A. Mario Loiederman Middle School for the

Creative and Performing Arts

Summer Reading 2015    

      

Spring 2015

Dear Loiederman Students and Families, As part of the MCPS language arts instructional program, students are required to complete summer reading prior to their upcoming academic year. The purpose of this program is to allow young people to continue building and strengthening essential reading skills throughout the summer months. Students are expected to read two books (one fictional, one non-fictional) they have not read before. Enclosed is a list of suggested books that cover a range of reading levels, topics and genres. We recommend that parents/guardians review with their children the list or visit a local public library or book store to consider interest and readability prior to making selections. For the non-fiction piece, students may also choose to use the articles that are attached to this packet. After students finish reading, they must complete an assignment for each book read. These assignments will be submitted to English teachers during the first two weeks of the opening marking period and graded as homework tasks. Students who register after August 1, 2015, will have until the final week of the first marking period to submit the assignment. If you should need another copy of this assignment, it is available online on the Loiederman web site and in the main office. Should you have any questions, please contact Mr. Eupil Muhn, Language Arts Content Specialist, at 301-929-2282 or Eupil_K_Muhn@mcpsmd.org.

Wishing you a wonderful summer full of books,

Your Language Arts Teachers

Grade 6

A. Mario Loiederman Middle School for the

Creative and Performing Arts

Summer Reading 2015    

      

Primavera 2015 Estimados Estudiantes y Familias de Loiederman, Como parte del Programa Instructivo del Departamento de Artes de Lenguaje de MCPS, es necesario que los estudiantes completen una lectura en el verano antes de su próximo año escolar. El propósito de este programa es para permitir que nuestros jóvenes continúen construyendo y esforzando habilidades esenciales de lectura durante los meses de verano. La expectativa para los estudiantes es leer dos libros que no hayan leído, una selección de ficción y una que no sea de ficción. Adjunto, esta una lista de sugerencias de libros que cubren el rango de niveles de lectura, temas y géneros. Les recomendamos a los padres/guardianes que repasen con sus hijos la lista o visite la librería pública o la tienda de libros para considerar el interés y la legibilidad antes de tomar una selección. Para la parte de no ficción, estudiantes también pueden escoger y usar artículos los cuales están adjuntos en este paquete. Después de que los estudiantes terminen su lectura, ellos deben de completar una tarea para cada libro leído. Este trabajo será sometido a los profesores de Inglés durante las primeras dos semanas del comienzo del primer periodo de calificaciones y serán marcados como tareas. Estudiantes quienes se registran después del 1 de Agosto, 2015, tendrán hasta el final del periodo de calificaciones para entregar su trabajo. Si usted necesita otra copia de la tarea, está disponible en la página del sitio web de Loiederman y en la oficina principal. Si usted tiene alguna pregunta, por favor de llamar al Sr. Eupil Muhn, Especialista de Contenido de Artes de Lenguaje, al 301-929-2282 o Eupil_K_Muhn@mcpsmd.org.

Deseándoles un verano maravilloso lleno de libros.

Sus Profesores de Artes de Lenguajes

Grado 6

90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis When unrest hits the streets of Havana, Cuba, Julian's parents must make the heartbreaking decision to send him and his two brothers away to Miami via the Pedro Pan operation. The boys are thrust into a world where bullies seem to run rampant and it's not always clear how best to protect themselves.

A Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban Ten-year-old Zoe Elias, who longs to play the piano but must resign herself to learning the organ, finds that her musicianship has a positive impact on her workaholic mother, her jittery father, and her school social life.

A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel by Madeleine L’Engle (adapted/illustrated by Hope Larson) A graphic novel adaptation of the classic tale in which Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Amulet: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi After the tragic death of their father, Emily and Navin move with their mother into a strange house proves to be dangerous. When a sinister creature lures their mom through a door in the basement, Em and Navin, follow her into an underground world inhabited by demons, robots, and talking animals.

Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan Esperanza and her mother are forced to leave their life of wealth and privilege in Mexico to go work in the labor camps of Southern California, where they must adapt to the harsh circumstances facing Mexican farm workers on the eve of the Great Depression. Football Genius by Tim Green Troy, a sixth-grader with an unusual gift for predicting football plays before they occur, attempts to use his ability to help his favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons, but he must first prove himself to the coach and players.

