Galena Park Independent School District Summer Reading Acknowledgement 8 th Grade

Transcription

1 Galena Park Independent School District Summer Reading Acknowledgement 8 th Grade Date: Home Campus: Grade Level: 7th I understand that I have chosen to be enrolled in Pre-Advanced Placement English Language Arts class for the academic year. I understand that I must complete the attached summer reading requirement and that it will be for a grade. I also understand that I will be tested on the information included in the novel. The assignments are due to my teacher by September 14, Failure to complete the assignment will negatively affect my grade. For every day the project is late, 10% will be deducted from my total grade, up to a maximum of 50%. Student Signature Parent Signature

2 Dear Students: GALENA PARK ISD PRE-AP EIGHTH GRADE REQUIRED SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT Congratulations on your enrollment in the Pre-AP class for the school year. Pre-AP English Language Arts includes a summer reading component with required reading and responding. Getting started in the summer provides you with initial preparation for the course you will take next year, and allows you the flexibility to proceed on your own schedule and at your own pace. The summer reading assignment is due by Thursday, September 14, If you have any questions regarding the assignment during the summer, please feel free to Mrs. D. Coleman or Mrs. V. Davis at vdavis@galenaparkisd.com or dcoleman@galenaparkisd.com. The guidelines and requirements are clearly explained below. PRE-AP EIGHTH GRADE SUMMER ASSIGNMENT 1. Read the novel Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt. North Shore Middle School and Woodland Acres Elementary will have copies available for you to check out during the month of June. You may also visit your public library to obtain a copy of the novel, or you may choose to purchase your own book. If at any time during the summer you need a copy of the novel and the above options have not been successful, please sbush@galenaparkisd.com or lgucker@galenaparkisd.com. 2. Complete a literary term response journal for the novel and turn in by September 14, A. Please follow the directions provided at the top of the Literary Term Response Journal to complete the journal on the pages provided. 3. Character Analysis - Remember, characterization includes not only descriptions of a character s physical appearance and personality. It also depends on what the character says, does, acts, and how other characters regard him/her. Use blue or black ink or type the answer to each of the following questions. Answer in complete sentences. For your heading: Place your name at the top right corner. The title (Character Analysis) goes below the heading, centered, and below that, centered, goes the title of the book. Indent each paragraph or skip a line between paragraphs. Paragraph One (5-15 sentences) 1. Who is your favorite character in the book and why? Give details from the book to explain why this character is your favorite. 2. In what ways are you similar to this character? 3. In what ways are you different from this character? Paragraph Two (5-15 sentences) 1. The main character in a story always faces some kind of conflict or problem. What is the main character s conflict or problem? How is it resolved; in other words, how does it turn out in the end? 2. Have you ever faced a similar problem or do you know someone who faced a similar problem? Describe the situation. How was it resolved?

3 Paragraph Three (5-15 sentences) 1. Does the main character change during the course of the story? Does he/she learn a lesson or grow emotionally in some way? Explain using details from the story. 2. Looking back at your life, how have you changed the most in the last few years? What important lessons have you learned? 4. Mini Project Please choose one of the projects below to complete for your novel. A. Book Jacket 1. Fold a sheet of paper like its a hard cover book jacket. 2. On the cover create/include an illustration that will describe the story. 3. On the inside flap write a description of the main character. 4. On the inside back flap write a description of the central problem/conflict. 5. On the back cover create a plot diagram for the story. List the antagonist and protagonist. B. Newspaper (At least 1 page) 1. Summarize the plot in one article. 2. Cover the weather in another article. 3. Do a feature story on one of the more interesting characters. 4. Include an editorial about a character or an event from the story. 5. Also include a collection of ads that would be pertinent to the story. C. Diary (At least 2 pages) - Write a diary that one of the story's main characters might have kept before, during, or after the book's events. Remember that the character's thoughts and feelings are very important in a diary. D. Mini-Comic Book - Create a mini-comic book relating to a chapter of the book.

4 Literary Term Response Journal Rubric 34 Examples of terms from text Responses 2 to 3 sentences in length Chapter numbers included with quotes Page numbers included with quotes Character Analysis Rubric Favorite character explained with details from the book Ways you are similar to character Ways you are different from character Main character s conflict How main character s conflict is resolved Similar problem described with resolution explained Does main character grow emotionally in some way Explanation of whether or not character grows Explanation of lessons you have learned in the past few years or how you have changed Neatness, Spelling, and Grammar

