by Jerry Spinelli - Braintree Public Schools

Dear Parents and Guardians:I hope you and your student are enjoying the conclusion to aproductive year with the Braintree Public Schools. Throughout the year,students had many opportunities to read and listen to books read aloudduring the school day. Your support for those same reading experiencesat home will help your child continue to grow as a reader, writer,thinker, and learner.As you plan for the summer, please consider the literacyexperiences your child will have in these months away from theclassroom. Faculty members at East and South Middle Schools haveselected Jerry Spinelli’s Crash for all incoming sixth graders to read overthe summer. When school begins in the fall, all sixth grade English classeswill participate in learning activities related to the novel. In addition toCrash, your son or daughter should read at least one other book. Anytitle you select together is a great choice!Print copies of Crash are readily available locally or via onlinebooksellers. In addition to local bookstores, the Thayer Public Library isa valuable (and free!) resource. If you need help in selecting more books,do not hesitate to ask the librarian!For those of you planning travel this summer, consider goingbeyond the bookshelves and print pages to include audio books in yourstudent’s experience. These are available at the library on CD or oniTunes (ready to go right onto an iPod!). While audio books are noreplacement for reading, they are a wonderful supplement, especiallywhen experienced with a copy of the actual book. Many books(including Crash) are also available for reading on a Kindle, Nook, iPad,other tablet, or smartphone.As you explore Crash and other books that interest your student,remember that summer reading is for pleasure! I hope you and your sonor daughter find many enjoyable books and stories to be part of yoursummer. I look forward to working with you throughout your student’smiddle school experience.Sincerely,Rebecca FredericksDirector of English & Reading, K-12rfredericks@braintreema.govforstudentsenteringgrade 6All students entering grade 6 atEast or South will read...Crashby Jerry SpinelliCrash Coogan is a football player, completelyconfident, and the tormentor of Penn Webb,a friendly, small, pacifist Quaker. Crash'sbeloved grandfather comes to live with thefamily and suffers a disabling stroke, resultingin a change in Crash's lifestyle and in histhinking about values. Strong characters, afast-paced plot, and lots of humor will drawkids to this novel. -American Library Assoc.Students should also select a second book (withparent approval!) to read before the start of theyear. The instructions for short written responses toeach book are on the back of this page.

Steps to a completesummer reading assignmentfor students entering grade 6:Get your copy of Crash—from the library, a localbookseller, or an online store.Read it and answer the questions below in yourown handwriting on a separate sheet of paper.1. Identify the qualities that make Penn a good friend.Support your answer by using examples from the text.2. Identify the qualities that make Crash a bully.Support your answer by using examples from the text.3. Identify how Crash changed by giving examples ofwhat he was like in the beginning of the book andwhat he was like at the end of the story.This assignment should be completed before yourreturn to school and will be graded for effort andcompleteness.Select any other book (with parent approval).Read it and complete the questions below in yourown handwriting.1. List at least five important events and give a briefexplanation of why each is important to the book.2. What is the central conflict or major problem thatcharacters/people face in the book? How is itresolved?3. Describe a choice one of the main characters orpeople made in the book. How did this choice changethat character/person? How did it affect the story as awhole?This assignment should be completed before yourreturn to school and will be graded for effort andcompleteness.Turn in your written work to your English teacher in the fall.Participate in the summer reading class activity in your English class.Your first term report card will show a passing or failing mark for summer reading.