Summer Work for Middle School Students

Summer Work for Middle School Students

Below is all the information students will need for their summer work, including:

• Summer Work Checklist
• Rationale for summer work
• Math instructions
• Language & Literature Instructions
• Language Acquisition Instructions
• Supply lists

This information will be included in communications over the summer, but in case your student wants to get a head start, here it is!

Summer Work Checklist:

Rising Grade 6

• 5-10 minutes each day of math practice, including 2-3 sessions per week on TenMarks
• 10-15 minutes each day of Language Acquisition (Spanish) practice
• Read 500+ pages, including at least one of the following novels: Goodbye, Stranger by Rebecca Stead, See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng or The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin
• Take 3 photos, and write 3 paragraphs about those photos

Rising Grade 7

• 5-10 minutes each day of math practice, including 2-3 sessions per week on TenMarks
• 10-15 minutes each day of Language Acquisition (Chinese or Spanish) practice
• Write (your choice!)
• Read 500+ pages, including one of the following: Listen Slowly; The Dreamer; Return to Sender; Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow; Okay for Now; Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy; Shug

Rising Grade 8

• 5-10 minutes each day of math practice, including 2-3 sessions per week on TenMarks
• 10-15 minutes each day of Language Acquisition (Chinese or Spanish) practice
• Read 500+ pages, including Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and supplemental material that will be sent to families via email.

SUMMER WORK

In recent years, much research has been conducted on the effects of gaps in learning. A very useful resource in exploring the “summer slide,” the effect of stagnated or regressed learning that comes with the summer break, is the Rand Corporation’s Summer Learning page. The summer work assigned for Middle School students intends to minimize these gaps and to keep active those connections made during the school year. Students are responsible for completing summer requirements (detailed below) in advance of the first day of classes, and we encourage parents and family members to read alongside their students and to engage students in conversation about what they’re continuing to learn through the summer break.

MATH

Over the summer, all rising Grade 6, 7 & 8 Middle School Students are required to keep up their Math skills using TenMarks. Current AWS students will receive login instructions and do a diagnostic exercise in school; students new to AWS will receive instructions for logging in and doing the diagnostic in the coming weeks. TenMarks will automatically create short, individualized assignments for each student based on this diagnostic. Students will receive a mix of skill reinforcement and preparation for upcoming content. TenMarks Math problems are linked to instructional videos and hints so that that students can independently review concepts as needed. By the end of the summer, Math teachers will be able to track how much time students have put into Math practice and areas of progress and challenge. We encourage students to designate 5-10 minutes a day for TenMarks.

LANGUAGE & LITERATURE

GRADE 6

To prepare for Grade 6, there are two things you should do this summer. The first is to spend time reading. At a minimum, you should read one of the following novels: Goodbye, Stranger by Rebecca Stead, See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng or The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin and one other novel of your choice. Please read at least 500 pages this summer. If you read more than that, fantastic! Several of our activities both inside and outside of class during the first couple weeks will be centered around the characters and events in the novel you chose to read from the above list, so you may want to read that novel closer to the end of summer. That way, when you enter our classroom in September, you’ll have it fresh in your mind.

• Goodbye, Stranger by Rebecca Stead - Ah, middle school - when your friends transform inexplicably, your own body and emotions perplex you, and the world seems fraught with questions. Stead focuses on Bridge Barsamian, her best girlfriends, and her newest friend Sherm. Emily has suddenly developed a figure that attracts a lot of attention, Tabitha is an increasingly committed human rights activist, and Bridge has taken to wearing a headband with black cat's ears for reasons that are unclear even to her. Stead's writing...is filled with humor, delightful coincidences, and the sorts of things that escalate in ways that can seem life-shattering to a 13-year-old.
• See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng - 11-year-old Alex Petroski loves space and rockets, his mom, his brother, and his dog Carl Sagan—named for his hero, the real-life astronomer. All he wants is to launch his golden iPod into space the way Carl Sagan (the man, not the dog) launched his Golden Record on the Voyager spacecraft in 1977. From Colorado to New Mexico, Las Vegas to L.A., Alex records a journey on his iPod to show other lifeforms what life on earth, his earth, is like. But his destination keeps changing. And the funny, lost, remarkable people he meets along the way can only partially prepare him for the secrets he’ll uncover—from the truth about his long-dead dad to the fact that, for a kid with a troubled mom and a mostly not-around brother, he has way more family than he ever knew.
• The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin - Everyone says that it was an accident... that sometimes things "just happen". But Suzy won't believe it. Ever. After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy was a rare jellyfish sting. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory--even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.

