9-12 Summer Reading Assignment
(Download as a Word Document here)
To: All 9-12 Students and Parents
Here’s a summer reading assignment. I hope that all of you will be regularly spending some time reading this summer. Summer reading builds fluency and keeps your brain flexible and ready for the coming year. I expect that most of you will be reading a lot more than what I’m assigning, but, however much else you read, I would like everyone to do this reading so we have some literature in common to discuss together right at the beginning of school.
(The end of the summer is really the time for this, so it’s fresh in your minds when you come back, and I’ll send a reminder in the August mailing, but I didn’t want it to come as a surprise, and some like to take care of it early.)
Returning 5th and 6th year students:
Read at least 2 books from the list of Nutmeg Award candidates. These books can be found on a special shelf in every Connecticut library. Evaluate each book, answering the questions from the attached “Nutmeg Questions” sheet. If you’ve already read the Nutmeg books, choose your 2 favorites to report on.
Incoming 4th year students:
Read one of the following books and be prepared to write about and discuss it in the first week of school. These are classics that you should be able to find in any library, but if you have trouble finding them, let me know and I can arrange for you to borrow one from the school.
The Farthest Away Mountain by Lynn Reid Banks
or
Because of Wynn Dixie by Kate diCamillo
Enjoy books in all forms this summer – audio books are great for long road trips and books can be downloaded to iPods at many libraries. No excuses – read!
(5th and 6th year students write answers to these questions and bring them in on the first day of school)
- Does the book have strong characters? Describe at least one character in detail showing how what they did or said helped you learn about them.
- Does the book have a setting that comes alive for you? Tell, in detail, where and when this book took place. Tell why (or why not) the setting was important to the story.
- Give examples of language in this book. How do the words fit the characters’ age and characteristics? Or, how do the words fit the time period of the book’s setting?
- Make a plot map of the book, showing the order of events or how the action moved. Was it well-constructed?
- Is the ending plausible? In other words does it fit the rest of the book and satisfy you as a reader?
- Rate this book from one to ten (ten being the best) as an example of good literature for your age group. Is it a Nutmeg winner?
Oak Grove Montessori School
132 Pleasant Valley Road Mansfield, CT 06250-1521
Telephone 1.860.456.1031 Fax 1.860.456.2907
admin@ogms.org