Grade 8 Pre-AP ELAR Summer Reading Assignment 2017 ... · Grade 8 Pre-AP ELAR Summer Reading Assignment 2017 Pasadena ISD 3 7. Finally, after completing the novel, two additional

Grade 8 Pre-AP ELAR Summer Reading Assignment 2017 Pasadena ISD

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Rationale

We are so excited to welcome your student to eighth grade Pre-AP Reading! As a member of the Pre-AP program,

your student is being prepared for AP and college courses. Throughout the year, the class will have an emphasis on

fiction and non-fiction texts.

To prevent the “summer slide” in your student’s learning, your student will be expected to read a novel, poetry,

and non-fiction pieces with a common theme of disaster and recovery while answering questions about the

readings with textual support. This provides students and parents with the idea of the high expectations he/she

will find in the rigors of the AP classroom. This will also allow you to gain an immediate sense of your student’s

ability level upon entry. These readings will become a common text for the students to reference for discussion

and writing assignments throughout the year.

Parents are expected to purchase a copy of Dark Water Rising by Marion Hale (ISBN 978-0-8050-7585-4). Students

are expected to read and annotate (make notes) the novel prior to the start of the school year in addition to

answering questions about the texts with evidence to support answers.

The project will be due on the first day of school, August 21, 2017.

Any questions about this assignment may be directed to your teacher through Schoology (see page 2 for your

school’s course code). You may also contact Mrs. Katherine Rearick, Instructional Specialist for Intermediate

ELAR, at (713) 7400072 or [email protected]

Texts

Novel: Dark Water Rising by Marion Hale (ISBN 978-0-8050-7585-4)

Galveston, Texas, may be the booming city of the brand-new twentieth century, but to Seth, it is the end of a

dream. He longs to be a carpenter like his father, but his family has moved to Galveston so he can go to a good

school. Still, the last few weeks of summer might not be so bad. Seth has a real job as a builder and the beach is

within walking distance. Things seem to be looking up, until a storm warning is raised one sweltering afternoon. No

one could have imagined anything like this. Giant walls of water crash in from the sea. Shingles and bricks are

deadly missiles flying through the air. People not hit by flying debris are swept away by rushing water. Forget the

future, Seth and his family will be lucky to survive the next twenty-four hours.

Additional Short Passages—Choose TWO from differing genres

(Available in your Grade 8 Pre-AP Schoology Course or through Google Search)

The Volcano That Changed the World by Lauren Tarshis for Scope Magazine (Informational article)

The Story of an Eyewitness by Jack London (Informational article)

Surviving Hurricane Sandy from Scope Magazine (Paired Informational and Literary Nonfiction—counts as ONE

selection)

“Out, Out” by Robert Frost (Poem)

“Fire and Ice” by Robert Frost (Poem)

The Tempest (Act I, scene i) by William Shakespeare (Drama)

Letter from New Orleans: Leaving Desire by Jon Lee Anderson for The New Yorker Magazine (Informational article)

Preparing for a Disaster by Megan McGibney from the website Readworks (Informational article)


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Assignment

1. Join the Schoology course using the access code for your school listed below. If for some reason you have

no access to technology and cannot use Schoology over the summer, you may complete the activities on

paper.

School Schoology Course Access Code

Beverly Hills 3BHKV-M5KCF

Bondy GS3Q7-VPNS4

Jackson Q3JMD-BQ99W

Miller FWJVK-6N6H6

Park View 2FFCK-2R2CC

Queens WC2M4-9KMQB

San Jacinto QCWM3-35Z7K

South Houston 5BGMX-VMXTW

Southmore T37VM-RHDT6

Thompson NHW3J-B679Q

2. Answer the “Line of Inquiry” discussion post and submit your answer in Schoology.

3. Read the novel, annotating (writing in the margins or on Post-It Notes) with your observations about

elements such as setting, theme, character, and author’s use of words and language to convey meaning).

Be prepared to share your annotations during class discussions of the novel. As you read, you should also

complete the “Dark Water Rising Guided Reading Questions by Chapter,” available in Schoology and in

this packet. You may do this electronically or on paper.

4. After completing the novel, locate the “Evidence Synthesis Chart” in Schoology (also included in this

packet) and complete page 1 with your analysis of the novel. Use the ABC method of answering the

Essential Question. If you can’t remember the ABC method, you may review the file in Schoology called

“Review: Using the ABC Method.”

5. Go to the Schoology “Playlist” (or do a Google search of the titles provided) and choose TWO MORE

passages to read. (PLEASE NOTE: You must choose two DIFFERENT genres; for example, one informational

article and one poem—not two informational pieces.)

6. After reading each additional passage, go back to the Evidence Synthesis Chart and complete pages 2 and

3.


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7. Finally, after completing the novel, two additional passages, and synthesis charts on all three readings,

complete page 4 of the synthesis chart. This question requires you to identify and analyze common

characteristics among all three texts. Use the ABC format and proofread your final answer for clarity and

correctness. MAKE SURE THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF YOUR VERY BEST THINKING AND WRITING!


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Dark Water Rising Guided Reading Questions by Chapter

Complete the following questions on your own paper as you read the novel. Keep in mind that the page

numbers in the questions may vary slightly depending on what copy of the book you have. You will turn

in your answers on the first day of school.