The second “to-do” on your summer list is to write, so that you keep on practicing those great writing skills you learned in Grade 5. Doing so will keep you on track for the kinds of writing we’ll do in Grade 6. Here’s what I would like you to do: while you are busy having fun this summer with friends and family, I’d like you to pick three experiences that were particularly fantastic. Get photos of you in those places and then for each experience, write one strong, detailed paragraph that brings those moments to life for me as a reader. You’ll be turning in those paragraphs and photos to me during the first week of school. I’m already looking forward to hearing about your summer adventures. - Mrs. Strate

GRADE 7

Hello Incoming Grade 7 Students!

To prepare for Grade 7 Language & Literature, there are two things you should do this summer. The first is write. Maybe you're just doing some journaling, or maybe you're trying to write a story or a poem, or maybe you have a pen pal, or maybe you're even practicing some paragraphs that analyze the reading you're doing. Whatever the case, it's important that you do some writing, that you try to keep in touch with the writing skills you worked to build in 6th Grade. Your writing will not be collected and graded in the fall, but if you do some writing, you'll put yourself in a better position to be successful in 7th Grade.

And two, you should read. You should shoot for at least 500 pages this summer. One of the books needs to be from the list below. The first essay in the fall will be about the book from the list that you read, so you might even consider writing a note or two about the story, especially if you read the book in June and won't be writing about it until September. For the rest of your summer reading, you can pick more of the books from the list, or you can read whatever you like. Just read. And try to read enough that it becomes a daily habit, especially if it isn't a habit for you already. Hopefully it's a habit you'll enjoy.

Choose at least one book from this list as part of your 500+ pages this summer. Although these books might seem quite different and also stretch across a number of cultures and circumstances, the common theme running through them is the idea of belonging, or of not belonging, and the empathy that might be required to build the sense of belonging. I'm just providing a couple basics about the stories; feel free to check out reviews online before you make a choice.

• Listen Slowly by Thanhha Lai. A Vietnamese teen living in California has to reluctantly spend part of her summer in Vietnam meeting her extended family and helping her Grandmother find some peace. The people and the country and the experience are different than the girl expects.
• The Dreamer by Pam Munoz Ryan and Peter Sis. Pablo Neruda, the famous Chilean poet, grew up in a difficult household. This story of boyhood, told partly in pictures and word poems, provides a fictionalized but biographical picture of what he faced.
• Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez. Illegal immigrants come to Vermont to help a family keep their farm. The teenage boy doesn't know what to think about the immigrants, and the teenage daughter of the immigrants doesn't know if she belongs in Mexico or America. It's a thoughtful story told through the perspective of both kids.
• Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow by Faiza Guene. This is the only edgy story on the list. There's rough language and drug references; it's definitely not a sugar-coated picture of life in a Parisian suburban slum. But the teenage heroine has a great, sarcastic voice, and the author, a young Moroccan immigrant to Paris herself, offers a great perspective on a number of issues. This book might be best with a little parental conversation.
• Okay for Now by Gary Schmidt. A teenage boy in the late 1960s, living in a difficult household, moves to a small Northeastern town where his family doesn't seem to fit in. But then he meets a girl. And he finds out he likes to draw birds. And maybe he can find his way in the town after all.
• Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary Schmidt. A teenage boy in the early 1900s moves with his mother and minister father to a small coastal town in Maine, only to find it's a hard place to fit in, especially since he seems to find more joy with the outcast, threatened community living on an offshore island.
• Shug by Jenny Han. A girl in the south tries to navigate the pitfalls of family, peer pressure, relationships and school. It's an unexpected year.

GRADE 8

To prepare for our Literature and Language class together, there are two things you should do this summer. The first is to spend time reading - at least 500 pages. At minimum, actively read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and all supplemental material provided to you via email  (links to relevant articles, a TED talk, a music video, and audio recordings will be sent prior to the end of this school year).

