Summer 2011 Reading List
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1st/2nd Grade
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On the first day of school please bring one fiction book, one non-fiction book, and one poetry book you enjoyed reading over the summer. Please label them. Please buy them second hand if possible. Library books are fine as well. These books will be used for the children's first class work.
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3rd Grade
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Required Reading
Nim and her father, a scientist, live alone on an island where they love every minute of every day. When her father sails off to work on an experiment, she has her animal friends for company. A storm delays his return and a second, stronger storm is on the way.
- White, E. B. Charlotte's Web
The novel tells the story of a pig named Wilbur and his friendship with a barn spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur is in danger of being slaughtered by the farmer, Charlotte writes messages praising Wilbur (such as "Some Pig") in her web in order to persuade the farmer to let him live.
Assignment
To complete the summer reading requirement for third grade, each student must read the two books listed above. Record each book on the page provided including the title, author, main characters, setting, and plot. Also, explain your favorite part of the book.
If your child has read both of these books please choose other books from the list below.
Additional Reading
Classics
White, E. B. Stuart Little
Sewell, Anna Black Beauty
Wilder, Laura Ingalls Little House in the Big Woods and others in series
Realistic Fiction
Blume, Judy Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing and others
Fantasy and Science Fiction
Levine, Gail Ella Enchanted
Dahl, Roald Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and others
Avi Poppy and other titles
Orr, Wendy Nim's Island
Sachar, Louis Sideway Stories from Wayside School and others
Scieszka, Jon Math Curse and The Time Warp Trio series
Nonfiction
Janeczko, Paul B. Top Secret: A Handbook of Codes, Ciphers, and Secret Writing
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Suggestested Websites for Fun Practice
Here are a few websites you can enjoy over the summer. Check the "links" page on our class websites for many more!
Typing Websites
Dance Mat typing: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/
Nimble Fingers typing: http://www.nimblefingers.com/
Math Websites
Multiplication: www.multiplication.com
Everyday Math for Parents (Click on "Free Family Resources" at the top of the page):
https://www.everydaymathonline.com/
Suggested Reading Websites
HAISLN Reading List: http://www.haisln.org/images/HAISLN_3rd-4th_2011_FINAL.pdf
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4th Grade
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Required Reading
- Kate DiCamillo, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him with the utmost care and adored him completely.
And then, one day, he was lost.
Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the fireside of a hoboes' camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true miracle - that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.
- George Selden The Cricket in Times Square
After Chester, a cricket, arrives in the Times Square subway station from his native Connecticut via a picnic basket, he takes up residence in the Bellinis' newsstand. There tiny Chester is lucky enough to find three good friends: a little boy named Mario, whose parents run the unsuccessful newsstand; a fast-talking Broadway mouse called Tucker; and Tucker's pal, Harry Cat. Between escapades in New York City, the four somehow manage to bring success to the almost bankrupt newsstand.
Assignment 1
To complete the summer reading requirement for fourth grade, each student must read one of the books listed above and another book of your choosing from list attached. Record each book on the page provided including the title, author, main characters, setting, and plot. Also, explain your favorite part of the book.
Assignment 2
You must complete one of the following projects for one of the books that you read.
1. Make a poster for the book, illustrating a scene from the book. Include the title on the poster. Your name should be on the back of the poster.
2. Write a diary from one character's point of view. Include three separate diaries: one from the beginning, one from the middle, and one from the end of the book. Each entry should begin "Dear Diary," and be 7-9 sentences in length.
All assignments are due the first day of school. Be sure to come prepared to speak to the class about the books you read this summer. Remember, reading is FUN!
If your child has read both of these books please choose other books from the attached list.
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5th/6th Grade - LA and Performing Arts
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LANGUAGE ARTS:
Read a book from the list below and 2 others of your choice. Write 3-5 paragraphs on a favorite character, the setting of the book, or what you really liked about the book. You may also design your own book cover, complete with critic reviews.
