Dear Incoming 6 th grade students & parents, Summer Reading 2015-2016 For incoming 6 th grade WOLCS students Congratulations 6 th Grader! The reading requirements in this packet are to help ensure that you do not lose the progress you made in reading over the last school year. Studies have proven that over the summer, students who do not read lose up to three months of progress made previously. This summer all students are required to read certain books as well as books they are interested in. First, you are required to read a pair of books on the same topic. These pairings include a fiction book and a nonfiction book. You may choose one pair. This means you must read two books that go together. There are activities for you to complete. Note: You may not just pick any two; you must read the pair in this handout. These books are all available at The Free Library of Philadelphia branches and some are available on the WOLCS website through the link for Tumble Books. They can be borrowed in book version and some can be borrowed electronically. Second, you will choose books to read. Please read as much as possible and record the titles and authors of any other books that you choose to read over the summer on your Summer Reading Log. REMEMBER: You can use your local library and also the Tumble Books link on the WOLCS website for additional reading. Prizes will be given for three students who read the most over the summer. Your summer reading log will also count for a grade and you will receive a reward for turning it in to your new teacher in September on the first day of school. Also, you must read the book: The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander. All students are to read this book and complete the activities that go with it. This book is available at The Free Library of Philadelphia branches. All of these materials will be on our WOLCS website or main office if you lose anything. All of the reading and activities will count for a grade. Finally, parents, please listen to your child read the book they choose. If you hear 3 or more struggles to pronounce words or if they can t retell the story/events accurately, then it may be too hard for your child. You can read the book to your child, you can read with your child or you can help your child choose a book that he or she can read without difficulty. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here are my choices and the oath I make to read over the summer: I will read the following pair (nonfiction and fiction books): I will read The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander. I know that I must read these books because I will be graded on them. Finally, I will read more than this and record any books I read on the reading log. I understand that if I don t read, I will lose skills that I learned over the last school year. I understand that I will be graded on all of this work. Student s Name: Teacher: Grade: Student signature: Parent signature: Return this signed portion to your teacher by Wednesday, June 17 th, 2015. Return the completed packet the first day of school in September.
Part 1: Choose a pair of books below. Each pair contains a fiction and nonfiction selection concerning the same subject matter. CHOICE #1: Fiction and nonfiction pair Wonder (790), by R.J. Palacio (available at The Free Library in book, electronic and CD versions) August Pullman was born with a facial deformity that, up until now, has prevented him from going to a mainstream school. Starting 5th grade at Beecher Prep, he wants nothing more than to be treated as an ordinary kid but his new classmates can t get past Auggie s extraordinary face. WONDER, now a #1 New York Times bestseller and included on the Texas Bluebonnet Award master list, begins from Auggie s point of view, but soon switches to include his classmates, his sister, her boyfriend, and others. These perspectives converge in a portrait of one community s struggle with empathy, compassion, and acceptance. Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul (780) By Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen (available at The Free Library in book and CD versions) Written by and for preteens, this uplifting collection of stories touches on the emotions and situations they experience every day: making and losing friends, fitting in while keeping their personal identity, discovering the opposite sex, dealing with pressures at school including violence, and coping with family issues such as divorce. CHOICE #2: Fiction and nonfiction pair Peak (760) By Roland Smith (available at The Free Library in book version) The only thing you ll find on the summit of Mount Everest is a divine view. The things that really matter lie far below. Peak Marcello After fourteen-year-old Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he s left with a choice: wither away in juvenile detention or fly to Kathmandu with his long-lost father. Peak quickly learns that his father s renewed interest in him has strings attached. As owner of Peak Expeditions, he wants his son to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit. The story of Peak s dangerous ascent told in his own words is suspenseful, immediate, and impossible to put down. Within Reach: My Everest Story (970) By Mark Pfetzer, Jack Galvin (available at The Free Library in book version) In May 1996 the media scrambled to document the gripping story of sixteen-year- old Mark Pfetzer's expedition to Mount Everest. Not only was he the youngest climber ever to attempt the summit, he also witnessed the tragedy documented in Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air, in which eight climbers perished in a sudden storm. Within Reach is Mark's extraordinary account of this experience and of his triumphs over several other challenging peaks. At once triumphant and tragic, this story will be an inspiration to climbers, athletes, and armchair enthusiasts alike. CHOICE #3: Fiction and nonfiction pair Flush (830) Carl Hiaasen (available at The Free Library in book, electronic and CD versions) With their father jailed for sinking a river boat, Noah Underwood and his younger sister, Abbey, must gather evidence that the owner of this floating casino is emptying his bilge tanks into the protected waters around their Florida Keys home. Generation Green (900) By Linda Sivertsen, Tosh Sivertsen (available at The Free Library in book version) We all know about the Earth's environmental crisis, but there is someone who can truly make a difference: you. If you text your friends or chat with them online, download music to your ipod, or toss bottles and papers into recycling bins, you're already more eco-savvy than you think. It's just as easy to do even more to help save the earth, and Generation Green shows you how.
