CMS English Department

Seventh Grade Summer Reading

Why do we have required summer reading?

We believe that all students need to be able to read and write effectively. We further believe that summer reading encourages students to maintain skills learned during the previous school year. Through their reading of one of the selected summer texts, students will be exposed to some of the themes that are woven throughout our core literature. Having a common base from which they can derive ideas and make connections to texts studied in class enables students to discuss and interact with literature and helps them make thematic connections throughout the school year. Answering questions that inspire higher order thinking will enable students to remember key points of their reading and will assist them in the writing of the in-class essay.  

What are our goals and objectives for Summer Reading?

• To encourage students to read closely and answer questions effectively
• To help students form thematic connections between texts
• To gather samples of student writing to assess writing strengths and weaknesses
• To maintain skills learned prior to summer

Grade 7 Summer Reading Options. Choose one book.

• Ghost by Jason Reynolds
• One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
• The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

What are the assignments?	When must they be completed?
A. Graphic Organizer	Handed in the First Class
B. In-Class Essay Analytical essay Use two-column notes made in class to inform writing	Written in the Third Class

A grade for each assignment will be incorporated into the first term average. The Graphic Organizer is worth 2 homework assignments and the In-Class Essay is worth a minor assessment.

We encourage students to read more than just the selected work and to keep a log of their other reading experiences.