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin
When you Reach Me by Rebecca Stead
Bridge to Terabithia
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff
The Cats of Roxville Station by Jean Craighead Georgie
The Magic Thief by Sarah Prineas
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Dolphin Song by Lauren St. John
Becoming Naomi Leon by Pam Munoz Ryan
Slob by Ellen Potter
Summer Ball by Mike Lupica
The Brooklyn Nine by Alan Gratz
Shooting the Moon by Francis O'Roark Dowell
A Dog's Life by Ann Martin
How to Eat Fried Worms by Thomas Rockwell
The Last Newspaper Boy in America by Sue Corbett
Scat, Hoot, and Flush all 3 books by Karl Hiaasen
Among the Barons and Among the Enemy both by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Secret of the Night Ponies by Joan Hiatt Harlow
Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce
Into the Volcano by Don Wood
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
PERFORMING ARTS:
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The Tempest: For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series) by Lois Burdett
Students must also bring a copy of their favorite song lyrics including the name of the author and performance group to their first class.
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7th/8th Grade - LA & PERFORMING ARTS
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LANGUAGE ARTS:
Read one of the books from the following list and 2 books of your choice (fiction/non-fiction).
Do one of the following for a book from the list below:
•a) Write a 3-5 paragragh essay exploring a favorite character, explaining whether you think the author did a good job or not of developing the character OR write about the effectiveness of the setting as it relates to the plot and/or theme of the book. Find examples/quotes from the book to support your opinion.
•b) Create a colorful book jacket of your own design that captures the potential reader's attention. You must include a brief summary (without giving away the entire plot) and 2-3 critic reviews on the back cover.
•c) Create a playlist that accompanies the major plot twists in the book - no more than 7 songs. Be prepared to play your musical score that accompanies the book and be able to explain your choices.
*The assignment will be due on the first day of school.
Book List for required assignment:
Anderson, M.T. Feed. In a future where most people have computer implants in their heads to control their environment, a boy meets an unusual girl who is in serious trouble.
Baccalario, P.D. Ring of Fire. Four seemingly unrelated children are brought together in a Rome hotel where they discover that they are destined to become involved in a deep and ancient mystery involving a briefcase full of artifacts that expose them to great danger (first published in Italy).
Bradford, Chris. Young Samurai: The Way of the Warrior (or sequel). Twelve-year-old Jack Fletcher has gained a reputation aboard a British merchant vessel as an agile rigging monkey. But after Japanese ninja murder the entire crew, including his father, Jack is taken into the home of a revered samurai.
Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game (and others in the series).
Ender, who is the result of genetic experimentation, may be the military genius Earth needs in its war against an alien enemy.
Cooney, Caroline. If the Witness Lied. Torn apart by tragedies and the publicity they brought, siblings Smithy, Jack, and Madison, aged fourteen to sixteen, tap into their parent's courage to pull together and protect their brother Tris, nearly three, from further media exploitation and a much more sinister threat.
Dashner, James. The Maze Runner. Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.
Born Too Short: Confessions of an Eighth Grade Basket Case. Thirteen-year-old Matt is so envious of his best friend Keith that he wishes things would go badly for him, and when Keith's fortune changes while at the same time Matt finds his first true girlfriend, Matt is overcome with guilt.
Felin, M. Sindy. Touching Snow. To those back in Haiti, "touching snow" means living in America. For seventh-grader Karina, however, life in suburban Chestnut Valley, NY, is far from easy. Her extended family struggles to survive in a world in which they are social and cultural outsiders, where food and shelter are still uncertain, and where a visit from the authorities can mean deportation to a much more desperate homeland.
Lloyd, Saci. The Carbon Diaries: 2015. In 2015, when England becomes the first nation to introduce carbon dioxide rationing in a drastic bid to combat climate change, sixteen-year-old Laura documents the first year of rationing as her family spirals out of control.
Melling, O.R. The Hunter's Moon. Teen cousins embark on a thrilling adventure that leads them through the shifting worlds of contemporary Ireland and the mystical realm of faerie.
