June 8, 2015 Dear Upper School Students and Parents, We are excited about our 2015 summer reading selections for students who will be entering the 7 th -12 th grades this coming fall. In order to foster a culture of reading, students are required to do the following: 1) read the required grade level books listed below; 2) choose one additional book to read of their choice; 3) participate in the summer reading program at their local library system and bring in the summer reading program sheet with signatures/stamps from the library staff. As you prepare to read, please keep the following in mind: Students will be tested on the required summer reading on the first instructional day of the 2015-2016 academic year in their English classes. Students first writing assignment will be based upon the required summer reading assignment. Students will receive writing instruction in class. Students first project assignment will be based upon the summer reading book of their choice. Students will receive project instruction in class. Students are strongly encouraged to keep a reader s response journal to help them with the first assignments that will be given at the beginning of the school year. Instructions on the reader s response journal are included in the packet. Students are also encouraged to read as many books as they can during the summer break. Those who are able to read at least six grade-level appropriate books during the summer will receive a special incentive that will be rewarded in the fall. A reading log has been included so that students can document the books that they have read. If there are any questions, please contact Tutor Alicia Brown at abrown@woodstreamacademy.com. Happy reading! WCA Upper School English Department
2015 SUMMER READING LIST Students entering Grade 7: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L Engle Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard Students entering Grade 8: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L Engle Hinds Feet on High Places by Hannah Hurnard Students entering Grade 9: Students entering Grade 10: Students entering Grade 11: (Choose One) Students entering Grade 12: (Choose One)
STRATEGIES FOR READING FICTION TEXTS (from Reading and Writing Handbook for High School Students) When reading fictional text or any text that utilizes a story structure, proficient readers also utilize specific strategies to make sense of what they read. The strategies are listed below. BEFORE YOU READ: Survey the material. Look at the title, chapter titles, pictures, etc. for clues to the content. Read the blurb or story synopsis on the back cover to get a sense of the overall plot of the story. Think about past experiences you may have had that might connect to the story. What do you already know about the genre? The author? The subject matter? AS YOU READ: Ask yourself questions and answer them, almost the way a teacher does. Who are the main characters and what are they like? How do they change? When and where does the story take place? What does the main character need or want? What is the main character s conflict and goal? What obstacles or problems stand in his or her way? What will be the outcome and how will it come about? What is unclear or confusing? What predictions do you make? What are you visualizing in your "mental movie" as you read? AFTER YOU READ: Check your understanding by retelling the story. What messages or insights about life might the author be trying to communicate?
READER S RESPONSE JOURNAL: STARTERS (from Reading and Writing Handbook for High School Students) If you are asked to keep a reading log, you can use these sentence stems to help you get your best thoughts down on paper. When I started reading this book, I thought... I changed my mind about...because... My favorite part of the book was... My favorite character was...because... I was surprised when... I predict that... I liked the way the writer... I didn t like...because... This book reminded me of... I would (wouldn t) recommend this book to a friend because... This book made me feel... This book made me think... This book made me realize... While I was reading I pictured...(draw or write your response.) The most important thing about this book is... If I were (name of character), I would (wouldn t) have... What happened in this book was very realistic (unrealistic) because... My least favorite character was...because... I admire (name of character) for... One thing I ve noticed about the author s style is... If I could be any character in this book, I would be... because... I agree (disagree) with the writer about... I think the title is a good (strange/misleading) choice because... A better title for this book would be...because... In my opinion, the most important word (sentence/paragraph) in this book is...because... (Name of character) reminds me of myself because... (Name of character) reminds me of somebody I know because... If I could talk to (name of character), I would say... When I finished this book, I still wondered... This book was similar to (different from) other books I ve read because it... This book was similar to (different from) other books by this writer because it... I think the main thing the writer was trying to say was... This book was better (worse) than the movie version because... (Event in book) reminded me of (something that happened to me) when...
SUMMER READING LOG BOOK TITLE AUTHOR NUMBER OF PAGES START DATE COMPLETION DATE