Summer Reading Projects (ft. Jubby Jr.!)

Who is Jubby Jr.? Read more to see.

At my current job (fourth year here, hooray!), I have the benefit of teaching the entire middle school for all three years of their middle school career. One major perk of this setup is the depth of the relationships I build with my students; I watch and foster their growth from sweet sixth graders, excited and bewildered by their new status as middle school students, to confident, inquisitive eighth graders, leading the school (hopefully with a good example!)

As the middle school literature teacher, I give my students ample opportunities to display their creativity through a plethora of projects and writing assignments throughout the year.

The first major assignment I give them upon their return to school in August is the summer reading project. Summer reading is assigned in the last weeks of school in June. I inform each grade level of their required book, and I then tell the rising seventh and eighth graders that I expect them to read two choice novels in addition to their required reading, and the rising sixth graders read one choice novel.

On the first day of school, I give the students a basic comprehension quiz on the required novel to check to see if they completed it. (Yes, I'm that teacher - and I have no remorse!) We then embark on a 2-3 week book unit on the required novel, in which I introduce the novel's historical text and we analyze key scenes and characters and have structured debates and discussions on themes.

Then, of course, there are the choice books. I want the students to be able to creatively engage with their choice reading books because, hey, they chose to read them for a reason!

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THE CREATIVE CHOICE PROJECT

For the last couple of years, I have assigned a creative choice project for the required novel. All sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students have the option to do one of the following:

1. Paint a scene from their required novel - use specific details from the book to justify details used!
2. Put together a board game that relates to the novel
3. Create a collage that centers around either a specific character, theme, or scene from the novel
4. Create a children's book adaptation of your novel - fully colored!
5. Create a comic book adaptation of your novel - fully colored!
6. Put together a storyboard (with pictures and captions!) that simplifies your novel into the nine more important scenes
7. Make a shoe box diorama of one specific scene from the book (the most popular option!), using specific details from the book to justify details used.

The directions sheet warns them not to be like Jubby Jr., a fictional character (made by Yours Truly using Microsoft Paint!) who decided to do this project at the last minute.

Jubby Jr. has become an iconic character among my students, and he appears in many of their vocabulary sentences, creative writing pieces, and directions sheets for assignments. This is the picture that started it all.

Thankfully, my students are wiser than dear Jubby Jr., and for the most part, the projects I receive are very well constructed. Many of the projects are displayed in the library for the entire community to enjoy, and my school librarian enjoys having them on display.

Very detailed mixed-media diorama.

A collection of student paintings.

This one is incredible. The fire looks real!

One of my students loves to sew, and she puts together a sewing project every year for this assignment. This was her The Giver storyboard quilt from her sixth grade year.

More student paintings and collages.

Love the use of the Christmas lights!

Grading this project always takes me a solid week: typically six consecutive nights in my classroom until 9 pm - my biggest grading marathon of the year! However, I am always just blown away by the innovative projects submitted, and it's quite frankly one of my favorite assignments to grade.

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THE SMALLER PROJECT

The seventh and eighth graders must read two choice books, so the question becomes what do I have them do with the second book that is engaging, yet a smaller task than their required summer project.

I have experimented with a few possibilities over the years.

• The two-minute podcast: Students use their iPads (we have a 1:1 initiative with the middle school students) to record a two-minute book review/podcast on Showbie. The students had fun doing this, but they did find it awkward to hear their own voice, and we did not have the class time to listen to them all.
• Edmodo book review: I liked this idea because it utilizes Edmodo, one of my favorite education apps, and the students can read and comment on one another's reviews, so this assignment becomes more interactive. I required all students to respond to at least three reviews and ask specific questions to the author of the review.
• Letter to the author: I tried this for the first time this school year, and so far, this has been the smaller project that has had the greatest success with the students. Basically, I had the students write a letter that they could hypothetically send to the author of their choice book. The letters had to be thoughtful, and they were to ask some specific questions to the author about the book. After the letters were submitted, I was able to Tweet the letters out to the authors and see if anybody would respond. The kids, of course, became elated - especially the five who received responses! (Thank you to Steve Sheinkin, Max Lucedo, Stuart Gibbs, Suzanne Supplee, and Traci L. Jones!) The only negative part to this assignment, I thought, was the fact that not every student read choice books by living authors, so if I was to do this assignment again next year, I need to find a way to better include these students. (Maybe I could just tell them that one choice book should be written by a contemporary author?)

Although the school year is yet young, I am excited to start brainstorming ideas for summer reading projects for next year. My hope is that the projects will further enrich the reading experience for these students!

Oh, and in case you are wondering if our dear friend, Jubby Jr., ever learned his lesson about procrastination...