Middle School Summer Reading/Project Assignments ~ 2007

Introduction
Excellent analytical and reading comprehension skills are essential if you want to do well in your classes at the O’Bryant. These skills will also help you do well on the S.A.T.’s, and in college. Furthermore, one of the best ways to improve your writing is to do more reading. To this end, all O’Bryant students must complete the required readings and or projects in history, English, science and math this summer (see below). In addition, you must complete the journal activities for each book.

Summer Reading Journal Activity
All O’Bryant non-Advanced Placement students must complete Summer Reading Journals for all of their assigned summer reading. Reading journals should have the following two sections:

PART I:
Use the following format for each fiction book read:
1. List in complete sentences the major events in the plot. (approximately 8-10 sentences

2. Write a brief paragraph describing the setting and its impact on the story.
3. List and identify briefly the main characters. Explain the contribution of each to the story. (one paragraph for each main character)
4. Explain the major conflict in the story. (one to two paragraphs)
5. Write a paragraph explaining your reactions to the author's message or theme.
6. Select 5 important quotations from the book. Write a few sentences explaining
the importance of each quotation you chose. Include page numbers in parentheses.

Use the following format for each non-fiction book read:
1. What is the subject of the book? What is the book about? (one to two paragraphs)
2. Who is the author’s intended audience? Explain (one paragraph)
3. What is the author’s purpose in writing this book? What conclusion does the author hope that the reader will come to believe? (one to two paragraphs)
4. Did the author successfully achieve his/her purpose? In what way was his/her argument convincing? (one to two paragraphs)

-AND-

PART II: As you read the book (fiction or non-fiction), pause periodically and reflect on what you have read and prepare the following:

• a question beginning with “Why”
• a question beginning with “How” You don’t have to answer these questions
• a question beginning with “What”
• a statement beginning with “I predict” or “I remember,” followed with a “because” statement.

By the time you have finished reading each book, you must have prepared, at least, 5 “why” questions, 5 “how” questions, 5 “what” questions, and 5 “I predict” or “I remember” statements for each book.

Approximate Length of Journal for each book: Part I – one to two pages; Part II – one to two pages; Total – two to four pages

Due Date: All of your Summer Reading Journals should be turned in to your teachers on Friday, September 7, 2007. Your Summer Reading Journals will help you prepare for the in class writing prompts scheduled for early September. Both assignments will be assessed as test grades during the first marking period.

Format of Journal: Typed, 12 point font, Times New Roman, 1 ½ space. Your name, grade, the date you completed the report, the book title (underlined or in italics) and the author’s name should be at the top of the first page

Parent/Guardian Signature Form: Please have your parent/guardian sign the Parent/Guardian Signature Form which should be turned in with your Summer Reading Journals on September 7th. (see O'Bryant website (http://obryant.us)/to download a copy of the same)

Students Entering

Grade 7:

History – World Geography:
You must read:
Captain Courageous by Rudyard Kipling (fiction)

and you must also read any one (1) of the following six (6) books:
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (fiction)
Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez (fiction)
Child of the Owl by Laurence Yep (fiction)
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry (non-fiction)
In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton (fiction)
To Be Young In America: Growing Up With The Country, 1776-1940 by Sheila Cole (non-fiction)

English:
You must read any one (1) of the following three (3) books:
Hatchet - Paulsen
The Friends – Guy
House on Mango Street - Cisneros

Science:
You must read one (1) of the following two (2) books:
We Beat the Streets -Dr. Samson Davis, Dr. George Jenkins, and Dr. Rameek Hunt (non-fiction)
Think Big-Dr. Ben Carson (non-fiction)

Mathematics:
Congratulations on your admittance and your decision to become part of the O’Bryant learning community. We eagerly anticipate your arrival in September and extend to you a summer assignment designed to prepare you for the rigorous curriculum we will explore throughout the school year.
As we are a school grounded in the disciplines of math and science and being that we actively implement technology in our curriculum, you will need to gain access to a computer with Internet access in order to explore the following activities. The two specific websites have been chosen to highlight skills that we expect you to be comfortable with as an incoming 7th grader.

Website #1: National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (at http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html)
Skill: Integer Operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing positive and negative numbers)
Summary: The site homepage is setup as a grid. Select the heading ‘Number and Operations.’ In the page that opens, select and explore the following activities in the order they are given here.

<>Website #2: Shodor Education Foundation Project Interactivate (at http://www.shodor.org/interactivate)
Skill: Area and Perimeter of Polygons
Summary: Select the Activities link under the Learners heading on the site homepage. On the next screen, choose the Geometry heading then explore the following activities in the order they are given here.

Students Entering

Grade 8:

History - Civics:
You must read:
Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Patillo Beales (fiction)

and you must also read any one (1) of the following five (5) books:
Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave by Virginia Hamilton (fiction)
April Morning by Howard Fast (fiction)
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (fiction)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (fiction)
With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for Women's Right to Vote by Ann Bausum (non-fiction)

English:
You must read:
Lord of the Flies – Golding (fiction)

and you must also read any one (1) of the following three (3) books:
Ryan White: My Own Story – White (non-fiction)
Road to Memphis – Taylor (non-fiction)
Esperanza Rising– Munoz-Ryan (fiction)

Science:
You must read one (1) of the following two (2) books:
Phineas Gage:A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science -John Fleischman (non-fiction)
Rocket Boys- Homer Hickman (non-fiction)

Mathematics:
The math summer project is posted on the O’Bryant website at <http://obryant.us/>.