7th Graders

7 ^th Grade –
Fiction choices:
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (037582233X)
Animal Farm  by George Orwell (9780451526342)
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (0156030306)
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (1594746036)
Trash by Andy Mulligan (0385752164)
 
Non-fiction choices:
Drowned City: Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans by Don Brown (054415777X)
Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam and the Science of Ocean Motion by Loree Griffin Burns (0547328605)
Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation): The True Story of an American Team’s Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics by Daniel James Brown (0451475925)
Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson (0545204704)
I am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai (0316322423)

Summer Reading Assignment for Academic Year 2016 – 17
   Summer reading is changing this year. This summer, in preparation for the 2016-17 school year, all rising 5 ^th graders and all returning middle school students are required to read two books (1 fiction and 1 non-fiction) and complete ten dialectical journal entries, five entries for each book. [1]  Dialectical Journals permit students to choose significant parts of the books they read and say smart things about them. This sort of writing supports intermediate-level literary analysis. The journals will be handed in the first week of school and factored into the first quarter grade as an important initial assignment not exceeding 10%. The following rubric will be used to score the journals on a scale of 1-10. Please note the attached dialectical journal format sheet. Sample entries will be available on the Literature website. Journals should be typed and submitted in a folder of some kind, clearly marked with the student’s name.
Rubric

Advanced score Score 9-10	Student composes all ten entries. Student provides sufficient context, correctly attributed quoted passage in the evidence field. In the commentary field, student thoroughly demonstrate the ability to analyze the text. The commentary is relevant, insightful and captivating.
Meets Expectation Score 7-8	Student composes all ten entries. In the evidence section, the student provides mostly adequate context, and mostly correct attribution along with her quoted passage. In the commentary, the student mostly demonstrates the ability to respond and analyze the test. Commentary may not be completely relevant but is mainly insightful.
Near Expectation Score 5-6	Student composes all ten entries. In the evidence field, the student attempts to provide context and attribution but the information may be confusing or incomplete. In the commentary fields the student demonstrates partial or limited knowledge of relevant observations or the commentary may rely too heavily on restatement of the quoted passage and/or plot details that are unnecessary.
Making Progress Score 1-4	Student may not have complete all ten entries. The evidence fields are not contextualized or attributed. In the commentary sections, the student may not have insightful reflections or relevant things to say.

Dialectical Journal Format
   The dialectical journal consists of two columns – Evidence and Commentary. Before the first journal entry, identify the title of the book and the author. Make sure to underline or italicize the title of the book.
Title:
Author:

Evidence / Source Material (Make sure to include page numbers in parentheses)

Commentary (Respond, Analyze, and Evaluate)

Provide contextual information that will help your reader situate the quoted passage. You may do this by answering each of the following questions: Who is the speaker (e.g. the narrator, a character, the author, an expert?) Who is being addressed? What is the speaker’s motivation/purpose? What are the circumstances events surrounding the passage?   Make sure to use a present tense attribution verb like “says,” “argues,” “writes,” etc.   Next, insert the quoted passage from the text. Enclose the quoted material in quotation marks.   Finally, give the page number(s) where you have found the quote in parentheses and put your final punctuation after the closing parens.

In the commentary section, respond or react to the quoted material by stating your initial thinking about the meaning or its function in the work. Do not simply restate the evidence. (Ex. In chapter three, “Clockwork,” the tension of the story begins to increase when Amber and Benjamin learn about the mystery of the stolen artwork.)   Analysis requires “taking apart” the text and conveying meanings that might not be easily apparent to other readers. (Ex. The pace of the story steadily increases as the dialogue becomes more rapid and the action becomes choppier. The back and forth dialogue between the protagonists and the sharp, action verbs speed up the momentum of this scene as the two begin to learn more about the crime and more about each other.)   It is also sometimes right to critique or judge the selections you have chosen as effective or ineffective. Your commentary does not always need an evaluation, but some parts will be suitable to explain your verdict. (Ex.  The timing of this information is not perfect because the characters barely know one another, but the information revealed is crucial to what happens next.)   See the guiding questions below to help you work through this process: Why is the passage important? Why do you connect with the passage? What does the passage reveal about the character? What literary tools or techniques are at work? Does the passage reveal a big idea or theme?