Home Herbert A. Ammons Middle School 2015 Summer Reading Requirement Dear Parents, Summer is here which means it is time for SUMMER READING! Encouraging our children to read in the summer months is essential. Studies have shown that children who read more become better readers, and children who read over the summer months often gain, rather than lose, important skills.* Attached please find the Required Summer Reading List by grade for your child. The school requirement is that students read 2 books over the summer. One book must be from the Individuals & Societies book selections, and one book must be from the Language & Literature book selections listed. The Language & Literature book selections include a fiction and a nonfiction choice. The book selections have been separated by grade level in the following pages. After books have been chosen and read, students should complete the Summer Reading Documentation Form also attached. Be sure a parent has signed it, and be prepared to turn in each section to the teacher listed (Language & Literature, Individuals & Societies, and Homeroom) during the first week of school. If a student reads any additional books during the summer, besides the book selections required, those book titles should be listed in the Homeroom section of the Summer Reading Documentation Form. In the first weeks of school, students can expect to complete a graded activity/test on the required reading in their Individuals & Societies and Language & Literature class. For this reason, although not mandatory, it might be helpful for your child to take notes or summarize chapters in the book to assist him/her in remembering what was read and to maximize his/her ability to remember when it comes time to complete the activity/test. Individuals & Societies teachers require a graded activity and Language & Literature teachers require a test be taken related to the book each student reads for their class. Additionally, in the first weeks of school, students will also have the opportunity to take an AR quiz for the required books they read. The deadline for AR testing on these required reading books will be September 29th. The points they receive on the AR quizzes they pass will count towards their quarterly reading goal determined in the first couple of weeks of school. AR Quizzes for any other book(s) a student chooses to read over the summer that is listed in the Homeroom section of the Summer Reading Documentation Form section will also count towards their quarterly reading goal for the 1 st nine weeks. If lost, all of this information will be made available over the summer on the school webpage at http://ammons.dadeschools.net. If you have any questions about the Summer Reading Books, please send me an email at cgbrito@dadeschools.net. I may check my email periodically over the summer. Have a great day. Mrs. Gonzalez-Brito Media Specialist
*http://www.education.com/reference/article/ref_developing_literacy/ Visit your local Miami Dade County Public Library You can do this online at http://www.mdpls.org or in person. Click on the links below to see library hours of operation and directions to each branch. Coral Reef Branch (305) 233 8324 9211 Coral Reef Drive http://www.mdpls.org/info/locations/cr.asp Miami, Florida 33157 Country Walk Branch (786) 293 4577 15433 SW 137 Avenue http://www.mdpls.org/info/locations/cw.asp Miami, Florida 33177 Homestead Branch (305) 246 0168 700 N Homestead Blvd. http://www.mdpls.org/info/locations/hm.asp Homestead, Florida 33030 Kendall Branch (305) 279 0520 9101 SW 97 th Avenue http://www.mdpls.org/info/locations/kn.asp Miami, Florida 33176 Naranja Branch (305) 242 2290 14850 S.W. 280 th Street http://www.mdpls.org/info/locations/na.asp Naranja, Florida 33032 South Dade Regional (305) 233 8140 10750 SW 211 th Street http://www.mdpls.org/info/locations/sd.asp Miami, Florida 33189 West Kendall Regional (305) 385 7135 10201 Hammocks Blvd. http://www.mdpls.org/info/locations/wk.asp Miami, Florida 33196 Visit your local Bookstore You can call ahead to make sure they have the book. If they don t have it, they can still order it and hold it for you until you pick it up. BARNES AND NOBLE Kendall Village West (305) 598 7727 12405 N Kendall Drive West Kendall Miami, FL 33186 BARNES AND NOBLE Sunset Place (305) 662 4770 5701 Sunset Drive Suite 196 Sunset S. Miami, FL 33143 BARNES AND NOBLE Coral Gables (305) 446 4152 152 Miracle Mile Coral Gables Coral Gables, FL 33134 BOOKS AND BOOKS CORAL GABLES (305) 442 4408 265 Aragon Avenue www.booksandbooks.com Coral Gables, Florida 33134 Visit online websites Here you may be able to purchase a hard copy of the book at a discounted price and/or an ebook version of the books for your kindle, nook, or i pad etc. www.amazon.com, www.bn.com, www.half.com, www.overstock.com
