Summer Work

MIDDLE SCHOOL

6th Grade
7th Grade

Grade 7 will spend the year studying literature from around the world with a particular focus on immigration. In
preparation for this, all incoming 7 grade students should read “The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant
Child” by Francisco Jimenez.

Alongside this reading, they should choose one activity from the list below. They
should return in September ready to discuss the book and with their creative project in hand.

* Design a wardrobe for two of the characters. Think carefully about what they would wear and why, for instance
would they have a range of clothes or not? You can complete this as a model, hand drawing or complete it on
the computer. Be ready to explain your choices.

* Create a podcast from the perspective of one of the characters to help us understand a problem they
experience in the novel. Your podcast should be told as if you were the character and be thorough and creative,
integrating voice and sound effects or music.

* Create a movie poster that illustrates the importance of engaging with this text. This can be done on poster
board and should include significant images and text to give the person viewing it a good idea of the
significant events or themes in the novel.

* Create a front page of a newspaper that highlights an important event in the novel. This can be done on the
computer or by hand. Include photos or drawings and the basic format of a real newspaper.

* Create a diorama or model of an important place in the novel. This could be as small as a significant room or as
large as a neighborhood. Use any medium (paper, cardboard, poster board, shoebox). Be ready to explain why
you chose that place and what you chose to include.

* Create a short video or PhotoStory that illustrates the struggles of your characters.
Write a song and record it- this can be about the experiences of a chosen character from their perspective or an
omniscient observer.

Students are encouraged to read other books in the series too.

8th grade

American Studies is an interdisciplinary field focused on the study of American culture and identity. Next year in Language & Literature and US History, you will study what it has meant—and means—to be an American from 1848 to the present. In history class, you will study the contexts of various time periods across history. Simultaneously in LL8, you will read the literature of the time and identify how authors express their beliefs about America. To prepare you for this journey, as well as the year-long interdisciplinary Multi-Genre Portfolio (the MGP) project, you will choose a summer reading that speaks to the themes of identity and culture.

Your Tasks:

  • Get a library card to your local library. You will need this for research throughout the year.
  • Choose a young adult historical fiction novel set in the United States during any time period. 
  • Read the book. Pull quotations from the beginning, middle, and end that speak to the following themes:
      1. Identity – What is the identity of your character? What is his or her story? How does s/he express themselves to others? Do they change over the course of the novel? In what ways?
      2. The “Spirit of the Time” (Zeitgeist) – What do the experiences of the protagonist across the story reveal about America, its culture, people, what they believed, and/or the time period?

    Be prepared to introduce your book, character, and share your answers to these questions in class discussion, as well as submit your notes at the start of the school year.  You will also need these notes to help you complete the first in-class writing assignment, which will be your first graded assessment of the trimester in both Language and Literature 8 and US History.

    MS reader's challenge

    Students are encouraged to read a variety of other texts alongside their set text. Those students who read at
    least 20 books (of at least 100 pages in length) this summer, will be rewarded with an ice cream sundae party.
    Please bring in a list of texts with the title, author and page count of each book signed by your parents as
    verification. Any books over 400 pages can count as two.

    CLICK HERE for a complete list of recommendations.

    MS Math Jump Start

    Summer vacation is a necessary sabbath for our students. But during these months of rest and relaxation, students may be losing up to 34% of their learning gains from the previous school year. To counteract that and make sure your student is ready for Middle School math next year, I will be organizing IXL lessons and practice problems for students to work on this summer depending on the math class they will be taking. Please look out for more information toward the end of July.

    If you are a new MS family at LCA, please reach out to me at  with your student’s name, and I will add them to the list.

    US ENGLISH

    9th grade language & literature

    Foundations of Literature and Language is centered around the question posed by the musical Hamilton: Who Tells Your Story? Through rigorous study of a range of literature (poetry, personal narratives, plays, musical performance and novels) by a diverse set of authors, the curriculum encourages students to explore which stories have historically been prioritized and which have been, consciously or unconsciously, ignored. It explores the theme of listening, and encourages students to develop an appreciation for the power of the author’s voice within the context in which they’re writing.

    Each of the following novels highlights a particular people group’s voice.  Choose 2 or more of the following books to read before coming back to school in the fall. Make detailed notes on the following questions:

    1. Which voices are highlighted through this story?
    2. What do you think the author’s purpose is in writing this narrative?
    3. How effectively do you think they achieve this purpose? Consider the techniques the author uses to tell the story.
    •     You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins. A story about the immigrant experience in a multi-generational Indian-American family. Key themes include sisterhood, conflict, and culture.
    •     The Weight of Water by Sarah Crossan. Told through verse, this is the story of Kasienka, a young Polish girl, as she makes her way in a new country after being abandoned by her father.
    •     Animal Farm by George Orwell. A classic, historical allegorical novel about a group of farm animals who overthrow their farmer in search of a more just, free, equal society.
    •     Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah.  Zephaniah is an internationally-acclaimed performance poet who also writes novels. Refugee Boy is about one young boy, with an Ethiopian father and Eritrean mother, who finds himself alone in London.
    10th grade world literature (H & cp)
    • Email Ms. Seay (abby.seay@lca.edu) to be added to the summer reading google classroom
    • Read each short story posted on Google Classroom
    • Leave a comment of at least 150 words under each story…Each Story will be posted as a “Question” on the summer reading section on Google Classroom.
    • telling us what you thought of the story
    • asking any questions you might have about the story
    • connecting the story to anything you’ve read, heard, or seen that you found interesting
    •  Comment on at least 2 of your peers’ posts responding to their thoughts. Not 2 per story, just 2 over the whole “blog”.
    • Remember as you read that most or all of these stories are from people and places that are deeply unfamiliar to and different from you and your life. They will feel foreign and confusing in many ways, much like if you’ve ever visited a foreign country. Approach difference and confusion with respect, curiosity, and scholarly questioning. Read to learn, and sit in the discomfort of reading something culturally different and new

