Mr. Shewey’s Eighth Grade Summer Reading List You will read three books this summer for my class. Required Read: Number The Stars: Lois Lowery Second required read: A non-fiction of your choice that meets the following requirements: This book must be an AR approved book with a Book level (BL) score of 7.0 or above. Third required read: A free read selection of your choice that meets the following requirements: This book must be an AR approved book with a book level (BL) of 7.0 or above*. *AR approved books: http://www.arbookfind.com/ Use this link to verify if a book is AR approved. Type in the Author or book title, the book and its information will be on the screen with a quiz number and Book Level (BL) Score if it is an AR book. Assignments: Book one: Complete the attached Picture book or newspaper project. Books two and three: You will take the AR quizzes on these books when you return to school. A note to students and parents: Many current studies show that when young people are not engaged in educational activities during the summer, they experience learning loss. These studies also suggest that reading just five books over the summer can help prevent this summer learning loss. Students, I have only assigned three books for you to read over the course of the summer; it is my hope that you will challenge yourself to read five books this summer. Parents, studies also show that students read more when they can choose materials based on their own interests. Self-selection, access to books, and sharing books are essential factors in reading motivation. I have provided your children with the opportunity to choose two books that they must read over the summer please guide your children and help them choose appropriate books that meet the AR book requirements. The summer is a great time to introduce your children to the books you loved as a child! I will try to check my e-mail each Wednesday this summer to answer any questions you may have. God Bless, Steven Shewey Choose one and only one of the following assignments: Due the first day of school. Choice 1. Make a Picture Book. Create a picture book version of Number the Stars that will appeal to young readers. You will need to decide what to incorporate and what to change about the novel. Your picture version should demonstrate your understanding of this book. Use any young reader books as an exemplar. Your audience will be 1st and 2nd graders. Please use Word, Publisher, or PowerPoint and bring it in saved to a flash drive. Choice 2. In the News Create the front page of a newspaper that tells about events and characters in the book you just read. The newspaper page might include weather reports, an editorial or editorial cartoon, ads, etc. The title of the newspaper should be something appropriate to the book. Model your project upon a real newspaper’s front page. Your Audience will be your classmates. You can use a poster or create a computerized version of this project. Parents and Students: Following are some strategies to follow before, during, and after reading your book. These strategies will help you become a stronger active reader. Before reading your book, ask yourself: • What can I predict about the book from the front and back cover? • What questions do I have about the book? While reading, ask yourself: • Can I relate any part of this book to an event in my life? • What do I notice about the author’s style of writing? • What is a question that one of the characters seems to be struggling with in the story? How does this character seek answers or advice to resolve the question? • How would the book be different if told from a different point of view? • How does the setting of the book influence the characters’ actions and decisions? After reading: • Identify a decision or choice made by a character. Do you agree with this decision? Why or why not? • In what ways can I relate the choices the characters made to choice I have made in my own life? • What questions do I have about an event or character in the book? • Describe a point in the story at which you did not want to put the book down or could not wait to find out what happened next. What made that moment in the plot so compelling? Possible books selections: Classic Literature recommended for 8th graders. Oliver Twist, or A Christmas Carol The Count of Monte Cristo Any of the Chronicles of Narnia Animal Farm Lord of the Flies Julius Caesar, or Romeo and Juliet Charles Dickens Alexandre Dumas C.S. Lewis George Orwell William Golding William Shakespeare Diary of a Young Girl Little Women Fahrenheit 451 Anne Frank Louisa May Alcott Ray Bradbury The following books are closely related to the themes of the text in our Literature Book. A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck Missing May Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech • Robert Newton Peck The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber Call of the Wild James Thurber Jack London Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt Things not Seen Irene Hunt Andrew Clements Cynthia Rylant Sharon Creech The following are high interest series for reluctant readers: Ranger’s Apprentice or any books from this series. The Lightning Thief or any of the books from this series. Or his second series The Heroes of Olympus John Flanagan Rick Riordan