Summer Reading Program 2008

OCSI Middle and High School students are required to read THREE books over the summer in order to build their reading and independent work skills. Research shows that consistent reading over the school breaks is necessary for students to stay academically on target with their peers. Schools in the US offer similar opportunities to their students during secondary school, and we want our students to have that same advantage.

The three books will consist of:
1) A book assigned to the grade as a whole
2) A fiction book to choose from a list
3) A non-fiction book to choose from a list

n OCSI will issue the book that the whole class is assigned during the last week of school (if already registered for the upcoming school year) or at the point that registration is complete (if after the last week of school) to each student.

The issued books are as follows:
Incoming 6th graders: The Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Incoming 7th graders: Bridge to Terabithia
Incoming 8th graders: The Bronze Bow
Incoming 9th graders: Animal Farm
Incoming 10th graders: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Incoming 11th graders: A Light in the Forest
Incoming 12th graders: A Tale of Two Cities

n Students are responsible for securing the second and third books (one from the fiction list, and one from the nonfiction list). They may secure the books in one of the following ways:
-- Purchasing through Scholastic Book Clubs, prior to summer vacation.
-- Purchasing through personal means, such as Amazon.com.
-- Borrowing the books from the OCSI Library.

The OCSI Library will be open during the summer for limited hours. Please watch the OCSI Secondary school website for details: http://ocsi.org/secondary.html

n Students are advised to read the books from the fiction and non-fiction list FIRST, for the following reasons:
-- The fiction and non-fiction books, because students may read different selections, will most likely NOT be tested with an objective test. Students will be required to complete an alternative assignment (a project, a speech, a discussion with the teacher, a book report, a signed statement, etc) in order to show that they have completed these books, as determined by the individual teacher.
-- Students should be prepared for a test on the class-assigned book immediately after fall semester starts in August. Students should read this book closest to the start of school so that it is fresh in their memory.

n On the class assigned book, students will be required to complete and turn in an assignment when they return their books and take their tests. The assignments are designed to help the students to become more familiar with the reading material on their tests.

Students Entering Grades 6/7/8
For EACH chapter of your book, complete ONE of the following activities:
1) Write a paragraph summarizing the plot.
2) Draw and label a picture that shows the plot.

Students Entering Grades 9 and 10
Complete each of the following activities as you read your book:
--Make a list of the characters. Who are they? What parts do they play in the plot of the story?
--In at least a paragraph, describe the setting (where and when the story takes place). How important is it? Does it help set a mood?
--In a minimum of three paragraphs, respond to the following questions: What's the plot? Tell what the problem or goal is and how the main character is trying to solve/achieve it.
-- In a minimum of three paragraphs, analyze the theme(s). What message or lesson is the author trying to get across?

Students Entering Grades 11 and 12
Your tests will be a combination of objective questions (multiple choice/true-false/matching/quote identification, etc) and subjective questions (short answer/essay, etc). Prepare accordingly.

It’s your choice how to address your study plan. Your assignment (to be turned in) is to develop at least two pages of work that have served as your study guide for this book.