WINTER PACKET FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL LANGUAGE ARTS

Transcription

1 WINTER PACKET FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL LANGUAGE ARTS One of the most important things you can do to develop as a reader and writer is to constantly practice the skills! While you are home, plan at least 40 minutes a day for independent reading. Many of the activities in this packet require you to first read a book. If you don t have books readily available at home, check out the following websites for online books: Tumblebooks: (Click on Student Portal, Doorway #2, and then scroll down to Tumblebooks. Contact your school s media specialist for the password.) Grolier Encyclopedia and World Book Encyclopedia: (Click on Student Portal, Doorway #2, and then scroll down to the encyclopedia links. Contact your school s media specialist for the passwords.) Storyline Online (Books to Read Online) National Geographic for Kids (Click on Stories for Online Articles) Additional Sites for Online Education Fun Read Write Think- Student Activities NASA for Kids Online Games: Brain Pop Educational Games World Almanac for Kids

2 ACTIVITY # 1 Read a short story or narrative novel of your choice independently. Follow the directions below as you write a response to the story you have read. FIGURING OUT THE STORY STRUCTURE plot problem characters resolution/denouement r setting/exposition The setting is where the story takes place and is included in the exposition or beginning of the story or novel. The plot is the sequence of related events that make up the story. Most characters are introduced in the beginning. Identify the main character in the novel or story you are reading. Some characters are dynamic, they change as a result of events in the story, and some characters are static, they do not change as the plot unfolds. Does the character change from the beginning of the story to the end? Without a conflict there is no story!

3 The conflict is what makes the story interesting and exciting. Sometimes a conflict can be internal, a struggle within a character, and sometimes a conflict can be external, a struggle between opposing forces. Near the end, the conflict is solved. This is called the resolution, denouement, or conclusion. After reading your novel or story, write a response explaining the above literary elements.

4 ACTIVITY #2 After reading your short story or novel, map the key events and main ideas. Then, turn your notes into a summary. Your summary should include the main idea and significant details of the piece. Express the ideas and details in your own words, showing that you understand the meaning of the short story or novel.

5 Activity #3 Go back through the first page of the story or novel you have read. Identify five nouns. Remember, a noun is a person, place, thing or idea. Example: people: Americans, veterinarian; place: Lake Mead; thing: bumblebee; ideas: strength. Label the noun proper or common. A proper noun names a particular person, place or thing and should be capitalized. List all the proper nouns you find. Complete the same activity for adjectives. Adjectives are words that are used to describe a noun or pronoun. Example: one hamburger; extravagant tie; little rain

6 ACTIVITY #4: WRITING CONNECTION Think about the article or book you have read. Write a letter to the author explaining something you have learned from the reading. Remember to use details to elaborate your ideas.

7 ACTIVITY# 5- VOCABULARY Select a word from the short story or novel that was challenging for you and complete the concept of definition map below independently or with support.

8 ACTIVITY #6 List as many words as you can into the categories below. Remember to use a CAPITAL LETTER at the beginning of all proper nouns (EX: Ford Mustang in the car column). When you ve listed all the words you can think of independently, ask your friends and family members to help. Try to fill up all spaces. Vegetables Sports Restaurants Movies/TV Shows Cars Candy

9 ACTIVITY #7- NON-FICTION READING Read a non-fiction book or article independently or have someone at home partner read with you. Tile of Book/Article: Author: List 3 facts from the book/article: Write one sentence that summarizes the main idea of the book/article: List three new words you learned from this book/article:

10 ACTIVITY #8 Look through a book and find different types of punctuation. On a separate sheet of paper, write your own sentence using the punctuation mark..?!, ; :

11 ACTIVITY 9 Character Map Read a fictional book of your choice. Choose a character from the story and write his/her name in the circle. Write words (adjectives) that describe your character on the lines below. These are character traits.

12 ACTIVITY #10 Choose one of the traits on your web to develop an essay. Think of examples from the story or novel that helped you choose that specific adjective to describe him/her. Write an essay to explain how the character demonstrated the trait. Remember to elaborate your ideas. The activities in this packet can be differentiated to meet the needs of all students.