Hold Fast by Blue Balliett On a cold winter day in Chicago, Early's father disappeared, and now she, her mother and her brother have been forced to flee their apartment and join the ranks of the homeless - and it is up to Early to hold her family together and solve the mystery surrounding her father.

Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen Things get out of hand for a twelve-year-old boy when a neighbor convinces him to expand his summer lawn mowing business.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale While attending a strict academy for potential princesses with the other girls from her mountain village, fourteen-year-old Miri discovers unexpected talents and connections to her homeland.

Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time by Lisa Yee After flunking sixth-grade English, basketball prodigy Stanford Wong must struggle to pass his summer-school class, keep his failure a secret from his friends, and satisfy his academically demanding father.

Strike Three, You’re Dead by Josh Berk Lenny Norbeck and his friends The Mikes set out to investigate the suspicious death of a young pitcher at a Phillies game

Will in Scarlet by Matthew Cody In the late 1100s, thirteen-year-old Will, the future Lord of Shackley, is exiled to Sherwood Forest, where he meets Robin Hood and the Merry Men and bands with them to try retake Shackley Castle.

Grade 6 Suggested FICTION Titles

Harriet Tubman, Secret Agent: How Daring Slaves and Free Blacks Spied for the Union During the Civil War by Thomas B. Allen

Stuff That Scares Your Pants Off! The Science Scoop on More Than 30 Terrifying Phenomena! by Glenn Murphy A look into wild and scary wildlife, natural disasters, deadly diseases and the unknown!

The Dark Game: True Spy Stories by Paul B. Janeczko From clothesline codes to surveillance satellites and cyber espionage, Janeczko uncovers two centuries' worth of true spy stories in U.S. history.

The Skull in the Rock: How a Scientist, a Boy, and Google Earth Opened a New Window on Human Origins by Lee Berger and Marc Aronson Chronicles the story behind one of the most significant archaeological discoveries of all time, explaining its significance for understanding human evolution and how it is shaping the thinking of the scientific community.

Titanic: Voices from the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson Tells the tale of the sinking of the Titanic using the narratives of the witnesses and survivors to the disaster.

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball by Kadir Nelson Using an "Everyman" player as his narrator, Kadir Nelson tells the story of Negro League baseball from its beginnings in the 1920s through the decline after Jackie Robinson crossed over to the majors in 1947. Illustrations from oil paintings by artist Kadir Nelson.

Witches! The Absolutely True Tale of Disaster in Salem by Rosalyn Schanzer Tells the story of the victims, the accused witches, and the scheming officials that turned a mysterious illness into a witch hunt.  

Grade 6 Suggested NON-FICTION Titles

 FICTION: Elements of a Story       Name _____________________ 

 

Text Title:_____________________________________________  

AS YOU READ, complete the following information:

Main Character(s): 

    

Setting:  When:  Where:  

AFTER YOU READ, determine the major events at the beginning, middle and end :

Events: (What happens in the beginning) 

      

Events: (What happens in the middle)  

      

Events: (What happens at the end) 

       

Problem (Conflict): 

   

Solution (Resolution): 

   

Task 1 of 4 – Two Points 

Character Traits 

Examples  Non‐Examples  Caring                                            

Honest 

Wise 

Creative 

Bold 

Friendly 

Enthusiastic 

Determined 

Admirable Foibles are negative character traits: 

Evil 

Selfish 

Rude 

Bossy 

Stubborn  

Temporary Feelings are NOT character traits: o Depressed o Sorrowful o Excited o Heartbroken o Lonely 

Physical Characteristics are NOT character traits: o Skinny o Beautiful  o Invisible o Tall 

Other Non‐Examples o Hungry o Rich 

Definition: A character trait is a word to describe how someone acts most of the time (their personality). 

Caption: The girl is respectful because she recycles the newspaper to protect the planet. 

Name __________________________ Task 2 of 4 – Two Points 

Character Map

Directions: complete the following character map for one of the main characters in the FICTIONAL story you read. Character’s Name:

What the character says

What others say about the character

What the character does

Actions

Character’s traits

These traits are distinguishing qualities of the character that reflect his/her personality

 Theme:  a universal message the author wants to get across in his or her story.   Here are some examples of topics a story can be about, and how they can reveal a theme!  

Topic  Theme (the message that can apply to everyone)

Being Accepted When people put themselves in the shoes of others, they can learn how to accept those who are different.   

Being Yourself  Sometimes it takes people wanting us to be someone else that helps us find out who we really are. 

