Eighth Grade Summer Reading Project Due: Tuesday, September 3, 2019

Reading Assignment: Read Favorite Greek Myths by Mary Pope Osborne and by .

Writing Task: Favorite Greek Myths tells stories from in a traditional way. The Lightning Thief takes characters, events, and ideas from Greek mythology and tells a story that combines those traditional elements with modern characters and a modern setting. Your assignment is to select a story from Favorite Greek Myths and use the characters, events, and ideas from that traditional story in writing your own, original story that also includes modern characters and a modern setting. The Lightning Thief features humor and action, and if you want your story to be funny and/or action packed, that’s fine. However, it would also be fine to write a story with more of a serious or sad tone.

Special Note for Students Who Have Already Read The Lightning Thief: If you have already read this novel, read the next novel (that you have not already read) from the series. If you have already read the entire Percy Jackson series, begin (or continue) reading the Heroes of Olympus series, which is a series-length sequel to the Percy Jackson series. If you have already read the Heroes of Olympus series, continue with The Trials of series. Here are the titles of all the books, in the order in which they should be read:

First series (Percy Jackson series): The Lightning Thief, , The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, The Last Olympian Second series (House of Olympus series): The Lost Hero, The Son of Neptune, The Mark of , The House of , The Blood of Olympus Third series (The Trials of Apollo series): , The Dark Prophecy, The Burning Maze

Summer Project Grading Rubric

4 3 2 1 Narrative Elements The plot of the story and the The plot of the story There is a clear attempt to tell a The story does not have a clear development of the characters occasionally succeeds in creating story with a beginning, a middle, plot and/or recognizable consistently provide the reader suspense, humor, and/or some and an end; there are characters. with entertainment and/or insight other emotional response from recognizable characters. into the human condition. the reader; there is some psychological development of the characters. Creative Use of Source Material The writer’s creativity in The writer reuses the plot and It is very clear that the story There may be little or no use of adapting the plot and characters characters from one, specific reuses the plot and characters the plot and/or characters from from one, specific story in story in Favorite Greek Myths from one, specific story in one, specific story in Favorite Favorite Greek Myths produces while adding a distinctive twist. Favorite Greek Myths; however Greek Myths; the material may a fresh and interesting take on a the writer is NOT simply be reused in a muddled, classic narrative. copying the original story. confusing way, Technical Correctness The writing demonstrates The writing demonstrates While meaning is usually clear, There are many distracting excellent fluency and technical reasonably good fluency and vocabulary and sentence errors in grammar, syntax, skills. Controlled and varied technical skills. There is some structure may be a bit usage, spelling, and punctuation, syntax clearly conveys ideas and variation in syntax and most monotonous. There are probably There may be many errors in emotions. There are few, if any, constructions are used in an technical errors in areas that an areas that an elementary school technical errors in grammar, appropriate, controlled way. eighth grader should have student should have already syntax, usage, spelling, and Technical errors are mostly already mastered. mastered. punctuation. confined to the more advanced and difficult aspects of writing.