summer reading assignments grade 7 - lutz, fl...by rosemary sutcliff and complete the attached...

Summer Reading Assignments Grade 7

Dear Future Seventh Grade Student,

Over the summer, take time out to escape in a book. Look for books that may interest you and read as much as you can. Many reading experts have found that in order to prevent a decline in reading skills, students should be practicing daily. Research supports that with a consistent amount of reading each day (30-45 minutes), the benefit can be seen in every subject, including math. Reading is a terrific way to break away from the heat this summer and to travel anywhere a good author can take you. Taking advantage of reading during the summer will also keep your mind sharp and prepare you for your 7th grade classes.

Every 7th grade student is required to read and annotate the class book Black Ships Before Troy by Rosemary Sutcliff and complete the attached comprehension questions. Upon return to school, there will be activities, formative, and summative assessments which will focus on elements from the book. You also need to read a book of your own choosing from the provided list. The second book does not require a reading log, and you may use it towards your AR goal for the first trimester. The AR test for the second book can be taken over the summer.

AR Log-in information: AR Testing Link Username - Username located on the front of your sixth grade planner. Password - MTC (uppercase) New students please contact the school office Mon-Thurs. between 9:00a.m.- 12:00

p.m. for username and log-in information Renaissance Learning is updating the website July 1, so the website may look slightly

different

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at [email protected]. I hope that your summer is filled with excitement and the needed break you deserve. I look forward to seeing you in August!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Chau

https://hosted13.renlearn.com/68821/Public/RPM/Login/Login.aspx?srcID=smailto:[email protected]

Annotating a Story

Annotation involves highlighting or underlining key points and circling unknown vocabulary words. But equally important is writing comments in the margin of the text. These comments/labels help you make connections to the reading and provide an excellent short cut for reviewing the key points in order to compose your own written response or prepare for a test or quiz on the reading.

1. Annotation steps: Underline, highlight, or circle main ideas, key points, important vocabulary, important dates and names, etc.

2. Add your own comments in the margins of the text. These comments may serve any of the following purposes (or you might have ideas of your own)

• Identify the main idea or main events in a paragraph or section

• Label story elements including figurative language, setting, characters, exposition, rising action, types of conflict, climax, falling action, and resolution.

• Add your own personal reactions and connections. As you read, you will be reminded of similar events that have happened in your own life, issues you have read in other classes, or things you have seen in the media.

• Ask questions about paragraphs, sections, or issues you don’t understand in the text or new questions that occur to you.

• Argue if you don’t agree. You might write, “No! Not my experience, or “Author has never had a blue collar job--he doesn’t know!”

Sunshine State Young Readers Award Books 2020-2021 List for Grades 6-8

Charlie Hernandez and the League of Shadows by Ryan Calejo - AR Reading level 5.4 AR Points- 10 After sprouting horns and feathers, Charlie Hernandez realizes that all those myths his grandmother has told him might just be real. This happens right at the same time that his home burns down and his parents have gone missing. Charlie and his friend Violet embark on a journey discovering that Charlie’s life is linked to the balance between the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead. Charlie encounters characters from Mexican-American, Guatemalan, and Brazilian myths and he travels through parts of Florida and the mythological world. He is trying to hide all the things changing about himself from his friends while searching for his parents, code switching his language between monsters, translating for Violet, and trying desperately to find and save his parents.

