8 th Grade Summer Reading

Transcription

1 8 th Grade Summer Reading The summer reading projects are required for each student taking PreAp English 8. Each student will read two books and complete the information for the genres. THE BOOKS MUST BE SELECTED FROM THE LIST PROVIDED. The due date is Wednesday, September 6, Notes turned in will count as an additional graded opportunity. NONFICTION: The first required book is nonfiction. Choose from one of the two listed below for this genre: Bomb by Steve Sheinkin Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand As you are reading, take notes on: Character Development who are the characters in the book, how did they change, grow, or develop throughout the novel? What are key events that impacted the character(s), etc.? Sequence of Events what are the main events, the dates, time periods, settings, etc. of these events? Why are they key events to the story? Cause and Effect Relationships find a minimum of 10 cause and effect relationships, being sure to include all of the details to support the relationships. Factual Content take notes on any factual information back up your notes with specifics to support the information. What sources are used? Author s Purpose why did the author write this selection and who is the audience the writer hopes to reach? Type of Nonfiction what is the style of writing the author chose to use? Is the nonfiction piece a biography or autobiography? o Narrative nonfiction tells stories of real-life events. Examples include autobiographies and memoirs. Some narrative nonfiction is reflective writing, which shares the writer s thoughts and feelings about a personal experience, an idea, or a concern. Examples include reflective essays, personal essays, and journals. o Expository nonfiction informs or explains. Examples include analytical essays and research reports. o Persuasive nonfiction presents reasons and evidence to convince the reader to act or think in a certain way. Examples include editorials and political speeches. o Descriptive nonfiction uses details related to the senses to create mental images for the reader. Examples include character sketches and scientific observations. Be sure to include SPECIFIC QUOTES in your support for each of the above. Note the page numbers you ll need these for citation purposes. There will be a test on the nonfiction genre. This test will be mainly short answer responses, so be prepared with your notes.

2 FICTION: The second required book is fiction. Please choose from the following list: Gentlehands by M.E. Kerr Under the Blood-Red Sun by Graham Salisbury A Break with Charity by Ann Rinaldi The Time Machine by H.G. Wells Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne Great Expectations by Charles Dickens Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi As you are reading, take notes the following graphic organizers will help guide you. While you don t need to do all of the organizers, you ll need to select three elements of the novel. The project for the fictional novel will be composing a persuasive essay using the notes and completed organizers. You ll select 3 elements of the novel to use as justification for the merits of the novel, or the negative aspects of the novel. The more detailed and elaborate the notes are, the more prepared you ll be to write your essay. The essay will be written once school begins and will mainly be worked on in class, however, additional time outside of school may be necessary. Causal Chain a causal chain is an ordered sequence of events in which any one event in the chain causes the next. Causality is the relationship between an event (the cause) and a second event (the effect), where the second event is a consequence of the first. If additional cause/effect blocks are needed, make additional copies of the organizer, or write them on a separate piece of paper. Determining Methods of Characterization choose one character from the novel to complete this organizer. For each block of characterization example, examples from the selection need to include quotes and page numbers as well as your own personal paraphrasing. o Indirect Characterization is portrayed through the characters own speech, how the character dresses or looks, the character s thoughts, the character s actions, and what other characters say or think about the character. o Direct Characterization is portrayed through the writer s direct statements about the character: he is sneaky, honest, kind, courageous, etc. If the novel is written in first person, there will be no direct characterization examples. Literary Elements Plot Elements if you choose not to use the organizer for this information, take your notes in outline form similar to below: o Basic Situation/Exposition: The beginning of a work of fiction or drama that gives information about the setting, the characters, and their problems or conflicts. Setting place, time, mood/atmosphere

3 Character(s) names and information on each o Conflict (Internal and External): A struggle between opposing characters or opposing forces. These conflicts may be internal or external. This is the main conflict of the storyline. o Inciting Incident: An action or event that propels the plot of a story forward. It is what makes the protagonist take action. This is the event that essentially sets the story into motion. o Rising Action/Complications: The complications that arise as a result of the conflicts and characters attempts to solve them. These are the events leading up to the climax. o Climax: The point in the story that usually creates the greatest suspense or interest. At the climax, something happens that reveals how the conflict will be solved. o Falling Action: The events that occur to help wrap up the conflict. Depending on the author s style of writing, there may not be any falling action events. An author may jump from the climax straight to the resolution. o Resolution: The ending - how the conflict is resolved and the results or effects that came about. Depending on the style of writing, there may not be a resolution this typically happens in books that are part of a series, where the author is luring you to read the next book of the series. o Theme: The general idea of insight about life that the writer wishes to convey. o Point of View: The vantage point or perspective from which a story is told. First Person - One of the characters, using the personal pronoun I, tells the story; we only know what the narrator knows. Third Person Limited - The narrator focuses on the thoughts and feeling of only one character using he or she. Third Person Omniscient - The all-knowing narrator stands above the scenes and can tell us past, present, future about all the characters, what they are thinking, and what is happening in several places at once. o Tone: The attitude a writer takes toward his or her subject, characters, or audience; just like tone of voice people use when they speak. Be sure to include SPECIFIC QUOTES in your support for each of the above. Note the page numbers you ll need these for citation purposes. Please DO NOT wait until the last minute to read and complete the notes and organizers for your summer reading. This only causes unnecessary stress to yourself. If you choose to borrow or check the books out from area libraries, ensure you have noted page numbers for the quotes you ve used as well as noted the required information for your works cited. You ll use the MLA format for the works cited.

4 Name Block Date Title of Selection: Causal Chain

5 Name Block Date Title of Selection: Name of Character: Determining Methods of Characterization Methods of Characterization Examples from the Selection (quotes and paraphrases) INDIRECT CHARACTERIZATION The character is revealed through his or her own speech. The writer describes how the character looks and dresses. The character s private thoughts are revealed. The writer reveals what other characters in the story say or think about the character. The writer shows what the character does how he or she acts. The writer directly states what kind of person the character is: sneaky, honest, evil, innocent, and so on. DIRECT CHARACTERIZATION

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