5^th Grade Summer Reading

* You will pick two of the four books listed below. You will then do one activity for each book you chose. These projects will be due at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year.

Read the book Frindle by Andrew Clements.

Activities: They are making Frindle into a movie! It is now your job to promote this new movie. You are to pick one of two ways to sell the book to consumers.

1. You are to make a movie poster on a piece of poster board. You must include the name of the book, author, and the characters names on the poster. You then need to include a summary of the book on the poster (make sure you don’t give away the ending in your summary).

2. You may write a persuasive three paragraph paper selling the movie to the public. Make sure to include persuasive words and to make the movie sound as interesting as possible, including important details from the book. You may type or handwrite your paper.

Read the book Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.

Activities: Choose one of the following activities to complete after you have read the book.

1. Have you ever met anyone that you wanted to help? Have you ever been in a scary situation? This activity requires you to compare yourself to Marty Preston, an eleven-year-old boy who gets himself into a “sticky” situation. You need to write a three paragraph paper comparing yourself to Preston. You can think about situations that remind you of what Preston is going through, or you can compare personality traits.

2. The catalogs Marty's dad delivered were eagerly awaited. Look at a selection of catalogs to see how items are presented. Make a catalog of the characters in Shiloh. First decide on the number of pages, the characters you wish to include, and other details. Write and design the catalog. Assemble your pages and create a cover.

Read the book From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg

Activities: Choose one of the following activities to complete.

1. Imagine that you are Claudia or Jamie and that you have continued to keep in touch with Mrs. Frankweiler. Compose a letter that you would have written to Mrs. Franklweiler. Then compose her letter of response.

2. When a family struggles to locate a lost child, it frequently produces and distributes “Missing Person Posters” to enlist people’s help. These posters usually feature a photograph, a description of the child, and details about the last known activities of the child. Design a “Missing Persons Poster” using information from the book about Claudia and Jamie.

Read the book Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell

Activities: Choose one of the following activities to complete after you have read the book.

1. Island of the Blue Dolphins is a classic survival story. How does Karana use her resources to help her survive? Is there ever a point when she thinks she will not survive? Locate a magazine article that chronicles a modern-day survival story. Then compose an essay to compare and contrast the contemporary survival story with Karana's story.

2. Plan a ceremony that recognizes Karana for her courage. Your plan should be clearly written. Include a description of the ceremony including what happens, the food involved, costumes if there are any, etc. The ceremony should honor Karana’s courage and her culture.