Summer Reading Ideas

Hello, Students and Families!

This summer, the English Language Arts and Reading department is encouraging you to read. We would like you to enjoy a novel (or more) assigned to you in the grade level that you are entering. Below you will find ideas for a project to go with the novel. If you are going into Honors English, you are expected to have your book and project completed by the first day of school. If you are going into an on-level English class, this project is for extra credit.

Your teacher will be collecting your work when the school year begins, so have it ready! There are many different categories, and you are sure to find one that interests you. Statistics show that, on average, students lose 20% of the reading gains they made over the school year if they do not continue to read over the summer. Let’s keep reading!

*Choose from one of these lists or decide on an alternate novel. Paper copies of the reading lists are available from your counselor or teacher.

Honors Syllabus 6-8th Grade

Project Ideas

• Interview a character from your book. Write at least ten questions (probably more) that will allow the character to discuss their thoughts and feelings about their role in the story. There are many different ways you can choose to present your interview. You can present it in written format, record it on video, perform it live – or come up with another way.

• Create a diary kept by a main character. Write a diary that one of the book’s main characters might have written surrounding the book’s events. It should be done from that person’s point of view revealing all the major events in their life and their feelings about these events. Include their hopes, dreams, problems, concerns, and frustrations. Remember that the character’s thoughts and feelings are very important in a diary. The entries in your diary should stretch out over the entire period that the novel covers — from the beginning of the novel to the end. Write dates for the entries. Create a cover for your diary. Organize the diary – make sure it is in proper order. On the first page, include an information sheet identifying the full name of the character, their age or birth date (if known), where they live, and any other important information. Don’t forget to include the title and author of the book here.

• Rewrite the Ending. Maybe you don’t like how the book ended! Well, here is your chance to change it. Rewrite a new ending to the book you read. Be sure to write in the style of the author. Don’t explain how the ending should be changed. Write as if you were writing the story. On a separate page, describe the original ending and the changes you made, and then explain why you made these changes. Provide a copy of the last three pages of the novel you read for your teacher.

• Dramatic Scene. Do you like to be dramatic? Want to be an actor? Here’s your chance. This especially works out well if you’re reading the same book as one or more other students in your class. You can work together and write a script and have several rehearsals before presenting it to the class. If you’re alone but have a lot of confidence, you can also dress as one of the characters and act out a characterization. Think about being a TV or radio reporter and give a live broadcast report of an event in the book.

• Create a Book Jacket. Try making a book jacket. You can include everything a regular book jacket has including the title on the spine and front and the author’s name. Use artwork or photos throughout, a section on the inside book jacket flap for a brief description of the book, and a section covering the author. Include reviews from students who have read that book. You can use computer graphics, and clip art, and try to have access to a color printer and a variety of colored paper.

• Ye Old Oral Report. Prepare an oral report of 5 minutes (or ask the teacher how long you have). Give a summary of the plot and describe the personality of one of the main characters. Make sure you come prepared for questions from the class.

• Map It. You can try this if the book you read contains multiple locations within a town, country, or geographical area. You can create a map. Make a list of all the locations – houses, stores, streets, parks, lakes, or whatever else is revealed in your book. Draw the map showing a bird’s eye view of the area. Label each location. Include a legend with a list of all the locations. Include a description of important events that occur at each location. Make sure your map has details and it is both colorful and large.

• Comic Book. (That’s a Graphic Novel to the Young Adults) If your talent is art, create a comic book based on the novel you read. It should have an illustrated cover with the title and author and be comic book-sized. Re-tell the story using dialogue and descriptions of the setting and characters. Look at other graphic novels or comic books to get ideas. Put your writing in bubbles. Create colorful illustrations that help tell the story.

• Write a Letter. Write a letter and address it to one of the characters in the book. There are many things you can include in the letter. You might ask that person questions, object to a situation, or make a complaint or a suggestion. You could include advice about their personal life. You could also imagine that the book you’re reading becomes a #1 best seller on the New York Times list. You could write a letter to Universal Studios Production Company to get them interested in making your book into a movie. Describe why the story would make a good film. Use the characters, conflicts, events, tragedies, adventures, or other notable items to enhance your description. Include a location for filming and list the actors you believe would be best to play the various roles. For this assignment, you should only use books that have not been made into films.

• Venn Diagrams. Make a Venn diagram of the people, events, or settings in your story. Make a list of character traits each person has and compare them to each other. Use the ways you are like and unlike one of the characters in your story. Compare your environment to the setting in the book.

• Newspaper or Magazine. Create a newspaper that is dedicated entirely to the book you’ve read. It should represent the major events, controversial issues, and significant themes developed in the novel you read. The newspaper