RINGWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS 121 CARLETONDALE ROAD RINGWOOD, NJ 07456

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1 RINGWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS 121 CARLETONDALE ROAD RINGWOOD, NJ Dear Parents of Sixth, Seventh & Eighth Grade Students, Dr. Nicholas Bernice, Superintendent Phone: Fax: Summer is quickly approaching! This is the perfect season for enjoying a beautiful beach and a great book. Reading over the summer helps students preserve their reading skills, and it provides them with an opportunity to challenge themselves with new ideas. As we focus on these goals, we are happy to supply each Ryerson student with the materials needed for our summer reading program. Please take time to review these resources. Look for these summer reading materials: Summer Reading Guidelines Nonfiction Topics Chart Guidelines for using the arbookfind.com search engine STAR Reading Parent Report Graphic Organizers (1 fiction & 1 nonfiction) Please Do Not Read List Summer Reading Expectations (to be signed) This summer, students are responsible for reading two books - one fiction title and one nonfiction title. Please help your child select appealing books that are both age and reading level appropriate. By taking advantage of free website search engines, such as many middle school students already have the confidence to select books that are both interesting and within their reading ability. To help families select books in an appropriate reading range, a recent STAR Reading Parent Report, which provides information about your child s reading ability, is being sent home during the last week of school. While students are being given a measure of choice with the fiction titles, we strongly suggest that families choose nonfiction books that correspond with the chart of nonfiction topics on the following page. This chart outlines important concepts that will be covered in science and social studies classes, as well as biographies that relate to those subject areas. By choosing and studying subject-specific books, students will be better prepared for class and will be more confident in their ability to succeed. We hope to meet the reading needs of all students during the summer months. Our goals are to provide students with opportunities that allow them to find enjoyment in reading, pursue interests, and make new connections to our world. Summer reading books may be obtained through the local library network as well as from bookstores or online resources. With such a large variety of books on the market today, it is imperative that parents monitor the quality of their child s summer reading book choices. Please encourage your child to challenge himself/herself with something new to read! Sincerely, The Language Arts Curriculum Committee

2 Summer Reading Guidelines Requirements: Students must select one fiction book and one nonfiction book to read over the summer. There is no required book list. This is a great opportunity to explore and find interesting books. It is highly recommended that students use the nonfiction topics chart to guide their nonfiction book selection. Students must complete a graphic organizer for each novel (1 for fiction and 1 for nonfiction). Students must give the completed graphic organizers to their Language Arts teacher on the first day of school for their first homework grade of the trimester. Nonfiction Topics Chart Get Ready for Next Year with these Nonfiction Topics! Subject Area Incoming 6 th Grade Incoming 7 th Grade Incoming 8th Grade Science Social Studies Look for these biographies of notable persons in Literature, Science and History! Weather (storms), Geology, Oceans, Astronomy, Plate Tectonics, Mountain Expeditions Ancient Civilizations: Mesopotamia (Sumerians & Babylonians), Egypt, China, India, Greece, and Rome. Literature: Gary Paulsen, Margaret Peterson Haddix, Ben Mikaelsen, Paul Langan Science: Alfred Wegener, Johannes Kepler, Edwin Hubble DNA, Cells, Heredity, Human Body Systems, Ecology, Evolution, Crime Scene Investigation, microorganisms: bacteria and protozoa. Adaptations of plants and animals, plant life cycle and reproduction. Middle Ages, Imperial China, Mayas, Aztecs, Incas, Renaissance, Reformation, Scientific Revolution, Age of Exploration Literature: Amy Tan, Gary Soto, Ray Bradbury, Russell Baker, Annie Dillard, S.E. Hinton, Lois Lowry, Wilson Rawls Science: Watson & Crick, Gregor Mendel, and Charles Darwin Matter and its Interactions, Motion and Stability: Forces and Interactions, Energy, Waves and Their Applications in Technologies and Information Transfer Oregon Trail and Westward Expansion, The Civil War, Slavery, and Reconstruction Literature: Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson Science: Marie Curie (Madame Curie), Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Homer Hadley Hickam Jr. History: Hatshepsut (Ancient Egyptian female pharaoh), Ramses (Egyptian Pharaoh), Confucius, the Buddha, Socrates/Plato/Aristotle, Alexander the Great, any Roman emperor History: Kepler, Copernicus, Newton, Martin Luther, Da Vinci, Cortez, Montezuma, Kublai Khan, John Cabot, Charlemagne, Ibn Battuta, Joan of Arc, Michelangelo, Marco Polo History: Abraham Lincoln, Frederick Douglass, Lewis and Clark, Harriet Tubman (Also: Any biography or journal related to slavery in the United States, or any biography or journal by Union or Confederate soldiers during the Civil War)

3 How to Find that Perfect Book Guidelines for using the arbookfind.com search engine Steps to selecting an appropriate summer reading book using arbookfind.com 1. Find the ZPD* number on the STAR Reading Parent Report 2. Go to 3. Click on the Advanced Search tab 4. Use Interest Level drop-down menu to select Middle Grades Plus 5. Type the ZPD numbers into the ATOS Book Level textboxes 6. Select any relevant additional criteria (optional) 7. Click Go and check available titles Please note: Some titles may be difficult to locate in bookstores and in libraries. Many have found success by first locating a few possible books at the local library or bookstore and then searching the reading level of those specific titles. If you already have a book and you want to check the reading level, follow these steps: 1. Find the ZPD number on the STAR Reading Parent Report 2. Go to 3. Click either Quick Search or Advanced Search 4. Type in the title and/or author of the novel 5. Compare the book s ATOS Book Level (BL) to your ZPD range If the book falls between the low and high numbers of your ZPD range, you have successfully found a book within your reading range. *According to STAR Reading: The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the reading level range from which your child should be selecting books for optimal growth in reading. It spans reading levels that are appropriately challenging for reading practice. This range is approximate. Success at any reading level depends on your child's interest and prior knowledge of a book's content.

4 Please Do Not Read These Books Please do not select summer reading books from the list below. These books will be studied in class and no credit will be given for reports based on the following titles. Grade Level Title Author 6 th Grade Among The Hidden Margaret Peterson Haddix Hatchet Touching Spirit Bear Gary Paulsen Ben Mikaelsen 7 th Grade Savvy Ingrid Law The Outsiders S.E. Hinton 8 th Grade The Pigman Paul Zindel Night The Diary of a Young Girl Animal Farm Short Stories Elie Wiesel Anne Frank George Orwell Edgar Allan Poe

5 Summer Reading Expectations Merriam Webster defines plagiarism as, the act of using another person's words or ideas without giving credit to that person. Students are expected to complete their own work independently, without assistance from parents, other people, or internet/reference book sources. Please sign below to certify that all parts of the summer reading assignment have been completed independently by the student, using only the selected novels as a resource, and return this form by the first day of school. Parent Signature Date Student Signature Date