Dear Family, Summer Reading Assignments Welcome to 6th Grade! Lilburn Middle School We are looking forward to the up-coming school year. All rising 6 th grade students are required to read at least one novel during the summer. After reading a teacher-approved book from the list below, select one assignment from the list provided. Complete and have the assignment ready to turn in to your Language Arts teacher upon the start of the school year. Your reading assignment will be included in your 1 st quarter grades as a project/ test grade. Approved Book List Book Titles/Authors Reading Levels Book Titles/Authors Reading Levels Hope Was Here J. Bauer 6.7 Pictures of Hollis Woods- P. Giff 6.4 A Week in the Woods - A. Clements 6.3 Sparrow Hawk B. Mikaelson 6.0 Into the Wild - E. Hunter Gossamer- L. Lowry Fever 1793 L. Anderson 5.4 Brian s Winter G. Paulsen Parvana s Journey D. Ellis Shadow Catcher B. Levin 7.0 The Thief Lord C. Funke 6.8 Sammy Keys and the Hotel Thief - W. Van Draanen The House of the Scorpion N. 6.3 The Messenger L. Lowry 6.3 Farmer Walk Two Moons S. Creech 6.6 An American Plague J. Murphy Against all Oppositions J. Haskins Anne of Green Gables L.M. 6.9 Montgomery The Voyages of Dr. Doolittle H. 6.9 Heidi J. Spyri 8.2 Lofting Kokopelli s Flute W. Hobbs 6.5 The Seaman: The Dog Who Explored the 5.5 West with Lewis and Clark G. Karwosky My Side of the Mountain J. C. 5.9 A Step from Heaven An Na 4.2 George Missing May C. Rylant 6.7 Stealing South: A Story of the 7.5 Underground Railroad K. Ayers A Girl Named Disaster N. Farmer 5.9 Stormbreaker A. Horowitz 8.5 Farenheit 451 R. Bradbury 9.0 Things Not Seen A. Clements 7.3 Black Beauty Anna Sewell 7.7 The Westing Game E. Raskins 7.0 Letters from Rifka - The Three Musketeers J. Le Clercq 7.5 Parrot in the Oven: Mi Vida V. Emily Post: Teen Etiquette E. Post 8.5 Martinez The Red Scarf Ji-Li Jiang The Diary of Ma Yan M. Yan The Case of the Monkeys that Fell 6.9 The Diary of Anne Frank - 9.0 through the Trees S. Quinlan A View from Saturday- E.L. Konisburg 6.9 The Pearl John Steinbeck 4.7
Cut the coupon below and return with your completed summer reading assignment. I. Movie Producer: Imagine that you are the author of a book from the approved list above. Suddenly, your book becomes a best seller. Write a one page letter to a movie producer trying to interest him/her in creating a movie based on your book. Explain why the story, characters, conflicts, etc., would make a good film. Suggest a filming location, and the actors to play the various roles. II. Alternate Ending: Write an alternate ending for a book from the approved list above. Make sure that you use the author s style and stay true to the characters. The alternate ending should include a trailer from the book then a connection to the new ending. III. Board Game: Create a board game for a book from the approved list above. Your board game must include a set of written directions, clear objective, rules of the game, and a set of questions (15-20) that relate to the book. IV. Newspaper Page: Create a newspaper cover page which includes three parts: (1)Write an article summarizing the main events that happened in the novel. Be sure to answer WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW. Include quotations from the character s involved. (2)Write an interview with the main character of your novel. This must include the reporter s questions (5) and the character s answers (5). You will make up the character s answers, but they should reflect the character s personality and the events that occurred in the novel. (3) A three panel comic strip detailing one scene from the novel. (color optional) V. Plot Poster: Prepare a poster board book report using the Plot Diagram format. Use the Story Elements vocabulary words throughout your poster presentation. Purchase a poster board and gather other needed materials. Plan how you will organize your Plot diagram and the information. First, write a rough draft of the important information. Draw your plot diagram and leave plenty of writing room. Write in all of your information on the plot diagram. Use an animated character to guide the reader through the plot diagram book report. Add pictures and color. Creativity counts. *For specific details for each assignment, please visit www.lilburnms.com click Resources to download printable copies of the grading rubrics.
