Grade 6

2017 Summer Reading Grade 6 Summer Reading Purpose Statement Literacy involves reading, writing, speaking, listening and thinking. As we prepare our students for the skills needed to be successful in the 21st Century, it is important that we provide opportunities for our students to engage in the activities that will help to build this literacy skill set. Reading over the summer is a good way to practice English and prepare to participate in a shared literacy community in the fall. Middle School Summer Reading Requirements ♣ ♣ ♣ Each student reads 2 books during the summer One book is chosen from the Grade 6 list. Each selection is conducive to making connections with curriculum and provides depth and understanding for a variety of class discussions throughout the year An additional book is chosen by the student to read and the student should be prepared to share with classmates in the fall Grade 6 Summer Reading List There is additional information and questions about each book on the following pages. Flush By Carl Hiaasen Every Soul a Star By Wendy Mass By asking students to read over the summer, we believe that we can help to develop a lifelong habit of reading. Student Assignment 1. Review the book summaries for each title 2. Select one book from the Grade 6 list 3. Write your answers to the guiding questions and bring the answers to school in the fall 4. Select another book of your choice to read that is of an appropriate topic and reading level 5. Have your parents sign the attached permission form approving the title and completion of the independent book choice. Return the permission form in the fall. 6. Be prepared to write about and discuss your summer reading in the fall Students should be prepared to take part in organized response and classroom work with summer reading books immediately upon return to school in the fall. Any assessment will count for no more than 10% of the student’s first quarter grade. Your teacher may provide information about book sales before the end of school. The Key to Extraordinary By Natalie Lloyd Absolutely Almost By Lisa Graff 2017 Summer Reading Grade 6 Flush by Carl Hiaasen ISBN: 978-0375861253 Summary: (Excerpts from carlhiaasen.com) You know it’s going to be a rough summer when you spend Father’s Day visiting your dad in the local lockup. Noah’s dad is sure that the owner of the Coral Queen casino boat is flushing raw sewage into the harbor, which has made taking a dip at the local beach like swimming in a toilet. He can’t prove it though, and so he decides that sinking the boat will make an effective statement. Right. The boat is pumped out and back in business within days and Noah’s dad is stuck in the clink. Now Noah is determined to succeed where his dad failed. He will prove that the Coral Queen is dumping illegally... somehow. His allies may not add up to much - his sister Abbey, an unreformed childhood biter; Lice Peeking, a greedy sot with poor hygiene; Shelly, a bartender and a woman scorned; and a mysterious pirate - but Noah’s got a plan to flush this crook out into the open. A plan that should sink the crooked little casino, once and for all. Questions: 1. The sayings, “The apple does not fall far from the tree” and “He’s a chip off the old block” are ways to express that a child is similar to his or her parent. How is this true and not true for Noah and his father Paine or for Jasper Junior and his father Dusty? Provide text evidence from the book to support your claims. 2. Describe in detail the plan that Noah and Abbey used to find out about the illegal dumping. How was their plan better than their father’s approach and how was it worse than their father’s approach? Support your response with evidence from the text. 3. Explain how Dusty’s dumping impacted the environment. What was his motivation for doing this? In the real world, what are reasons that people may choose to negatively impact the environment? How could you raise awareness on how humans impact the environment? Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass ISBN: 978-0316002578 Summary: (Adapted from wendymass.com) This novel shares the journey of three very different teenagers finding their place in the universe. Ally, Bree and Jack are forever changed when they witness a total eclipse of the sun, considered to be nature’s greatest miracle. ✫ 12-year old Ally likes the simple things in life - labyrinths, stargazing, and comet hunting. Her home, the Moon .. the Moon Shadow Campground, is part of who she is. She refuses to imagine it any other way. ✫ 13-year-old Bree is popular, gorgeous (everybody says so), and a future homecoming queen for sure. Bree wears her beauty like a suit of armor. But what is she trying to hide? ✫ 13-year-old Jack, overweight and awkward, is used to spending a lot of time alone. But when opportunity knocks, he finds himself in situations he never would have imagined Questions: 1. Bree and Ally both have to move. What concerns do Ally and Bree have about moving? How does Ally’s reaction to moving differ from Bree’s? How are their reactions the same? Have you ever moved? What do you miss about your hometown or if you were going to move, what do you think you would miss most about your hometown? 