Download Incoming 8th Grade Ockerman Middle School Summer Reading

Incoming 8th Grade Ockerman Middle School
Summer Reading and Grammar Assignments
2013/ 2014
The summer reading requirement at Ockerman Middle School is part of a district-wide summer
reading program. The purpose is to promote a life-long commitment to independent reading
and to foster a love of literature. We encourage parents and students to discuss the books and
their characters. Summer reading provides students with an opportunity for personal
exploration, intellectual growth, and reading for enjoyment. As such, we ask that parents
support their student in the summer reading program which serves to nurture the student’s
imagination and build reading skills.
8th grade students are required to read The Giver, by Lois Lowry. Bring this completed
assignment to your reading teacher the first day of school and receive up to 100 points to
start the year with an A!
Grammar assignment
There is a grammar component to the English Language Arts summer assignment. It is
imperative that students know and understand the difference between the 9 parts of speech,
(nouns, pronouns, verbs, articles, adjectives, adverbs, prepositions conjunctions and
interjections), in order to be ready for the 8th grade grammar content. Review the descriptions
of each part of speech on the following page and commit them to memory. There will be a test
over the 9 parts of speech during the second week of school. To practice, we encourage you
to visit the two websites below, utilizing their practice exercises. Further, there is a practice test
included in this packet that will be similar in content and format to the test you will take.
Grammar practice: http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/index.html
Grammar practice: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/730/1/
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Parts of Speech Review
Noun
A noun names a person,
place, thing or idea.
Person
Maria
boy
doctor
Place
New York
park
outer space
Pronoun
Verb
A pronoun replaces the name
of a person, place, thing or
idea in a sentence.
A verb tells a noun’s action or
state of being.
you he him those
we she her these
they me this each
it that
Thing
Pen
watermelon
Idea
fairness
friendliness
Statue of Liberty acceptance
Adverb
An adverb tells how, how
often, when or where. It can
describe a verb, an adjective,
or another verb. Many words
that end in “ly” are adverbs.
How
loudly
quickly
How Often
always
never
When
before
soon
Where
away
inside
Action
ask
jump
think
want
run
dance
eat
fix
State of Being
is
am
are
be
have
has
was
were
Adjective
Article
An adjective describes
different qualities of a noun
or a pronoun.
Size/Shape
tiny
long
oval
Odor/Taste
nutty
flowery
sour
Texture
prickly
smooth
leathery
Appearance
bright
beautiful
faded
An article comes before a
noun in a sentence and
sometimes shows if the noun
refers to a specific or general
person, place or thing.
General
a dog
a farm
Specific
the dog
the farm
an apple
an octopus
the apple
the octopus
Preposition
Conjunction
Interjection
A preposition shows the
relationship (such as
direction, time or placement)
between a noun or pronoun
and another word in the
sentence.
A conjunction joins two ideas
or shows the relationship
between two parts of a
sentence.
An interjection expresses
strong emotion and is often
followed by an exclamation
point. It is also followed by a
comma when the emotion is
not as strong.
about
across
after
around into
before
through
between to
and
because
but
so
though
or
until
while
unless
Aw! Hurry up! Hey!/Hey,
Bravo! Oh no! Well!/Well,
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Grammar Review Activity
Identify the part of speech of each underlined and numbered word in the paragraphs below
(number appears below the word). Mark the letter of the part of speech, and be sure to use
the correct word bank for each.
Use this word bank for the first paragraph
a. adjective b. noun c. preposition d. pronoun
e. verb
The story of Demeter and Persephone was first told by Home in a Greek poem dating back to
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the seventh century. It tells the tragic tale of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, and her
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daughter, Persephone.
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
_____
_____
_____
_____
_____
6. _____
7. _____
8. _____
9. _____
10. ____
Use this word bank for the second and third paragraphs
a. adjective b. adverb c. article d. preposition e. verb
One day Persephone was on Earth picking flowers. Suddenly the ground opened up and
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she was taken hostage by Hades, the lord of the underworld.
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Demeter could not get over her grief. The year was dreadful for mankind all over the
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Earth because Demeter allowed nothing to grow. When it became apparent that all mankind
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would die of famine Zeus, kind of the gods, decided to intervene.
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11. _____
12. _____
13. _____
14. _____
15. _____
16. _____
17. _____
18. _____
19. _____
20. _____
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Use this word bank for the fourth and fifth paragraphs
a. adjective b. adverb c. conjunction d. interjection e. noun
Zeus sent his messenger Hermes down to the kingdom of the dead to secure the release
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of Persephone. Hades reluctantly agreed to release her only if she would return to him for four
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months every year. This length of time was decided upon because she had eaten four
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pomegranate seeds while in captivity, and this act bound her to Hades for eternity.
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Oh, Demeter was overjoyed to see her daughter. The Earth became fertile again. But
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every year when Persephone returned to her husband Hades, Demeter turned the Earth cold
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and barren once more.
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21. _____
22. _____
23. _____
24. _____
25. _____
26. _____
27. _____
28. _____
29. _____
30. _____
31. _____
32. _____
33. _____
34. _____
35. _____
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1.16 Precise Words
1. In Chapter 1 of The Giver, much importance is given to using the precise word. Jonas is
careful about which word he would use to describe his feelings about the ceremony in
which he will participate during December. List the words Jonas considers bug finally
rejects.
Word Jonas Considers
Meaning of the Word
WORD CONNECTIONS
The word precise contains
the Latin prefix prae(spelled pre-), meaning
“before” or “in front of,”
and the Latin root -cis-,
with the meaning of “cut.”
The Latin form praecismeans “cut short.”
