Feline like reading?

I have heard through the grapevine that some of my new sixth graders are not feline like reading their summer books. Oh my goodness, I can NOT imagine not wanting to read! By reading, you can go anywhere, do anything, and imagine everything possible! Through reading just this summer I have traveled through time on the Blue Comet to the Great Depression, I have runaway from home and walked across Michigan in search of a missing father, I have learned about the Radium Girls and how they impacted worker safety, and I have read countless other books in preparation for the coming school year.

I am so looking forward to hearing about your reading adventures, but I am also worried that you might now have any. Some of you have already accepted my invitation to share one of your adventures by posting a note on this Padlet Wall. If you haven't done that yet, please visit HERE. You can read about your classmates' reading adventures as well as post your own.

If you're still NOT feline like reading then you need to meet the Internet's newest viral sensation:

Max, the Library Cat. 

BE LIKE MAX! 

Why do I say this? 

Just READ HERE.

Max wants to be at the library!

Summer Reading gr. 6

One of the first units of study in sixth grade will be learning about the Newbery Award, an award given to outstanding American children’s literature. In fact, we’ve already begun delving into this wonderful award. To help prepare the students for their study and to help them maintain their reading skills, each student is asked to read at least TWO books from the Newbery Award and Honor list that can be found at this web address...

http://goo.gl/lyc12i

If you have a digital reader, such as a Kindle or a Nook, please install a free app called OverDrive if you have not yet done so. It can be downloaded from iTunes or GooglePlay and will permit you to check-out digital books from the local public library. You will need to have an active library card from one of the public libraries in the area in order to check out a book. There are even audio-digital books that can be borrowed.

It is a good idea to take BRIEF notes on each book read as an aid for remembering details such as characters, setting, main events, problem/solution, figurative language, etc. Whatever form these notes take is OK, just keep them BRIEF. You can use the notes for writing special book reports in August/September when the new school year begins.

If you have any questions regarding the summer reading assignment, I am most easily reached via email at teachersdesk@yahoo.com or by phone/text at 440-990-0158.

Feel free to ask questions here on this post as well. Just leave a comment below and I will respond as soon as possible.

Summer 2016 Reading List for SJS gr. 7/8

The 2017 Ashtabula County English Festival books have been selected and are ready to be read! St. John students who will be enrolled in grs. 7-8 for the 2015-17 school year, you are required to read TWO of the following titles over the summer prior to school starting in August 2016.

* The remainder of the books need to be read prior to the English Festival in mid-March.

Echo by Paula Munoz Ryan

Woof by Spencer Quinn

Bomb by Steve Sheinkin

Navigating Early by Clare Vanderpool

Legend by Marie Lu

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

As you read your selected titles this summer, please take notes regarding important information: characters, setting, figurative language, theme, conflict. Note page numbers so that it is easy for you to relocate the text evidence once classes resume. If you are using a digital book, you can highlight portions of the text; however, you still might like to keep a hard copy of your notations and numerical locations.