Pine Grove Middle School and the English/Language Arts/Reading Departments have a simple message for students:  READ!  It is especially important for students to read over the summer months when they are not reading textbooks or novels for school. 

Reading just three books over the summer can prevent what is called the “summer slide,” where students lose educational ground because they may not be as stimulated as they are during the school year. According to the children’s literacy organization Reading is Fundamental (RIF), experts have found that “children who read during the summer gain reading skills, while those who do not often slide backward.” According to Johns Hopkins Center for Summer Learning: “A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year.... It's common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills.”

The statistics show:

• Students can lose up to 25 percent of their reading level over the summer.

• Students can lose up to three months of their education over the summer.

• This loss is cumulative – so by the time a student enters high school, he/she could be years behind grade-level standards.

This can be prevented – by reading!  Reading just three books over the summer can prevent the “summer slide” and can actually increase a student’s reading level.

Pine Grove Middle School and the English/Language Arts and Reading Departments would like to encourage each student to read at least three books this summer.  Suggested book lists and follow-up activities for the books will be distributed and explained to students in their English classes before the end of the year. With the completion and submission of three novels and follow-up activities at the start of the 2015-2016 school year, your child will receive a summer reading certificate and small reward from the school.

Have a wonderful and safe summer. READ ON!

CRITERIA

1. Select and read a book from the proposed list of novels.

2. Select a project option from the back of this page and complete it on your own paper for each book read.

3. Have a parent/guardian sign and date the assignment upon completion.

4. Write your name on the page.

5. Submit all summer reading projects to your English teacher at the start of the 2014-2015 school year to earn your extra credit. (Summer reading will only be accepted until Friday, September 11, 2015.)

SCORING

2 books = Extra Credit B in English/Language Arts

3 books = Extra Credit A in English/Language Arts

4 or more books = Extra Credit A in English/Language Arts AND certificate/TRACS from Librarian

Proposed Book Lists

1. Novels with lexile scores ranges: 860 – 1185 or higher (www.lexile.com) and/or

   1. Grade 6 – at least 100 pages in length

   2. Grade 7 – at least 150 pages in length

   3. Grade 8 – at least 200 pages in length

2. Black-Eyed Susan Award Winners/Nominees (any year) – grades 5-9 or higher

Summer Reading Novel Project Options

Prove It! Summer Reading Assignments

Directions: For each novel read, you should complete one project. Choose from the projects listed below. You may not select the same project twice. Here are your choices:

1. Summarize the book in essay format.

2. Summarize the book using rhyming poetry.

3. Retell a story event from another character’s perspective.

4. Create a sequence chain of major events for the book

5. Compile a Top 10 List for the 10 ideas learned (themes) and explain why/how.

6. Write your own set of questions (and answer them!) for the book. There should be a minimum of ten questions for each assigned chapters. (Higher-Level)

7. Compose a diary entry for two major plot events from the novel in the voice of one of the characters.

8. Write a news article about the rising actions and climax of the novel.

9. Design a book cover jacket with a blurb about the book.

10. Compare and contrast two characters in the novel and explain how they interacted with one another.

11. Draw the setting(s) and write a caption for the novel.

12. Create a postcard from one character that includes a picture of the setting and summarizes what occurred in that setting in the story.

13. Identify the theme/central idea of the book and explain why with three examples of textual evidence. (Organizer or paragraph form)

14. Create a cartoon of novel, depicting the plotline.

15. Create a movie poster for the novel. Include the narrative elements in the poster. (i.e., characters, title, setting, theme topic, and one/two plot events that is/are pivotal to the story).