Change Throughout life, we are always facing change.  Sometimes we need to embrace and adjust to the change in order to move forward.   

Courage  Real courage is being brave under the most uncertain and challenging circumstances.

Differences While at first differences can seem to tear people apart, understanding those differences can build unexpected relationships.    

Dreams  People have to make great sacrifices to achieve their dreams.  

Fairness  Sometimes being fair does not make everyone happy.   

Giving  It is through giving to others that we are able to receive the most rewards in life.  

Growing Up While some growing pains in life are extremely painful, without them we might not ever learn how to improve.   

Honesty  Honesty, while sometimes painful in the moment, can be the best building block for any relationship. 

Kindness  True kindness is doing something for others without expecting anything in return.  

Making the Best of a Situation  

Sometimes when things in life are not what we wanted, we can learn to be happy when we 

Overcoming loss  Sometime in our life time we will all have to overcome loss.  

Overcoming Obstacles 

Overcoming an obstacle is rarely easy, and sometimes we must learn to live with the obstacle to find peace. 

Patience  Patience is often required when wanting to get the most desired things in life.

Perseverance  It is with perseverance and not giving up that people succeed, even when life is hard.  

Respect  When people treat others as they would be treated, they often get unexpected rewards.

Responsibility  Responsibility accompanies the possession of great power.

Task 3 of 4 – Two Points 

Theme Think about the FICTIONAL story you read using the resource on the back of this page. What are topics that describe the story? Use the topics to identify different themes and explain how the characters reveal those themes. 

Possible Topics:            

 

Title: _________________________________________________________________________________________________  

Author: _______________________________________________________________________________________________  

Theme  What the Characters Do or Say to Show the Theme

      

 

Name __________________________ 

Non‐Fiction: Close Reading 

Directions:  BEFORE reading a non‐fiction book OR article, answer the following question:   

1. Based on the title of the book or article, what do you think the text will be about? 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Directions:  AFTER reading a non‐fiction book OR article, answer the following question:   

2. List one text feature (e.g. glossary, photos, bullet points, bold print, headings) that helped you understand 

the text better AND explain how it helped you. 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

3. Complete one of the following:   

a) List the key ideas (the main points) in the text: 

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

b) OR write a three to four sentence summary of the text: 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

4. What is one important idea you learned from your reading, AND how can you connect it to your life? 

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Task 4 of 4 – Two Points 

Grade 6 Recommended Non-Fiction Article

Character-building, not jail time, in a Texas juvenile court

program DALLAS — Many kids who commit crimes end up behind bars. There is a unique program in Dallas meant to avoid that. It is the Diversion Male Court and a large number of youth are enrolled in it.

Diversion Male Court (DMC) is a six-month rehabilitation program for boys of color who get in trouble with the law. The people who work with them are all men of color.

The court system that deals with youth who break the law is called the juvenile justice system. A major problem is that many of the teens who enter the juvenile justice system are black or Hispanic. Many of the lawyers and judges are white.

DMC tries to help minority offenders in Dallas by connecting them with adults who they can identify with. These boys have been accused of everything from aggravated assault to burglary. DMC uses a variety of methods to help them improve their behavior.

Importance Of Respect And Responsibility

The program is unique in Texas, and there are only a handful of other programs like it in the country. George Ashford is the judge at DMC. He says the program is about more than simply telling the boys to stay out of trouble. He and his team teach the boys life lessons about accountability, respect, responsibility and empathy.

Alex R. Piquero is a criminologist at the University of Texas at Dallas. He said that DMC has an interesting new approach to helping youths who get into trouble with the law. "We should continue to experiment with new approaches and alternatives to sentencing, treatment and rehabilitation,” Piquero said.

The program is still relatively new, though. Piquero noted that this approach needs to be evaluated over a long period of time before we will know how effective it really is.

One mother whose son entered DMC recently described it as "an answer to prayer." “Him getting into trouble was real hard for me. I need him to learn to follow the rules,” she said of her son.

DMC does not hand out the usual punishments to boys who break the law. Instead, these teens are enrolled in a multi-level program that helps them to grow.

Strict Rules To Follow

Ashford wears a suit and tie instead of a traditional judge's robe. When he talks to DMC boys, and sits with them and has personal conversations. With one boy, he discusses boxing; with another, auto repair. Every conversation leads back to a life lesson.

