Incoming Eighth Grade  

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2019-2020 Summer Reading
Students Entering 8^th Grade
 
Students may choose ONE of the following options:
 
Option #1 - Multicultural Fiction Book and Essay
 

• Read a multicultural fiction book and take notes on it to use in the Reflection Essay.  Your notes will be submitted with your essay. Your notes should include the following:
• Title and author
• Brief summary (outline plot structure)
• Theme
• Major characters names
• Your evaluation of the book and who you would recommend it to

 
Reflection Essay Directions:
            As you read the multicultural book, consider what is similar and different between the characters’ lives and your own life.  This is not a summary of the book, but rather a reflective analysis of the similarities and differences between you as the reader and the characters in the book.  What experiences do you share in common?  What experiences are different?  How does the culture (or race) of the character(s) shape her/his experiences?  How does your culture (or race) shape your experiences?  How were you feeling as you read the book or read certain passages of the book? 
            Your essay should be 1-2 pages in length, contain multiple paragraphs, be Times New Roman size 12 font, and double spaced.  As this is a reflection piece, you should write it in first person.  Be sure to make specific references to the book, including examples from the text, quoting where appropriate, and including page numbers.
 
Essay Rubric:
 
Similarities/differences between characters’ lives and student’s life                                             
( 25 points) _____
Elements of reflective analysis present (1st person, personal experiences, opinions, etc.)
                                                                                                                        ( 25 points) _____
Student’s feelings about the book were present in the essay                               ( 25 points) _____
Student made references to the book, using examples from the text, using quotes from the text with their page numbers                                                                                               ( 15 points) _____
Essay is an assigned format -  1-2 pages in length, multiple paragraphs, Times New Roman, size 12 font, double spaced                                                                                     ( 10 points) _____
 
Multicultural Fiction Book Choices:
8^th Grade Superzero by Olugbemisola Rhuday Perkovich
Amal Unbound by Aisha Saeed
Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez
Blended by Sharon M. Draper
Boys Without Names by Kashmira Sheth
Buried Onions by Gary Soto
Crow by Barbara Wright
Habibi by Naomi Shihab Nye
Hang a Thousand Trees with Ribbons by Ann Rinaldi
Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Queen of the Water by Laura Resau
Small Acts of Amazing Courage by Gloria Whelan
Sugar by Jewell Parker Rhodes
The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds
The Cruisers by Walter Dean Meyers
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
The Skin I’m In by Sharon Flake
Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed
 
 
Option #2 - Non-Fiction Book and Oral Presentation
 
Choose 1 of the books below. (If you would like to read something not on the list, please email me to check if it’s ok.) During the first week of school, you will present on the topic of the nonfiction book you chose.  You should not have a powerpoint or poster, although you can have a piece of paper or index cards to guide you through your presentation.  The presentation should give information about the topic, important/interesting information, an explanation as to why you chose this book, and who you would recommend read the book.  The presentation should be roughly 2-3 minutes in length.
 
Rubric:
 
Title of book                                                                                          (5)                    _______
Author of book                                                                                      (5)                    _______
Explain why you selected this book                                                  (5)                    _______
Brief summary of the topic                                                                 (10)                  _______
Shared  important/interesting information                                      (10)                  _______
Volume                                                                                                    (5)                    _______
Eye Contact                                                                                            (5)                    _______
Posture                                                                                                    (5)                    _______
 
Non-fiction Book Choices:
All the Gallant Men by Donald Stratton
Bomb: The Race to Build The World’s Most Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Bubonic Panic: When Plague Invaded America by Gail Jarrow
Chasing Lincoln’s Killer by James L. Swanson
Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy
Fatal Fever: Tracking Down Typhoid Mary by Gail Jarrow
Popular: How a Geek in Pearls Discovered the Secret to Confidence by Maya Van Wagenen
Pure Grit: How American World War II Nurses Survived Battle and Prison Camp in the Pacific by Mary Cronk Farrell
Rise of the Rocket Girls: The Women Who Propelled Us, From Missels to the Moon to Mars by Nathalia Holt
Steve Jobs: The Man Who Thought Different by Jennifer Nielssen
The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Knud Pederson and the Churchill Club
They Called Themselves the K.K.K.: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March by Lynda Black Lowery, Adapted by Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley
Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin
Votes for Women!: American Suffragists and the Battle for the Ballot by Winifred Conkling
 
 

 

8th Grade Math Students A/B: 

You can use these links to practice your math skills over the summer.  

Math Games and Helpful Websites:
Math Magician Games
Choose +, -, X, or /. Can students complete 20 math fact problems with 100 percent accuracy in less than 60 seconds? If they can, they might print out an award certificate or ask a classmate to verify the total and record it on a chart.
MathMastery's CyberChallenge
Choose +, -, X or /. Students have 1 minute to get as many correct answers as they can. Have a classmate verify the total and record it on a chart.
Pick a Number
Multiplication only. This game is ideal for students just learning the times tables. It focuses on the individual tables; it does not mix the 4x tables and 5x tables, for example. Click one of the joker's cards (e.g., click the 7 to enter the World of 7, then click Table Tournament.) How many of the 20 multiplication table problems do students get right before the time runs out? Have a classmate verify the score and record it on a chart.
AAA Math
Click your grade level. Then click Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, or Division. For each operation, you will find several games, including How many correct answers can you get in 60 seconds? and How fast can you get 20 more correct answers than wrong answers? Have a classmate verify the score and record it on a chart.
Matching Multiplication Game
Multiplication only. Click the multiplication fact on the left side of the page and its matching product on the right side. How long does it take you to match all eight pairs? Have a classmate verify the time and record it on a chart.
Just for Fun!
These online math facts games are just for fun. Most do not record a score, but they still offer great practice and lots of math fun.
A+ Math's Hidden Picture Games
How many problems do students solve before they can identify the hidden picture?
Quia Concentration
Match all the addition or subtraction facts with their answers. (This game does provide a final score, but it is really more a test of memory than a test of math-fact knowledge.)
Quia Matching
Easy level. Match each addition or subtraction fact card to its solution.
A+ Math's Concentration Game
Match the problem on the left card with the correct answer on the right card. (This game does provide a final score, but it is really more a test of memory than it is a test of math-fact knowledge.)
Multiflyer
Students will be engaged by this arcade-like space-themed multiplication race.
Mr. Taylor's Multiplication Facts Drills
You can't get wrong answers here. Students click until they get the right answer.
Math Mayhem
Choose +, -, X, or /. Students compete against other students who are online at the same time.
Coloring Book Math
Solve the math problems to color the pictures. Requires addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division skill.