Dyker Heights Intermediate School 201
Robert Ciulla, Principal
Grade 6 Summer Reading Assignment (2015)
“The more you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
--Dr. Seuss
Dear Parents and Students,
This summer, students must read 2 books. First, they are to choose 1 book from the
Fiction List and 1 book from the Non-Fiction list. Second, students must complete a writing task
for each book. Students need to write a five paragraph response (a paragraph is at least 5-8
sentences). If the response is typed, please double space and use 12 Font/ Times New Roman, or it
may be neatly handwritten. This Summer’s Reading Assignment will be collected during the first
week of school in September.
NOTE: The Summer reading assignment will also be posted on the school’s website.
6th Grade Fiction Titles
1) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz By: Baum, L. Frank (Lexile Level 1030)
Book Summary: Follow the adventures of young Dorothy Gale and her dog, Toto, as their Kansas house
is swept up by a cyclone and deposited in a strange land called Oz.
2) The Thief Lord By: Cornelia Funke (Lexile Level 640)
Book Summary: Two orphaned brothers, Prosper and Bo, have run away to Venice, where crumbling
canals and misty alleyways shelter a secret community of street urchins. The leader of this motley crew
of lost children is a clever, charming boy with a dark history of his own. He calls himself the lord thief.
3) Hatchet By: Gary Paulsen (Lexile Level 1020 )
Book Summary: A crash landing in the middle of the Canadian wilderness leaves Brian with just the
clothes on his back and a small hatchet. Can he survive?
4) A Tree Grows in Brooklyn By: Betty Smith (Lexile Level 810)
Book Summary: An idealistic and sensitive girl, Francine Nolan, comes of age in the slums of Brooklyn at
the turn of the 20th century.
6th Grade Nonfiction Titles
1) Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World By: Jennifer Armstrong (Lexile Level 1090)
Book Summary: After being shipwrecked in Antarctica, Shackleton and his men all survive to tell the
tale.
2) New Kids in Town: Oral Histories of Immigrant Teens By Janet Bode (Lexile Level 630)
Book Summary: Teenage immigrants from various countries recount the emotional experience of
fleeing their homelands and adjusting to a new life in the United States.
3) Within Reach: My Everest Story By: Mark and Galvin, Jack Pfetzer (Lexile Level 970)
Book Summary: At 16, Marc Pfetzer is the youngest climber ever to attempt to climb Mount Everest,
and this is his extraordinary first-person account. He takes readers past the ever-shifting Khumbu icefall,
over 300-foot crevasses, and up to the high altitude "Death Zone."
4) Island of Hope: The Story of Ellis Island and the Journey to America By: Martin W. Sandler
(Lexile Level 920)
Book Summary: More than 12 million immigrants entered the United States through Ellis Island- the
Island of Hope- between 1892 and 1954. Through firsthand accounts and anecdotes, this remarkable
book provides perspective and insight into a uniquely American experience.
6th grade Writing Response Tasks
Directions: After reading 1 fiction and 1 nonfiction book from the list above, complete the following
writing tasks. Responses should be typed or neatly written. Responses should be in essay format (at least
5 paragraphs).
For Fiction:
1. What could the main characters have done differently to solve their conflict (major problem) in the
story?
a. First describe the conflict in the story. (GIVE EXAMPLES).
b. Next, describe the resolution (solution to the problem) (GIVE EXAMPLES).
c. Last, explain what could have been done differently to solve the problem, and how it would
have changed the entire story. (GIVE EXAMPLES).
For Nonfiction:
1. What is the central idea (main idea) of the book?
a. Describe the main idea.
b. Give 3-5 specific examples and discuss how they relate to the main idea.