Pearce, Phillipa. Minnow on the Say. Two English boys, David and Adam, spend the summer canoeing on the River Say and, with just an old riddle or a clue, try to find a treasure hidden along its banks by one of Adam's ancestors.
Hardinge, Frances. Fly By Night (and sequel). Abused by her uncle, Mosca Mye burns down their mill in anger, runs away and finds someone who says he will help her. But, he is a con artist and he is also running from the law...and she must keep her secret. She knows how to read.
Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikealsen. Cole Matthews is a violent teen offender convicted of viciously beating a classmate, Peter, causing neurological and psychological problems. Cole elects to participate in Circle Justice, an alternative sentencing program based on traditional Native American practices that results in his being banished to a remote Alaskan Island where he is left to survive for a year. Cynical and street smart, he expects to fake his way through the preliminaries, escape by swimming off the island, and beat the system, again. But his encounter with the Spirit Bear of the title leaves him desperately wounded and gives him six months of hospitalization to reconsider his options.
PERFORMING ARTS:
MacBeth: For Kids (Shakespeare Can Be Fun series) by Lois Burdett
Students must also bring a copy of their favorite song lyrics including the name of the author and performance group to their first class.
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9th/10th
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Fiction: Write a 5 paragraph essay, poem or song about the power of the choice and description of the setting of one book from the list below.
Dashner, James. The Maze Runner. Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.
Crichton, Michael. Timeline. A group of historians literally enter life in 14th century feudal France through the use of 21st century quantum technology.
Absolutely, Positively Not. Hilarious coming-out story of Steven DeNarski, aged 16. He finds both support and betrayal in surprising places.
Almond, David. Raven Summer. Led to an abandoned baby by a raven, fourteen-year-old Liam seems fated to meet two foster children who have experienced the world's violence in very different ways as he struggles to understand war, family problems, and friends who grow apart.
Dunlap, Susanne The Musician's Daughter. In eighteenth century Vienna, Austria, fifteen year-old Theresa seeks a way to help her mother and brother financially while investigating the murder of her father, a renowned violinist of Haydn's orchestra at the court of Prince Esterhazy, whose body was found near a gypsy camp.
Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. Pi, a fifteen-year-old son of a zookeeper in India, survives a shipwreck several days out of Manila. He is the lone human survivor, but his lifeboat is occupied by a Bengal tiger, an injured zebra, a hyena, and an orangutan.
Peet, Mal. Tamar: A Novel of Espionage, Passion, and Betrayal. In England in 1995, fifteen-year-old Tamar, grief-stricken by the puzzling death of her beloved grandfather, slowly begins to uncover the secrets of his life in the Dutch resistance during the last year of the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, and the climactic events that forever cast a shadow on his life and that of his family.
Stork, Francisco X. Marcelo in the Real World. Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm.
Uehashi, Nahoko. Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit (and sequel). Enormously popular in Japan, the Moribito books are jam-packed -with monstrous combat, ethnic conflicts and complex mythologies.
Westerfeld, Scot. Leviathan. In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts.
Non-Fiction: If you choose to read and write about one of the non-fiction choices, write a 5 paragraph essay, song, or poem about what you found particularly moving or interesting in one of the books below.
Krauss, Lawrence, The Physics of Star Trek.
Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850. Bartoletti relays a detailed account of the Great Irish Famine of 1845-50 and its long-lasting effect on the Irish.
Ferris, Timothy. Seeing in the Dark: How Backyard Stargazers Are Probing Deep Space and Guarding Earth from Interplanetary Peril. Differentiating between the nature of stargazing done by professionals in well-equipped observatories and the work of backyard scientists using homemade telescopes, Ferris invites teens to join the scientific community by tracing the contributions of amateur astronomers, ranging from Copernicus to Brian May.
Freese, Barbara. Coal: A Human History. Facts and anecdotes examine the historic, scientific, economic, political, cultural, and literary aspects of coal, as well as the current debates about energy consumption, developing nations, and global warming.
Rall, Ted. To Afghanistan and Back: A graphic Travelogue. A politically liberal cartoonist/columnist creatively combines narrative and graphics to detail his dangerous 2001 trip to Afghanistan.
