Summer Reading for Rising Seventh Graders
Seventh Grade Language Arts
Summer Reading
There are two parts to the summer reading assignment. Students will select one book from the assigned book list and complete the graphic organizer. They will also select one book from the choice book list and complete one of the choice activities.
Assigned Books:
- Schooled by Gordon Korman
- New Boy by Julian Houston
- If a Tree Falls at Lunch Period by Gennifer Choldenko
Choice Books:
- Adam Canfield of the Slash byM. Winerip
- Airborn byK. Oppel
- Black Duck by J.T. Lisle
- Blue by J. Hostetter
- Hattie Big Sky by K. Larson
- Hitler's Canary byS. Toksvig
- La Linea byA. Jaramillo
- The Loud Silence of Francine Green byK. Cushman
- The Mailbox byA. Shafer
- Surviving Antarctica byA. White
Students,
Please use the graphic organizer that has interesting shapes and various activities to organize your thoughts about the Assigned Book you choose to read. Complete the front and the back.
We will be spending the first couple weeks of school discussing your selection and relating it to our personal school experiences. The completed graphic organizer sheet will be collected and count as a quiz grade. In class we will be completing two group assignments based on your book choice. One will be to create a book trailer (like a movie trailer) and the other will be to create a flyer for a new student to NSA. Both assignments will be test grades.
You have three activity choices for your Choice Book—Character Portrayal, Artifact Bag, or Book Jacket. Please follow the directions on each sheet. The note-taking sheet and oral presentation will count as a test grade. In Character Portrayal you will dress up as a character in your book, in Artifact Bag you will pack a bag with artifacts that represent the characters and setting in your book, and in Book Jacket you will create a folding book jacket using your own words and creativity to make a book cover.
Name: ___________________________
Character Portrayal Note-taking Sheet
Directions: In the spaces provided, take notes on the subjects indicated for your summer reading choice book. The purpose of these notes is to gather and retain information that will be helpful to you when it is time to prepare your oral presentation on the novel. You must turn in this note-taking sheet to your Language Arts teacher when you give your presentation. It will count as part of your grade, based on thoroughness, specific details, and neatness.
Title:
Author:
Publication Date:
Biographical information for the character you will portray:
Setting of the novel:
Your character’s personality as it comes through his/her thoughts, feelings, and actions:
Plot summary of key events that affect your character:
Ideas for a costume that would accurately portray your character:
Ideas for four or more props you could bring in that would help portray your character and novel:
Name________________________ Period______________
Novel Title __________________ Author’s Name______________________
Summer Reading Character Portrayal Presentation Rubric
| Category |
All Points Received |
Minus 5 Points |
Minus 10 Points |
Score |
| First Person Perspective |
The entire presentation is in First Person. |
Most of the presentation is presented in First Person |
None of the presentation is presented in First Person. |
|
Biography
of Character |
A brief biography of the character is informative and in a logical sequence. |
A brief biography is presented, but not in a logical sequence. |
There is no biographical information presented. |
|
| Description of the Setting |
The specific time and place of the novel are described in detail. |
The setting is discussed but not in detail. |
The setting is not discussed. |
|
| Plot Summary |
The plot summary is brief but includes the significant events in a logical and accurate sequence. |
The plot summery is brief and includes significant events but is not in a logical or accurate sequence. |
There is not a description of the plot of the novel. |
|
Description
of the Character’s Thoughts and Feelings |
The character’s thoughts and feelings are well represented. |
It is difficult to understand how the character thought or felt, but some are evident. |
There are no descriptions of the thoughts or feelings of the character. |
|
| Appropriate/ Accurate Costume |
Costume is simple but accurately represents the character and adds to the presentation. |
Costume is simple, but does not accurately represent the character. |
No costume was included in the presentation. |
|
Presence
of Props |
Presentation has four appropriate props. |
Presentation has 1-3 props included. |
Presentation has no props included. |
|
| Note-taking Sheet |
Sheet is well written and complete. |
Sheet is well written, but not complete. |
Sheet is not attached to the Rubric. |
|
Name: ___________________________
Artifact Bag Note-taking Sheet
Directions: In the spaces provided, take notes on the subjects indicated for your summer reading choice book. The purpose of these notes is to gather and retain information that will be helpful to you when it is time to prepare your oral presentation on the novel. You must turn in this note-taking sheet to your Language Arts teacher when you give your presentation. It will count as part of your grade, based on thoroughness, specific details, and neatness.
Title:
Author:
Publication Date:
Ideas for items to place in the bag:
The items that will actually be in the bag for the class presentation (there must be at least 8 items):
Why did you choose these items? How do they represent the novel (characters, setting, events, etc.)?
In the space below write what you will say during your oral presentation. It may be in bulleted outline form or in complete paragraphs. After you have written your presentation on this sheet, you may want to transfer it to index cards to keep with you during your presentation.
