ENGLISH DEPARTMENT SUMMER PROJECTS

2020-2021

Greetings, Cobras!

Below, you will find your grade-specific summer reading assignment, along with rubrics and other supporting material pertaining to the summer assignment for your grade level or class.

The goal is to enrich your understanding of literature and to enhance your vocabulary, as well as to develop your ability to present and discuss the text or texts you have read.

We look forward to meeting you in the Fall!

As always, wishing you a happy reading and a joyous summer,

SLAM PALM BEACH MIDDLE SCHOOL English Department

6th Grade

Text: Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Assignment: For the summer project, you are to prepare an effective speech analyzing

the question “Turning Points: What can you learn from a turning point in life?” as related

to the text or another aspect of the text that you find more appealing and want to

explore.

Required Assignment: First, read and annotate the assigned text (see examples of

annotations below). Make sure to bring your hard copy of the annotated text with you

the first day of class. Please refer to the attached Scoring Rubric and Annotations Guides.

Required Assignment: As you read, prepare a presentation on your analysis of the

assigned text, using the attached rubrics to guide you in building the speech (ACOVA) and

presenting the speech (PVLEGS). The speech must be approximately 4-5 minutes in

duration - roughly 400-500 words.

The intended purpose of this task is to give you the opportunity to develop your speaking

skills, as well as to further expose you to literary analysis; the assessment will measure how well you interpret the text

and present your position to your audience. Keep in mind that success with this type of assignment comes from the

depth of the response, and not necessarily from breadth. This presentation will be conducted in your Language Arts class

at the beginning of the academic year. Your speech must be typed, using a 12 Font character in Times New Roman,

double spaced, flush left, with 1 inch margins. Your heading must be at the upper left hand corner of the first page, as

follows: Name, Course, Period, Date, Teacher. Add a title if requested by your teacher. Please edit your work carefully for

spelling, punctuation, and other usage errors. Make sure to save a digital copy in the event your teacher requires you to

submit it via TurnItIn.com. Please reference the attached Scoring Rubric and Annotations Guides.

7th Grade

Text:

90 Minutes to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis

Required Assignment: Annotate all chapters of the novel. Students must bring the annotated novel to class the first week of school. Please refer to the attached Scoring Rubric and Annotations Guides.

Required Assignment: Choose one of the following options to complete your summer assignment:

Option 1: Type a 500-600 word essay in Times New Roman Font, double-spaced about the themes in 90 Miles to Havana. How do the themes of survival and sacrifice relate to the characters in the book? Mention Angelita, Dolores to Julian;s father Caballo and Tomas. Use evidence and references from the text to support your response.

Option 2: Create a 7-slide PowerPoint presentation with a Title page that includes a response to the writing prompt in Option 1.

Option 3: Create a 4-5 minute speech, typed, in Times New Roman Font of 500-600 words that responds to the writing prompt in Option 1.

Assignment: (1) Read 90 Miles to Havana. Be ready to take a test on the novel you selected during the first week we return to school.

8th Grade

Text: The Pearl by John Steinbeck

For the summer project, you are to prepare an effective speech analyzing the question “What life lessons did I learn from the novel, The Pearl? Think about this question as you read and annotate the text in order to prepare your presentation.

Required Assignment: Read and annotate all chapters in this novel. See examples of annotations below. Make sure to bring your hard copy of the annotated text with you the first day of class. Please refer to the attached Scoring Rubric and Annotations Guides.

Required Assignment: As you read, prepare a presentation to the following question: What life lessons did you learn from the novel, The Pearl? Include at least 2 life lessons and support your response with evidence from the text.

The intended purpose of this task is to give you the opportunity to develop your speaking skills, as well as to further expose you to literary analysis; the assessment will measure how well you interpret the text and present your position to your audience. Keep in mind that success with this type of assignment comes from the depth of the response, and not necessarily from breadth. This presentation will be conducted in your Language Arts class at the beginning of the academic year.

Your speech must be typed, using a 12 Font character Times New Roman font, double spaced, flush left, with 1 inch margins. Your heading must be at the upper left hand corner of the first page, as follows: Name, Course, Period, Date, Teacher. Add a title if requested by your teacher. Please edit your work carefully for spelling, punctuation, and other usage errors. Make sure to save a digital copy in the event your teacher requires you to submit it via TurnItIn.com. Please reference the attached Scoring Rubric and Annotations Guides.