Friday, June 12, 2015

MMS Summer Reading

June 2015

Greetings students and families of Milton Middle School,

As one year winds down, we are already gearing up for the next; can you believe it? Without rushing things, we do want to let you know about the summer reading expectations. We are excited to announce that we will be reading 2015-2016 Dorothy Canfield Fisher (DCF) selection, No Summit out of Sight by Jordan Romero. Students will be given a copy of the book by 6/15; this copy will be theirs to keep and annotate. With its connections to exploration and larger message about persisting, this title is a great fit with our upcoming curriculum. Students should bring in their copies, having already read them, on the first day of school. If your child is unable to receive his or her copy by this Monday, it will be available to pick up from the elementary school throughout the summer.

In addition to reading this title, we are expecting all students to continue their independent reading. Vermont's reading standards challenge students to read one book every two weeks.  Many students love to plunge in and read over the summer with all that free time.  Others need some structure, encouragement, and strategic planning -- plan regular time for reading, read with your child, listen to books on tape or digital recordings, read books then watch the movies, take trips to the library. In fact, the Milton Public Library is offering some fabulous summer programming under the theme Unmask. We have included a list of all of this year’s DCF titles on the back of this letter. Please visit the websites listed below for more information about the books, including recommended ages and descriptions. Additionally, the folks at the Milton Public Library are helpful resources for book recommendations. Families, this could be a wonderful opportunity for you to enjoy some excellent young adult literature, while supporting your child with his/her reading expectations.

When we return in August, in addition to school-wide celebrations of the book No Summit out of Sight, each house will have its own way of discussing and working with the books.There is also a chance that our school will be invited to participate with the Vermont Public Radio program Dorothy’s List. Keep track of those questions and talking points!

So, find a nice sunny spot, curl up, and get lost in some fabulous literature. If you have any questions, please direct them to the appropriate humanities teachers.

Happy Reading!
The MMS Humanities Team

For an annotated list of the 2015-2016 DCF titles:
For a list of books with high interest, background building, current trends for all the students in grades 5th-8th.