Bessie Coleman Middle School 1208 E. Pleasant Run Road, Cedar Hill, Texas 75104

(972)293-4505 * FAX (469) 272-9445

Mr. Jason Miller, Principal

Ms. Cassundra Gipson, Assistant Principal

Ms. Shayla Pratt, Assistant Principal

Ms. Tashara Tuck, Assistant Principal

May 22, 2017

As we begin to close the 2016 - 2017 school year, it is my pleasure to present to you our

2017 Summer Reading Assignment. Summer reading is a key factor in your child’s intellectual

growth and development. It encourages students to continue learning while still providing them

with fun and enjoyment. Studies have shown that reading entertainment for children is allowing

them the freedom to choose books that speak to their unique interests. The attached reading list

and assignments were developed by the English department here at Bessie Coleman. Many of

these fiction and non-fiction books are award winning titles! As part of our Summer Reading

Assignment, students will have a choice in choosing the book they would like to read from the

book list. All books will have to be received by joining the Wild about Reading book clubs at

Barnes and Noble, checking out books from your local library, or purchased by the

parent/student. All Bessie Coleman Middle School students for the 2017 - 2018 school year are

required to read a book and complete two of the summer reading assignments. All students are

required to complete the summer reading assignment regardless of when they enter Bessie

Coleman. The due date for all completed assignments is Wednesday, September 6, 2017.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me

by email at Kenitha.carey@chisd.net.

Sincerely,

English Department Chair

English I/8th

grade ELAR

Kenitha.Carey@chisd.net 972.293.4505 ext. 8352

Summer Reading

TIC-TAC-TOE

X

X

O

Students are expected to utilize this choice board to complete their summer reading

assignment. Students will complete at least two assignments from the board. They

do not have to be in any particular order.

Scene It

Pick a pivotal scene from the novel

to dramatize. Record the scene

using digital technology. Props,

musical instruments, prerecorded

music, and costumes may be used.

Performances may be no longer

than five minutes.

Dear Diary

Pretend to be one of the main

characters from your novel and write a

diary entry from their point of view.

Explain how this character is

thinking/feeling about a pivotal event,

major decision, etc. Reflect on what is

happening as well as how the character

may be changed. (Must be over one

page)

Book Trailer

Prepare a video trailer for your chosen

novel. The trailer should be 3-5 minutes

long, and a positive presentation of the

subject. The trailer must contain original

footage, or copyright free media.

Ex:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr7tqh

L_u9Y

http://blachan.com/shahi/

http://freeplaymusic.com/

Sneaky Snoop

As an investigative reporter,

you sneak into the home of

the main character in your novel.

Report at least 10 items that you

find and include a picture (hand-

drawn or digital) for each item.

Also, include a written

Explanation (2-3 sentences per

item) identifying how each item

connects to the main character.

These items may or may not have

been mentioned in the novel…feel

free to use your imagination!

Author Inquiry

Write a letter to the author of your

chosen novel. Explain what you liked

and disliked, ask any questions that you

have about the story/characters, explain

what you would have changed if you

were the author, and mention at least

one thing that you will always

remember about this novel and why.

(Should be written in letter format!

Must be over one page)

Poetry Corner

Write a poem or song lyrics that connect to

your novel. You can focus on the plot (what

happened), characters, or personal

connections that you have with this novel.

*Must be 30 lines or longer

Artist Alley

Create a cartoon/story board

(minimum of 8 panels) that is based

on your novel. It may focus on a

pivotal series of events or

summarize the entire novel in

chronological order.

Alternate Timeline

Create an alternate

timeline…change a major

event/decision in the novel and explain

how this change would have affected

the characters and the plot. Would this

have been a better direction for the

novel to take?

Why/Why not? Explain in 1 page and

create a new timeline that reflects this

change.

Collage

Create a collage depicting a theme from the

novel. Explain how this collage depicts the

theme. Use colorful pictures from

magazines or draw your own.

Bessie Coleman Summer Reading List

Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie

Sonnenblick, Jordan

He plays drums in the All-City Jazz Band (whose

members call him the Peasant), has a crush on the hottest girl in school (who doesn't even know he's

alive), and is constantly annoyed by his younger brother, Jeffrey (who is cuter than cute - which is also pretty annoying). But when Jeffrey gets sick,

Steven's world is turned upside down.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone

Rowling, J.K.

Harry Potter has never been the star of a Quidditch team, scoring points while riding a broom far above the ground. He knows no spells, has never helped to hatch a dragon, and has never worn a cloak of invisibility.

All he knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley - a great big swollen spoiled bully. Harry's room is a tiny closet at the foot of the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in eleven years.

Fahrenheit 451

Bradbury, Ray

A book burner official in a future fascist state finds out books are a vital part of a culture he never

knew. He clandestinely pursues reading, until he is betrayed.

Hidden Figures

Shetterley, Margot Lee

Set against the backdrop of the Jim Crow South and the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space program—and whose contributions have been unheralded, until now.

Before John Glenn orbited the Earth or Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of professionals worked as “Human Computers,” calculating the flight paths that would enable these historic achievements. Among these were a coterie of bright...

A Wrinkle in Time

L’Engle, Madeleine

Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for her father,

who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Anne of Green Gables

Montgomery, Lucy Maud

Anne, an eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a lonely, middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Island farm and proceeds to make an indelible impression on everyone around

her in school and in the town. Sequels continue her life as she grows up. Anne of Avonlea (1909), Anne of the Island (1915), Anne of Windy Poplars (1936), Anne’s House of Dreams (1917), and Anne

of Ingleside (1939).

The Fault In Our Stars

Green, John

Sixteen-year-old Hazel, a stage IV thyroid cancer patient, has accepted her terminal diagnosis until a

chance meeting with a boy at cancer support group forces her to reexamine her perspective on

love, loss, and life.

Paperboy

Vawter, Vince

Words don’t come easy for an 11-year-old boy coming of age in the segregated South of Vince Vawter’s moving novel, Paperboy. Spending the

summer tending his best friend’s paper route leads to new discoveries, friendships, and danger as the

lives behind the closed doors of neighbors, now his customers, are exposed for the first time. For a

boy with an impossible stutter, this poses a whole new set of challenges to let his thoughts and

feelings free. Paperboy is an impressive look at hope and bravery in the face of adversity and the

fierce protection of love.

P. S. Be Eleven

Williams-Garcia, Rita

After spending the summer of 1968 with their mother and the Black Panthers, Delphine, Vonetta,

and Fern return home to Brooklyn with a new feeling of independence, but they discover their

father has a new girlfriend, Uncle Darnell has come home from Vietnam a changed man, and Big Ma still expects Delphine to take care of everything.

Feeling overwhelmed, Delphine writes to her mother, who reminds her to enjoy being eleven

and not grow up too fast.

Flora & Ulysess

DiCamillo, Kate

Rescuing a squirrel after an accident involving a vacuum cleaner, comic-reading cynic “Flora Belle

Buckman is astonished when the squirrel, Ulysses, demonstrates astonishing powers of strength and

flight after being revived.

A Long Walk to Water

Park, Linda Sue

When the Sudanese civil war reaches his village in 1985, eleven-year-old Salva becomes separated from his family and must walk with other Dinka

tribe members through southern Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya in search of safe haven. Based on the

life of Salva Dut, who, after immigrating to America in 1996, began a project to dig water

wells in Sudan.

Ninth Ward

Rhodes, Jewell Parker

In New Orleans' Ninth Ward, twelve-year-old Lanesha, who can see spirits, and her adopted grandmother have no choice but to stay and

weather the storm as Hurricane Katrina bears down upon them.