CHOICE #4: Fiction and nonfiction pair Sword of the Rightful King (1010) By Jane Yolen (available at The Free Library in book version) Merlinnus the magician devises a way for King Arthur to prove himself the rightful king of England--pulling a sword from a stone--but trouble arises when someone else removes the sword first. Medieval Europe (1010) by John Haywood (not available at The Free Library) Where can you buy cloth made with real gold thread? Which herb will keep your bed free of bedbugs? Why were pointy shoes dangerous? This title unravels the mysteries of life in Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries. Discover what staying in a castle was really like, whether medieval people believed in witches and dragons, and where you could hear minstrels playing music. CHOICE #5: Fiction and nonfiction pair Orphan of Ellis Island (810) By Elvira Woodruff (available at The Free Library in book version) During a school trip to Ellis Island, Dominick Avaro, a ten-year-old foster child, travels back in time to 1908 Italy and accompanies two young emigrants to America. Immigrant Kids (1050) by Russell Freedman (available at The Free Library in book version) America meant "freedom" to the immigrants of the early 1900s but a freedom very different from what they expected. Cities were crowded and jobs were scare. Children had to work selling newspapers, delivering goods, and laboring sweatshops. In this touching book, Newberry Medalist Russell Freedman offers a rare glimpse of what it meant to be a young newcomer to America. CHOICE #6: Fiction and nonfiction pair Hatchet (1020) by Gary Paulsen (available at The Free Library in book, electronic and CD versions) After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive initially with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce. Guts (980) by Gary Paulsen (available at The Free Library in book version) The author relates incidents in his life and how they inspired parts of his books about the character, Brian Robeson. CHOICE #7: Fiction and nonfiction pair How to Survive Middle School (660) By Donna Gephart (available at The Free Library in book and electronic versions)when eleven-year-old David Greenberg's best friend makes the start of middle school even worse than he feared it could be, David becomes friends with Penny, who shares his love of television shows and posts one of their skits on YouTube, making them wildly popular--online, at least. Too Old for This, Too Young for That! Your Survival Guide for Middle School Years (1050) by Harriet S. Mosatche, Karen Unger M.A. Gephart (available at The Free Library in book and electronic versions) Too Old for This, Too Young for That! Is a friendly, reassuring guide to help tweens successfully navigate the often-turbulent middle school years. Readers learn they're not alone in the challenges they face and find practical tips and tools for all kinds of situations-getting settled in at middle school, making friends, handling peer pressure, setting and reaching goals, and dealing with body changes and getting along better with family and adults. Life in the middle can be tough. For many, the experiences, challenges, and changes of the middle school years can seem like one long roller coaster ride-with ups and downs, twists and turns, and sudden starts and stops.
Name: Activity for the Pair of books I CHOSE TO READ THIS PAIR OF BOOKS Before Reading: When you have both of your books, preview them. Glance at sections throughout the books. Observe the covers; read the reviews, chapter titles, and any other materials you think will help before actually reading your novel. For the non-fiction piece, observe the pictures, captions, headings, and words in bold print. With this information, generate eight questions you have about each book and the topics therein and write them below. During Reading: Answer the questions you have created. FICTION NOVEL: (Write title here) Fiction Novel: Write the questions you have ANSWERS (DURING READING): here as you read. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
NON-FICTION NOVEL: (Write title here) Non-Fiction Novel: Write the questions you have here as you read. 1. ANSWERS (DURING READING): 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
These are for the paired novels. Non-Fiction Novel Title: Author: Illustrator/Photographer: Circle the type of Book: Biography Autobiography Informational Text Vocabulary: Write three vocabulary words that you learned from this book. Facts: Write 3 facts that you learned from this book. Be sure to include good details! Interesting Details: What are 2 interesting things you learned from reading this book? Questions: What questions do you still have about this topic? Fiction Story Map: Choose one of the following and write a long paragraph. 1. Choose one of the following words and write about how what happened in the book relates to it: pain, passion, surprise, change, disappointment or birth. 2. Tell the author what you think about his or her book. Would you make any changes? If you would, what would they be? If you wouldn t, why does the book work so well as it is? 3. What did one of the characters teach you about yourself or people in general? 4. Other than its entertainment value, what makes this novel an important book to read? 5. What problem or hope in today s world (current events and conflicts) is similar to one in the novel?
WHAT CONNECTIONS ARE THERE BETWEEN THE FICTION BOOK AND THE NONFICTION BOOK? In this box, brainstorm as many connections between the books. These books share a topic. Think about how each book addresses or informs you of this topic. Write as many similarities between both books. Using what you brainstormed above, choose the three main connections between the fiction book and the nonfiction book. Tell about each connection. 1. 2. 3.
The Fourth Stall by Chris Rylander version and electronically) (available at The Free Library in book 1. What is this story about? 2. What is the major setting for this novel? Tell how the author describes it. 3. What did you wonder about as you read? 4. Who is telling the story? 5. What was the most confusing part? 6. What did you find to be your favorite or most interesting part? Why do you think so? 7. Who is your favorite character and why? 8. Write a note to the author telling him what you liked and what you didn t like about this book.