7th grade Summer Reading (2018-19 school year) DUE: Tuesday, August 21 

Much of the ELA reading that students will complete in seventh grade will be based on student choice to foster a love of reading and encourage reading growth based on the student’s interests and selections.    

Select TWO BOOKS from the suggested reading list of books and then... 

Book 1  Complete all five of the attached discussion jobs.  

Book 2  Complete the attached book talk graphic organizer. Be prepared to give a brief oral presentation about your book of choice within the first few weeks of school (more details to follow at the start of the year). 

 Suggestions to ensure you enjoy your summer reading: 

● Select a book from a genre that you like! ● Check out Goodreads.com or Amazon.com to preview a summary 

of the book to make sure it’s something you will enjoy. We strongly recommend you research the book a little before selecting it...and if once you start it, you aren’t enjoying it--pick a different one! 

● Review your book with your parents to make sure it is appropriate for you--both in content AND reading level. Lexiles for each book have been included. These are loose measurements but can provide a starting point in selecting appropriate reading material.   

○ 6th grade 700-1000 Lexile ○ 7th grade 850 - 1100 Lexile 

● Get your own copy of the book and annotate as you read!   

     

Practice these annotation marks!   

Genres & Book choices romance/ contemporary 

● By Your Side by Kasie West (530) ● To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han (630) ● Crash by Jerry Spinelli (560) ● Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (590) 

dystopian fiction  ● Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis (820)   ● The Selection by Kiera Cass (680) 

historical fiction  ● Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko (600)  ● A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen (780) 

Graphic Novel  ● Smile by Raina Telgemeier (410) ● Bone- Out from Boneville by Jeff Smith (360) ● The Babysitter’s Club- Kristy’s Great Idea by Raina Telgemeier (350) ● Dogs of War by Sheila Keenan (490) 

sports  ● The Crossover by Alexandre Kwame (750) *basketball   ● Tangerine by Edward Bloor (680) *soccer ● Heat by Mike Lupica (940) *baseball ● Football Genius by Tim Green (800) *football ● Within Reach: My Everest Story (970) by Mark Pfetzer and Jack Galvin 

Teacher recommendations 

● Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin (720) * magical realism ● Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger (780) *science fiction ● So B. It by Sarah Weeks (860) *realistic fiction ● The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater (840) *fantasy ● Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen-Mah *memoir ● Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (770) *realistic fiction ● Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (1320) *autobiography/memoir ● Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (1150) *classic ● I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai (1100) *memoir 

○ there is also a young reader’s edition with a Lexile of 830 ● Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (810) *fiction ● Six Months to Live by Lurlene McDaniel (660) *realistic fiction ● Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings (800) *fiction ● An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (680) *fantasy ● Projekt 1065 by Allan Gratz (780) *war (WWII) ● The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon 

(1180) *realistic fiction 

Student Recommendations 

Visit this doc to access a list of recommendations from last year’s 7th grade students. Clicking each book cover will take you to Amazon.com where you can read a description of the book. (direct url: https://goo.gl/57NwMg ) 

Name: ________________________________ 7th grade Summer Reading (2018-19 school year)   

6th grade ELA teacher (circle one):  Atkins Perkins Moore Daar Canestraro other (new student)  

BOOK 1--Book Discussion “jobs”  

Title: ___________________________________ Author: _____________________ Genre: ____________________  

DISCUSSION Leader: Develop five open-ended questions for you to ask a group member about their book.   

● focus on BIG IDEAS (characterization, conflicts, resolution, theme, etc…) ● do NOT write yes/no questions OR questions that require 1-word answers  ● try starting with: why, how, what, describe, tell me about..., or what do you think about... 

1.  

2.  

3. 

4. 

5.  

TEXT Connector: Make connections between the novel and your life, other texts, and the world.   ● your own experiences   ● events, issues, topics, connected to your school or community ● people or problems you are reminded of   ● between this novel and other similar stories or writings 

explain the event from your story 

explain the other event/text 

explanation of your connection with details from the story 

     

     

     

     

PASSAGE picker: Locate a few passages/quotes in the text that are important to the development of the story elements (setting, conflict, resolution, characterization, theme, mood, etc…). The idea is to help people go back to important sections of the reading and think about and discuss them more carefully.   

page #  summarize the passage in your own words 

explain your reasons for picking this passage 

story element it is tied to 

       

       

SUMMARIZER: Identify five key events in the story that were necessary to the plot. Then write a summary identifying the protagonist, conflict , and resolution of the story. 

KEY POINTS in the reading:  Summary: 

1.   

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

VOCABULARY selector: The words a writer chooses help you visualize the story. Your responsibility is to be on the lookout for a few words that have meaning. When discussing vocabulary, it is important that you refer back to the passage in the novel in order to examine the word in context. 

● puzzling or unfamiliar words ● strong descriptive words  ● words critical to the story 

word (page #)  definition  explain how the word fits into the story 

     

     

     

BOOK 2--Book talk graphic organizer  

Title: ___________________________________ Author: _____________________ Genre: ____________________  

Describe the setting (time and place):     

List the main characters, with a sentence describing each:              

Summarize the plot in two to three sentences WITHOUT spoiling the ending:          

Explain the main conflict in the book:        

(OVER) 

 

Explain the three most exciting/interesting moments in the book (later, you can use this to help you choose a passage to read aloud to your classmates):           

List your favorite quote from the book and explain why it’s your favorite:         

List three specific reasons why others would enjoy this book (stay away from general statements like “It’s very exciting”):