Grades 1-6 Summer Reading 2015
PCS believes that it is important for students to develop a lifelong love of reading. Our summer reading program is designed to encourage our students to foster their love of reading and to continue their reading throughout the summer.
PCS does not endorse any of the selected books, and encourages parents to screen any books that your child is reading. The Focus on the Family website (www.focusonthefamily.com) has great reviews of children’s books.
Most of these books are available in the PCS Elementary Library, Books-a-Million, www.amazon.com, can be downloaded to a Kindle/Ipad, or checked out from the local public libraries.
A suggested reading list is provided for upcoming first graders, but they will not be allowed to check books out of the PCS Library or take AR tests at this time. The PCS Elementary Library and Computer Lab will be open from 9:00-12:00 for students who will be in grades 2-6 this fall to check out books and take AR tests on their suggested reading books. These dates are Wednesday, June 10, 17, and 24, and July 8, 15, and 22.
There is a list of AR tests that are blocked on our website under Academics> Elementary> Accelerated Reader. These tests are blocked because they are either for class reading or required summer reading.
Please notice that for upcoming 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders there is one specific required book to read. Please choose one other book of your choice from the list given for your child’s upcoming grade for a second required book for grades 2, 3, and 4. All other books are for suggested reading. Check www.arbookfind.com to make sure your choice for the second title is an Accelerated Reader book. Students will take the AR tests on these two required books in August.
REQUIRED READING:
2nd Grade: Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel (Another book of your choice)
3rd Grade: The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh (Another book of your choice)
4th Grade: Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien (Another book of your choice)
5th Grade: Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
6th Grade: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Suggested 1
stGrade Reading List
Our goal is for children’s literature to be a part of every child’s summer. The books listed below are suggestions. Any books you choose to read to your child, or have them read to you, will be fine.
Books About Me
• I Like Me! by Nancy L. Carlson
• I Like to Be Little by Charlotte Zolotow • The Mixed-Up Chameleon by Eric Carle • My Five Senses by Aliki
• Owen by Kevin Henkes
• When I Get Bigger by Mercer Mayer
Family Stories
• Just Me Books by Mercer Mayer
• Mama Do You Love Me? by Barbara M. Joosse
Predictable Books (Stories with a pattern using rhyme or rhythm.)
• Curious George by H. A. Rey• Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg • The Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone
• Gregory the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat • Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown • Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág
• What’s in Fox’s Sack? by Paul Galdone
Beginning, Middle, and End Concept
• Bony-Legs by Joanna Cole
• A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen • Love You Forever by Robert Munsch
• Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins
• The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
Color and Counting Books
• Each Orange Had Eight Slices: A Counting Book by Paul Giganti Jr. • Fish Eyes: A Book You Can Count On by Lois Ehlert
• Frog Counts to Ten by John Liebler • Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni
• Is it Red? Is it Yellow? Is it Blue? by Tana Hoban • Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
• Ten Bears in My Bed: A Goodnight Countdown by Stanley Mack • Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood
• 26 Letters and 99 Cents by Tana Hoban
Caldecott Winners and Honor Books
• Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert • Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
• More, More, More Said the Baby by Vera B. Williams • Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathman
• Swimmy by Leo Lionni
• Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens
Mother Goose and Nursery Rhymes
• James Marshall’s Mother Goose by James Marshall• My Very First Mother Goose by Iona Opie and Rosemary Wells • Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose by Tomie dePaola
Folktales and Fairy Tales
• Chicken Little by Steven Kellogg • Cinderella by Marcia Brown• The Hare and the Tortoise by Brian Wildsmith • Henny Penny by H. Werner Zimmermann • The Little Red Hen by Margot Zemach • The Three Bears by Paul Galdone
• The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Peter Christen Asbjornsen • Three Little Pigs by James Marshall
• The Three Little Pigs by Rodney Peppé
• The Ugly Duckling by Hans Christian Andersen
Stories in Rhyme
• All the Colors of the Earth by Sheila Hamanaka • Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema • Miss Spider’s Tea Party by David Kirk
Friends
• Benjamin and Tulip by Rosemary Wells • We Are Best Friends by Aliki
• Who Will Be My Friends? by Syd Hoff
Fabulous Science Books
• Cars and How they Go by Joanna Cole
• Eyewitness Juniors Amazing Frogs and Toads by Barry Clarke • Magic School Bus On the Ocean Floor by Joanna Cole
Upcoming 2
ndGraders
Suggested Summer Reading Titles and Series of Books
Entering second graders have two required books for summer reading.
