BRICK TOWNSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOLS 101 HENDRICKSON AVENUE BRICK, NEW JERSEY (732) x3042

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1 BRICK TOWNSHIP PUBLIC SCHOOLS 101 HENDRICKSON AVENUE BRICK, NEW JERSEY (732) x3042 OFFICE OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTION Jayne VanNosdall, English Re: Grade 8 Summer Reading Dear th Grade Parents, May, 2016 Reading is an essential component of excellence in education. The latest research clearly shows that students who read frequently on their own have better literacy skills, higher standardized test scores, a richer command of language, and higher overall performance in school as compared to those who do not read independently. That being said, please join us in supporting Summer Reading Summer Reading Assignment (due on the first day of school): Choose ONE book from the following list to read: Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen Unwind by Neal Shusterman Monster by Walter Dean Myers The Giver by Lois Lowry Things Not Seen by Andrew Clements The Boy Who Dared by Susan Campbell Bartoletti Complete the attached 3-page Summer Reading Graphic Organizer that focuses on the development of the protagonist in your book. Students will be able to use this graphic organizer on an in-class essay exploring the development of the protagonist during the first week of school. Summer is a time for exploration and fun, and it is also a wonderful opportunity to strengthen the foundation for a lifelong love of reading. We are attaching a list of the reading strategies. These strategies will help to strengthen your child s ability to read and comprehend. We urge you to take some time to review this list with your child. Use it to assist your child when he/she reads. These seven comprehension strategies will help to create lifelong readers. The summer reading novels will be available at Barnes and Noble bookstore and the Ocean County Library. Both locations have stocked their shelves just for you! We look forward to meeting and working with your child this fall. Sincerely, Eighth Grade Language Arts Teachers

2 Seven Keys to Reading Comprehension 1. Activating background knowledge to make connections between new and known information. In many classrooms, this instruction is divided into three categories of connection as defined by Colleen Buddy - text-to-self, text-to-text, and text-to-world (Buddy quoted in Keene and Zimmerman, 2007). Making connections help students identify with text, relate to text and, in turn, understand text better. 2. Questioning the text. Proficient readers are always asking questions while they read. Sticky notes (postits) have become ubiquitous in classrooms in part because they are such a useful tool for teaching students to stop, mark text, and note questions as they read. 3. Drawing inferences. Proficient readers use their prior knowledge about a topic and the information they have gleaned in the text thus far to make predictions about what might happen next. When teachers demonstrate or model their reading processes for students through think-alouds, they often stop and predict what will happen next to show how inferring is essential for comprehending text. 4. Determining importance. In the sea of words that is any text, readers must continually sort through and prioritize information. Teachers often assist readers in analyzing everything from text features in nonfiction text like bullets and headings, to verbal cues in novels like strong verbs. Looking for these clues can help readers sift through the relative value of different bits of information in texts. 5. Creating mental images. Readers are constantly creating mind pictures as they read, visualizing action, characters, or themes. Teachers are using picture books with students of all ages, not necessarily because they are easy to read, but because the lush and sophisticated art in these books can be a great bridge for helping students see how words and images connect in meaning-making. 6. Repairing understanding when meaning breaks down. Proficient readers don't just plow ahead through text when it doesn't make sense - they stop and use "fix-up" strategies to restore their understanding. One of the most important fix-up tools is rereading, with teachers demonstrating to students a variety of ways to reread text in order to repair meaning. 7. Synthesizing information. Synthesis is the most sophisticated of the comprehension strategies, combining elements of connecting, questioning, and inferring. With this strategy, students move from making meaning of the text, to integrating their new understanding into their lives and world view. Helping your child understand and utilize these reading comprehension strategies will help him/her become a better reader and, hopefully, a lover of reading. (The following pages are due on the first day of school)

3 Name: Characterization Profile Analysis Date: Directions: Begin at the star and complete each box as indicated. Use specific quotations from the book and include the page numbers. IMPORTANT: Make the black star area the last thing you complete. What the character says Important Information about the character What the character does EXAMPLES FROM THE TEXT WITH PAGE # Title: Author: Main Character (Protagonist): What the character thinks EXAMPLES FROM THE TEXT WITH PAGE # How others interact with the character Inferences you can make about this character

4 Name: Character Trait Analysis Map Date: Directions: Fill in the starred information, then, write four traits most exhibited by the protagonist (your character) of your book. Follow the arrows as indicated. IMPORTANT: Include specific textual evidence, quotes, and page numbers. Sample Character Traits Active Adventurous Affectionate Ambitious Bossy Caustic Cold-hearted Cheerful Conceited Cruel Determined Devoted Mean Smart Obnoxious Stubborn Optimistic Talkative Patient Tough Persistent Talkative Pessimistic Tough Picky Unforgiving Playful Unmerciful Quarrelsome Wicked Religious Wild Rough Zany Rude Title: Author: Character: Dishonest Satisfied Disloyal Disparaging Disrespectful Educated Faithful Fidgety Funny Selfcentered Selfish Shy Silly Sincere Sly

5 Character Development Analysis Title: Author: Directions: Use examples, specific details, and quotes, from the novel, to explain how strongly, or not so strongly, your main character (protagonist) developed throughout the novel. IMPORTANT: You must include page numbers with your text evidence/quotes. Character (protagonist) at the beginning. Does Name: Date: Protagonist s Name: What problem/conflict must your protagonist solve? How does he/she solve the problem/conflict? Character (protagonist) at the end. Does Says Says What character traits help your protagonist solve the problem/conflict? How are they helpful? Thinks Thinks