2. Several times Jack says he doesn’t want to leave Moon Shadow Campground. Why do you think he feels that way? Support your response with evidence from the text. 3. How does the eclipse affect Ally, Bree and Jack? How does it change their outlook and attitude for the future? In what ways do the three main characters help each other grow? Support your response with evidence from the text. 2017 Summer Reading Grade 6 The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd ISBN: 978-0545552745 Summary: (From natalielloyd.com) Everyone in Emma’s family is special. Her ancestors include Revolutionary War spies, brilliant scientists, and famous country music singers—every single one of which learned of their Extraordinary Destiny through a dream. For Emma, her own Destiny Dream can’t come soon enough. Right before her mother died, Emma promised that she’d do whatever it took to fulfill her Destiny, and she doesn’t want to let her mother down. But when Emma’s dream finally arrives, it points her toward an impossible task—finding a legendary treasure that’s supposedly hidden near her town’s historic cemetery. If Emma fails, she’ll let down generations of her Extraordinary ancestors . . . including her own mother. But how can she find something that’s been missing for centuries and might be protected by a mysterious singing ghost? Questions (via Scholastic.com): 1. Emma’s Mama says that “fear is just a flashlight that helps you find your courage.” How does this apply to Emma? Describe a time in your own life when fear helped you find your courage. 2. The women in Emma’s family are called “wildflowers” because “no matter how difficult the circumstance, and no matter where the wind carried them, they bloomed, bold and bright.” In which ways does Emma embody (demonstrate) these characteristics? Provide evidence to support your thinking. 3. Discuss the scar on Emma’s face. Why does she have the scar? How do others perceive it? Discuss, using evidence, the different reactions Earl and Beretta have to her scar. What do their reactions reveal about their character? Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff ISBN: 978-0399164057 Summary: Albie has never been the smartest kid in his class. He has never been the tallest. Or the best at gym. Or the greatest artist. Or the most musical. In fact, Albie has a long list of the things he's not very good at. But then Albie gets a new babysitter, Calista, who helps him figure out all of the things he is good at and how he can take pride in himself. Questions: 1. On pages 38-39 of the book Albie gives examples of himself being an “almost”. What does he mean by this? Provide at least two examples from the text the author provides to support your thinking. How is this no longer true for Albie by the end of the book? Provide at least one example from the text that proves this. Why do you think this change in Albie has occurred? Do you think this was an improvement or not? 2. Throughout the book, the author, Lisa Graff, gives each chapter an important title that relates to the action in that chapter. Choose two chapters from the book and rewrite the titles (one from the beginning and one from the end). Use examples from the text to support your answer for each new title. 3. Throughout the book Albie has both positive and negative classroom experiences. Write about one specific classroom experience he has and use examples from the story to explain why this experience was either positive or negative. Then, reflect on a positive or negative classroom experience that you’ve had and how it has impacted you. 4. What does Mr. Clifton mean when he says to Albie, “You can’t get where you’re going without being where you’ve been”? Albie also uses a similar quote with Calista. How important is this thought in Albie’s life? How can you use this thought for your own personal life? Is it important or not? Why or why not? Independent summer Reading Parent/Guardian Permission Form All Dublin Middle School Language Arts students are required to read a book of their choice over the summer as part of our summer reading program. This book may be fiction or nonfiction, classic or contemporary, serious or funny. We would like students to consider books that will be appropriate for a school setting and sufficiently challenging in terms of reading level. Students will have an opportunity to share this summer read with other students in the class during the first week of school. All students are expected to bring this permission form to their English teachers on the first day of school. Please print. Student’s name: Title of the Book: Author: I have reviewed my student’s Independent Choice Book and have determined that it is appropriate for my child’s middle school Language Arts classroom and this assignment. I can verify that my child has completed the reading of this book. Signature of the Student: Date: Signature of the Parent/Guardian: Date: