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2018 Summer Reading

The purpose of summer reading is to encourage students to practice reading skills and develop an enjoyment for reading.

Expectations

  • Students will read one of the suggested novels from the list for their grade span or a book of their choice.  The book should reflect quality young adult literature to include the following:
    • descriptive or figurative language
    • character development
    • plot development
    • thematic depth
    • substantial length (100+ pages)
  • Students enrolled in Honors English and English AP will have an additional reading assignment (see below).  This novel is normally read and taught the 1st nine weeks of the school year.
  • Students will complete a "Book Talk" during the first two weeks of the Fall semester, which will be due no later than Friday, August 17, 2018.  For more information, visit the How to Give a Book Talk page.

Reading Lists

Commonly Asked Questions
How can students access novels?

Novels can be obtained from public libraries, school libraries, and home libraries or collections. If you find the suggested books are no longer available through the public or school libraries, they are available for purchase via Barnes and Noble, Books-a-Million, Wal-Mart, Target, and Amazon.

What is a “Book Talk?”

A Book Talk tries to convince or persuade the person to read the book. The essence of a “Book Talk” is to “sell, don’t tell.” Thus, a Book Talk is more of an advertisement or a commercial. When conducting a “Book Talk” you may want to keep the following things in mind:

  • Do your own thing…create your own individual style.
  • Don’t talk a book you haven’t read.
  • Don’t tell the ending.
  • Don’t talk a book you don’t like or makes you uncomfortable.
  • PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!

For more information, visit the How to Give a Book Talk page.

What about students who are new to the District?

Students new to the district will be allowed to complete a “Book Talk” on a novel they have read over the summer. If the student has not read a novel over the summer, he or she will be given an additional two weeks to read a novel and complete a “Book Talk.” If they do not complete the assignment, then a “0” will be placed in the gradebook.

What about students who are not new to the District who did not read a novel over the summer?

An additional week will be given to the students to read and complete a “Book Talk.” If they do not complete the assignment, then a “0” will be placed in the gradebook.

How will teachers hold each student accountable for completing the summer reading assignment?

Teachers are expected to grade each “Book Talk” and record it as an “In-Class” assignment counting as 40% of the student’s grade for the 1st nine-week grading period.

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