Marcus Vega Doesn’t Speak Spanish by Pablo Cartaya - AR Reading level 3.9 AR Points- 6 The Terrible Tower, the Springfield Skyscraper are just two of the names that Marcus Vega is called as a result of being 180 pounds and six feet tall in 8th grade. Kids clear out of his way when he walks down the hall. But in reality, if they could see Marcus with his little brother Charlie, who has Down’s Syndrome, they would see a gentle giant. Marcus helps feed Charlie when their single mother is working late. He helps bathe him, get him ready for bed, and he lets Charlie tickle him until he can hardly breathe. So when the school bully calls Charlie the “R” word, Marcus punches him in the face and is suspended. This leads his mother to take the family on a trip to Puerto Rico to meet their father’s family although their father abandoned them ten years ago. Marcus sees this as an opportunity to search for his father, but he’ll find much more as he journeys across the beautiful island with the support of his loving family. Spark by Sarah Beth Durst - AR Reading level 4.9 AR Points- 10 Twelve-year-old Mina lives on her family’s farm in Alorria, a land where there’s never extreme weather like tornadoes, hurricanes and thunderstorms. Weather is controlled by storm beasts, dragon-like creatures with the face of a lizard and the personality of a puppy. The five types of storm beasts are sun, rain, wind, snow, and lightning. Mina is so quiet, everyone assumes her storm beast will be a sun, rain, or snow beast when it finally hatches. When Pixit hatches, he’s a lightning beast which “must be a mistake,” since lightning guardians are loud and brave. However, Mina stands her ground and won’t even consider giving up her beast. Though quiet and sometimes self-doubting, Mina discovers her inner strength when she leaves home to start Lightning School. Learning how to fly into storms and grab lightning with their hands is incredibly exciting. When she discovers that Alorria’s perfectly balanced weather comes at a horrific cost to the people on the other side of the mountains, she’s horrified. Though Mina has never been one to speak up, lives are at stake and she’s determined to get her fellow students to rise up against powers that be. The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart - AR Reading level 4.7 AR Points 12 12-year-old Coyote Sunrise and her father, Rodeo, have been living in a renovated school bus for the past five years since Coyote’s mother passed away. They travel all over the country following their whims--the only place they won’t go is back home. All of a sudden, Coyote’s grandmother calls to let her know that the place where Coyote, Coyote’s mom, and her sisters buried a memory box is about to be dug up and destroyed. Coyote is desperate to get home to save their box but she has to find a way to steer her dad back home without him knowing where they are going. Along the way they pick up several new friends.

Scouts by Shannon Greenland - AR Reading level 4.1 AR Points- 6 The Scouts are best friends who have done everything together since kindergarten. But now it’s the summer before their 7th grade year begins and everything is changing. Annie is the glue that is holding their friendship together and she plans a camping trip to watch the meteor shower in an attempt to keep the friends from drifting apart. When one of the meteors lands close by, they decide to set out on an adventure to find it. Their overnight trip quickly runs into trouble when they figure out that these are no ordinary meteors and they have to run for their lives from the crazy Mason mountain clan. Game Changer by Tommy Greenwald - AR Reading level 5.4 AR Points- 4 An accident at the end of preseason football practice leaves 13-year-old Teddy Youngblood with a brain injury and in a coma...or was it an accident? Rumors swirl as Teddy, the team, and the town try to recover, and while Teddy is unable to share what he knows, there are plenty of others who just aren’t willing to. What really happened at the Rookie Rumble? Will anyone find the courage to tell the truth? Lifeboat 12 by Susan Hood - AR Reading level 4.0 AR Points- 4 It's 1940, the beginning of the Blitz, and 13-year-old Kenneth Sparks is selected to go to Canada as part of a program to send ninety British children to the safety of the U.K.'s overseas dominions. Life aboard the luxury ship is grand-- rich food, new toys, soft beds, and new friends distract them from the constant reminder that war is happening all around them. When his ship is torpedoed, Kenneth, five other boys from the program, and about 40 adults make it aboard Lifeboat 12, one of the only lifeboats remaining after the evening's gale-force winds. Will they run out of supplies? Will they survive long enough to be found? Song for a Whale by Lynne Kelly - AR Reading level 5.3 AR Points- 9 Twelve-year-old Iris is the only Deaf student in her school. She has a keen interest in electronics, and spends her time fixing old radios for a local antiques store. In science class, Iris learns about Blue 55, the loneliest whale in the world. The whale swims about without a pod, and cannot communicate with other whales. In some ways, Iris identifies with the lonely whale, and she is determined to create a song for him. Once the song is composed, Iris and her grandmother secretly embark on a three-thousand-mile journey that takes them to the coast of Alaska, where Blue is swimming. Along the way, they undergo life-changing experiences. Deep Water by Watt Key - AR Reading level 4.7 AR Points- 7 If it doesn’t feel right, don’t go down is what Julie’s Dad has told her ever since she learned to dive. But when they have booked a dive trip for four times the going rate, she is forced to take over for him. What should have been a normal dive turns into a living nightmare for Julie along with Hank & Shane Jordan, their clients. The Jordans, a father and son team of reckless divers, make mistakes on the seafloor that goes from bad to worse. The dive boat has vanished, Hank has bends, and they are lost and drifting toward blue water where large predators lurk. Sharks, jellyfish, hypothermia and exhaustion - and Mother Nature at her worst challenge Julie and Shane to overcome their fears and take on each challenge. Deep Water is a fast-paced action based story with plenty of suspense and dangers. Float by Laura Martin - AR Reading level 5.5 AR Points- 11 Emerson is in for the summer of his life at Camp Outlier- if he survives the summer. Camp Outlier is a special camp for RISK {Reoccurring Incidents of the Strange Kind} kids. The last place Emerson wants to be is at a government mandated summer camp for RISK kids like him, so he’s shocked when he actually starts having fun at camp—and he even makes some new friends. But it’s not all canoeing and capture the flag at Camp Outlier. The summer of fun takes a serious turn when Emerson and his friends discover that one of their own is hiding a deadly secret that puts all of their lives in danger.