• Before reading Farenheit 451, read Neil Gaiman's introduction to the novel.
• Bradbury wrote the novel in 1953. He was able to envision some pieces of the future that were far ahead of his time. To get a sense of how different from now Bradbury's life was in 1953, here are two articles and an audio recording: "What life was like in the 1950s"; "1950s Family Life"; "The Making of a Nation"
• The novel is, among other things, a commentary on how people consume knowledge, and this article will get you thinking about this idea. "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"
• Although Bradbury himself will say that the main point of his novel is not about censorship, many commentators have reflected on that theme in his book. Here are a couple of articles and a TED Talk about censorship in the world today:
• "Song Critical of Pakistani General is Blocked Online"
• "Russians Selectively Blocking Internet"
• Rebecca McKinnon, "Let's Take Back the Internet"
• Dystopian novels are common now, but they were less common in the 1950s. Here is a more current music video that reflects on some of the same dystopian ideas as Bradbury.
• Here's the original story Bradbury mentioned in his interview about Farenheit 451.
• Finally, here are some questions for you to consider before the start of school in August. You might, actually, consider approaching all of the work for Ray Bradbury's novel in August so that it'll be more fresh in your mind when school begins. We also encourage you to discuss these questions with your family - alternative perspectives are an important part of thinking critically about any topic.
• Bradbury envisioned a world where one's families are those who people connect to via screen. To what extent has this come true in our society today?
• How is symbolism employed in the novel? Consider the portrayal of the firemen and the fire hose in particular.
• Bradbury predicted a world of cruelty - where people were entertained by the pain of others. To what extent is this true in today's society? Examples?
• Why was the government in Fahrenheit 451 so terrified of books?
• In the introduction to the novel, Neil Gaiman writes, "Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over..." Why do we need the things in books? The poems, the essays, the stories? Authors disagree. Authors are human and fallible and foolish. Stories are lies, after all, tales of people who never existed, and things that never actually happened to them. Why should we read them? Why should we care? What are your answers to his questions?

Also read at least one other novel of your choice. If you read more than that, fantastic! Several of our activities both inside and outside of class during the first couple weeks will be centered around the characters and events in Fahrenheit 451, so you may want to read that novel closer to the end of summer. That way, when you enter our classroom in September, you’ll have it fresh in your mind for our first writing assignment.

The second to-do on your summer list is to write so that you keep on practicing those great writing skills you learned in Grade 7. Doing so will keep you on track for the kinds of writing we’ll do in Grade 8. Here’s what I would like you to do: while you are having fun this summer with friends and family, we’d like you to pick one experience that was particularly and fantastically hilarious or memorable. Get a photo of you in that moment and then tell me that story in writing, bringing the moment to life with vivid imagery and an authentic, strong voice. You’ll turn in this story and photo to us on the first day of school. We’re already looking forward to hearing about your summer adventures. - Mrs. Strate and Mr. Price

LANGUAGE ACQUISITION: Chinese & Spanish

In an effort to ensure that you do not forget all your hard earned Language Acquisition skills learned throughout this past year, a variety of websites and resources to use throughout the summer to review important grammatical concepts and common vocabulary is available on the Summer Learning Resources page.

This is not an exhaustive list; there are many other sites available on the Internet as well. You may even have a website not listed on this page that is your go-to language resource guide. If that is the case, fantastic! However, if you are going to venture out and try something new please make sure to preview any of the sites with your parents to make sure the level and content is appropriate for you to use before starting. We encourage you to spend about 10-15 minutes DAILY reviewing and practicing your Spanish or Chinese.

If you are new to Annie Wright and will enroll in Spanish, considering registering on DuoLingo to begin familiarizing yourself with Spanish language vocabulary!

Please note that if you are a student who has completed a Spanish Level I course, you will be responsible for knowing and understanding the grammatical topics covered in a Level I class as there will be hardly any time to do any reviewing or reteaching in the Level II Spanish class. The list of websites will be found at www.aw.org/Page/Summer/Summer-Learning-Resources.

SUPPLY LISTS

Students will be supported in establishing their own methods of organization for papers and assignments, which may require a variety of materials. A well-organized and effective system suited to the individual will allow students to be successful. Students are encouraged to seek out assistance as needed from their advisor once school begins. Here are some general supplies needed.

