Dear Parents of Incoming 8th Graders,



2020 Granville Middle School Incoming Seventh-Grade Summer Reading Requirements

Students who read over the summer maintain reading comprehension, vocabulary, and fluency. These are all critical components of reading achievement. In an effort to sustain literary growth and continue the great strides made in sixth grade, students entering seventh grade Language Arts are required to complete their summer reading by the first day of school. Assessments will be in the form of whole class discussion, written responses, and multiple choice questions.

To ensure success complete the following for each text:

• Read carefully and critically.

• Annotate while reading using post it notes. If it is your book, please keep the post-it notes exactly where you placed them and bring the books the first week of school. If it is a borrowed book, please pull all of your post-it notes and stick them to a sheet of 8½ X11 computer paper for each novel.

• Consider the following: figurative language, characters, setting, conflict, and theme.

Young adult literature often focuses on the challenges faced by youth and are classified as coming-of-age texts. These books may contain language, violence, and sexual content. Please be aware of what your child has chosen as his/her independent selection to ensure it is appropriate for them and your family.

Requirements

Regular LA7 Students: Complete #1 and #2. Read a total of two books: The Running Dream and a book that you have selected to match your interest and reading level. (DO NOT read Touching Spirit Bear as it will be read as a class for our first novel.)

ADVANCED LA7 ONLY Students: Complete #1, #2, and #3. Read a total of three books: Running Dream, Touching Spirit Bear, and one book that you have selected to match your interest and reading level.

#1) The Running Dream: (All 7th Grade LA students need to read this.)

This is required for all students to read. It is available at most libraries and can be purchased using any major web provider.

Book Talk: Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run?

As she struggles to cope with crutches and a first cyborg-like prosthetic, Jessica feels oddly both in the spotlight and invisible. People who don't know what to say, act like she's not there. Which she could handle better if she weren't now keenly aware that she'd done the same thing herself to a girl with CP named Rosa. A girl who is going to tutor her through all the math she's missed. A girl who sees right into the heart of her.

With the support of family, friends, a coach, and her track teammates, Jessica may actually be able to run again. But that's not enough for her now. She doesn't just want to cross finish lines herself—she wants to take Rosa with her

Book Talk Borrowed from

#2) Choice Novel: (All 7th grade students need to complete this requirement.)

This title should be a book that is appropriately matched to your reading level. You should have practiced identifying appropriate texts in 6th grade and should look for a book that matches your reading level and your personal interests. Do not select a text that you have already read or could have read in an earlier grade.

#3) Touching Spirit Bear: R.J. Palacio (ONLY Advanced LA7 students should read this.)

This is ONLY required for ADVANCED LA7 students to read. It is available at most libraries and can be purchased using any major web based commerce platform.

Book Talk: In his Napra Nautilus Award-winning novel Touching Spirit Bear, author Ben Mikaelson delivers a poignant coming-of-age story of a boy who must overcome the effects that violence has had on his life.

After severely injuring Peter Driscal in an empty parking lot, mischief-maker Cole Matthews is in major trouble. But instead of jail time, Cole is given another option: attend Circle Justice, an alternative program that sends juvenile offenders to a remote Alaskan Island to focus on changing their ways. Desperate to avoid prison, Cole fakes humility and agrees to go.

While there, Cole is mauled by a mysterious white bear and left for dead. Thoughts of his abusive parents, helpless Peter, and his own anger cause him to examine his actions and seek redemption—from the spirit bear that attacked him, from his victims, and from himself.

Booktalk borrowed from: ]

A Special Note from the LA staff to parents:

Please remember that reading is supposed to be fun and something that can be communal. The best way to increase comprehension and make reading enjoyable is to share it with someone. Whenever possible, we encourage reading the assigned books with your children and discussing as often as possible. Another idea is to find a home-from-college or high school student to read with your child and help them navigate the text.

Respectfully,

Tim Beck

James Browder

Brook Roshon

Susan Tallentire[pic]

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