2020 Summer Reading Program

At All Saints, we keep learning all summer long!  

To view the Kindergarten Reading List - CLICK HERE.  

To view the Grade 1 - 5 Reading Lists and Projects - CLICK HERE.

NEW!!!!!   To see the Junior High (Grades 6 - 8) Reading Lists  - CLICK HERE.   - Revised 5/28/20 to include links to chats!!!!

NEW!!!!!   To see the Junior High Summer ELA Enrichment  - CLICK HERE.     Added 5/28/20

Click here for a list of all 2020 Summer Reading Books - K - 8 - CLICK HERE.

ASCA Junior High School

Summer Reading

WHY SUMMER READING?

1. It promotes and supports reading for pleasure.
2. Reading everything and anything raises achievement.  
3. Research shows that students who read over the summer actually gain reading skills at all grade levels.
4. It keeps students from losing what they’ve learned – summer learning loss is a real phenomenon in which students can lose up to 1-2 months of knowledge during the summer.
5. Reading over the summer months has been shown to counteract that learning loss.
6. It gives students access to new knowledge and points of view – one of the overarching benefits of reading is what people can learn from the content they read. They can be exposed to other cultures, new places, unique ideas and so much more.
7. It improves student performance in the classroom. The only way to get better at reading is to read more. Reading skills take a long time to develop and can’t be taught in preparation for a test or assignment. Instead, students should include reading on a regular basis as part of their lifestyle.

2020 ASCA JUNIOR HIGH SUMMER READING GUIDELINES

• This summer, all junior high students must read at least 2 books, however, only of one of the books must come from the ASCA Junior High Summer Reading list on the following  pages.
• Students are encouraged to read as many of these books as they wish.
• Pick books that you will enjoy as well as those that will challenge you.  
• If you find the book to be too easy or too difficult to read, chose another. One great way to find this out is to read a few pages to see how many words you do not recognize.  If you cannot find any words you do not know, it is probably too easy for you. 
• Also, check out your local library for more suggestions to locate books that match individual interests and reading levels.
• The selected book should be a book you  have not previously read. Let your conscience be your guide.
• Students will read a book and then complete a Google Form entitled “ASCA Summer Book Chat” where they will answer four questions about their book which include:

1. How did the main character change in the book?
2. How did the setting of the book (location, time period or both) impact the story?
3. What was your favorite moment in the book? Least favorite moment?
4. Who would you recommend this book to and why? 

• Information on expectations of how the questions should be answered can be found in the following pages. Students should read over the prompts before they read each book.
• When kids return to ASCA after summer break, they will be working in their ELA class on an activity based on the books they read over the summer and discuss the answers to the prompts they wrote on each of  their “ASCA Summer Book Chat” forms.
• Books are available at Naperville Public Library and can be found in a variety of formats (print, digital, audio). All formats are acceptable to complete summer reading, but  students who listen to an audio version of the book follow along with a print or digital copy as well.
• When visiting the Naperville Public Library or a library in your own hometown, don’t forget to  sign up for the Summer Reading Program!

Here are the individual links for each teacher’s ASCA Summer Book Chat form:  

Entering 6th Grade ELA -  Click Here

Entering 7th Grade ELA -   Click Here

Entering 8th Grade ELA -    Click Here  

**Please fill out a form using your future ELA teacher’s link only. 

Here is the link to the entire Rebecca Caudill List -  https://www.rebeccacaudill.org/images/2020/2020CaudillAuthorList.pdf 

ASCA Junior High

Summer 2020 Suggested Reading List

ASCA Jr. High Summer Reading List 2020

Fiction Titles

Non-Fiction Titles

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DESCRIPTION AND EXAMPLES OF HOW TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMER READING PROMPT

*Please look over the directions and examples below to see teacher expectations of how students should answer the SUMMER READING PROMPTS on the Google Docs Form.