The root word -cis- is
found in other words with
the meaning of “cut,”
such as scissors, incisor,
concise, decisive.
2. What word does Jonas finally select?
3. What does it mean?
4. Jonas’s friend Asher is not as careful in his diction. In Chapter 1, Asher uses the word
________________________ , which means _______________________________ ,
when he really means ______________________________.
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1.19 Characterization
Define characterization:
Review Chapters 1-5 of The Giver. Then complete the characterization graphic organizer for
Jonas. Use textual evidence to support each element of characterization.
Characterization of Jonas
Analysis
Textual Evidence
His actions
His appearance
His thoughts
His words
What other says about him/
how others treat him
What challenges does Jonas face?
Look back at Jonas’s actions. Would you describe any of his actions as heroic? Explain
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1.20 The Circle of Life
Finding a mate, welcoming babies, and mourning deaths are all part of the circle of life. Every
culture has its own way of handling these passages. Compare the way Jonas’s society handles
the circle of life to the way our society does. Remember to identify parallel differences.
Jonas’s Society
Our Society
Finding a Mate
Creating a Family
Mourning Deaths
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Comparing Circles
Now that you have examined the way Jonas’s society and our society handle the circle of life,
brainstorm the pros and cons of each:
Jonas’s Society
Pros
Cons
Our Society
Pros
Cons
Finding a Mate
Creating a Family
Mourning Deaths
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1.21 Essential Attributes
In Chapter 8 of The Giver, Jonas is selected to be the next Receiver of Memory. The Chief Elder
lists five attributes that are essential for the Receiver of Memory. List those attributes and
evidence from the novel that Jonas possesses them.
Essential Attributes for the
Receiver of Memory
Textual Evidence that Jonas
Possesses These Attributes
Visual Representation of
Attribute
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1.22 Rules in Society
Discussion Questions:
Are all rules and/or laws necessary? Why or why not?
Are all rules and/or laws fair? Why or why not?
What happens to people who do not follow the rules and/or laws? Explain.
Are all consequences fair? Why or why not?
Can rules and/or laws be changed? Why or why not?
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Panel Project Instructions
To Be Completed After the Novel is Read
1. Choose one (1) step from each stage of Jonas’s “hero’s journey” (attached below) to
create a picture panel that reflects that particular scene. You should have three (3)
panels when you are done. Please make your drawings on 8 ½” x 11” paper.
2. Be sure to include at least one (1) dialogue bubble, one (1) thought bubble, and one (1)
example of sensory detail (examples given further in this packet) in your panels. You can
do this in any combination of your choice or individually in each panel.
3. For extra credit you may create a fourth panel of any other step of your choosing with
any combination of bubbles/sensory details.
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The Hero’s Journey
Stage 1: Departure
Jonas’s Journey
Step 1: The Call to Adventure
Jonas’s name is skipped during the assignment
ceremony of the Twelves. Then he is assigned the job
of Receiver of Memory.
Step 2: Refusal of the Call
Jonas is in shock at the Elders’ decision and
contemplates requesting a change of assignment.
Step 3: The Beginning of the
Adventure
Jonas attends his first training with the Giver not
knowing what is ahead of him. He has new rules that
are completely foreign to him.
Stage 2: Initiation
Jonas’s Journey
Step 1: The Road of Trials
Jonas begins his training and is given memories of
happiness, sadness, and pain. He struggles with his
new memories and wants to share this knowledge with
his family and friends. He wants them to experience
memories, too. He realizes he can’t live in a world of
sameness any longer.
Step 2: The Experience with
Unconditional Love
The Giver supports Jonas by saying he has the strength
to make an escape. The Giver helps Jonas come up
with a plan to escape.
Step 3: The Ultimate Boon
Jonas leaves his dwelling at midnight not knowing what
is ahead of him. He takes Gabe with him, and is on the
road to ending sameness.
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The Hero’s Journey
Stage 3: Return
Jonas’s Journey
Step 1: Refusal of the Return
Jonas refuses to stay in the community of sameness. He
encounters doubt and regrets when he and Gabe are
freezing and starving, but he knows he cannot continue
living with sameness. Also, he knows his community
needs to experience life without sameness.
Step 2: Magic Flight
On his journey to life before sameness, Jonas and Gabe
experience dangerous conditions. They see many new
things and experience hunger, pain and freezing cold.
Step 3: Rescue from Without
Jonas uses memories given to him by the Giver to help
him and Gabriel to survive. When Gabe is cold, Jonas
gives him the memory of sunshine. When the search
planes are looking for them, Jonas uses memories of
cold to hide themselves from the heat-seeking planes.
These memories help Jonas and Gabriel survive.
Step 4: The Crossing of the
Return Threshold
Jonas sees the sled on top of the hill and he knows this
is the key to getting to Elsewhere. He and Gabriel get
on the sled which takes them to Elsewhere. The
memories have been released back to the community.
There is no more sameness.
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Review of Bubbles and Sensory Details
Dialogue Bubbles
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Dialogue bubbles read from left to right and from top to bottom across the page
This pattern shows a clear order of speakers if multiple characters are speaking more
than once per page.
In our novel, you can use anything a character said “out loud” in a dialogue bubble.
Example:
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Thought Bubbles
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Thought bubbles show what a character is thinking and can be combined with dialogue
bubbles as needed.
They read in the same order as dialogue bubbles
In our novel, you can use thought bubbles easily, since The Giver is written in first
person (therefore we know all of Jonas’s thoughts)
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Sensory Details
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Sight: engage the reader through color, light, and darkness.
Touch: give the objects texture
Sound: include items in your novel from the story that make noise. Show the noise in
your picture. Also consider including a sound splash once in your novel.
Example Panels
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