*Required Summer Reading #1 – Frog and Toad Are Friends, by Arnold Lobel
**Please pick one other book from the list below for your second required title.
Check www.arbookfind.com to make sure your choice for the second required title is an Accelerated Reader book. Students will take the AR tests on the two required titles in August.
Henry and Mudge series by Cynthia Rylant Mr. Putter and Tabby series by Cynthia Rylant
Franklin by Paulette Bourgeois
Clifford by Norman Bridwell Black Lagoon series by Jared Lee
Froggy by Jonathan London
Nate the Great series by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat Little Bear series by Elise Minarik
I Can Read About…. series by David Knight Magic School Bus series by Joanna Cole
Stellaluna by Janell Cannon
Curious George series by H. A. Rey
The Napping House by Audrey Wood
Olivia by Ian Falconer
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
Other choice authors: Marcia Brown, Donald Crews, Patricia Reilly Giff, Mirra Ginsburg, Jean Marzollo, Patricia Polacco, Leo Lionni, Laura Numeroff, Dr. Suess, and Rosemary Wells. *Parents – This is simply a list of books on the reading level that students entering second grade should be able to read. As always, please screen any book your child is reading. The Focus on the Family website (www.focusonthefamily.com) has great reviews of children’s books.
3
rdGrade
Suggested Summer Reading List
Required Reading:
The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh
(Educator’s Discount Card – $4.99 – give this number for 20% off – 0017419543) Please choose one other book of your choice from the list below for the second required book. Students will take the AR tests on these two required titles in August.
Other Suggested Titles:
Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner Cam Jansen series by David Adler
A-Z Mysteries or Calendar Mysteries by Ron Roy Flat Stanley books by Jeff Brown
Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne
Freckle Juice by Judy Blume
Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner Clementine books by Sara Pennypacker Ramona series by Beverly Cleary
Piper Reed Navy Brat by Kimberly Willis Holt
The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin
4th Grade
Suggested Summer Reading Titles and Series of Books
*Required summer reading for students entering 4th grade:
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien (fiction) Quiz #62 Book Level: 5.1 AR Points: 8.0
*The following is a list of other recommended books from which you may choose to read during the summer. Please choose at least one of these books for your second required reading. The AR tests for the two required books will be taken in August.
1. Louis Braille by Margaret Davidson (nonfiction)
Quiz #29965 Book Level: 3.8 AR Points: 2.0 2. Helen Keller by Elizabeth MacLeod (nonfiction)
Quiz #117160 Book Level: 3.5 AR Points: 0.5 3. The Chocolate Touch by Patrick Skene Catling (fiction)
Quiz #256 Book Level: 4.7 AR Points: 2.0 4. The Lemonade War by Jacqueline Davies (fiction)
Quiz #114227 Book Level: 4.1 AR Points: 4.0 5. Search for the Shadowman by Joan Lowery Nixon (fiction)
Quiz #14144 Book Level: 4.9 AR Points: 4.0 6. The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo (fiction)
Quiz #70401 Book Level: 4.7 AR Points: 5.0 7. Megan’s Island by Willo Davis Roberts (fiction)
Quiz #570 Book Level: 5.0 AR Points: 7.0 8. Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan (fiction)
Quiz #85 Book Level: 5.3 AR Points: 5.0 9. The Great Brain by John D. Fitzgerald (fiction)
Quiz #115 Book Level: 5.2 AR Points: 7.0
*If your child is new to PCS, we suggest that your child read The Lion, the Witch,and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis.
Quiz #52 Book Level: 5.7 AR Points: 6.0
*Books may be purchased from Amazon.com, Books-a-Million, or checked out from the local public libraries.
