Summer Reading Assignments
2011
Grade 7
Required Reading
The Odyssey
By Gareth Hinds
Flygirl
By Sherri L. Smith
ISBN: 978-0763646286
ISBN: 978-0142417256
Required Foreign Language Reading:
Assignment: On the first day of class, be ready to discuss your book.
Chinese:
French:
Ties That Bind, Ties That
Break
By Lensey Namioka
For Freedom
By Kimberly Brubaker
Bradley
ISBN:
978-0440415992
ISBN:
978-0440418313
Latin:
Black Ships Before Troy
By Rosemary Sutcliff
ISBN:
978-0553494839
Spanish:
Esperanza Rising
By Pam Munoz Ryan
ISBN:
978-0439398855
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Assignments
The Odyssey
From your reading, you learned that Odysseus visited numerous exotic places on his journey back to Ithaca
after the Trojan War. Please read through the options below for projects that will allow you to demonstrate
your understanding of Odysseus' travels, choosing the one that most interests you. All work is due on the first
half day of school.
OPTION ONE: Travel Brochure
You are the owner of a cruise company, and your task is to create a colorful cruise brochure based on
Odysseus’ adventures. The goal of this brochure is to entice travelers to buy a ticket for this cruise. Use
persuasive language and descriptive adjectives that will encourage vacationers to take your fabulous cruise.
Use your imagination, and be sure to include the following:
•
A description of the cruise, including the following information:
o An original name for the cruise line
o An original name for the cruise ship
o The length of the trip
o The cost of the trip
o Contact information for the cruise line
o The accommodations (room and food)
•
A description in writing and a small drawing of four of the stops along the way. You may choose from
the following places:
o Island of the Lotus Eaters
o Island of the Cyclopes
o Island of Aeolia (home of King Aeolus, keeper of the winds)
o Land of the Laestrygonians (a race of giant cannibals)
o Island of Aeaea (home of the bewitching goddess, Circe)
o Land of the Dead (the underworld, also known as Hades)
o Island of the Sirens (creatures who lure sailors with their songs)
o Scylla (six-headed dragon) and Charybdis (giant whirlpool)
o Island of Thrinacia (where the sun god, Helios, keeps his cattle)
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OPTION TWO: Map
You are a cartographer, and your task is to create a colorful map of Odysseus’ travels. When creating the map,
consider the following questions:
•
Where does he stop? Be sure to include the following places:
o Island of the Lotus Eaters
o Island of the Cyclopes
o Island of Aeolia (home of King Aeolus, keeper of the winds)
o Land of the Laestrygonians (a race of giant cannibals)
o Island of Aeaea (home of the bewitching goddess, Circe)
o Land of the Dead (the underworld, also known as Hades)
o Island of the Sirens (creatures who lure sailors with their songs)
o Scylla (six-headed dragon) and Charybdis (giant whirlpool)
o Island of Thrinacia (where the sun god, Helios, keeps his cattle)
•
What is characteristic of each of the stops? Be sure to include a short description of each place.
•
How can I depict the main action that occurs at each stopping place through illustrations? Be sure to
include a small illustration of the main action for each place.
OPTION THREE: Diary
You are Odysseus. Create a weather-beaten diary that is written by you as you travel from one place to the
next and undergo one trial after another. When creating the diary, consider the following:
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•
•
•
•
What are you thinking and feeling as you undergo each trial?
Your diary should include five entries.
One of the entries should be written about your return to Ithaca.
Your diary should be written in the first person.
Entries should run from a half page to a page, and some may be longer than others.
Flygirl
Eighteen-year-old Ida Mae Jones wants nothing more than to fly planes, a passion and skill passed along to her
by her father before he died. As a black woman living in World War II-era Louisiana, however, opportunities
to fly do not present themselves often, if at all. When Ida Mae learns of the Women Air Force Service Pilots
program, she decides to try and join, even if it means she has to make the dangerous decision to “pass” and
hide her race in order to be a part of WASP. Sherri Smith’s novel is a story not only about overcoming barriers
and exercising self-determination in the face of incredible challenge but also about the bonds of family and
friendship that provide support along the way.
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As you read this novel, please complete the following activities, both of which are due on the first full day of
school:
1. Keep a reader’s journal, recording your thoughts and questions about the novel at least every fifty
or so pages: Is there a passage where you learn something interesting about a character or the
society in which she lives? Is there a moment when you wonder why a character is doing what she
is doing? Is there a time when you feel outraged/saddened/moved by what is happening in the
novel? Why? These are just a few of the types of questions or observations you may choose to
include and discuss in your journal.
You may decide whether to keep your journal electronically or in an actual journal and whether to
record entries more frequently than every fifty pages. Remember, the minimum requirement for
responding is every fifty or so pages and responses should be no longer than two pages in length.
2. At the end of Flygirl, Ida Mae sends a letter. Using details you have gathered about Ida—the kind
of person she is and becomes, her dreams, her values, the time in which she lives—adopt the
persona of Ida Mae and use first person pronouns to write the letter that she sends.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Mabry at the Middle School office (297-8578), and a teacher
will be in touch.
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