Thursday, June 12, 2014

What a great year!

Well, the posters are down and the students are gone, but it has been a fantastic year at FCCS.  Thank you so much to all the students, parents, and staff that have made this year so great for me.  I look forward to seeing most of you next year.  Those I won't, may the future hold untold blessings for you... I suppose those should go to those I'll see too ;p  Have a great summer!

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Summer Reading Suggestions

Note to parents of FCCS students:

The Reading Lists and assignments below are suggestions for children who will be entering 3rd, 4th or 5th grades in Fall 2014.

Books such as Captain Underpants, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and the Goosebump series do not promote the patterns of thought that produce intellectual and personal excellence.  Though popular with a large number of young readers, these types of books utilize short sentences, simple sentence structure, easy vocabulary, uncomplicated paragraphs, and simple plots.   Also, comic books are image-centered and, therefore, do not qualify as “books” for free reading time. We do, however, recommend the use of audio books as a supplement (not a replacement) to reading and strongly suggest that the student read along with the audio.

In addition, it is recommended that parents purchase a composition notebook (now referred to as "My Reading Notebook") that students can use to journal their reading assignments. These notebooks can be purchased at any store that sells school supplies. The purpose for the notebook is for students in grades K-6 to write/draw their assignments and maintain these assignments throughout the years.
Grades 3-5 are challenged to read TWO of the assigned books and complete the assignments in My Reading Notebook.  The other books are suggested reading.  Additionally, Grades 3-5 should also try to memorize the two assigned pieces and be able to recite.

Assigned Books
Reading Assignment
Memorization Assignment
3
The Children’s Homer: The Adventures of Odysseus & the Tale of Troy by Padriac Colum
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie
Gulliver’s Travels adapted by James Riordan
Child will read at least 30 minutes per day from assigned reading.
Using one of the books (student’s choice) the child will write a summary of what they have read twice per week in the My Reading Notebook.
After choosing another book from the list, the child will read and answer assigned questions* in the My Reading Notebook.
Child will have 50 minutes every day to read another book from the assigned list or books of his/her choice.
The Preamble to the Constitution
The Preamble to the Declaration of Independence
4
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Treasure Island by Fernando Fernandez based on work by R.L. Stevenson
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
Child will read at least 30 minutes per day from assigned reading.
Using one of the books (student’s choice) the child will write a summary twice per week in the My Reading Notebook.
After choosing another book from the list, the child will read and answer assigned questions* in the My Reading Notebook.
Child will spend at least one hour per day reading another book from the assigned list or books of his/her choice.
“A Song of Enchantment” by Walter de la Mare
“All Day Long” by Carl Sandburg
5
Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White
Johnny Tremaine by Esther Forbes
Child will read at least 45 minutes per day from assigned reading.
Using one of the books (student’s choice) the child will write a summary twice per week in the My Reading Notebook.
After choosing another book from the list, the child will read and answer assigned questions* in the My Reading Notebook.
Child will spend at least one hour per day reading another book from the assigned list or books of his/her choice.
Homer’s “Invocation of the Muse” from “The Odyssey”
Henry Van Dyke’s “Gone from My Sight”
 After choosing the second book from the list, the child should answer these questions in the My Reading Notebook:
·         What is the title of the book you read?
·         What are the major characters in the book?
·         What is the setting?  When does the story take place?  Where does the story take place?
·         What is the plot of the story?
·         If you could change the end of the story, how would you have re-written it?
Derived from Summer Reading Assignments: The Academy for Classical Education 

Note to parents of FCCS students:
The Reading Lists and assignments below are suggestions for students who will be entering 6th and 7th grades in Fall 2014.

It is recommended that parents purchase a composition notebook (now referred to as "My Reading Notebook") that students can use to journal their reading assignments. These notebooks can be purchased at any store that sells school supplies. The purpose for the notebook is for students in grades 6-7 to write their assignments and maintain these assignments throughout the years.

Grades 6-7 are challenged to read TWO of the assigned books and complete the assignments in My Reading Notebook.  The other books are suggested reading.

Suggested Summer Reading Assignments

Assigned Books
Reading Assignment
Essay Questions
6
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Roll of thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
Students should read at least 60 minutes per day.
Students should read the first TWO books on the list.  After reading these books, students should answer the TWO essay questions in the My Reading Notebook.
Students will read other books from the list or of his/her choosing for independent reading upon completion of the above reading assignment.  The student should write a summary of the book in the My Reading Notebook.  Include, plot, setting, main characters, major turning point in the book, and the ending. 
Additionally, explain how you would have re-written the ending of the book if you had been the author.

1. How does the setting of Mice and Men influence the book’s thematic development?  Consider the connection between the novel’s setting and the characters’ vocations.
2. Explain how the beginning of The Call of the Wild illustrates the idea of “survival of the fittest.”
7
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank
Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
The Three Musketeers by Alexander Dumas
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Yearling by Marjorie Rawlings
Students should read at least 60 minutes per day.
Students should read the first TWO books on the list.  After reading these books, students should answer the TWO essay questions in the My Reading Notebook.
Students will read other books from the list or of his/her choosing for independent reading upon completion of the above reading assignment.  The student should write a summary of the book in the My Reading Notebook.  Include, plot, setting, main characters, major turning point in the book, and the ending. 
Additionally, explain how you would have re-written the ending of the book if you had been the author.

1. How did the perfect society in William Golding’s Lord of the Flies fall apart?  Could the society have been fixed?  Write an essay that discusses what crucial errors the boys made that they could have made differently and, thus, made a better island society.
2. After reading The Diary of Anne Frank, create an epitaph for Anne that captures her outlook on life.  Then write a eulogy that expresses what you think were her finest personal characteristics. 
http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS0jw7Gn3hTxQtKl6PQfa0XFCMb5ZtDNr2B5WzL2_mZc7L8B0JX:www.abebooks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Lord-of-the-Flies1.jpghttp://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRETvx5XSIYj6v80Ey7FJ1cj5EUzxK1LPuKF7Ybq7PXk5U4PiLOuA:www.adventure-journal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/call-of-the-wild.jpg 

Derived from Summer Reading Assignments: The Academy for Classical Education