Breakthrough Magnet School
290 Brookfield Street
Hartford, CT 06106
(860) 695-5700
Dear Parents/Families of incoming fifth graders,
During the summer months we want to encourage you and your child to continue reading. You may want to
begin by setting a reading goal with your child of how many books they would like to read over the
summer and then work out a schedule to help them accomplish this goal.
For our incoming 5th graders, we have decided to do an author study of Andrew Clements. He is a very
popular author with many students at our school, and his books are always at our BMS Book Fairs every
year. Below you will find the titles of 3 Andrew Clements books – the one that is an appropriate reading
level for your child has been highlighted.
The Jacket
Extra Credit
The Landry News
Your child’s job this summer is to read this novel by Andrew Clements. You may either check it out from
your local library, or it can be purchased Barnes and Noble, Borders, or online at amazon.com. If you are
having trouble finding this book, please email Ms. Dukes at dishonda@hotmail.com or Miss Perucki at
Lisa.Perucki@yahoo.com After reading this novel, your child will choose a culminating project from the
list below to complete. This project will be turned in during the first week of school in August. You will
find more specific directions on how to complete each project on the back of this letter.
Project choices:
A. Shoebox Diorama of a favorite part of the story
B. Create a costume for a character from the book
C. Make a poster/timeline of the main events from the story
D. Write a letter to one of the characters as if you were a different character from the story
When we return to school in August, the students who have completed their summer reading project will be
acknowledged on a class bulletin board in the hall, as well as having an opportunity to share their project
during a “museum exhibit” at school.
Please help encourage your child to not only complete this reading activity, but also to continue reading
throughout the whole summer. We have included a 5th grade recommended reading list on the back for you
to use when you take those trips to your local library with your child! Enjoy your summer and happy
reading!
If your child is motivated by using the computer, Scholastic.com is having a Scholastic Summer Challenge
for kids. After registering at http://www.scholastic.com/summer/, your child can log their reading minutes
and enter sweepstakes, reach the weekly reading goal to win digital prizes, and help set a new world record
for summer reading.
Sincerely,
Ms. Dukes and Miss Perucki
Breakthrough Magnet School 5th grade Teachers
Project Instructions:
A. Shoebox Diorama of your favorite part of the story
 Create a scene inside a shoebox to show your favorite part of the story
 Be creative – use construction paper, clay, homemade objects, paint, or anything you can
find around the house
 Include the following on the outside of the shoebox: title and author, a short description
of the scene, a paragraph summary of the whole book, and a description of the theme
(lesson) of the story
 BONUS: type and print the written requirements of the project on a computer
B. Create a costume for your favorite character from the book
 Choose your favorite character and use whatever materials you can find to create a
costume
 This can include props, wigs, hats, etc.
 Include a written piece: describe which character you chose and why, also explain why
this character is important to the story.
 BONUS: Write a short speech as if you were that character to be read at our museum
exhibit
C. Make a poster/timeline of the main events of the story
 Include the following parts of the story: characters, setting, conflict (problem), 3-5 main
events, resolution of problem.
 Include a full-color illustration for each of the main events
 Don’t forget to include the title and author
 BONUS: type and print the written requirements of the project on a computer.
D. Write a letter to a character from the story as if you were a different character
 Choose a character to “pretend to be.” Write a letter to a different character in the story.
 In your letter, you should include events from the story, how your character might’ve felt
during certain situations, and anything else that would show that you read and understood
the book.
 Remember, you are writing from the perspective of one of the characters!
 BONUS: Instead of writing a letter, you can create a series of emails back and forth
between you (the character) and the other character from the story. Then print out these
“emails”.
5th grade suggested reading list
Deep and Dark and Dangerous: A Ghost Story
Dying to Meet You
The Gollywhopper Games
Herbert’s Wormhole
The Key to Rondo (series)
Masterpiece
Signal
Stolen Children
Dogtag Summer
True (…Sort of)
The Silver Bowl
The Trouble With Half a Moon
The Wind in the Willows
Raider’s Ransom
The Shadows of Elsewhere
The Lost Tales of Ga’ Hoole
Simon Bloom: The Octopus Effect
Is It Night or Day?
Charlie Bone and the Red Night
The Fizzy Whiz Kid