5th Grade Summer Reading
One of the essential ingredients in your child’s academic success is reading outside the classroom. For this reason, PCS has chosen to establish a required summer reading program for students entering 5th grade. The summer reading program is designed to provide your child with an opportunity to extend the reading skills developed during the previous year’s instruction in the classroom and through our STAR Renaissance Accelerated Reading Program.
PCS SUMMER READING is required! Students are required to read one book. Of course, students are encouraged to read more, but only this one book is required for a comprehension grade. This grade will be entered into RenWeb as a comprehension weekly test grade during the first nine-weeks. Required summer reading for students entering 5th grade in the fall:
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor Realistic Fiction: AR Quiz No. 5440
When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner. The owner is a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs. Shiloh may be purchased from Books-a-Million, Amazon.com, downloaded to Kindle/Ipad, or checked out from the local public libraries.
Students will take the Accelerated Reader test on the book in the Computer Lab during the week of August 24th, 2015.
Students will also write a book report on Shiloh in class using the writing guidelines in the 5th grade ABEKA Language textbook. This assignment will take place during the first week of school under the instruction and supervision of the reading teacher.
For those of you who would like for your child to read more books over the summer, we recommend:
• Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry – Realistic/Historical fiction: An inspiring youth overcomes his fear of the sea and proves his courage to himself and his tribe.
• Anne Frank: Young Diarist by Ruth Ashby – Biography: This book follows the life of the Jewish girl who chronicled her day-to-day life in a diary as she hid in an attic in Nazi-occupied Holland for two years.
(Book descriptions taken from AR BOOK FINDER)
NOTE: If your child is new to PCS, may we suggest that your child read one or two of these books from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis as summer reading choices in addition to the required book. These books are class enrichment units in the 3rd-4th grade at PCS.
6
thGRADE SUMMER READING
One of the essential ingredients in your child’s academic success is reading outside the classroom. For this reason, PCS has chosen to establish a required summer reading program for students entering 6th grade. The summer reading program is designed to provide your child with an opportunity to extend the reading skills developed during the previous year’s instruction in the classroom and through our STAR Renaissance Accelerated Reading Program.
PCS SUMMER READING is required! Students are required to read one book. Of course, students are encouraged to read more, but only this one book is required for a comprehension grade. This grade will be entered into RenWeb as a comprehension weekly test grade during the first nine-weeks. Required summer reading for students entering 6th grade in the fall:
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry AR Quiz No. 379 Historical Fiction
In 1943, during the German occupation of Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie learns how to be courageous when she helps shelter her Jewish friend from the Nazis. (Book description taken from AR BOOK FINDER)
Number the Stars may be purchased from Books-a-Million, Amazon.com, downloaded to Kindle/Ipad, or checked out from the local public libraries.
Students will take the Accelerated Reader test on the book in the Computer Lab during the week of August 24th, 2015.
Students will also write a book report on Number the Stars in class using the writing guidelines in the 6th grade ABEKA Language textbook. This assignment will take place during the first week of school under the instruction and supervision of the reading teacher.
For those of you who would like for your child to read more books over the summer, we recommend:
Gifted Hands, Kids Edition: The Ben Carson Story (Biography) This book is the revised story of Ben Carson, providing an account of how he went from a poor child in Detroit, labeled the class dummy, to one of the world's leading pediatric neurosurgeons. The coauthor is Deborah Shaw Lewis
Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls (Realistic/Adventure) Fiction) A fourteen-year-old Ozark Mountain boy attempts to recapture monkeys escaped from a traveling circus.
Sounder by William H. Armstrong (Realistic Fiction) Angry and humiliated when his sharecropper father is jailed for stealing food for his family, a young boy grows in courage and understanding by learning to read and through his relation with his devoted dog, Sounder.
My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (Realistic/Adventure Fiction) Written in the form of a diary, this story relates the days of a young boy in the Catskill Mountains.
(Book descriptions taken from AR BOOK FINDER)
NOTE: If your child is new to PCS, may we suggest that your child read one or two of these books from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis as summer reading choices in addition to the required book. These books are class enrichment units in the 3rd-5th grade at PCS.
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Horse and His Boy