7th grade

To enhance critical thinking skills, literary analysis, and writing abilities, students in 7th grade will read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton and engage in bi-monthly journaling activities. As students read, they should consider how the individual is affected and influenced by his/her setting. In particular, students should ask themselves the following questions: How does setting influence character and theme, and how do characters develop through their experiences? What particular changes influence adolescence? 

1. Reading Task #1: Read The Outsiders during the summer break.

2. Journaling Task: Complete bi-monthly "brain dump" journal entries, responding to provided writing prompts or recording personal reflections on the book.

   • Students can keep a paper journal for this activity, or they can keep a Google doc of all their entries. Whichever they choose, it must be consistent and must be all together, ready to submit when school starts.

3. Annotation Requirements:

   • Annotate key passages, quotes, or scenes in The Outsiders that resonate with you or raise questions.

   • Use annotations to support your journal reflections and deepen your understanding of the text.

   • Provide brief summaries at the end of each chapter. (You can do this without the physical book)

   • Simple Guide to Annotations

   • The guide is simply a suggestion and you are encouraged to make the annotations reflect your own style of analysis. 

4. Due Dates: Submit the journal entries upon returning to school.

5. Guidelines:

   • Journal entries should be a minimum of one page in length (double spaced). Respond to provided writing prompts or conduct free-form reflections.

   • Annotations should engage with the text by discussing characters, themes, and personal connections.

6. Support: Families are encouraged to facilitate a quiet space for journaling, engage in discussions about the book, and assist with annotations to support student comprehension.

7. Reading Task #2: In addition, students should read a book of their own choosing that is both new to them and meets at least a seventh-grade reading level during the summer.