Silverstein, Ken. The Radioactive Boy Scout: The True Story of a Boy and His Backyard Nuclear Reactor. Science geek David Hahn's obsession with nuclear energy results in the unsupervised creation of a radioative device with the potential to spark an environmental disaster in his community.
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11th Grade
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Assignment: Read one of the following books and choose a character or real person (for non-fiction choice) that goes through an experience or thought process that you can relate to. Identify the experience or thought process and briefly summarize. Explain how or why you found yourself relating to the experience or thought process. Five paragraphs will suffice. Bring it in on the first day of school.
Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. Vividly depicts the colorful, sometimes disreputable, inhabitants of a run-down area in Monterey, California.
Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. Marcelo Sandoval, a seventeen-year-old boy on the high-functioning end of the autistic spectrum, faces new challenges, including romance and injustice, when he goes to work for his father in the mailroom of a corporate law firm.
Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti, by Francis Temple. In the hospital after being beaten by Macoutes, seventeen-year-old Djo tells the story of his impoverished life to a young woman who, like him, has been working with the social reformer Father Aristide to fight the repression in Haiti.
A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway. This is a story set during WWI Italy and is a love story. The beauty and complexities of love, exploration of self, and the tragedy of war are all addressed in this classic novel.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. A brother and sister live in a small Alabama town with their lawyer father (their mom died) during the Depression. They encounter odd, even cruel people, racism when their white father defends a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman, and absolute goodness among some of the residents of this small town.
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. A complex friendship between two migrant workers, one mentally handicapped, is explored against the backdrop of the Great Depression.
Jazz by Toni Morrison. A story of the human condition in early 20th century Harlem and the power of Jazz to feed the soul.
The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver. A rural Kentucky girl goes on an adventure that lands her in the Cherokee territory of Oklahoma where she picks up an orphan and proceeds to venture to the deserts of Arizona where she finds plenty of quirky and inspiring folks. A laugh out loud book.
Non-Fiction:
Ryan, Joan, Little Girls in Pretty Boxes. "Sports writer Joan Ryan detailing the difficult training regimens endured by young Olympic-bound athletes. Ryan's material was largely derived from personal interviews with nearly 100 former gymnasts and figure skaters as well as trainers, sports psychologists, physiologists and other experts, focusing on the physical and emotional hardships young women endured for the sake of Olympic glory.."
Zinn, Howard, You Can't Be Neutral On a Moving Train. The life and times of Howard Zinn: the historian, activist, and author of several classics including "A Peoples History of the United States". Archival footage, and commentary by friend, colleagues and Zinn himself.
Brown, Dee, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. "A history of Native Americans in the American West in the late nineteenth century, and their displacement and slaughter by the United States federal government. It was first published in 1970 to generally strong reviews, although scholars criticized it on several grounds. Published at a time of increasing American Indian activism, the book was on the bestseller list for more than a year. Translated into 17 languages, it has never gone out of print."
Bogues, Tyronne "Muggsy" & David Levine, In the Land of Giants. At 5'3", Bogues is the shortest player ever to play for an NBA team. Born in 1965 and raised in public housing projects in Baltimore, he distinguished himself on the court at Dunbar High School, where, during his junior and senior years, the team won 59 consecutive games.
Kovic, Ron, Born on the Fourth of July. "Written in Santa Monica, California during the fall of 1974 in exactly one month, three weeks and two days.[1] It tells the story of Kovic's life growing up in Massapequa, New York, joining the United States Marine Corps right out of high school, going to Vietnam for two tours of duty, getting shot, finding himself paralyzed and in need of a wheelchair, and eventually starting a new life as a peace activist."
Kisor, Henry, What's That Pig Outdoors. "Kisor, book editor of the Chicago Sun-Times , lost his hearing after a bout with meningitis at age three and has since relied on spoken language and lip reading. PW called the memoir "genial and moving, sharp and witty." "With unflinching candor and telling details, Kisor cites the ways in which being deaf among the hearing shaped his personal and professional experiences."
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