Inkling by Kenneth Oppel - AR Reading level 4.6 AR Points- 7 When ink from Ethan's father's sketchbook comes to life and jumps off the page, Ethan, his sister Sarah, and his father find that Inkling helps each of them in unique ways as they deal with grief and struggle to move forward following the death of Ethan's mother. We’re Not From Here by Geoff Rodkey - AR Reading level 5.0 AR Points- 9 When the last humans from Earth need a new home, it looks like Planet Choom would be perfect. There’s only one problem, the Zhuri already live there! One family is chosen to represent humanity to the Zhuri to evaluate if the two species can live together. Unfortunately, that means Lan and Ila will have to go to Zhuri school! Will they be able to fit in? Can they make a good impression on the Zhuri? And what if there are some Zhuri who don’t want them there in the first place? Find out all the answers in this sci-fi story from Geoff Rodkey! The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman - AR Reading level 4.4 AR Points- 5 In India, 11-year-old Viji and her 12-year-old sister, Rukku, run away to Chennai after their violent father strikes out at them. On the city streets, the sisters find shelter by a bridge, adopt a stray dog, and meet brothers Mathu and Arul, who quickly become a kind of family to them. They all soon form a family of sorts, sharing food and supplies and laughing together about the absurdities of life. Rukku’s intellectual disability has made her dependent on Viji, who gradually learns that her sister is more capable than she had thought. Despite their determination, hunger and sickness eventually take their toll on the children. Viji must lean on her new family to learn to cope with grief and move on.

Black Ships Before Troy 7th Grade Summer Reading ELA Packet Mrs. Chau

Directions: After reading and annotating each chapter, answer the comprehension questions and vocabulary related to that chapter. Be sure to answer IN COMPLETE sentences and restate the question in your response. This packet will be due in the first week of school.

“The Golden Apple” Chapter 1

Building Comprehension

1. It is noted that “all the gods of high Olympus” attended the wedding of Peleus and Thetis, save one: Eris. This would mean that the Twelve Olympians were present. What gods and goddesses generally comprise the Twelve Olympians?

2. What three goddesses claimed ownership of the apple bearing the message “To the Fairest”?

What was the justification that each of them offered?

3. Who are Paris’ parents?

4. What “curse” on Paris did the soothsayers foretell? How did his loving parents respond?

5. What “bribes” are offered by each of the three goddess competing for the Golden Apple?

6. Whose marriage takes place as Paris re-unites with his family in Troy?

7. How did Helen’s father ensure that all her suitors would respect her marriage? What does this

foreshadow?