5 Dialectical Journal Literary Terms with Across Five Aprils Literary terms are used to think about the many different ways that make a novel or other form of literature unique. Use the literary term definition and example on the left side of the journal to locate two examples of the literary term on the right. Responses should be 2-3 sentences in length, include chapter numbers and page numbers with the quotes. Literary Term-definition: 2 examples of each literary term from example Across Five Aprils 1. dialogue a conversation between characters: The rest is in our hands. But what will you do? We shall spend the night in your room, and we shall investigate the cause of this noise which has disturbed you. (a conversation) 2. diction - a writer s or speaker s word choice (formal or informal, plain or fancy, ordinary or technical, sophisticated or down to earth) My grandfather is in a nursing home in Brooklyn, and my mother wants me to spend some time with him, since the doctors say that he doesn t have too long to go now. (The diction is down to earth) 3. dialect - a form of language spoken by people. "What she doin coming back here in dem overhalls? (The dialect is Southern African American) 4. physical description of character the outside (external) description of a character (face, hair,eyes,weight,height,clothing). His hair was the color of corn shocks and his eyes were like the blue mountain sky (light blond hair and blue eyes) 2 dialogue examples 2 diction examples 2 dialect examples: 2 physical description examples

6 5. flashback a scene within a story that interrupts a sequence of events to related events that occurred in the past. Erika sat the bench that basketball game while her friends played on. She remembered second grade year when she was picked on constantly about her appearance. Everyone was staring at her again now. (Erika remembers a past event that reveals more of her isolated feelings in the present situation) 6. foreshadowing the author s use of clues to hint at what might happen later in the story. "On December the third the wind changed overnight and it was winter. There are more birds about than usual and daring, some taking no notice of the tractor. One or two gulls came so close to my head this afternoon I thought they'd knock my cap off." (These creepy occurrences tell the reader something uneasy will happen soon) 7. analogy makes a comparison between two or more things that are similar in some ways but otherwise unalike. Little sisters are more like flowers than cactuses. My job as an older sister is to help Amy bloom, but not starve her from water. 8. sensory detail/imagery words or phrases that appeal to the five senses (see, hear, smell, taste, touch). We laid on the freshly cut lawn and stared up into space while the icy wind blew across our faces. (the reader can smell the grass and feel the icy wind) 2 flashback examples 2 foreshadowing examples 2 analogy examples 2 imagery examples

7 9. figurative language writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally, used to state ideas in vivid and imaginative ways. His eyes were a carpet of gray and blue across the mountain sky. 10. simile a figure of speech that uses like or as to make a direct comparison between two unlike ideas. The sun is like a pocket of gold. or Jeremy was as mad as a lion. 11. personification a type of figurative language in which a nonhuman subject is given human characteristics. Shoes are my best friends. or This chair will not behave. 12. metaphor a figure of speech in which something is described as though it were something else without using like or as. I m so blue today. or The house is a wreck. 13. irony - a contradiction between what happens and what is expected. I could not believe my eyes: the fire department was in flames. 14. symbolism things that stand for or represent something else. A dove with an olive branch in its beak symbols peace or a king s crown symbols authority. 15. allusion a reference to a well known person, event, literary work, or work of art. My mother told me, do unto others as they would so unto you. (allusion to the ten-commandments) 2 figurative language examples 2 simile examples 2 personification examples 2 metaphor examples 2 irony examples 2 symbolism examples 2 allusion examples

8 16. parable a story that teaches a moral or religious lesson. The story of David and Goliath is a religious parable. or The story of the kid who jumped off a bridge because his friends did the same is a moral parable. 17. allegory - a form of extended metaphor where objects or persons have meanings that lie outside the story- usually of a moral, social, religious, or political significance, and characters are often personifications of abstract ideas as charity, greed, or envy. George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is an allegorical tale in which farm animals represent Communist Russia. The pigs symbolize the government; the dogs are the police force; and the rest of the animals symbolize the working class. 2 parable examples 2 allegory examples

9 Across Five Aprils Historical Fiction by Irene Hunt Awards Newbery Honor Book, 1965 Charles W. Follett Award, 1964 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, 1966 Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award Clara Ingram Judson Memorial Award, 1965 Summary Across Five Aprils is a historical novel about a boy, Jethro, who grows up during the Civil War. His family is divided when his brothers leave the family farm in Illinois to go fight, two for the North and one for the South. Life becomes almost unbearable when his father suffers a heart attack and Jethro is left with the responsibility of running the farm. His life is complicated by attacks from members of the community who blame his family for having a Southern sympathizer. He also wrestles with his decision to help a cousin who is a deserter knowing that his actions are against the law. Desperate, he writes a letter to President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's response not only helps his cousin but also enlightens Jethro about the complexities and horrors of war and the decisions that must be made. As the war comes to a close, Jethro finds himself dealing with new family dynamics and the opportunity to further his education.