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ELL Summer Reading - NHS

Summer Reading for
ESL 1 and 2 Students

The information below can be translated using the Google Translate feature found at the bottom of this web page.

(Scroll down page for both ESL 1 and ESL 2 assignments)

Note:  ESL 3 students will have the same assignment as the other High School students for their respective grades. Click here for the assignment

Summer Reading Assignment for ESL 1 Students

Click here for printable copy of the assignment 

Read the following book:
First Day in Grapes, by L. King Perez (ISBN#1-58430-045-0) Lee & Low Books, NY, 2002 – story of Chico, the son of migrant workers,  who travels a lot and has to start new in many different schools.  After you read it, write the following and bring it in the first day of class.

Title: First Day in Grapes    Author: L. King Perez_

1.  Characters:

 

2.  What Happens?

 

3.  Did you like it? Yes? No?

 

4.  Why?

 

In addition, you should read another book.  The following are suggestions for beginner students of English.

The Girl from Chimel, by Rigoberta Menchu – life story of Nobel Prize winner Rigoberto Menchu and her childhood in Guatemala.

The King with Dirty Feet and Other stories, compiled by Mary Medlicott (ISBN#0753400030) - stories from all over the world

I Hate English by Ellen Levine – Mei Mei arrives in New York from Hong Kong  and quickly gets frustrated because she can’t understand English.

My Name is Bilal by Asma Mobin-Udding (ISBN#1-59078-175-9) Boyds Mills Press, PA 2005 -  Bilal and his sister Ayesha are one of the few Muslim students in his school.

Tales from the Classroom at the end of the Hall by Douglas Evans – strange things happen at a school.

The Solar System, by Don Nardo (The Heinle Reading Library) or any other science related book

Suggestion:  Visit the Public Library and go to the young people’s section.  Look around.  Choose a book that interests you.  Borrow it and read it.  Your success learning English depends on how much you read.  You do not need to understand every single word. 

Summer Reading Assignment for ESL 2 Students

Click here for printable copy of the assignment

Students will read Seedfolks by Paul Fleischman.  It is widely available in libraries and for purchase at Barnes and Noble or Amazon.

Summary:  In Seedfolks, thirteen different characters tell about their involvement in a community garden in their neighborhood.  The characters are of different ages, ethnicities (i.e. African American, Latino, Polish, etc.) and they each choose different things to grow in the garden.  Each character was also affected in different ways by planting and growing flowers and vegetables with their neighbors.  Notes:  Students who were in ESL 2 this year at NHS read one chapter of this book, “Amir.”  

a) Pick four different characters and fill in the chart below.  Bring it on the first day of school.

Character’s Name Age:  how many years old Ethnicity:  Where are they from? What plants did they plant in the garden? How (What) did they feel about the garden?
         
         
         
         

b) Finish the following sentences:

My favorite character is:

I like this character because:

Write about the book in general.  Did you like it?  Why or why not? 

 

You should also read at least one more book. The following books are suggestions.  

Behind the Mountain, by Edwidge Dandicat – a young Haitian girl and her family move to New York City – based on the author’s experiences.
Black Pioneers of Science and Invention, by Louis Haber - Profiles of scientists like Dr. Charles Drew , an African American medical doctor, surgeon and researcher who invented the concept of a blood bank.
The Cinnamon Tree, by Aubrey Flegg, story of a young African girl who goes to Ireland for treatment after the amputation of her leg from an unexploded bomb.
Children of the River, by Linda Crew – Sundara moves to Oregon from Cambodia after fleeing the Khmer Rouge war
Haiti on my Mind – Stories of Haitian American Teens, ed. by Dana K. Vincent – different stories by teenagers from Haitian descent living in the U.S.
Holes, by Louis Sachar – Story of boys in a detention center who solve a mystery.
Hoops, by Walter Dean Myers – a star basketball player in High School has to make a very tough decision
Kids Like Me-Voices of the Immigrant Experience, ed. by Judith Blohm and Terry Lapinsky – real life stories of teenagers from different parts of the world and their experiences living in the U.S. – You can choose to read just 3 stories from this collection.
The Pact, by Davis, Jenkins and Hunt – three young men promise to do well in school and fulfill a dream.
Quinceanera means Sweet 15, by Veronica Chamber – two Latina best friends in the U.S. experience turning 15.
Remember This Titan: The Bill Yoast Story, by Steve Sullivan – the real life hero that inspired the movie
Shabanu, by Suzanne Fish Staples – fictionalized account of a Pakistani girl in a traditional rural culture
The Skin I’m In, by Sharon G. Flake – story of a girl who struggles with accepting how she looks and the teacher who helps her.
The Way Things Work, by David MacAuley – fun, illustrated guide to many different tools, machines and other things we use.
 

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