Grade 7 Requirements

For Rising 7th Graders
The ACDS Reading and Response Journal project is required summer work. Students may choose to keep either a hard copy journal, an online blog, or a combination of the two.  The requirements are the same for blogging or journaling; it is just the format that is different. Students should view the journal as a way to chronicle their summer and to share their personality with their classmates and teachers in September. Students will not receive a grade on this project, but will receive teacher feedback, and the journal will provide the basis for conversations that will allow teachers to get to know students better. Everyone will want to keep a journal that helps them document a great summer and one that makes them proud.

Required Blog Entries (You must complete each of these)

Remember:  all journal entries should include the date the entry was written.  (It is okay if you create multiple entries on the same date.). Don't forget to use complete sentences, correct capitalization, punctuation and spelling.
1.  Create a cover for your journal or design the format for your blog.

2.  Read our community read
Everyone at ACDS is reading a book relating to the theme of new beginnings. The middle school book will be New Kid by Jerry Craft.

Select one of the following questions and answer it in a paragraph in your journal or on your blog. Use evidence from the book to make a strong argument. Pay attention to grammar and spelling.

  • Being new is tough on Jordan and several of the other "new kids" (Drew, Alexandra) who start 7th grade at Riverdale Academy Day School with him. How do other students, teachers, and the school make "being new" tough for Jordan? For the other new kids? How does each of them react to the challenges of being new?  
 
  • Drawing is very important to Jordan and we often get glimpses of Jordan's sketchbook throughout the novel. How do these sketches help us better understand Jordan's perspective and experiences?  
 
  • Jerry Craft, the author of New Kid, did not enjoy reading books as a kid, but he did love reading Marvel comics. However, his teachers often took his comics away and said they "weren't real books" or that they "didn't count as reading." How do you feel about New Kid as a graphic novel? How do you think the book would be different if it was written like a "traditional" novel - with only words? 
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  • Microaggressions are everyday verbal and nonverbal slights and insults, sometimes intentional and sometimes not. Over time, microaggressions can really hurt someone, kind of like paper cuts or mosquito bites - one might seem like just an irritation, but over time they can add up and make a person feel bad about themselves and like they don't belong. (Watch this short video for some examples). In New Kid, Jordan and other characters (even teachers!) experience microaggressions due to their race. Write about the microaggressions in the book and how it made the characters feel.
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This book is available at Hooray for Books and elsewhere.
 3.  Just Right Books (2 or more)
Read:  At least two books at your "just right" reading level.
Write:  Two response journal entries for each book. 
  • Entry #1 – When you are about half-way finished with the book, provide a reflection.  What is the book about?  (Make sure you include the main character and the setting.)  Who is the narrator?  What is the conflict?  What do you think is going to happen?
  •  Entry #2 – After you have finished with the book, provide a reflection.  What did you like most about the book?  What was your favorite “quotation” from the book?  Would you recommend the book to a friend?  (Why/why not?)   
4.  Book of your choice (1 or more)
Read: One book of your choice. Please select a book that you have not read before.
Select a book of interest to you. It can be any book-- fiction, nonfiction, biography, graphic novel, any book at any level, with your parents approval.​

Write (or create a multimedia) Book Review  Remember to include:
  • The full title of the book
  • The author's full name
  • A short summary of the plot. (Don't give away any surprises!)
  • What you liked about it
  • A rating from 1 to 5 where 5 stars is the best
 
Looking for ideas? Here are some great sources for book recommendations.
We are keeping track of all the books we are reading as a community here:

Optional Entries (Complete as many of these as you would like)

Students are encouraged to try some of the suggested optional entries, ideas from the Summer Ideas blog, or to use the rest of the journal to pursue other projects of interest. Be sure to click on the hyperlink in each task to see the specific reflection questions to inspire your answers. The reflection questions are a guide to help format your answers-- you may address other questions that interest you instead or as well. ​