Middle School and High School

Language Arts Assignments- Ms. Lindsay

MS Assignment page 1

HS Assignment page 2

MS 6^th 7^th 8^th Back to School Reading Assignment

Pick one book on the list to read.

• A Boy At War

• A Boy No More

• Witch Child

• White Fang

• April Morning

Write a one page summary including all the information in the plot pyramid. This assignment will count towards your first quarter grade. Be prepared to present your paper. Papers turned in late will have a loss of 10% on the final grade. Extra credit will be given for reading additional books with summary paper.

Plot Pyramid information:

Introduction: Setting, Main Characters

Conflict: Is it man vs. man, man vs. self, man vs. nature, man vs. supernatural, or man vs. destiny? Then explain what the main problem in the story is. Remember there are often times more than one conflict in the story but you are only picking the main problem for this step.

Climax: The most exciting moment in the story. This is normally right before the problem/conflict gets solved.

Resolution: In this step the conflict is solved.

Conclusion: Now, that the conflict has been resolved what will happen to the main characters. You are making your own conclusion based upon the clues at the end of the story.

HS 9^th 10^th 11^th Back to School Reading Assignment

Pick one book on the list to read.

• Tuesdays With Morrie

• The 5 people you meet in heaven

• The Secret Lives of Bees

• Fahrenheit 451

Write a five paragraph Character Sketch essay. This assignment will count towards your first quarter grade. Be prepared to present your paper. Papers turned in late will have a loss of 10% on the final grade. Extra credit will be given for reading additional books with summary paper.

Essay Information

Your paper must include:

1. Introduction Paragraph with a thesis statement

2. Conclusion Paragraph restating your thesis statement in different words

3. Three body paragraphs analyzing the characteristics of a character (ex. Appearance, thoughts, what other’s think about the character, actions)

4. In each body paragraph you must include a quote from the story to prove the point in your topic sentence.

5. Works Cited Page in MLA format. Students can find examples of this format online. The following website is an example of one you can reference:

http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citmla.htm

6. When adding quotes into a story follow the example below (“Dickens” is the author’s last name and “85” is the page of the book the student takes the quote):

I believe that Scrooge has changed into a caring man at the end of the novel because he states, “This is my name and I fear it may not be pleasant to you. Allow me to ask your pardon.” (Dickens 85).