8. What does Paris tell Menelaus when asked about why he traveled to Sparta? What was the real purpose of his trip?

9. What did Helen shockingly leave behind when she chose to leave with Paris?

Building Vocabulary

Directions: Define the following words as best you can using context clues to determine their meaning. Then, find a dictionary definition that explains the meaning of each word in the context of the novel. The first one has been done for you.

Ex. Discord

My definition—disagreement

Dictionary definition—strife, dispute

Bade

My definition—

Dictionary definition—

Distaff

My definition—


Laden

My definition—


Immortal

My definition—


Nymph

My definition—


“Ship Gathering” Chapter 2


1. On whom did Menelaus call for help when he found his “queen fled with the Trojan Prince”?

2. What Greek heroes answered the general call for help?

3. What great Greek hero was NOT with the others at Aulis?

4. Why was Achilles’ mother so fearful to send him to Troy?

5. Under what teacher did Achilles and his companion Patroclus train?

6. What was Thetis’ plan to conceal Achilles, preventing him from joining the war host bound for Troy?

7. Who was chief among the Greek soothsayers bound for Troy?

8. Explain the ruse employed by Odysseus to “out” Achilles.

9. Who fashioned the armor Achilles wore into battle?

Building Vocabulary

Centaur

My definition—


Croon

My definition—


Vengeance

My definition—


Soothsayer

My definition—


Summons

My definition—


“Quarrel with the High King” Chapter 3


1. How many years have passed on the beaches of Troy as this chapter opens? Cite the paragraph in this chapter that explains why so much time has passed.

2. What two women are taken as spoils of war? To whom are they given?

3. What was the cause of the plague that befell the Greek camp?

4. What is the source of the animosity between Achilles and Agamemnon in this chapter?

5. What is Achilles’ response to the “theft” of Briseis?

6. To whom does Achilles go to make a request of Zeus that Troy be given a “victory that should make the High King feel the loss of his greatest captain and do him honor and beg for his return”?

Building Vocabulary Plunder

My definition—


Pestilence

My definition—


Purification

My definition—


Ransom

My definition—


Siege

My definition—


Skirmish

My definition—


Tamarisk

My definition—


“Single Combat” Chapter 4


1. What test does Agamemnon devise to determine the battle readiness of the Greeks?

2. Who persuades the men that they should continue the fight? What method does he use?

3. In the battle that ensues, Paris steps forward to challenge a Greek to “single combat.” Who responds, and what is Paris’ reaction?

4. What “deal” is made between the Greek and Trojan sides?

5. Why is it that King Priam doesn’t blame Helen for this conflict?

6. What goddess provides assistance to the clearly outmatched Paris? What motivates her behavior?

7. What other favors does Aphrodite do for Paris in regard to Helen?

Building Vocabulary

Cowardice

My definition—


Hilt

My definition—


Mockery

My definition—


Scorn

My definition—


“The Women of Troy” Chapter 5


1. What goddess makes sure that there is no room for peace between the Greeks and the Trojans?

2. What “plan” is presented by the chief of the Trojan soothsayers to tilt the battle in favor of the Trojans?

3. Whom does Hector find among the women?

4. When Hector leaves Helen’s chamber, he encounters his wife Andromache. This scene is in stark contrast to the Paris-Helen scene that precedes it. How so?

Building Vocabulary

Citadel

My definition—


Crags

My definition—


Dandled

My definition—


Eddy

My definition—


Torrents

My definition—


Truce

My definition—


“The High King’s Embassy” Chapter 6


1. What two heroes—one Greek, one Trojan—face off in a second round of single combat?

2. What god interferes (intervenes) in the battle between the Greeks and the Trojans for the first time?

3. At a very low point of morale, the Greeks hear the counsel of old King Nestor. What does Nestor advise?

4. Speaking for the council, Odysseus makes Achilles an offer. Describe its details.

5. What is Achilles’ response?

6. Phoenix, who had been Odysseus’ tutor, then scolds Achilles for his behavior. What, in essence, is Achilles’ flaw?

Building Vocabulary

Despond

My definition—


Galley

My definition—


Herald

My definition—


Prow

My definition—


Pyre

My definition—


“The Horses of King Rhesus” Chapter 7


1. Diomedes offers to go on the surveillance mission that is at the heart of this chapter, providing he can take another man of his choosing along with him. Whom does he choose?