Game Board Rubric 5=WOW! 4=Good! 3=Almost There2= Back to the Drawing Board 1=No Way! Neatness and Organization Game is designed neatly and is colorful, with legible writing and appropriately sized spaces, making people want to play the game. Game board is a convenient size for storage and transportation. Game is designed with extreme care in organization and materials. Name of book and author, as well as game designer, are prominently displayed on game rules, or packaging. Instruction for Play Step-by-step rules of the game are clearly written with few mechanical errors. Rules may be easily followed including while game is being played. Players are able to follow the directions without the assistance of the game designer. The theme/goal of the book is clearly presented in the rules as the object of the game. Players achieve the thematic goal at the end of the game. Questions A minimum of at least 15 questions are included in the game. The information presented in each question is accurate. A variety of questions are presented that demonstrate knowledge of the characters, setting, plot, conflict, resolution, and theme found in the book. Playing Pieces All game pieces are included an they relate to the story (ex. characters or symbolic representations). Total Points /20
Alternative Story Ending Rubric and Directions Read the rubric. Follow the writing process. The first word of each sentence must be capitalized, and end with an appropriate punctuation mark. Indent the first sentence of each paragraph. Each paragraph may have a minimum of five sentences Let your writing style shine through. Character names must be given, please do not use too many pronouns. Stay true to the characters. The use of adjectives is a great way to add imagery to the setting. The resolution of the story must tell in detail how the conflict was resolved. Point Scale Requirements 5= "Write" on it! 4= So "write" 3= Almost "write" there 2= Al "write" now 1= Barely "write" Story includes Novel Title, Novel Genre, Author, Student Name (first and last). Story is in published form. All information included in the story is well organized, well written, and in the student's own voice (words). Story demonstrates strong critical thinking and effort. The story includes a clear detailed resolution that uses the author's style. Total Points /25
One-Page Hollywood Movie Letter Standard Letter Format Your letter should include all of the standard features of a letter including the return address, the date, a salutation, a clear body, a closing, and a signature. Grammar and Mechanics Your letter should be written following the conventions of standard American English. Your letter should be accurately punctuated. Your letter should have been proofread so as to exclude fragments and run-on sentences. Your letter should adhere to standard spelling rules. Major Plot Points Summary In your letter to Hollywood producers, the major plot points in the novel you chose should be highlighted so as to give them a brief, yet thorough summary of the story. All major characters and how they are important to the story should be included. Persuasion and Creativity Your letter is creatively written and makes a sincere effort to "sell the story" to the producers. You have clear reasons why they should make a movie for the novel you selected. Appearance Your letter is neatly handwritten or typed and organized to look like a letter. Comments 25-21 =A 20-16 =B 15-11 = C 10-6 =D 5-0 =U Total Points
Newspaper Cover Page Article Summary of the story Interview Three-Panel Comic Strip Newspaper Rubric Title of Newspaper Date Issue Number By Title of the book in a creative newspaper headline. Be sure to answer the five W s and one H questions within the text of your article. WHO WHERE WHAT WHEN WHY HOW Cite Specific quotations and or events from the story. Interview the main character of the novel. Include a list of five questions that a report may ask and the answers the character may give. The questions and answers must reflect the overall main idea of the story. Create a three-panel comic of events that occurred in the story. You use color on the panels or you may leave them without color. The panels must have words and pictures that relate to the story. Total Points /20 20-19/A 18-16/B 15-14/C 13-12/D comments:
Exposition Plot Diagram of the story Plot Diagram Poster Title of novel Author s name An expository paragraph that tells how the story opens, the characters, the setting, and the problem. Draw the plot diagram (mountain). Make sure the plot diagram contains: Identify the Conflict Identify the main characters, the protagonist, and the antagonist. Plot Diagram of the story Plot Diagram of the story Make sure the plot diagram contains: Three Rising Action Events Climax Three Falling Action Events Make sure the plot diagram contains: Resolution Tell how the problem was solved and who was involved. Conclusion Tell how the author brings the story to a closing. Total Points /20 20-19/A 18-16/B 15-14/C 13-12/D comments: