Eighth Grade Pre-AP Language Arts/Social Studies Project

8th Grade Pre-AP LA/SS Summer Assignment
To prepare for next year’s initial literature unit in 8 th grade Pre-AP Language Arts and
Social Studies, students are required to read Blood on the River: James Town, 1607
by Elisa Carbone. You will need to purchase or check out a copy of the novel and
complete the assignment described below.
All parts of the assignment must be typed in plain 12 point font, and submitted to the
instructor online via our online classroom at www.Edmodo.com. Create an Edmodo
account and use the group code: 2k119a join the Summer Pre-AP group. Note: this
assignment is due by September 1, 2011, the Thursday before school starts. This
assignment will not be accepted late, so please do not procrastinate.
The purpose of this assignment is to:
• Build upon outgoing grade-level skills
• Target state EALRS/GLEs in writing, reading,
• Foreshadow Pre-AP strategies taught in
and social studies
classroom
• Prepare students for high school Pre-AP and
• Prepare for the year’s first literature unit.
AP programs
Summer Assignment Guiding Questions
What challenges and hardships were faced by the earliest settlers to arrive at Jamestown? How did
these challenges and hardships affect the way that the settlers interacted with each other, the Algonquin
Indians, or the natural environment around Jamestown?
Part One: Pre-Reading Response (10 pts)
Before you read, skim the novel. You should note that each chapter opens with a quotation from a primary
resource. In a 100-150 word written response, define the term Primary Resource, and discuss the value of
using primary resources when learning about history. You will notice the story is told through first person
narrative, similar to a journal. How are journals useful Primary Resources? How might the fact that journals
are written from the perspective of individuals affect their reliability? Might another person write something
different about the same event? Do you think journals and diaries are important for people to keep today?
Part Two: Active Reading Notes: Timeline and Vocabulary (15 pts per section)
Timeline: Create a detailed, chronologically ordered list of historical events. For each event include captions
that explain how they relate back to the guiding question. This list should incorporate 10-15 events that occur
throughout the story.
Vocabulary: Create a list of key terms from the novel that are unfamiliar to you. For each term: 1) write the
term 2) rewrite the sentence where you found the term and the page number where it was found, 3) provide
the part of speech as it is used and define each term in your own words (I do not want dictionary definitions),
and 4) write a sentence of your own, correctly using the word. Keep adding to this list as you read; by the end
you should have 10-15 words from throughout the book.
Part Three: Post-Reading Response: Jamestown Journal - (10 pts per entry)
Imagine that you are either one of the Jamestown settlers or one of the Powhatan Indians. Using the list of
historical events, which you generated in your Active Reading Notes, choose at least five of these significant
events and write your own account of what happened. Entries should fully describe the event through a
detailed, first person narrative. Write in the first person as if you were keeping a journal.
Scoring
Pre-reading Response _____/10
Reading Notes - Timeline _____/15
Reading Notes - Vocabulary _____/15
Jamestown Journal _____/50
Going Above and Beyond _____/10
Total _____/100
Skyridge 8th Grade Pre-AP Teachers
Mr. Robert Mattson
Robert.Mattson@camas.wednet.edu
http://mrmattson.pbworks.com

Dear Parents and Students,
June 16, 2011
Last year, my Pre-AP class researched and wrote a grant to the Camas Education Foundation, leaving an Apple
learning lab as a legacy to Skyridge. This lab contains 20 iPads, the use of which will be piloted during the 2011-
2012 school year in my classroom. I call it the SkyPad Lab and I know it will revolutionize the way I teach this next
school year.
To make the most of the SkyPad Lab, our class will be using a variety of online resources. The purpose of these
resources is to create a backchannel, or online discussion, that parallels and augments the discussions we have
in class. Before you begin your summer project, you will need to create accounts for two online sites. Each of
these sites can be accessed from Mr. Mattson's classroom webpage: http://mrmattson.pbworks.com or by
following the links below.
Join www.edmodo.com
Edmodo is a free and secure social learning network for teachers,
students and schools. Edmodo provides classrooms a safe and easy way
to connect and collaborate. We will be using Edmodo to create a real-time
platform to exchange ideas, share content, and access homework, grades
and school notices. You will turn in your summer project using
Edmodo. The code to join the group is: 2k119a.
Join www.springpad.com
Springpad provides students with a reliable tool for note taking that can be
used to collect and organize ideas into an online notebook. The online
notebook can be used to gather text, images, sounds, videos, even clips
of web pages. All of these notes are easily accessible across multiple
platforms. You do not have to use Springpad on your summer project, but
I encourage you to explore its feature. We will use Springpad, in
conjunction with classroom iPads, throughout the upcoming school year to
create digital notebooks and portfolios of our work.
As the year progresses we will engage in many inquiry and project based learning experiences. In addition to
research, we will use the SkyPad Lab to create projects to share what we have learned with our peers, family,
and community. At times this may require students to create accounts to online websites. When used in
conjunction with assignments, these sites will be vetted by Mr. Mattson and classroom discussion will be held
concerning online Internet safety. Websites that may be used throughout the school year include, but are not
limited to, www.quizlet.com, www.shelfari.com, www.capzles.com, www.animoto.com, and www.twitter.com.
Web 2.0 Permission Slip
My child __________________________________ may access, create accounts for, and use Internet based
resources, that have been vetted by Mr. Mattson for security, safety, and anonymity, in order to complete
class work during the 2011-2012 school year.
Parent Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ________________________