2. What man does Hector send to spy on the Greek camp?

3. What was to be Dolon’s prize if he returned with information from the Greek camp?

4. What “target” in the Trojan camp is specifically described by the Trojan who was caught trying to sneak into the Greek camp?

5. What is the fate of the Trojan spy?

6. How many bodyguards protected the Thracian king?

7. Why was the death of the Thracian king such a major victory for the Greeks?

Building Vocabulary

Gabble

My definition—


Hearth

My definition—


Marten

My definition—


Prowl

My definition—


Rouse

My definition—


“Red Rain” Chapter 8


1. What simile (comparing two things using like or as) is used to describe the war-hosts crashing into each other in this section?

2. Many Greeks are wounded in the battle including what man “whose skill was in tending other men’s wounds”?

3. To whom does Achilles dispatch Patroclus in an effort to gain information about one of the

wounded warriors?

4. What does the “Old King” advise Patroclus to do if Achilles “still [has] no stomach for fighting”?

Building Vocabulary

Fidget

My definition—


Omen

My definition—


Onslaught

My definition—


Reaper

My definition—


Salve

My definition—


“The Battle for the Ships” Chapter 9


1. Why does Hector’s company hesitate having reached the Greek encampment?

2. What god allows Hector to lug a huge stone at the Greek gate?

3. What god then sides with the Greeks “putting fresh heart in them” and urging them to stay strong?

4. What god is then called upon to “breathe fresh life” into Hector?

5. What order does Hector give, having invaded the Greek camp a second time?

6. Who, then, is compelled to intervene?

Building Vocabulary

Abreast

My definition—


Brink

My definition—


Chocks

My definition—


Keels

My definition—


Spoils

My definition—


Tumult

My definition—


“The Armor of Achilles” Chapter 10


1. On what single condition does Achilles allow Patroclus to take his armor and horses into battle?

2. What son of Zeus and leader of the Trojan allies is slain by Patroclus?

3. What accounts for Patroclus’ forgetting Achilles’ command, given him at the time he took up Achilles’ armor?

4. What god strikes Patroclus between the shoulders, causing his helmet to fall off, revealing his true identity?

5. Who took possession of Achilles’ armor following the death of Patroclus?

Building Vocabulary

Folly

My definition— Dictionary definition—

Threshold

My definition— Dictionary definition—

“Vengeance for Patroclus” Chapter 11


1. Thetis, mother of Achilles, promises to go to what god and bring back armor for her grieving son?

2. What Greek ensures that the feud between Achilles and Agamemnon is ended before allowing Achilles to take his Myrmidons into battle?

3. What power is given to the horse Xanthus by Hera before Achilles goes into battle?

4. How many times does Hector run around the walls of Troy?

5. What single request does Hector make of Achilles before his death?

6. What “sin” does Achilles commit in relation to Hector’s body?

Building Vocabulary

Beacon

My definition—


Bier

My definition—


Sheath

My definition—


Spate

My definition—


Tidings

My definition—


“Funeral Games” Chapter 12


1. What sacrifices are made by Achilles at Patroclus’ funeral?

2. Why is Patroclus’ grave not sealed?

3. How long did Achilles abuse the corpse of Hector?

4. What god protects Hector’s corpse from further harm?

Building Vocabulary

Bower

My definition—


Cauldron

My definition—


Lament

My definition—


Mantle

My definition—


Piteous

My definition—


Shuttle

My definition—


“Ransom for Hector” Chapter 13


1. While Thetis goes to her son to tell him that the gods weren’t happy with his treatment of Hector’s corpse, who goes to King Priam, suggesting that the time for ransom had come?