1. You should write in complete sentences using proper spelling and punctuation.
2. Please incorporate the question in your answer.
3. Include your name, the title of the book, and the author on each form.
4. Be descriptive in your answer and write a minimum of 3 (three) sentences that really answer the question asked in the prompt.
5. When answering your question, be sure the answer shows your future ELA teacher that you read and understood the book.

EXAMPLES OF RESPONSES

PROMPT 1: How did the main character change in the book?

You should give evidence and examples from the book about how the main character behaved in the beginning as compared to later in the book or at the end of the book.

Example: In Masterminds, the main character, Eli, changed in this book because in the beginning he was very comfortable with and accepting of his life in Serenity. He did not question his environment or surroundings at all and accepted most everything the way his dad and other adults explained it. As the book progressed, Eli began to search for information online, sneak out of his house and explore the warehouse, which shows that he was starting to think for himself and was questioning and challenging the ideas and behavior around him.

PROMPT 2: How did the setting of the book (location, time period or both) impact the story?

You should describe the setting in the book and how it impacted the storyline or characters using evidence or an examples from the book.

Example:  The the book, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, the setting plays a very important part of the story.  This story takes place in the 1930’s  in rural Mississippi. The story’s setting is  in during the height of the Great Depression. This accounts, in part, for why so many of the characters are poor, and provides an account of how blacks fared during the Great Depression. But the characters in the novel aren't just poor because of the Depression. They're also poor because of racial inequalities in America, and particularly in the South. This was still years before  the Civil Rights movement, and still firmly in the era of open racism and segregation.  The characters lives revolve around this injustice and makes the conflicts between characters very strong.

PROMPT 3: What was your favorite part of this book? Least favorite part.

This is your opinion.  Be as detailed as you can to explain these two parts.  If you did not have a least favorite part, explain why.

Example: My favorite part of To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, was when the Reverend Sykes tells Scout to “Jean Louise. Stand up, your Father’s passin’”.  I thought this showed the great respect the Reverend Sykes had for Atticus Finch and how Atticus tried to help clear Tom Robinson’s name in court.   On the other hand, my least favorite part was when Tom Robinson was shot.  I feel he was set up and was killed without any justice. If he had lived, Atticus might have been able to appeal his guilty verdict.  With Tom being dead, there was no need for the appeal and everyone will forever think he was guilty of hurting Mayella Ewell.

PROMPT 4: Would you recommend this book to others? Why or why not?

This can be a hard question to answer well. If you choose to answer this, you need to give specific evidence that shows you read the book in your recommendation (or lack of recommendation) to others. It’s not enough to say, “It was funny” or “It was really good”. That does not show that you read the book. What happened in the book that made it funny or good or action-packed!?

Example: I would recommend the book House Arrest to anyone who enjoys a novel in verse and appreciates a “fast” read. The story of Timothy and his little brother, Levi, who was very medically fragile, was touching and also suspenseful as you follow along to see if Levi will get the medical help he needs and if Timothy will get out of the terrible trouble he made for himself trying to solve his family’s problems. This is a great book not only for the compelling story of the brothers, but also for the way K.A. Holt connects you to Timothy and develops his character.

Additional Challenge.  How many books can you read in 11 weeks?  Everytime you read a book, fill out an “ASCA Summer Book Chat” Google Form using your particular ELA teacher’s link.  The students who read the most books and/or read more than their ELA teacher will enjoy a surprise the first week back to school in August.

From time to time over the summer, each teacher will post on SchoolSpeak how many books they have read to let their students know.  Each teacher will also be filling out an ASCA Summer Book Chat form for each book she reads as well.

My Summer Reading Checklist

• Read 2 books of my choice.
• Fill out an “ASCA Summer Book Chat” form using my ELA Teacher’s link for each book read- you must have at least 2.
• Read more books and fill out more “ASCA Summer Book Chat”forms to enter into our reading contest (Can you read more than your ELA teacher?)
• Be ready to discuss the books the first week back in August.
• Relax and have a great summer!

May your summer reading be just the beginning of what hopes to be a wonderful and successful 2020-2021 school year here at All Saints Catholic Academy. Have a fabulous summer, and we look forward to seeing you in August!