Grade+8+Summer+Reading+Assignment


 * Welcome, Incoming 8th Graders! **

We are looking forward to meeting you in the fall and working with you this year. We hope that you will continue to read many different things over the summer – books, blogs, articles, poetry, etc. To kick off the year, students will be sharing //one// great **__nonfiction book__** from your summer reading with your Literature Links class. We hope that hearing about all the great books your peers read over the summer will help you find some new books to add to your own “Books I Want to Read” list!

//Why read over the summer?// Summer is a great time to find a nonfiction book on a topic that really interests you. Summer reading helps you to use and hold on to all the reading skills you have developed. It prepares you to be a stronger student when you come back to school!


 * A reminder – Nonfiction is writing based on facts, real events, and real people, such as biographies, science, current events, and history.**



** STEP #1 **


 * READ ** a grade-appropriate work of **__nonfiction__** of interest to you. If you need help finding a nonfiction book, try looking at websites such as[| www.goodreads.com], which has a section called “Popular Teen Nonfiction Books.” Here are some possibilities from Amazon.com’s list of nonfiction books for middle school readers. These are just suggested titles – choose something of interest at your own reading level. Be sure your parent/guardian approves of your selection.

//Note: The higher the AR number at the end of the review, the more challenging the book is to read.//

[|Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board] "Bethany Hamilton was one of the country’s top amateur surfers before a shark attacked her in October 2003, severing her left arm from her body. She has since returned to surfing and is an official spokesperson for RipCurl. AR: 6.0"

[|The Diary of a Young Girl] "Anne Frank's diaries have always been among the most moving and eloquent documents of the Holocaust. This new edition restores diary entries omitted from the original edition, revealing a new depth to Anne's dreams, irritations, hardships, and passions. Anne emerges as more real, more human, and more vital than ever. AR: 6.5"

[|Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust (Booklist Editor's Choice. Books for Youth (Awards))] "Not all Jews walked obediently into Hitler's gas chambers during the Holocaust. There are many stories of Jews who took up arms and fought the might of Nazi Germany. Despite being vastly outnumbered, out-gunned and out-trained, these Jews refused to succumb to Hitler's genocide. They fought in city streets, villages, forests, ghettos and inside Nazi labor and death camps. AR: 7.4"

[|Chew on This] "This book reveals the truth about what lurks between those sesame seed buns, what a chicken "nugget" really is, and how the fast food industry has been feeding off children for generations. A true eye-opener and life-changer. Does contain some graphic descriptions of slaughter houses that may not be for all readers. AR: 8.1"

[|Hawk: Occupation: Skateboarder (Skate My Friend, Skate)] "Tony was a hyperactive child with an I44 IQ. He threw tantrums, terrorized the nanny until she quit, exploded with rage whenever he lost a game. When his brother, Steve, gave him a blue plastic hand-me-down skateboard and his father built a skate ramp in the driveway, Tony finally found his outlet--while skating, he could be as hard on himself as he was on everyone around him. AR: 7.0"

[|Behind Rebel Lines: The Incredible Story of Emma Edmonds, Civil War Spy] "This biography recounts the story of the Canadian woman who disguised herself as a man and slipped behind Confederate lines to spy for the Union army. AR: 5.7"

[|Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith] "This book chronicles the lives of British scientist Charles Darwin and his wife, Emma, discussing their personal life, relationship with their children, Darwin's early scientific research, and the development of his theory of evolution. AR: 7.6"

[|Temple Grandin: How the Girl Who Loved Cows Embraced Autism and Changed the World] "This biography, complete with Temple's personal photos, takes us inside her extraordinary mind and opens the door to a broader understanding of autism. AR: 7.0"

[|Charles Dickens and the Street Children of London] "This biography discusses how Charles Dickens's upbringing and observations of the poor led him to write novels to bring attention to the plight of London's destitute children. AR: 8.2"

[|Through My Eyes] "Tim Tebow traces his path to success, his childhood as the son of Christian missionaries, and how his faith combined with his drive to succeed have made him the person he is today. AR: 6.9"

[|Kids Who Rule: The Remarkable Lives of Five Child Monarchs] "Every kid dreams of becoming royalty, but being a child monarch is not all glory and bossing people around. Behold the startling realities of five junior rulers from history. AR: 7.4"

[|Beyond the Dance: A Ballerina's Life] "Born in Beijing to dancer parents, Chan Hon Goh tells the story of their flight to Canada from an oppressive regime that thwarted her fatherÂ’s career, her rigorous training, and her battle to achieve acceptance. AR: 7.5"

[|The Bone Detectives: How Forensic Anthropologists Solve Crimes and Uncover Mysteries of the Dead] "This book explores the world of forensic anthropology and its applications in solving crimes. AR: 7.8"

[|Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916] "This book details the first documented cases in American history of sharks attacking swimmers, which occurred along the Atlantic coast of New Jersey in 1916. AR: 8.3"

