Summer Reading and Writing Assignments for Students in Middle School
Students are to read two books this summer. The first is a classic book. The second will be a
non-fiction book. [Lists of suggested titles can be found by “searching” CLASSIC BOOKS FOR
MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS OR NON-FICTION BOOKS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS on any
of the online book store websites- Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Ebay…] Parents are asked to use
their best judgment for appropriate reading level and content when helping students choose
this material.
Upon completion, students are asked to respond to the following prompts related to their
choices. Each essay should include and address:
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Your name and grade
5-6 well written, thoughtful, paragraphs
Each should include all parts [questions asked] for each prompt
Each should be typed neatly and proofread/edited.
Both are due on the first day of school in August
This assignment will be considered a test grade.
Essays:
Classic Novel: Include in your 5-6 paragraphs, a one paragraph summary of the story you have
read. Include in your summary an introductory statement that includes the title of your novel
and the author’s name. In additional paragraphs give a detailed description of the main
character [s] include his/her gender, age, name, physical description, personality and purpose
for being included in this novel. Describe the setting of this novel including a time period,
duration of the story, physical location, and details you feel are important to the setting.
Comment further on the following questions. Can you make a connection to events in this
novel and your life in the real world? Why or Why not? How might you have changed the
ending of this novel? Is there another outcome you would have preferred that might have
made the story more interesting? Would you recommend this story to other students your age?
Why or Why not?
Non-fiction book: Include in your 5-6 paragraphs, a one paragraph synopsis of the subject you
have chosen to read about. Include in this paragraph, the title of the book and the author's
name. In additional paragraphs include answers to the questions that follow. What made you
decide to read this book? Did you know something about this subject before reading this book?
What did you find interesting about this subject? If you could ask this author two questions,
what might you ask? Why? What connection can you make to your own life after reading this
story? If you were to write a story similar to this one, what would you choose to write about?