Dear Future 8th-grade students and parents,

We hope that you are having an enjoyable final few weeks of school and are preparing for a safe and fun-filled summer break.

The Summer Assignment for the students is as follows: A math assignment, reading two novels, and an essay based on their reading. The math assignment will consist of a skills packet that is posted below. Please print off a copy and complete. Students must show all work involved in completing the math assignment in order to receive full credit. In ELA the students will be writing a number of essays next year, and this summer assignment will show them exactly what to expect. The essay is to be typed in MLA format and will be due on Wednesday, September 6th. Further directions will be provided below along with the essay prompt.

If you have any questions regarding the summer work, please do not hesitate to email a teacher. We hope you all have a safe and enjoyable summer!

The 8th Grade Teachers

• Students must all read Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit and choose ONE of the following novels below to read additionally.
  • Ali Cross by James Patterson
  • Code GIrls: the True Story of the American Girls Who Broke Code in WWII by Lizz Mundy
  • Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
  • Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan
  • A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen
  • Refugee by Alan Gratz
  • Restart by Gordon Korman

• After reading both novels, students will write ONE essay in response to the prompt below:
  • All of the main characters in these novels are people faced with extraordinary problems. In an essay, compare and contrast the main character of Tuck Everlasting and the other book you chose to read. Such a comparison can include personality traits and the settings in which they find themselves. In addition, compare the major problems these characters each face and how they resolve (or do not resolve) these problems.
  • The essay should be in MLA format. An MLA guide can be found at the Purdue OWL website: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
  • The essay should be typed in 12 point font, using Calibri, Cambria, or Times New Roman fonts. Essays should be double spaced and approximately 1 ½--2 pages long.