Grade 8 Requirements

For Rising 8th 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 Journal or 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 login to the ACDS summer blog here

2. Read our 8th grade community read
The rising eighth grade required book is The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
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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.

  • List the social issues Angie Thomas tackles in her book. Now pick one social issue and explain how it shows up throughout the book.
  • Tupac Shakur, referenced in the book through the title and the acronym "Thug Life" wrote a very famous poem called The Rose That Grew From Concrete. How does the message in the poem apply to this book? Explain using specific examples.
  • Compare and contrast the book to the movie. How was the experience of watching the movie different than reading the book? What choices did the director make in the movie that created those differences? (consider what you know about author's craft)​    ​

This book is available at the Alexandria Public libraries, Hooray for Books (20% discount if you mention you're from ACDS) and elsewhere.
 3.  Choice books (3 or more)
Read: Three books of your choice. Please select books that you have not read before. It can be any book-- fiction, nonfiction, biography, graphic novel, etc. Some resources when picking books: After you finish each book, complete a short "writing about reading" entry. What can you write about?
  • Theme
  • Social Issues
  • Power
  • Characters (traits, change, relationships, archetypes)
  • Author's craft (setting, symbols, perspective, imagery, motifs)

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. ​