities must be based on evidence from the novel Stargirl
You must include page numbers when citing text.
Your Name
Incoming 8th Graders
Dialectical Journal - Stargirl - Chapter
Topic
Quotation
Theme Topic
Theme
Topic/Diction
Theme Topic
Diction (Important
words/phrases that the
author uses)
Commentary
Reading Log
Please record additional books you have read here. Also, have staff from the various sites
you visit sign here when participating in the Book Scavenger Hunt.--1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
My child has read the books listed above.
Parent Signature
Suggested Reading List (6-8)
Stories
Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women
Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time
Cooper, Susan. The Dark Is Rising
Yep, Laurence. Dragonwings
Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Hamilton, Virginia. “The People Could Fly”
Paterson, Katherine. The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks
Cisneros, Sandra. “Eleven”
Sutcliff, Rosemary. Black Ships Before Troy:
The Story of the Iliad
Drama
Fletcher, Louise. Sorry, Wrong Number
Goodrich, Frances and Albert Hackett.
The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play
Poetry
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. “Paul Revere’s Ride”
Whitman, Walt. “O Captain! My Captain”
Carroll, Lewis. “Jabberwocky”
Navajo tradition. “Twelfth Song of Thunder”
Dickinson, Emily. “The Railway Train”
Yeats, William Butler. “The Song of Wandering Aengus”
Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken”
Sandburg, Carl. “Chicago”
Hughes, Langston. “I, Too, Sing America”
Neruda, Pablo. “The Book of Questions”
Soto, Gary. “Oranges”
Giovanni, Nikki. “A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long”
Informational Texts: English Language Arts
Adams, John. “Letter on Thomas Jefferson.”
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick
Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself
Churchill, Winston. “Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat:
Address to Parliament on May 13th, 1940.”
Petry, Ann. Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the
Underground Railroad
Steinbeck, John. Travels with Charley: In Search of America
Informational Texts: History/Social Studies
United States. Preamble and First Amendment to the
United States Constitution. (1787, 1791)
Lord, Walter. A Night to Remember
Isaacson, Phillip. A Short Walk through the Pyramids
and through the World of Art
Murphy, Jim. The Great Fire
Greenberg, Jan, and Sandra Jordan. Vincent Van Gogh:
Portrait of an Artist
Partridge, Elizabeth. This Land Was Made for You and
Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie
Monk, Linda R. Words We Live By: Your Annotated
Guide to the Constitution
Freedman, Russell. Freedom Walkers: The Story of the
Montgomery Bus Boycott
Informational Texts: Science, Mathematics, and
Technical Subjects
Macaulay, David. Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction
Mackay, Donald. The Building of Manhattan
Enzensberger, Hans Magnus. The Number Devil:
A Mathematical Adventure
Peterson, Ivars and Nancy Henderson. Math Trek:
Adventures in the Math Zone
Katz, John. Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode
the Internet out of Idaho
Petroski, Henry. “The Evolution of the Grocery Bag”
“Geology.” U*X*L Encyclopedia of Science
“Space Probe.” Astronomy & Space:From the Big Bang
to the Big Crunch
“Elementary Particles.” New Book of Popular Science
California Invasive Plant Council. Invasive Plant Inventory