[|Famous Firsts: The Trendsetters, Groundbreakers, and Risk-Takers Who Got America Moving! (My America)] "This book chronicles several groundbreaking Americans whose ideas turned into international sports trends, including cheerleading, sled-dog racing, trampolining, and snowboarding. AR: 7.2"

[|Green Careers: You Can Make Money AND Save the Planet] "This book contains stories of inspiring, impassioned young people who love being part of the environmental job market. AR: 7.3"

[|Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance] "During the 1914 Shackleton Antarctic expedition, after being trapped in a frozen sea for nine months, the ship, "Endurance," was finally crushed, forcing Shackleton and his men to make a very long and perilous journey. AR: 7.3"

[|Bad Boy: A Memoir] "Walter Dean Myers tells the details of his Harlem childhood in the 1940s and 1950s and how he came to be a writer. AR: 6.5"

[|The Omnivore's Dilemma: Young Readers Edition] "This young-reader's edition of THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA: A NATURAL HISTORY OF FOUR MEALS offers a thought-provoking look at what we eat and how it is produced. AR: 6.8"

[|Outbreak! Plagues That Changed History] "This book examines some of the world's worst diseases, such as smallpox, tuberculosis, the Black Death, and cholera, and describes how each of these epidemics helped changed the history of medicine. AR: 8.9"

[|Years of Dust] "In the 1930s, dangerous black storms swept through the Great Plains. Created by drought and reckless farming, these lethal storms were part of an environmental, economic, and human catastrophe that changed the course of American history. AR: 7.4"

[|The Radioactive Boy Scout: The Frightening True Story of a Whiz Kid and His Homemade Nuclear Reactor] "David Hahn, the Michigan teenager who tried to build a nuclear breeder reactor in his backyard in 1994, endangered the residents of his Michigan hometown and raised the ire of the federal government. AR: 10.1"

[|The Privilege of Youth: A Teenager's Story of Longing for Acceptance and Friendship] "With his usual sensitivity and insight, the author charts a crucial turning point in his life as he recounts the relentless taunting he endured from bullies as well as the joys of learning and the thrill of making his first real friends. AR: 6.9"

** Step #2 **


 * CREATE ** a visual display about your book, using a manila folder. Be creative and thoughtful in your presentation. You may create each section electronically or by hand. Remember that the purpose of the activity is to persuade others to read your book!

//* Instead of the manila folder, you are allowed to create an electronic version of this assignment if you prefer. Just be sure to include all of the same information, clearly labeled. Bring to class on a thumb drive.//


 * Front cover: || Back cover: ||
 * Title

Author

Illustration(s) that reflect the subject of the text || Your name Lit Links Teacher Lit Links Class Period Your autobiography! Tell us a little about you! You might include: Pictures that illustrate your autobiography. ||
 * Family
 * Friends
 * Places you’ve lived or traveled
 * Interests
 * Talents
 * Hopes/ plans for your future
 * Pets
 * Favorites


 * Inside left page: || Inside right page: ||
 * Summary of the book – An objective summary tells the subject and key ideas discussed in the text. Do not include unnecessary details or your personal opinion of the book.

Details -- List the five most interesting facts you learned about this topic from the book.

Illustrations relevant to the text. || Author Bias -- What was the author’s point of view on the subject of this book? For example, if the book was about the American diet, did the author believe the American diet is healthy or unhealthy? Explain how you know the author’s point of view. List two pieces of evidence from the book that support your point. Provide the page numbers for each quote.

Review – Did you like the book? Why or not? To whom would you recommend this book? Why? How difficult was this book to read – was it too easy? Too hard? Just right? How was the information in the book organized? Was it divided into chapters chronologically (by date), or by topic? Did the writer use charts, pictures, graphs, etc.? Did the book provide enough information on the topic? Did it leave you with questions that it never answered? For an example of a nonfiction book review, see []. ||
 * __DUE DATE__** – **MONDAY, SEPT. 12, 2016**


 * __RUBRIC__**
 * || 5 || 3 || 1 || 0 ||
 * Completion || All required information included. Ideas fully developed. || Most required information included. Ideas clearly presented. || Some required information included. Ideas may be unclear at times. || Missing most/ all required information. ||
 * Writing Quality || Few errors in sentence formation, capitalization, and spelling. || Some errors in sentence formation, capitalization, and spelling. || Many errors in sentence formation, capitalization, and spelling. || Severe errors interfere with reader’s understanding of the text. ||
 * Creativity/neatness || Product shows great attention to detail. It is visually appealing and neatly assembled. || Product is well-organized and neatly presented. || Product shows an attempt at organizing but may be messy or difficult to read. || Product lacks any organization. It is difficult for the reader to follow the information. ||
 * On time? ||||  || Yes || No ||


 * __QUESTIONS? –__** If you have questions about this assignment over the summer, please contact Dr. Ryan Monaghan at rmonaghan@ojrsd.com.

We are looking forward to meeting you and hearing about all of your great books! ~ The Eighth Grade Literature Links Staff //*All IEP accommodations provided to students during the school year are available to students for the summer reading assignments.//