EIGHTH GRADE 2016-2017
ENGLISH ACTIVITY
Your summer activity this year will focus on Fever by Laurie Halse Anderson. The text will prepare
you for your fall trip to Philadelphia and begin conversations about American literature and history.
1.
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Read Fever by Laurie Halse Anderson.
Type responses to the guiding questions. Have your responses printed for the first day of class.
Optional: Read an additional book from the list of suggested titles.
As you read, take whatever kinds of notes will help you remember what you have read. This might
take the form of any combination of outlining, chapter summaries, annotations in your book, or
other techniques you find useful.
Guiding Questions: Write a one paragraph response for each question.
1.
During the story, the people of Philadelphia face many dangers. Write about of a few of
these dangers. Then, describe a dramatic incident in which Matilda faces one of these
dangers. What personal qualities help her survive?
2.
How would Matilda’s life have changed if Mrs. Cook had stayed healthy and remained with
her daughter at all times during her story?
If you are looking for additional books to read this summer, we suggest the titles below. Several of
the books have mature themes and language. Read some reviews and talk with your parents to help
find a book that feels right for you.
Fiction titles
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Haddon
The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
Nonfiction Titles
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba Patillo Beals
Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl, Anne Frank
All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot
Witches: The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem, Rosalyn Schanzer
ONE TO ONE SUMMER MODULES and TYPING PRACTICE
Over the summer, all Middle School students are required to complete online Haiku modules to
demonstrate understanding of the following:
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Laurel School's Technology Responsible Use Policy
Device Care and Maintenance
Digital Citizenship
Resource use and organization
Keyboarding skills (optional)
Each grade level module includes videos or information and a short quiz. All girls must earn 100%
on each quiz; retakes of the short quizzes will be welcomed. The total time commitment for all the
modules is approximately 1.5 hours. We strongly recommend that parents view the modules as well.
We also recommend Typing Club (available here: http://www.typingclub.com), a free online
keyboarding practice program. Students who are confident in their keyboarding skills are able to
complete work on their devices more efficiently. To build keyboarding skills that students will rely
on, we recommend starting with thirty minutes per day for one week and continuing with regular
weekly practice.
You can find the modules using the steps below:
1. Navigate to Haiku. This can be done by going to classes.laurelschool.org or the link
provided at the Laurel School website’s “My Laurel Login” screen.
2. Log into Haiku and find “My Classes” in the upper right hand corner.
3. Navigate to the class titled “Middle School Summer Assignments”
4. Choose student’s grade level for the upcoming school year.
5. Complete each module by watching the video and completing the assessment.
Here is the link to the Haiku modules:
https://classes.laurelschool.org/laurelschool/middleschoolsummer
EIGHTH GRADE SUPPLY LIST
highlighters
college-ruled loose leaf paper (replenish as needed)
1 two-pocket folder
4 3-ring binders (1 inch or larger) and dividers
compass and protractor (for Geometry courses)
2 graph paper notebooks or 2 notebooks and a supply of graph paper (science and math)
FRENCH: 1.5 inch binder, notebook
LATIN: 1.5 inch 3-ring binder, dividers (5 tabs), 2 packs of 100 3x5 index cards (for vocabulary)
optional – 1 pack of colored pens/flairs or thin markers for writing out vocabulary
DANCE (reminder): basic black clothing (yoga pants or mid-length leggings and a black shortsleeve shirt or black tank top)
Optional Items
The following supplies will be available in the classroom, when needed. Students are, however,
welcome to purchase/use their own if they have a preferred brand.
pencils
blue/black pens
markers
colored pencils
ruler
glue stick
scissors
Any other supplies you may need will be conveyed to you by your teachers the first week of
school.
Required text book lists can be viewed at www.mbsdirect.net after July 6. All required text books
will be listed on this website although families are not required to purchase from MBS Direct. Feel
free to shop around or use a local source.
We cannot return lost items to you unless you label everything with your name, even pens and pencils. Unlabeled belongings, clothing in
particular, are a problem for everyone. Use permanent marker to label everything you own before you bring it to school.