2. How is it that Priam can pass through the Greek camp unnoticed?

3. What three women gather around the corpse of Hector upon its return to Troy, singing songs of lament?

4. How long was the truce between the Trojans and the Greeks?

Building Vocabulary

Blemish

My definition—


Crimson

My definition—


Custom

My definition—


Tunic

My definition—


“The Luck of Troy” Chapter 14


1. What object did the Trojans believe promised them the aid of Athene in keeping enemies out of their city?

2. What “errand” does Odysseus go on, which provides the cover for his plan to infiltrate Troy?

3. What action ultimately leads to the beggar’s expulsion from camp?

4. Who takes pity on the beggar who crawls into Troy having been beaten by the Greeks?

5. What act of hospitality does Helen offer the beggar?

6. What piece of information does Helen “accidentally” offer to Odysseus after she recognizes him for who he is?

7. After Odysseus agrees to protect Helen when the time for the fall of Troy comes, she offers him what parting gift “for old friendship’s sake”?

8. Why do the Greeks laugh when Odysseus says, “When next you drive out a beggar, do not you beat him so hard or so long”?

Building Vocabulary

Clad

My definition—


Gale

My definition—


Quarries

My definition—


Vial

My definition—


“Warrior Women” Chapter 15


1. The Amazons, it was said by some, were the very daughters of what god?

2. Why was Penthesilea so gung-ho about joining the fight in Troy?

3. Who kills Penthesilea and weeps over passing?

4. What honor do the Greeks give to the slain Amazons?

Building Vocabulary

Ambush

My definition—


Blunted

My definition—


Embroidered

My definition—


Thronged

My definition—


“The Death of Achilles” Chapter 16


1. Following the defeat of the Amazons, the Trojans decided to remain behind their walls until the arrival of what other ally?

2. What god guides Paris’ arrow to the heel of Achilles

3. What warrior gets the slain body of Achilles off the battlefield?

4. What is the fate of Ajax, having not been awarded the armor of Achilles?

Building Vocabulary

Bestowed

My definition—


Quiver (n)

My definition—


Ramparts

My definition—


Reeling

My definition—


Smitten

My definition—


“Poisoned Arrow” Chapter 17


1. Having lost Ajax, the Greeks go to their chief soothsayer for advice. What is his suggestion?

2. Why had the Greeks left Philoctetes at Lemnos in the first place?

3. Why does Philoctetes’ arrow, which only grazes Paris’ hand, cause such agony?

4. To whom does Paris go for help after having been struck by the poisoned arrow? Does she help?

5. What does Oenone do upon the death of Paris?

Building Vocabulary

Amends

My definition—


Litter

My definition—


“The Wooden Horse” Chapter 18


1. Even after the death of Paris, the Greeks cannot dislodge the Trojans from their walled city. It is then that the Calchas proposes that the Greeks “turn to ____________________” where strength has failed.

2. Who formulates the idea of the Trojan Horse?

3. What carpenter is given the job of fashioning the wooden horse?

4. What Trojan warns of opening the horse, asking, “Do you think that the Greeks would leave us a gift without treachery in it?”

5. What explanation of the horse does Sinon offer to the Trojans?

6. What convinces the Trojans that the horse must be brought into the city?

7. What Trojan woman cries out that the horse must not be brought into the city?

Building Vocabulary

Battlements

My definition—


Comrades

My definition—


Cunning

My definition—


Oracle

My definition—


Splendor

My definition—


Treachery

My definition—


“The Fall of Troy” Chapter 19


1. Who saves Helen from being killed by Menelaus? Why?

2. Who, ironically, is the only woman to be led from the burning city with “honor, as a queen and not a slave”?

Building Vocabulary

Desolate

My definition—


Firebrands

My definition—


Myrtle

My definition—


Refuge

My definition—


summer reading assignments grade 7 - lutz, fl...by rosemary sutcliff and complete the attached...

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