Eighth Grade Summer Reading Assignment 2015
Dear Eighth Grade Students:
I hope that you have wonderful summer plans ahead of you, and that within those adventures,
you also plan to read a book or two! For those of you who do not like to read, I challenge you to
be tenacious in finding books that you actually enjoy. Regardless, summer reading is a
wonderful way to develop and hone your reading and writing skills.
The required summer reading book is The Wave by Todd Strasser. I suggest that you begin
reading this book at the beginning of August, as this will be the first book that we will work with
when school starts. I would like for you to annotate, looking for details about major characters
and events, but also circling adjectives used to describe “the wave.” You may make bullet notes
at the end of the chapter as a form of summary. For this book, you are to complete the Summer
Reading Assignment sheets and a Vocabulary Journal. These assignments are to be handwritten.
The best way to complete the vocabulary journal is as you read, not after you have finished the
entire book. Be prepared to discuss this book with me!
In addition to the required reading, please choose at least two other books to read from the
Holland Hall 7th/8th Grade Booklist. The list is located on the Middle School Kistler Library web
page. One of these choices must be from the *STARRED* items on the 7th/8th Grade Book List.
The star designates that a book is considered a classic. The other choice may be any book on the
7th/8th Grade Book List.*** Please complete only the Summer Reading Assignment for both
books.
The information that you are completing as part of the summer assignment will be used for
writing assignments in the fall, and will be due the first week of school.
I hope that you will take time to choose books that you will enjoy reading. Each of the books on
the 7th/8th Grade List has a short synopsis, but you can also find reviews by checking online at
amazon.com.
Have a good summer, and I will see you in August!
Sincerely,
Jaclyn Wooten
Eighth Grade English Teacher
*** The following books may not be read for this assignment:
Crispin, Coraline, Ninth Ward, Paper Boy, The Good Braider, Touching Spirit Bear, Dead End
in Norvelt, Watsons go to Birmingham, Omnivore's Dilemma, Red Scarf Girl, Habibi, True Grit,
The Outsiders, Tempest, The Book Thief. (These books have been read during the 6th Grade or 7th
Grade English class.)
Name: _______________________________________________________________
Book Title:____________________________________________________________
Keep a vocabulary journal while reading. Use the following organizer to record the words you
do not know, the part of speech (noun (n), verb (v), adjective (adj), adverb (adv) ), the page
number, definition, and the sentence where you found the word.
Word________________________________________ Part of Speech________ Page #______
Definition:_____________________________________________________________________
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Sentence where you found the word: ________________________________________________
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Word________________________________________ Part of Speech________ Page #______
Definition:_____________________________________________________________________
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Sentence where you found the word: ________________________________________________
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Word________________________________________ Part of Speech________ Page #______
Definition:_____________________________________________________________________
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Sentence where you found the word: ________________________________________________
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Word________________________________________ Part of Speech________ Page #______
Definition:_____________________________________________________________________
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Sentence where you found the word: ________________________________________________
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Word________________________________________ Part of Speech________ Page #______
Definition:_____________________________________________________________________
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Sentence where you found the word: ________________________________________________
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Name: _______________________________________________________________________
Title of Book: _________________________________________________________________
Author: ______________________________________________________________________
Summer Assignment Directions: Use the space provided to answer the questions. Use
complete sentences and be sure to write legibly. You may use additional paper if you run out of
room.
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Protagonist: Almost every book revolves around one or more main characters. The main
character of a story is called the protagonist. The experiences the protagonist endures causes
him(her) to change.
Who is the protagonist of this novel? (If there is more than one protagonist, choose one!)
__________________________________________________________________________
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Characteristics and Traits: A characteristic or trait is a feature that helps to identify the
character. In a story, the characteristics of the protagonist are what set him or her apart from the
other characters in the story.
External traits refer to the character’s physical appearance such as height and hair color, but
also abilities and skills. Some external traits are more important than others! Choose one that is
important to the story!
What is one important external trait of the protagonist?
Why is this trait important?
Write down a sentence or passage from the novel where this trait is described (record the page
number for the sentence or passage):
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Internal traits refer to the character’s personality such as his(her) emotions, beliefs, attitudes, or
fears; internal traits are what make a character’s personality unique. Some internal traits are
more important than others! Choose one that is important to the story!
What is one important internal trait of the protagonist?
_____________________________________________________________________
Why is this trait important?
______________________________________________________________________________
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Write down a sentence or passage from the novel where this trait is described (include the page
number of the sentence/passage):
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Goal: In most stories, the protagonist has a goal, something he (she) wants to accomplish. Most
protagonists have one main goal that is often not something external or physical.
Conflict: The main conflict of the story is usually what stops the main character from reaching
his goal, and it is not necessarily something external or physical. Three commonly recognized
conflicts are: 1. man struggles against nature, 2. man struggles against man/society, and 3. man
struggles against himself.
What is the protagonist’s goal?
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Why is this goal important to the character?
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What is the main conflict of the novel?
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How is this conflict stopping the protagonist from reaching this goal?
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Resolution: In most stories, the protagonist’s conflicts and experiences cause him or her to
change or to learn a valuable lesson. The part of the story where the protagonist learns this
lesson or realizes that he or she has changed is called the resolution. The resolution is the final
outcome of the story where all of the loose ends are tied up.
Describe how the protagonist changes from the beginning of the story to the end:
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Did the protagonist learn any important lessons? If so, what?
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Did you like the resolution of the story? Why or why not?
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Mood: The mood of the story is the feelings or emotions created in the READER—how you
feel when you are reading the book. An author creates the mood through his (her) descriptions,
word choice, and writing style. Moods can range from horror and sadness to amazement and
humor, and the mood of a story can change scene to scene. However, most stories have an
overall or general mood to them.
Describe the mood of the story. (You will use adjectives to do this!):
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Write down a sentence or passage from the novel that helps create this mood (include the page
number):
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Theme: The theme of the story is a broad statement about life or human nature. The theme is
NOT what happens in the story (that’s the plot). Consider what the protagonist learns in the story
as this is often a clue to a story’s theme. Ask yourself what the author’s point is—why did
he(she) write this story? What is the lesson or moral of the story? Though a story can have more
than one theme, most stories have one main theme. A theme is rarely ONE word; it is most often
a statement.
What do you think is the main theme of this novel?
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Why do you think this is the main theme?
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Write down TWO sentences/passages from the novel (which you chose) that relates to or
suggests this theme; record the page number that the passage is found on after each passage.
Write down THREE sentences/passages from the novel, The Wave, which relate to or suggests
its theme; record the page number that the passage is found on after each passage:
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Finally:
Reflecting on the information that you have gathered about each book that you have read for this
assignment, and choosing from one of your choices, write a paragraph about a lesson that
you have learned from this novel. Support the lesson that you have learned with examples
from the text of the novel. I would prefer that this paragraph be hand-written on notebook paper,
but you may type it, using MLA guidelines, and print it. Attach your paragraph to this packet.