Bayonne Public Schools
www.bboed.org
Building Bridges to Seventh
Grade
Summer Literacy Program 2014
Dan Ward
Director of English-Language Arts/
Social Studies & Library-Media Services
Dr. Dennis Degnan, Ed.D.
Director of Title I/Assessments/
Curriculum Team Leader
Dr. Patricia L. McGeehan, Ed.D
Superintendent of Schools
THE 2014 SUMMER LITERACY
PROGRAM:
BUILDING BRIDGES TO SUCCESS
NOTICE
ALL ASSIGNMENTS MUST
BE PRESENTED TO THE
TEACHER BY
Tuesday, September 10, 2014
*Assignments will be assessed
by the classroom teacher and
can earn up to 10 extra-credit
points. Please refer to the
attached rubric for the scoring
scale.
June 2014
Dear Parent /Guardian:
Summer is a wonderful time for children. It is a season of endless play and boundless
opportunities. As educators, we also know that summer presents a chance for your child to continue to
grow and mature intellectually. In fact, research shows that summer reading can help children maintain
and even build upon the intellectual growth they experience over the course of the school year. With
this knowledge in mind, the Bayonne School District continues its long-standing Summer Bridges
Program with assignments that will help your child to move into next school year confident in their
abilities as learners.
Attached you will find specific information on the assignments your child is encouraged to
complete.
As partners in your child’s education, we are requesting that you sign and return the form below to
your child’s Language Arts teacher, no later than June 16, 2014.
______________________________
______________________________
Dan Ward
Director of English-Language Arts/
Social Studies & Library-Media Services
Dr. Dennis Degnan, Ed.D.
Director of Title I/Assessments/
Curriculum Team Leader
____________________________________
Dr. Patricia L. McGeehan, Ed.D.
Superintendent of Schools
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STUDENT NAME
________ GRADE
__
PARENT/GUARDIAN SIGNATURE___________________________ SCHOOL ___________
BOOK SELECTED: ______________________________________________________________
APPROVED_____________________________________________ DATE __________________
Teacher of Record
SUMMER BRIDGES
2014
For students who have completed Grades 5-11 by June 2014.
Directions:
1. Students are to select a book they wish to read and bring it to school to be approved by
their Language Arts teacher, no later than June 16. Approval will be based on the
teacher’s knowledge of your child’s reading level and personal reading history.
2. Students will then write a book review. The book review must contain
 the book’s title and author
 a brief summary of the plot: characters, setting, problem, resolution, etc.
 your opinion of the book: Did you like or dislike the book and why? (Things to
think about: what did the author do well or not so well? Also, you must use
specific examples from the book to support your praise or criticism of the author’s
work.)
Tips for writing a book review:
 Take notes while you read
 Complete an outline before you write
 Read some book reviews before you write your own. Book reviews can be found in
local newspapers and online at the Books section of USA Today, Barnes & Noble,
the New York Times, and other newspapers and magazines
All assignments must be presented to the teacher on September 10, 2014.
Part II: Your child may not be familiar with the words below but that is to be expected. In fact, the intention
of this assignment is to expose your child to new words.
Directions: For each word you must
 provide a description, an explanation, or an example
 write one synonym
Students Entering Grade 7
1. apply
2. assess
3. belief
4. categorize
5. contradict
6. culture
7. demonstrate
8. develop
9. hierarchy
10. logic
GRADING SCALE, GRADES 6-12 *
Unsatisfactory: 1
Grades 5 - 12
The book review
lacks
a)most of the
major
components:
summary, opinion
b) organization:
ideas are loosely
connected or not
at all
c) organization:
ideas are loosely
connected or not
at all; book review
format is not used
d) severe
mechanical and
grammatical
errors that
interfere with the
ability to
comprehend the
letter
Improvement
Needed: 2-3
The book review
a) includes a basic
overview but it
may be missing
key components
such as the
problem and/or
the resolution
b) an opinion is
offered but is not
supported with
textual examples
c) shows some
organizational
structure but ideas
are only loosely
connected and
format needs
improvement
d) contains several
mechanical and
grammatical
errors that distract
the reader
Proficient: 4
Distinguished: 5
The book review
a) includes a
summary that
provides only an
overview of the
plot, setting and
characters
b) an opinion is
offered and
supported but with
only one or two
textual examples
c) generally
follows the format
for a book review
and has a clear
organizational
structure but
suffers from weak
transitions and
jumbled ideas
d) mechanical and
grammatical
errors are evident
but mostly do not
distract from the
letter
The book review
a) includes a
detailed summary
that discusses
main characters,
setting, problem,
resolution as well
as background on
the author
b) an opinion is
offered and
supported with
several specific
textual examples
c) follows the
format for a book
review and is
organized so that
ideas flow and
transitions are
evident,
d) no mechanical
or grammatical
errors
*Students will not be able to earn the maximum point value if they fail to complete any portion of the
assignment
**Terms are worth a half-point each