Ashford and his team go out of their way to let each youth know that they really care about him. At the same time, they enforce strict rules and expect of lot from the kids. All boys in the program have to be at home by 7 p.m., and DMC workers meet with them every week to see how they are doing at school. Boys have to keep up with their school work and are tutored if necessary.

All participants are also required to learn “character traits” such as trustworthiness and respect. They must write a half page in their journals every day about how those traits affect their behavior.

Dr. Terry Smith is the executive director of the Dallas County Juvenile Department and is DMC's founder. When she decided to create the program, she approached an experienced juvenile officer named Mario Love with her idea.

“I actually laughed,” Love said.

He was doubtful that the program could work, and so was Ashford.

“I’m happy to say I was proven wrong,” said Love. He is now a passionate supporter of the program.

Turning Lives Around

Since DMC began, 258 boys have been recommended for the program. Some 143 of them enrolled, and 25 more are currently under consideration.

Overall, DMC focuses on building character. Sometimes this requires adapting to the needs of each youth. When Love learned that one 17-year-old had recently become a father, he arranged parenting classes for the teen.

Ashford said the program can help kids who have developed bad habits and made bad decisions to turn their lives around.

“Those cases are deeply satisfying," he observed.

DMC deals directly with the issue of race. Smith recognizes that race can be an “uncomfortable topic." Nevertheless, she does not think the issue should be ignored.

For example, an unusually large proportion of black youth end up in the juvenile justice system. The proportion of whites who enter the system, on the other hand, is below the overall average.

Special Treatment?

According to many experts, boys and girls of color do not necessarily commit more crimes than white youth. Rather, they may just be more likely to be caught and punished.

Darlene Byrne is a state district judge in Travis County. She said that the juvenile justice system treats youth of different races differently.

Experts point to the case of Ethan Couch, a white teenager who killed four people in Tarrant County two years ago while driving drunk. Couch was 16 at the time of the crash, and it was his third alcohol-related offense, yet a judge did not sentence Couch to serve jail time. It would have been very unlikely for a black teen to receive such a forgiving sentence, the experts say.

Piquero said that it is hard to know why boys and girls of color end up in the juvenile justice system more than white boys and girls. He said that the system may treat youth of different races differently, but this is not necessarily the case. “That may be true at some level or to some extent. We just don’t know how much.”

Grade 7 Recommended Non-Fiction Article

Thousands of students work to make middle school lunchrooms friendlier For many kids, middle schools is no picnic. There’s awkwardness, cliques and bullying. There are the challenges of puberty and low-self esteem -- or maybe too much self-esteem.

It can all collide in the cafeteria, leaving some kids feeling invisible and like they don't fit in.

A national campaign called “No One Eats Alone Day” is taking aim at social isolation among middle schoolers.

Beyond Differences

Schools are picking up on the student-led program, and more than 300,000 students across the country have signed up to participate. In just a year, participation grew from 35 schools in 2014 to more than 700.

The program was created by Beyond Differences, a national nonprofit group. Its mission is to change the culture in middle schools to make kids feel more accepted and valued.

Social isolation and bullying are now considered huge problems in schools. The program tries to reverse this trend by giving students simple and fun ways to include others during lunchtime — making sure no one eats alone, said Laura Talmus. She is the founder of Beyond Differences.

Middle school was a rough couple of years for Talmus’ daughter, Lili Smith, who was born with a cranial facial syndrome. Children with the condition have facial or skull bones that do not grow normally.

"She Felt Invisible"

Talmus said her daughter would finish her lunch at school and call from the restroom crying.

“She would call me almost daily, ‘Mom, I have nobody to eat with, and the girls don’t want me to sit with them,’” Talmus said. “Lili was never teased or bullied, but was almost suffering as much because she felt invisible.”

Lili died at the age of 15 from medical complications of her condition. Afterward, a group of teens from the community banded together to bring change to their local schools.

It’s not an easy task.

At Rogers Middle School in Affton, Missouri, resistance to No One Eats Alone Day began after students learned of it through the morning announcements. The student organizers heard that a lot of students were worried that they wouldn’t get to sit next to their friends.

Uncomfortable Situation

On Friday, the student members of the school’s Mistreatment Leadership Team, an anti-bullying group, placed conversation starters on the round tables in their cafeteria. There were questions like, “Who is your favorite celeb?” and “Who is your role model?”

The students waited nervously with pieces of paper to hand out to classmates, color-coded to randomly assign them to tables.