Chapter 1:

1. How do you know Seth is the oldest child in his family?

2. Tell three facts about Galveston during 1900 mentioned in this chapter.

3. Dark Water Rising is told from ____________’s point-of-view. This is called______-person.

Chapter 2:

1. Would you “cotton to” being compared to chickens? Explain your answer.

2. Why did Seth think Ben and Lucas would make good doctors? Does Seth want to be a doctor?

How do you know?

Chapter 3:

1. Why was Seth grinning at Matt after supper? Would you have grinned if that was you? Explain.

Chapter 4:

1. Why was having hired help an extravagance for Seth’s family?

2. What simile did Seth use about how the ocean made him feel?

Chapter 5:

1. What is your impression of Henry Covington? How does Seth feel around Henry?

2. Why is important to ask BEFORE you cut lumber, NOT AFTER?

Chapter 6:

1. Why does Mr. Farrell keep Henry as a carpenter?

2. To what did the author compare the connection between Zachary, Josiah, and Seth on page 49?

Chapter 7:

1. Why do you think Seth took a different route to work on p. 55?

2. Explain why all the roofs in Galveston are slate.

Chapter 8:

1. Explain Josiah’s actions on page 63.


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Chapter 9:

1. What did Seth see everywhere he looked? (p. 72)

2. Explain the simile in the last paragraph of the chapter.

Chapter 10:

1. What was the problem with slate shingles?

2. How do you think the horrible sights will affect Josiah and Seth?

Chapter 11:

1. Explain Seth’s decision of objects to put in his pockets. (p. 84)

Chapter 12:

1. Why did Mrs. Vedder hold a mirror to the baby?

2. What is Seth’s biggest concern? (p. 96)

Chapter 13:

1. Describe the problem with the cisterns. Why is this bad for everyone?

2. Why do you think the dog was next to the girl in the mud?

Chapter 14:

1. What simile was used to describe the bodies tied to the nun’s body?

2. What was the importance of Seth’s action on page 110?

Chapter 15:

1. Why couldn’t Josiah call Seth by just his first name? Is this still true today? Explain.

2. Why did Seth continue to call Sarah Louise’s name?

Chapter 16:

1. What did the author mean on page 122 by “stories crowded the streets”?

2. Describe Aunt Julia’s house after the storm.

Chapter 17:

1. How was Matt reacting to what he had seen?

2. Why do you think Seth kept the shriveled flower petals?

Chapter 18:

1. Whose job was it to clear away the corpses?

2. What was Seth’s reaction to his father leaving to rebuild the bridge? Do you agree with Seth?

Explain.


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Chapter 19:

1. What was Lucas’s surprise?

2. What did the author mean on page 157 by this sentence: “There just weren’t words big enough

to speak of such things.”

Chapter 20:

1. Why did Seth make a sign for Sarah Louise?

2. Describe Ella Rose’s actions on page 164.

Chapter 21:

1. Henry and Ella Rose both gave similar reasons for their actions on p. 171. Explain.

2. Why are the bodies being burned?

3. Explain why the burning makes such a difference to Matt, Aunt Julia, and Ella Rose.

Chapter 22:

1. What was wrong with eating fresh fish?

2. List 5 things that showed life was returning to normal in Galveston.

Chapter 23:

1. Should Seth’s family move away from Galveston? Explain your answer.

Chapter 24:

1. Explain Seth’s feelings when he realized his father was watching him work on page 194.

Chapter 25:

1. What metaphor did the author use on p. 202?

Chapter 26:

1. List two reminders of the hurricane and three ways Galveston was recovering on page 203.

Chapter 27:

1. What fraction of students was missing from school when it reopened?

2. What happened to help school become normal again?

Chapter 28:

1. What was Seth hoping to avoid on page 212?

2. What was so funny on page 213?


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Chapter 29:

1. The author used metaphors on page 218: “carve away” and “sand the rough parts”. What was

being carved and sanded?

2. What kind of reaction did Seth expect from his father? What reaction did he receive?


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EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS CHART

Title and Author: Dark Water Rising by Marion Hale

ESSENTIAL QUESTION: How do disasters affect human relationships?

What answer does this novel provide to the essential question?

What evidence from the text can you use to support your answer?

SYNTHESIS STATEMENT (Use the ABC method):

What does this novel say about the way disasters affect human relationships?


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Title and Author: _________________________________________________________

Genre:________________________________________________________


What answer does this passage provide to the essential question?



What does this passage say about the way disasters affect human relationships?


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Title and Author: _________________________________________________________

Genre:________________________________________________________


What answer does this passage provide to the essential question?



What does this passage say about the way disasters affect human relationships?


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FINAL SYNTHESIS OF ALL THREE READINGS


What COMMON ANSWERS do ALL THREE passages provide to the essential question? (In

other words, what would all three authors likely agree is the answer to the essential question?)

Provide the BEST evidence from each that that

supports your answer.


What are the common ideas in all three readings about the way disasters affect human relationships? Provide the BEST evidence from each passage that supports your answer.

Documents

Grade 8 Pre-AP ELAR Summer Reading Assignment 2017 ... · Grade 8 Pre-AP ELAR Summer Reading Assignment 2017 Pasadena ISD 3 7. Finally, after completing the novel, two additional