Our Lady of Perpetual Help School
Summer reading and writing for incoming 8th Graders
“A man practices the art of adventure when he breaks the chain of routine and renews his life
through reading new books, traveling to new places, making new friends, taking up new
hobbies and adopting new viewpoints.”-Abraham Lincoln
Dear Future OLPH Eighth Graders,
Research statistics validate the fact that students who read during the summer, maintain or raise
their current reading level. Conversely, students who don’t read during the summer, may loose
an entire reading level. You must read one nonfiction book and one book of your choice this
summer-though you are encouraged to read more. Please select one nonfiction book and one
book of choice with a minimum ZPD level of 4.5. Please use bookfinder, arbookfind.com, to
help you locate nonfiction tittles and the ZPD reading level.
Upon return to school in August you will take the AR test for the nonfiction book. To help you
remember the book details, you will compose a first person narrative diary, taking on the persona
of a person making new discoveries based on the information in your reading. Please purchase a
small 4 inch by 6 inch notebook to use as a diary. After each reading session (approximately
after each 20 pages), create an entry using the actual date and time you read. Then in first person
narrative format, explain the highlights from your reading. A rubric is attached to help you plan
and evaluate your diary. You will also take the test on the book of choice, but no written
exercise is required.
Please bring the notebook to school on the first day of the 2017 school year, Thursday August
10. If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an email.
Enjoy a restful, peaceful summer and bring Jesus with you wherever you may go!
Mrs. Keenan
Junior high language arts teacher