     

    11th grade american literature (H & CP)

    Honors:

    Students are required to read two books from the list below, and view at least one of the corresponding film adaptations.  Please make your two book selections from different categories.

    College Preparatory:

    Please read one novel, and view one corresponding film adaptation from the list below. 

    Classic Fiction:                                                                   Film Adaptation:

    Little Women—Louisa May Alcott                                    Little Women (PG, 1994 or 2019)      

    The Last of the Mohicans—James Fenimore Cooper         The Last of the Mohicans (R [for violence], 1992)

    Contemporary Fiction: Film Adaptation:

    Shoeless Joe—W.P. Kinsella                                              Field of Dreams (PG, 1989)

    The Hunt for Red October—Tom Clancy                          The Hunt for Red October (PG, 

          1990) 

    The Help—Kathryn Stockett                                              The Help (PG-13, 2013)

     

    Non-Fiction: Film Adaptation:

    One Gallant Rush—Peter Burchard                                   Glory  (R [for violence], 1989)

    Unbroken—Laura Hillenbrand                                           Unbroken (PG-13, 2014)

    Secretariat—William Nack                                                Secretariat (PG, 2010) 

     

    ap English language and Composition

    Contact Mrs. Witmer at emma.witmer@lca.edu by June 16th to be added to the Google Classroom. 

     

     

    12th grade AP english literature & senior english seminar

    AP English Literature:

    • How to Read Literature Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster
      1. Complete the following notes document while reading. This will be due the first day of class.How to Read Literature Like a Professor Chapter Review Notes
    1. Choose a book from this list – These books are a record of all texts that have been cited on the AP Literature and Composition Exam. Please note that I have not read all of these books. You should look through the list with your family and choose a text that feels appropriate and that you are interested in reading. I have highlighted a few texts that I think may be of interest to you.
      1. For whichever book you choose, you will complete a major works data sheet before our first class.
      2. Yellow Pages – some sections of the major works data sheet will ask you to reference this document 

    Senior English Seminar (Honors and CP)

    Please read Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis and come to class prepared to discuss!

     

    US SOCIAL STUDIES

    10th - modern world history
    11th - cp american history

    Please purchase a physical copy of These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore. You should read and annotate the first two chapters and answer the questions in this packet.

     

    ap american history

    Read the first 3 chapters of the textbook, The American Pageant, AP Edition (15th or 16th edition is fine)
    by: David M. Kennedy and Lizabeth Cohen

    Assignment:
    Come prepared to discuss them on the first day of class.

     

     

    ap European history

    US STEM

    ap BIOLOGY

    AP Biology Summer Assignment

     

    Textbook: Campbell: Biology in Focus AP Edition,  Second Edition ISBN: 978-0-321-96275-1

     

    You will have an assessment during the first week of school on the following material. Format TBD.

    1. Watch the following video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVL24HAesnc Polar and non-polar molecules
    2. Be able to explain the following:
      – How molecular polarity arises
      – Be able to notate the dipole moment in a bond and a molecule
      – Explain the concept of “like dissolves like”
    3. Watch the following video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVT3Y3_gHGg Water-Liquid Awesome
    4. Be able to explain the following
      – Molecular structure of water
      – What makes it exceptionally polar
      – How the polarity (and size) of water contribute to the following properties (make sure you can define the properties themselves as well)
      a. Adhesion and cohesion
      b. Ability to dissolve polar and ionic compounds
      c. High specific heat
      d. Ability to float as a solid
    5. Watch the following video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYH63o10iTE Biological molecules
    6. Be able to explain the following
      – List the four biological macromolecules
      – Name the subunits of each macromolecule
      – Be able to draw/describe each subunit/monomer as far as structure and atoms involved
      – Be able to name the bonds that link each subunit
      – Be able to describe the process of dehydration synthesis and its reverse, hydrolysis
      – Be able to explain the importance/role(s) of each macromolecule within a living organism.

     

     

    AP Calculus

    No summer work.

    Textbook must be purchased online:

    CALCULUS Concepts & Contexts, 3rd ed.
    by James Stewart    Thomson books
    ISBN-13: 978-0-495-38491-5

    AP Computer Science

    CLICK HERE to find summer work.

    AP Statistics

    CLICK HERE to find summer work.

    AP Physics 2

    CLICK HERE to find summer work.

    11th grade college advising

    Where You Go is Not Who You’ll Be: An Antidote to the College Admissions Mania by Frank Bruni.

    Written assignment: Write a 1 paragraph reflection on your reaction to this book. Include at least 3 things you
    learned from the book in the paragraph. Email this written work to Mr. Scaro on the first day of school in
    September. Be prepared to discuss the book in class at the start of the year.

     

     

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