Summer Reading Documentation Form: Language & Literature Use this section to document your Language A Required Summer Reading book selection. This section must be presented to your Language & Literature teacher at the beginning of the school year. Students will be given a test based on the reading at the start of the year. Print your last name, First name Required: Language & Lit Title Author # of pages Finish Date Parent Signature Summer Reading Documentation Form: Individuals & Societies Use the section to document your Humanities Required Summer Reading book selection. This section must be presented to your Individuals & Societies teacher at the beginning of the school year. Students will be given an assignment based on the reading at the start of the year. Print your last name, First name Title Author # of pages Required: Individuals & Societies Finish Date Parent Signature Summer Reading Documentation Form: HOMEROOM Use this section to document ALL of your Summer Required Reading book selections listed above and any other books you chose to read over the summer. Parents must sign for every book included on the list. This form must be presented to your HOMEROOM teacher at the beginning of the school year. Students will take Accelerated Reader (AR) Quizzes for all books read in their Homeroom class. Print your last name, First name Finish Parent Signature Title Author # of pages Date Required: Language & Lit Required: Individuals & Societies
Incoming 6 th Graders Individuals & Societies Book Selections (choose one) A Step from Heaven by An Na A young Korean girl and her family find it difficult to learn English and adjust to life in America. AR Reading level: 4.2 AR Points: 6.0 Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine It is 1958 in Arkansas and a very shy 12 year old girl befriends a very bold and outspoken new girl at school. Despite their differences, the two are determined to remain friends in a time when society tries to force them apart. AR Reading level: 4.1 AR Points: 10 Language & Literature Book Selections (choose one) Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson Fiction Peter, an orphan boy, and his friend Molly fight off thieves and pirates in order to keep the secret safe away from the diabolical Black Stache and his evil associate Mister Grin. AR Reading level: 5.2 AR Points: 13.0 Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini by Sid Fleishman Non-Fiction The author looks at the life of the legendary magician- Harry Houdini- through his own eyes, as a fellow magician. This witty and insightful biography tells as much as it dares. AR Reading level: 6.6 AR Points: 5.0
Incoming 7 th Graders Individuals & Societies Book Selections (choose one) A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park Tree-ear, a thirteen-year-old orphan in medieval Korea, lives under a bridge in a potters' village, and longs to learn how to throw the delicate celadon ceramics himself. AR Reading Level: 6.6 AR Points: 6.0 Fire from the Rock by Sharon Draper Sylvia Patterson's life suddenly changes with the integration of Little Rock's Central High in 1957 when she is selected to be one of the first black students to attend the previously all white school. AR Reading Level: 5.0 AR Points: 9.0 Language & Literature Book Selections (choose one) Titanic- Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkins Non-Fiction This is a thorough account of the April 15, 1912 sinking of the Titanic. Background information is interspersed with stories of survivors and witnesses, including primary source quotes. AR Reading level: 7.4 AR Points: 7.0 Peak by Roland Smith Fiction After Peak Marcello is arrested for scaling a New York City skyscraper, he's left with two choices: wither away in Juvenile Detention or to go live with his long-lost father, who runs a climbing company in Thailand. But Peak quickly learns that his father's renewed interest in him has strings attached. Big strings. He wants Peak to be the youngest person to reach the Everest summit-and his motives are selfish at best. Even so, for a climbing addict like Peak, tackling Everest is the challenge of a lifetime. But it's also one that could cost him his life. AR Reading level: 5.0 AR Points: 9.0.
Incoming 8 th Graders Individuals & Societies Book Selections (choose one) The King of Mulberry Street by Donna Jo Napoli Dom, a nine-year old stowaway from Naples, Italy, arrives in New York and must learn to survive the perils of street life in the big city. AR Reading level: 3.6 AR Points: 8.0 The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spears A young girl's rebellion against bigotry culminates in a terrifying witch hunt and trial. AR Reading level: 5.7 AR Points: 9.0 Language & Literature Book Selections (choose one) Warriors Don t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals Non-Fiction In 1957, the author turned 16. This was the year she became a warrior on the front lines of the civil rights firestorm. She was one of nine teenagers chosen to integrate Little Rock s Central High School and this is the true story of her harrowing ordeal. Through it all, she acted with dignity and courage, and refused to back down. AR Reading Level: 6.5 AR Points: 9 Ties that Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka Fiction Ailin's life takes a different turn when she defies the traditions of upper class Chinese society by refusing to have her feet bound. AR Reading Level: 5.5 AR Points: 5.0