Recommended Books for Summer Reading (6 th graders going into 7 th ) Students must read 100 pages or more. This can be one book of 100 or more pages, or several smaller books that total 100 pages. We, your future English 7 teachers, recommend the following books (or books that you find on your own, about the following topics). TOPICS Bullying / Judging by Appearance Multi- cultural autobiographies Urban legends Dragons RECOMMENDED TITLES Stargirl Jake Drake Bully Buster Arthur s April Fool Blubber Bridge to Terabithia* The Witch of Blackbird Pond A Wrinkle in Time* I Am Rosa Parks Bad Boy: A Memoire The House Baba Built Through My Eyes: the Autobiography of Ruby Bridges Osceola: Memories of a Sharecropper s Daughter 26 Fairmont Avenue Under the Wild Palms: a childhood in Cuba The Exploding Toilet: Modern Urban Legends Top Ten Urban Legends U. S.: A Freaky Field Trip Through the 50 States Too Good to be True The Colossal Book of Urban Legends Looking for Bigfoot Tales of the Cryptids In Search of Sasquatch Hidden Animals: A Field Guide to Batsquatch, Chupacabra Lake Monster Mysteries Mothman and Other Curious Encounters Dragonsinger, Dragonsong, Dragon Drums (series) Dragon s Blood Dealing with Dragons How to Train Your Dragon* Eragon*
Greek Mythology Medieval England King Arthur Segregation Japan / China Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher Here There Be Dragons The Hobbit* Percy Jackson and the Olympians (series) includes The Lightning Thief* Young Heroes (series) Goddess Girls (series) The Shadow Thieves Pandora Gets Jealous Tales of the Greek Heroes The Lost Hero Goddess Boot Camp Athena the Brain D Aulaire s Book of Greek Myths Crispin The Midwife s Apprentice Catherine Called Birdy The Lost Years of Merlin The Sword in the Stone* Pendragon chronicles (series) The Kitchen Knight Merlin and the Making of the King I Am Mordred Here Lies Arthur Silver on the Tree Taran Wanderer The Black Cauldron* The Story of Ruby Bridges Miles to Go for Freedom The $66 Summer A Single Shard April and the Dragon Lady Dragonwings
Objective Summary of a Book Every 7 th grader must do this part! When a text is objective, the text does NOT reflect the opinions, feelings, biases, or judgments of the writer. In this objective summary, you will write the most important ideas from the book in your own words, without revealing your own thoughts about the text itself. The first introductory sentence introduces the author, title, purpose, and main idea of the text. The rest of an objective essay is a paraphrasing (in your own words) of the most important events / ideas from the text. Your own thoughts, feelings, etc. should NOT be expressed in this summary. Small details from the text should NOT be part of your summary. For example: you might want to mention the major events that happen to the main character / writer, but not every single little thing that happens to them.
Comparing a Book to a Movie (books listed with * have a movie version) Thinking Critically about a Movie Adaptation If your book has a movie version, you must do this part. Directions: Complete the following sentences with your opinion using support from the movie and book. I am glad the movie kept these things the same. I wish the movie would have changed these things I wish the movie hadn t changed these things I am glad the movie changed these things The part in the movie I liked best was The part in the book I liked best was My overall opinion of the movie adaptation of the book is that I feel this way about the movie adaptation because
Creative Projects Book in a Box Decorate a box to represent the book and fill it with 5 objects (or pictures or copies of objects) that symbolize different aspects of the story. If your book does not have a movie version, you must choose one of these projects. Book Timeline Use 10 or more words and pictures to make a timeline of important events from the book. Shoebox Diorama Create a diorama of an important scene from the book using glue, colored papers, markers, etc. Label the outside of the box with the title and author of your book. Book Collage Create a regular paper- sized collage using 15 words or pictures that represent different parts of the book. Include the title of the book and author somewhere in your collage.
Movie Poster Pretend the book is going to be made into a movie and create a poster to promote the movie. Look at various movie posters to get ideas of what should be included on your poster. Main Character Make a model/representation of the main character (using paper and other materials) and describe the character, how he/she speaks and what he/she does on the model you ve created of the character. Setting Make and label a detailed map of an important setting from your book. Make sure to color your map and label it with the title and author of your book. Scrapbook Make a 2 4 page scrapbook with items and pictures that are important to the life of the main character and to the story. Title and author go on the first page. PowerPoint Presentation Create and print out a PowerPoint presentation with 7 slides describing the title, author, short summary of the plot, main character, and main conflict / problem the character faces.