Name________________________ Period______________
Novel Title __________________ Author’s Name______________________
Summer Reading Artifact Bag Presentation Rubric
| Category |
All Points Received |
Minus 5 Points |
Minus 10 Points |
Score |
| Number of Artifacts |
There are eight or more artifacts in the bag. |
There are between seven and four artifacts in the bag. |
There are three or fewer artifacts in the bag. |
|
| Description of the Relevance of the Artifacts |
The purpose for including each artifact is well developed. It is obvious why each artifact is important to the novel (characters, setting, events, etc.). |
The purpose for including the artifacts is either
*not well developed,
*not given for all artifacts,
or
*does not explain the importance of the artifact. |
The purpose for including the artifacts is not well developed, not given for all artifacts, and does not explain the importance of the artifacts. |
|
| Note-taking Sheet |
Sheet is well written and complete. |
Sheet is well written, but not complete. |
Sheet is not attached to the Rubric. |
|
| Oral Presentation |
The presentation is loud enough for the class to hear. Words are spoken clearly. It is obvious that the presentation is well rehearsed. |
The presentation is either
*not loud enough,
*not clear enough,
or
*not well rehearsed. |
The presentation is not loud enough, clear enough, or well rehearsed. |
|
Name: ___________________________
Book Jacket Note-taking Sheet
Directions: In the spaces provided, take notes on the subjects indicated for your summer reading choice book. The purpose of these notes is to gather and retain information that will be helpful to you when it is time to prepare your oral presentation on the novel. You must turn in this note-taking sheet to your Language Arts teacher when you give your presentation. It will count as part of your grade, based on thoroughness, specific details, and neatness.
Title:
Author:
Publication Date:
Your book jacket should be made of a long piece of paper, either a long sheet of construction/manila paper or neatly taped together pieces of copy, construction, or manila paper. Below is a diagram of a sample book jacket. The dotted lines represent folds.
| Back Inside Flap: give the biography and draw a portrait of a character from the novel. |
Back Cover: either summarize the book in your own words or choose quotes to describe the book (these could be from the book, real quotes from book reviewers found on the internet, or “made-up” quotes from famous people or other book characters). |
Front Cover: include title, author, illustrator (if there is one), and create a cover illustration that you think best represents the book (not the one that is on the book already). It may be a drawing or a collage of pictures, but it must show your work. |
Front Inside Flap: Describe the setting or plot of the book in at least one paragraph. |
Write a rough draft of ideas for the Front Inside Flap:
Write a rough draft of ideas for the Back Inside Flap and sketch a portrait of how your character looks:
Write a rough draft of ideas for the Back Cover, either a summary or positive quotes about the book (there should be at least 5):
Name________________________ Period______________
Summer Reading Book Jacket Presentation Rubric
| Category |
All Points Received |
Minus 5 Points |
Minus 10 Points |
Score |
| Front Cover |
The title, author, and illustrator (if applicable) are neatly written. The cover illustration is creative, original, and well developed. |
The cover page does not have either
*the title,
*the author,
*the illustrator (if applicable, *a creative and original illustration, or
*evidence of effort and neatness. |
The cover page does not have three or more of the listed requirements. |
|
| Inside Front Flap |
Either the setting or the plot of the novel is well written in one or more complete paragraphs (including topic sentence, at least three detail sentences, and a conclusion sentence). |
The setting or plot is either
*not well written
or
*does not include all parts of a paragraph |
The setting or plot is not the topic of the paragraphs,
or
the paragraphs do not include all parts of a paragraph and they are not well written. |
|
| Back Cover |
Either a summary of the book or quotes are well written. The summary includes all parts of a paragraph. There are five or more positive, well written, and creative quotes. |
The summary either does not have
*all required parts of a
paragraph
or
*is not well written.
The quotes contain
*four to three quotes
or
*lack of creativity |
The summary does not have all required parts and is not well written.
The quotes contain two or fewer quotes and lack creativity. |
|
| Inside Back Flap |
The biography is creative, well written, and contains all part of a paragraph. The portrait is creative and neatly drawn. |
The biography is either
*not creative,
*not well written, or
*not complete with all parts of a
paragraph.
The portrait is not neatly drawn. |
The biography is not creative, well written, or a complete paragraph.
There is no portrait |
|
| Note Taking Sheet |
Sheet is well written and complete. |
Sheet is well written, but not complete. |
Sheet is not attached to the Rubric. |
|
| Oral Presentation |
The presentation is loud enough for the class to hear. Words are spoken clearly. It is obvious that the presentation is well rehearsed. |
The presentation is either
*not loud enough,
*not clear enough,
or
*not well rehearsed. |
The presentation is not loud enough, clear enough, or well rehearsed. |
|
 Check List for Oral Presentation
Download in PDF format
Summer Olympics Books
|
