Click on the blue links above to have a printable copy of each grades assignment. Germantown Middle School 2015 6th Grade Summer Reading List
The Hero’s Trail: A Guide for a Heroic Life by: T. A. Barron Summer Reading activity for upcoming 6th grade ELA
Directions: Over the summer, 6th grade students are to read the book The Hero’s Trail (newly revised and updated edition)and complete the front and back of this page. This completed page is due for a grade on Monday, August 10, 2015. Please write in your neatest handwriting.
***Students need to have their own copy of the book and bring it to class everyday for the first few weeks of school. The students will need their book to complete additional assignments in class after school begins.
Also, remember to read carefully and underline and/or highlight to annotate.
Preface 1.) Complete the following sentence quoting straight from the preface of the book. “Here then, ahead, is a map that ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.”
Introduction: The Power of Heroes
2.) On page 1, T.A. Barron states that a celebrity is defined by_______________________________________________.
3.) What character qualities aren’t visible at all, but show up through actions? ________________________, _____________________, ______________________, ___________________, and _________________________.
4.) What does it mean to be a hero? ___________________________________________________________________
5.) Who can be a hero? ______________________________________________________________________________
6.) How do we reveal our inner qualities? ________________________________________________________________
7.) Explain the quote, “Every great journey begins with a single step.” - Lao-Tzu
8.) Who was the hero in T.A. Barron’s life?_______________________________________________________________
9.) T.A. Barron compares our choices to ________________________.
What does he mean by that simile? ___________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
Complete the following chart based on chapters 1 – 5 in The Hero’s Trail.
Chapter 1: Heroes of Courage
1. According to chapter 1, define courage- _____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which hero, described in the chapter, do you connect with the most? _______________________________________
3. Explain why you connect to this hero? _________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. List 3 details about the hero from the chapter to support why this hero stands out to you? a._______________________________________________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 2: Heroes of Perseverance 1. According to chapter 2, define perseverance_____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which hero, described in the chapter, do you connect with the most? _______________________________________
3. Explain why you connect to this hero? _______________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. List 3 details about the hero from the chapter to support why this hero stands out to you?
a. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 3: Heroes of Generosity
1. According to chapter 3, define generosity _________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which hero, described in the chapter, do you connect with the most? _______________________________________
3. Explain why you connect to this hero? _________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. List 3 details about the hero from the chapter to support why this hero stands out to you?
a. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 4: Heroes of Compassion 1. According to chapter 4, define compassion- ____________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ ________________
2. Which hero, described in the chapter, do you connect with the most? _______________________________________
3. Explain why you connect to this hero? _________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. List 3 details about the hero from the chapter to support why this hero stands out to you?
a. _ _____________________________________________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 5: Heroes of Hope
1. According to chapter 5, define hope- _____________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. Which hero, described in the chapter, do you connect with the most? _______________________________________
3. Explain why you connect to this hero? _________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. List 3 details about the hero from the chapter to support why this hero stands out to you?
a. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
b. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
c. _______________________________________________________________________________________________
20157th Grade Summer Reading List
Germantown Middle School
7th Grade Summer Reading Expectation
Book: A Single Shard Author: Linda Sue Park
192 pages ISBN: 978-0-547-53426-8
Time and Location: Ancient South Korea
A Single Shard is a work of fiction, but it was inspired by historical facts and events.
Summary:
Tree-ear, an orphan, lives under a bridge in Ch’ulp’o, a potters’ village famed for delicate celadon (ceramics) ware. He has become fascinated with the potter’s craft; he wants nothing more than to watch master potter Min at work, and he dreams of making a pot of his own someday. When Min takes Tree-ear on as his helper, Tree-ear is elated–until he finds obstacles in his path: the backbreaking labor of digging and hauling clay, Min’s irascible temper, and his own ignorance. But Tree-ear is determined to prove himself…even if it means taking a long, solitary journey on foot to present Min’s work in the hope of a royal commission…even if it means arriving at the royal court with nothing to show but a single celadon shard.
Expectations for Summer Reading:
- Read the entire novel prior to August 5, 2015 so that you have time to complete the novel assignment (due: August 6, 2015 – Day 1 of School) and the class assignments/assessments once the 7th grade school year begins.
- On a sheet of paper, write the names of at least 2 major characters in the novel. For each of the major characters, create a list of traits that make each character significant in the plot of the story. You MUST also include the page reference from the novel for each trait you list (this is listed as the author’s last name and the page number where the trait was exemplified in the text).
For example, the character “Freak” from Freak the Mighty was disabled yet extremely intelligent. He also came up with crafty ideas to assist Max in dealing with daily taunting. From the information you gained from reading the novel, create a list similar to the example below along with text evidence as shown.
Freak
1. Disabled (Philbrick 11)
2. Extremely intelligent (Philbrick 13)
3. Developed crafty ideas for the taunting (Philbrick 31)
**Be prepared to come the first day of school with your copy of the summer novel and the list created of the major characters. These two items will be used for additional activities, assignments, and assessments in the classroom.
Germantown Middle School
2015 8th Grade Summer Reading List
Germantown Middle School 8th Grade
2015 Summer Reading List
In order to promote continued literacy development, the GMS English Language Arts department believes that summer reading is essential for our students to be successful readers. Because of this, all upcoming 8th graders are required to read the novel Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry before the beginning of the 2015-16 school year. Students enrolled in accelerated 8th grade ELA are also required to read the memoir My Dog Skip. These works have been specifically chosen to preview and enhance our theme of injustice in the south before the Civil Rights Movement.
Students must read carefully, noting parts of the book that seem important, confusing, stylistic, etc., by highlighting and annotating in the book (or by using a reading journal or sticky notes, including page numbers, if it is a borrowed book). Do not simply summarize each chapter; instead, use analysis techniques. These notes are required to participate in literature circles and Socratic seminars during the first month of school. All students will review and be assessed on the book(s) within the first nine weeks for a major grade.
- Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor 920L, 288 pages
Set in a small town in Mississippi at the height of the Depression, this powerful, moving novel deals with issues of prejudice, courage, and self-respect. It is the story of one family's struggle to maintain their integrity, pride, and independence in the face of racism and social injustice. It is also the story of Cassie Logan, an independent girl who discovers over the course of an important year why having land of their own is so crucial to her family. Winner of the Newbery Award in 1977, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry is an American classic. Please note that this novel has some intense depictions of racism.
- (Accelerated Only) My Dog Skip by Willie Morris 1380 L, 118 pages
This memoir is a story of a boy, his beloved dog, and the adventures they have together while growing up in 1940s Yazoo, Mississippi. *Please box difficult vocabulary words while reading; the accelerated classes will be studying the novel’s advanced word choice. We will also analytically compare and contrast this novel with Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
2017-2018 Academic Year Calendar
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