When the lunch bell rang, there was loud disappointment among those who were separated. Others ran and hugged their friends when they realized they would be at the same table.

Some tried to make the best of what they said was an uncomfortable situation.

“I would much rather sit alone than with people I don’t know, to be honest,” said Cori Caby, a seventh-grader who was at a table with some students she usually sits with and some she doesn’t.

Some Successes Too

Some quietly switched cards so they could sit with their friends. Some got on their cellphones, an easy way to get out of talking to people you don’t know.

No one thought kids were going to become best friends after just one lunch.

The day was more about being aware of other people’s feelings, and encouraging students to reach out and start a conversation with someone they normally don’t talk to, said Reece Black. He is an eighth-grader and one of the organizers. Reece called out at least one table of kids sitting with their usual group.

But he saw successes, too.

Sixth-graders Jenna Walden and Avarry Wilkerson ended up at a table by themselves. When they noticed that Alexander Scherer, a new student at school, was alone, they moved over to sit with him. As he ate his lunch, he and the girls talked about Six Flags.

“By the way, I’m Avarry,” she said to Alexander, just as lunch was wrapping up.

Reece and the other student leaders say they saw other examples of kids reaching out.

“So that was pretty cool,” Reece said.

Grade 8 Recommended Non-Fiction Article

Kansas schools to reward special-needs athletes with varsity letters

WICHITA, Kan. — Athletes with special needs just scored a big win in Wichita, Kansas: varsity letters.

For more than a century, these colorful, letter-shaped patches have been awarded to members of the most competitive sports teams in high schools across the country; athletes usually show them off by having them sewn onto "letter jackets" and "letter sweaters."

Thanks to a recent school board vote, Wichita athletes with special needs can now earn varsity letters for reaching challenging athletic goals of their own.

One Athlete Made A Difference

The campaign to award varsity letters to athletes with special needs started with Michael Kelley, a student at Wichita East High School.

Michael attracted national attention when his mother, Jolinda Kelley, said school employees told her son not to wear his letter jacket. She had purchased a varsity letter for it. Officials from Michael's school district insist that no one asked him to remove his jacket.

So the school board put together a varsity-letter policy. It is just one part of a six-page set of guidelines put together by the Tri-County Athletic League, a sports league for students with special needs throughout 11 Wichita-area high schools. The Wichita school board recently voted in favor of using the league's guidelines in the city's high school athletics departments.

According to league coordinator Bryan Wilson, students on Tri-County teams will have the opportunity to earn varsity letters as early as this school year.

Rewarding Teamwork And Effort

To be considered for a letter, athletes with special needs must play a sport for at least two seasons and attend a minimum of 70 percent of practices and games. They must also demonstrate good sportsmanship, give consistent effort, keep their grades up and exhibit respect.

At the Wichita school board meeting, Michael Kelley sat in the audience alongside his family members. They wore black T-shirts that read “#givethemletters,” a social media hashtag that has been associated with their campaign.

Jolinda Kelley pointed out that even though the phrase "give them letters" had become popular, she was not asking Michael's school to simply "give" him a varsity letter. She believes that Michael and other athletes with special needs deserve varsity letters because they demonstrate persistence, exhibit teamwork and overcome adversity.

“I’m asking for you to give them the letters that they’ve earned,” Jolinda Kelley said.

Every single member of the school board agreed that Wichita schools should do just that. They all voted to use the Tri-County Athletic League's guidelines for athletes with special needs.

"Dedication To All Students"

After hearing the results of the vote, Jolinda Kelley said that she was thankful that the school board had heard her message. She also said that she was disappointed that resolving the issue had to come down to a vote.

“The school should encourage their employees, from the top to the bottom, to answer parents’ inquiries in a timely and respectful and informed manner,” said Tonda McGrath, Jolinda Kelley's partner. “Had this happened when we first started emailing and calling … we would not be here today.”

Marty Rothwell, an official with a local social services agency, also spoke out about the results of the vote. Rothwell thanked district officials for supporting the Tri-County league's efforts to give students with intellectual and developmental disabilities a way to practice, compete and represent their schools.

“We could not find another school district that does this,” he said. “So we are here today to thank you, because without this league, we wouldn’t have a letter issue. When we ask the parents, they all say the same thing: This is our kids’ chance to shine, and it’s all because of Unified School District 259 and your dedication to all students.”