All Students:

• Notebook paper
• Pens
• Pencils
• 1 red ink pen
• Ruler
• 2 composition books
• 1 pack of 3x5 index cards
• Small box of colored pencils
• Scientific calculator
• Graph paper
• Protractor
• Laptop

Grade 6

• 4 1” 3-ring binders (one will stay in English class)
• 1 2” 3-ring binder with a set of dividers
• 1 additional composition notebook
• 9x12” Strathmore Sketch 400 series sketchbook

Grades 7 & 8

• Personal organizational materials
• Spiral notebook with pockets and index cards (Spanish)
• 9x12” Strathmore Sketch 400 series sketchbook (for students new to AWS in 7 or 8)
• 1 2” 3-ring binder for their Science Notebook
• 1 1” 3-ring binder for 8th grade Lang and Lit portfolio (will stay in class)
• 2 additional composition notebooks for 8th grade Lang and Lit/I&S journals (will stay in class)
• Spiral notebooks, index cards (Chinese)

June 2, 2017

What we are learning...

There's a common assumption about school years, that the American model of school running from September through May is based on the agrarian calendar. This makes sense, but it's not historically accurate. A few years ago, Newshour investigated the "new" idea of implementing a year-round school year and debunked this myth, reminding its viewers of the variety of models that existed in the early days of American schooling. Whether because of economic needs of families and communities or because of the need to clear out of sweltering school buildings, there are few students and educators who complain about the long summer break.

One side effect of the academic calendar is the clear start and end of developmental and social levels, and schools take on a variety of rituals to mark these important points of transition. As a result, the beginning and end of the school year mean so much more than new classrooms, courses, and teachers. These junctures allow all members of a school community to reflect on the change, growth, and progress that students - and the community as a whole - experience.

The Middle School concludes the year with a series of special events that demonstrate growth in the academic and artistic arena (Milk Boats, the Rube Goldberg Exhibition, the Oral History Project, Open Mic). We also provide special rituals like the 8th Grade Chapel and 8th Grade Retreat for our students to reflect on the emotional, experiential, and social transition that comes with the transition to high school, and these events provide time, space, and language for students to say "goodbye" to each other. Even though many of our students will stay together in the Upper Schools next year, they know that change comes with this transition - new classmates, new challenges, new opportunities.

For our community, the formal conclusion to the academic year comes with the Closing Ceremony. The ceremony ostensibly focuses on academic achievement, but the format of the ceremony and the awards that recognize particular students celebrate so much more. Some awards are nominated by students, and some are nominated by faculty, but all awards are introduced by students. The short speeches that students prepare for this ceremony provide the truest insight into the Middle School experience, for they reflect strong relationships, self-awareness and the awareness of the gifts and needs of others, and consciousness of the world around them.

Middle School Awards

• Gator Award: Given in all grades to students nominated by their peers for having exceptional spirit in all areas of school life. 
• Good Person Award: Given in all grades to students nominated by their peers for taking initiative to be positive, generous, and kind. 
• Strength to Strength Award: Given in all grades to students nominated by the Faculty who embody the strength of Annie Wright and inspire others by drawing on the community of family, friends, and teachers to achieve extraordinary success during the school year. 
• Scholarship Award: Given in all grades to students nominated by the Faculty for excellence in academic achievement and sincerity of effort. 
• Humanities Award: Given to the eighth grade student who, during his or her years in the Middle School, has demonstrated high achievement and enthusiasm for learning in the area of humanities. 
• Arts Award: Given to the eighth grade student who, during his or her years in the Middle School, has demonstrated high achievement and enthusiasm for learning in the areas of performing and visual arts. 
• Math & Science Award: Given to the eighth grade student who, during his or her years in the Middle School, has demonstrated high achievement and enthusiasm for learning in the areas of math & science. 
• Language Acquisition Award: Given to the eighth grade student who, during his or her years in the Middle School, has demonstrated high achievement and enthusiasm for learning in the area of language acquisition.
• Teachers' Award: Given to the Middle School student who has made very special contributions to the Middle School Community during his or her years in the Middle School.