Incoming 6th Graders Summer Assignments-L.A. 2016 Overview: 1. Personal Narrative Writing Assignment (10 pts.) 2. Attack of the Man-Eaters Writing Assignment (10 pts.) Attention! Attack of the Man-Eaters article is only avaiable in paper form and was passed out with your child s report card. Extra copies available at the office. 3. Lion Contest Writing Assignment (10 pts.) 4. Read 50 steps (10 pts) Due: August 26, 2016 Parent Signature Student Signature
Personal Narrative Writing Assignment Personal Narratives allow you to share your life with others and experience the things that happen around you. Your job as a writer is to put the reader in the midst of the action letting him or her live vicariously through your experience. Directions : Your task is to write a story or account of an event you experienced. Attatched is a great example by another 6 th grader and the prompts you can choose from. Here are some helpful tips to think about: Try to write about one short, strong emotional experience. Use logical ordering of events with a beginning, middle, and end. Audience is your teacher Must be written in the first person point of view (I, we, me) If you use dialogue, use in a purposeful way (shows action and not idle conversation). Try to leave the reader with a lesson or emotional connection! Try to includes lively, active verbs. Try to include sensory language that appeals to the readers five senses! Try to include descriptive language (awesome adjectives and adverbs). Grading :
Beginning that draws the reader in with a hook ( 2 pts.) Used paragraphs and transition words (first, next, finally) ( 2 pts.) Used Vivid Verbs and Descriptive, Sensory Language (see, hear, touch, smell, taste ( 2 pts.) Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling ( 2 pts. ) 1 2 pages typed, double spaced. ( 2 pts.) Pick one of the prompts below to write about: 1. Think about a day when nothing went right. It could have been anywhere. It might have been at home or at school. Write a story about this bad experience. 2. Your family celebrates special events such as birthdays, holidays, or other special times. Choose one family event and write a story about it. 3. Write about a time when something scary or exciting happened to you. What was going on around you that made it creepy or eerie, or unforgettable? 4. Think about a time you did something special with a brother, sister, family member, or friend. Sharing this event made you realize how close you were. Write about what made this time special. ***Attached is a great example of a personal narrative written by a 6 th grader! Read it to help you get an idea of what a good personal narrative should look like! Pay special attention to the annotations in the margins, they will help you write your narrative.
Attack of the Man-Eaters Assignment 1. After reading the article from Scope Magazine, write a paragraph explaining why petting farms should or should not be banned. Your paragraph should include at least one piece of text evidence in the form of a paraphrase or a direct quotation, and a sentence explaining how that evidence supports your central idea. Grading : Topic sentence that is the main idea of your paragraph ( 2 pts.) Used transition words (first, next, finally, in addition) ( 2 pts.)
Includes text evidence from article in quotation marks to support your main idea ( 2pts.) Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling ( 2 pts. ) Atleast 150 words ( 2 pts.) Lion Contest Writing Assignment 2. In Attack of the Man Eaters, Lauren Tarshis writes that the events of 1898 were tragic not only for the lions victims, but also for the lions. What does she mean? What is tragic about the plight of lions today, and what can be done to help them?
Grading : Topic sentence that is the main idea of your paragraph ( 2 pts.) Used transition words (first, next, finally, in addition) ( 2 pts.) Includes text evidence from article in quotation marks to support your main idea ( 2pts.) Correct grammar, punctuation, and spelling ( 2 pts. ) Atleast 200 words ( 2 pts.)