Summer Reading and Classroom Supplies

All seventh graders are required to read two books and complete the related assignments:

1.Seventh graders can choose to read any grade-level book, including fiction, non fiction or graphic novel.  After reading the book, students should draw a detailed map of the setting. Include significant places from the story and be sure to label all of the locations on the map and use detail and color.  The map should be drawn on a minimum size of 8” x 11” paper or maximum size of 22” x 28” poster board. 

2. Seventh graders will select a book from the list below and, in 3-4 typed paragraphs, describe the main character(s), setting and conflict of the novel.

Students may select:

Realistic Fiction
Ghost – Jason Reynolds
Booked – Kwame Alexander
Hatchet – Gary Paulsen
City of Ember – Jeanne Deprau
The Fault in Our Stars – John Greene
Stargirl – Jerry Spinelli
Wonder – R.J. Palaccio
Trouble – Gary D. Schmidt
The Wednesday Wars - Gary D. Schmidt
When You Reach Me – Rebecca Stead
The Maze Runner – James Dashner
A Good Kind of Trouble - Lisa Moore Ramee

Historical Fiction
Crispin - Avi
My Brother Sam is Dead – James Lincoln Collier & Christopher Collier
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – Christopher Paul Curtis
Fever 1793 - Laurie Halse Anderson

Science Fiction
Enders Game – Orson Scott Card
The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins

Sports
Heat - Mike Lupica

Science
Mosquitos Don't Bite Me - Pendred Noyce
Rosalind Franklin - A Life Story - Michael Ford
Bees on the Roof - Robbie Shell
The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind - William Kamkwamba & Bryan Mealer
The Walking Fish - Rachelle Burk & Kopel Burk

Non-Fiction
Facing Frederick: The Life of Frederick, a Monumental American Man - Tonya Bolden

8th Grade English:  Students should choose one of the following books and read it:  Life of Pi by Yann Martel, The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger or The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.  Please highlight or copy down (with page numbers!) at least five quotes from the book relating to the main character’s thoughts, actions, or speech. When school begins, students will write an essay on their chosen novel during the first couple weeks of classes. 

Students will read Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets, Massachusetts, 1653 (The Royal Diaries) by Patricia Clark Smith.  An oral book report will be due during the first week of school (Friday, Sept. 4). The oral book report should be an audio file. The body of the oral book report should be a discussion of the way of life of the Pocasset tribe. 

Students should address the following sub-topics: Weetamoo’s interaction with her immediate family, tribal food gathering (fishing, farming, and hunting), religious practices (including a discussion of Weetamoo’s interaction with the spirit world), recreational activities, social activities (includes your re-telling of a story told by one of the elders), inter-tribal relations between the Pocassets and the Wampanoags, and the Pocasset tribe’s relations with the English colonists. The concluding section should be a critique of the book.  Naturally, you should point out what you liked and disliked about the book.

Note: The recording should be about 10 minutes in length. The final draft grade for the oral book report assignment will be equivalent to two test grades.

 

English 9:  Students will read The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline. Students will complete small activities along with a larger written assessment and formal discussion in the first two weeks of classes.

English 10:  Students will read Exit West by Mohsin Hamid and will write an essay on the book during the first two weeks of the trimester.

English 11 & English 11 Honors: Students will read The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez and will write an essay on the book during the first two weeks of the trimester.

English Electives (12th grade):  Students will be enrolled in trimester electives, and there is no summer reading assigned.

AP Art History:  No summer reading assigned – instead, students will complete a written assignment based on an introductory PowerPoint, which will be posted on the class website at http://pcdapah1516.weebly.com. The PowerPoint and the assignment will be available on the website by July 15th and Ms. Delamatre will email the class with the site password.  The completed assignment will be due in class on the first day of school and will count as a quiz grade.

The majority of math classes (see exceptions below) are expected to complete summer math review using an online program called IXL.  IXL is an online learning site that provides unlimited practice in over 6,000 math topics.  IXL breaks down topics into progressive skills for each grade level and content area, and provides immediate feedback with question-specific explanations for every incorrect answer. 

Based on their math course, students will be e-mailed a list of topics they are expected to practice over the summer.  In order for students to access the system, and for teachers to monitor progress, each student will be assigned an individual IXL account.  Information about how to log on will be e-mailed to students and parents by July 7th.  

*Exceptions: PreCalculus, PreCalculus Honors, Senior Electives, AP Statistics, Calculus, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus AB/BC.  These courses either do not have assigned review or teachers will be emailing review instructions / packets directly to enrolled students rather than using IXL.

 

AP Latin:  Students are expected to read The Aeneid in English (any translation) and a test will be given on the text in the first two weeks of school.  A practice test will be used to prepare them before the actual assessment.

AP Biology:  Demon in the Freezer by Richard Preston. Students should be prepared to discuss general themes and there will be a written assignment in the first two weeks of class.

Honors Chemistry:  Caesar's Last Breath: And Other True Tales of History, Science, and the Sextillions of Molecules in the Air Around Us by Sam Kean.  An accompanying reading guide and assignment will be emailed to students and posted on Google Classroom and these should be completed while reading.