ELA Summer Bridge Packet
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
West Allegheny School District 8th Grade ELA Summer Academic Pre-Work Promoting Literacy Today a Reader, Tomorrow a Leader Summer of 2021 Dear Parents, Guardians, and Students Entering 8th Grade, Summer is a wonderful time for families to participate in the education of their children. During the summer months many students experience a summer regression of basic reading and math skills. While this is concerning, there is an easy way to minimize the regression, by participating in the Summer Academic Pre- Work Program! Similar to our golf swings or level of fitness, academic skills regress when not practiced. Research suggests that the average learning regression during the summer months for students in reading equates to two months of instruction (Entwisle, Alexander, & Olson 2001; Cooper, H., Nye, B, et al, 1996). The Summer Academic Pre-Work Learning Program is designed to help your child maintain and possibly increase his/her academic skills through practice of important skills. Recommendations for the Summer Academic Pre-Work Program were made through the collaboration of a committee of teachers, superintendent’s parent advisory committee, and administrators. Please engage your child in the outlined academic activities. When your child returns to school in the fall, please send the completed ELA Summer Academic Pre-Work with your child so he/she can receive our congratulations and a reward for completing the program in addition to earning points toward his/her first quarter ELA grade. Thank you for participating in the Summer Academic Pre-Work Learning Program. WAMS ELA Summer Academic Pre-Work highlights are as follows: ➢ An incentive is included for turning in ELA assignments on the first day of school. o All students who turn in their completed ELA Summer Academic Pre-Work on the 1st day of school will earn a 5-Point ELA Cash Card that can be applied as bonus points in their ELA class. ➢ Full credit (without the incentive) will be earned for turning in ELA assignments during the first week. ➢ School staff will be available to contact for assistance throughout the summer. ➢ Books will be provided for students attending the SOAR program and those who receive Free or Reduced Lunch. If you have a question regarding academic content or need support with the Summer Academic Pre-Work Program, please contact Mrs. Troup at [email protected] or Mrs. Monti at [email protected]. Students who need assistance obtaining materials may contact Ms. Huchko at [email protected] or 724-695-5226. Thank you, Mrs. Nolan and Ms. Huchko “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go!” Dr. Seuss Student Name ____________________________________________________________Entering 8th Grade in August 2021 8th Grade ELA Summer Academic Pre-Work Please read the assigned materials to allow for meaningful class involvement at the beginning of the year. Required Book Required Nonfiction Articles Anchor Text: • “Girl Saved by Groundbreaking Cancer Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie Treatment Lobbies for More Funding” by Jordan Sonnenblick • “Women Leaders: Malala Yousafzai” • “The Marathon of Hope” Tasks: #1: Read the anchor text, Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie, and complete the note-taker to summarize each section of the book and identify evidence that reveals the topic of perseverance. #2: Read the three nonfiction articles, and complete the note-takers to summarize each article and identify at least three pieces of evidence that connect to the topic of perseverance. **Note: Students who enroll with the district on or after Monday, August 9th will be exempt from Task #1 and will only need to complete Task #2. Additional Information: • All students must bring the annotated articles and completed charts to class. • Completion of the two tasks will be worth a total of 15 points toward each student’s first quarter ELA grade. Students will earn full credit plus a 5-point ELA Cash Card (bonus points that may be applied to any assignment) for turning in their completed charts on the first day of school (Tuesday, August 24th). Full credit will still be earned throughout the first week of school without the bonus. Students will lose five points for turning their assignments in on Monday, August 30, the last day to submit the work. • Students may choose whether to complete the assignments on paper or electronically. To complete electronically, please CLICK HERE to make a copy of the Google Doc. o Please make the copy when logged into the student’s West Allegheny student Google account to ensure that the work is saved to the student Google Drive for access when school starts in August. Student Name ____________________________________________________________Entering 8th Grade in August 2021 Task #1: As you read Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie, use the following note-taker to summarize each section of the book and identify evidence that reveals the topic of perseverance. Chapters 1-3 Summary Evidence (Find one piece of evidence.) How does your evidence relate to the topic of perseverance? Student Name ____________________________________________________________Entering 8th Grade in August 2021 Chapters 4-6 Summary Evidence (Find one piece of evidence.) How does your evidence relate to the topic of perseverance? Chapters 7-9 Summary Evidence (Find one piece of evidence.) How does your evidence relate to the topic of perseverance? Student Name ____________________________________________________________Entering 8th Grade in August 2021 Chapters 10-12 Summary Evidence (Find one piece of evidence.) How does your evidence relate to the topic of perseverance? Chapters 13-15 Summary Evidence (Find one piece of evidence.) How does your evidence relate to the topic of perseverance? Student Name ____________________________________________________________Entering 8th Grade in August 2021 Chapters 16-18 Summary Evidence (Find one piece of evidence.) How does your evidence relate to the topic of perseverance? Chapters 19-21 Summary Evidence (Find one piece of evidence.) How does your evidence relate to the topic of perseverance? Student Name ____________________________________________________________Entering 8th Grade in August 2021 Task #2: As you read the nonfiction articles, annotate using the following note-takers. Write a summary of each article and identify at least 3 pieces of evidence relating to perseverance. Article 1: “Girl Saved by Groundbreaking Cancer Treatment Lobbies for More Funding” Citation: Centre Daily Times. “Girl Saved by Groundbreaking Cancer Treatment Lobbies for More Funding.” Centre Daily Times via NewsELA. Edited by NewsELA staff, version 1180, 2 July 2013, https://newsela.com/read/patients- lobby/id/420 Summary Evidence How does your evidence relate to the topic of perseverance? Girl Saved by Groundbreaking Cancer Treatment Lobbies for More Funding By Centre Daily Times, adapted by the NewsELA staff With a bright purple stuffed animal in tow, Emily Whitehead and her parents, Tom and Kari, of Philipsburg, Pa., walked the hallways of the U.S. Capitol, urging legislators to support the research that saved Emily’s life. The Whiteheads traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of the annual Family Advocacy Day. The event was sponsored by the National Association of Children’s Hospitals. Many hospitals from around the country brought patients and their families to the event. Peter Grollman, who works at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), said that it is a day meant to “connect the work we’re doing in the hospitals and the funding the government gives.” One government Institute that Grollman would like legislators to pay attention to is the National Institute of Health. It's the largest source of funding for medical research in the world. Made up of 27 Institutes and Centers, the NIH is the nation's medical research agency. The Institute's mission is to make important discoveries that improve health and save lives. But spending reductions due to the sequester mean that the agency is facing budget cuts, which puts children's hospitals, like CHOP, that rely on government money, in jeopardy. First Child To Undergo Experimental Treatment Emily's treatment at CHOP is a prime example of the good that NIH money can do. In the spring of 2012, Emily was close to death. She was suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, the most common form of pediatric cancer. Desperate to save their only child, Kari and Tom decided to enroll Emily in an experimental treatment at CHOP. The treatment involved collecting and removing millions of Emily's Tcells -- a type of white blood cell that is a vital part of a human's immune system. Those Tcells were then genetically engineered by researchers at CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania to recognize and attack the cancer cells in her body. Emily's T-cells were infected with a disabled form of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. "The virus has been engineered so it can't cause disease anymore," Dr. Carl June of the University of Pennsylvania said in the short film Fire With Fire. "But it still retains the ability to reprogram the immune system so that it will now attack cancer cells." Emily became the first child to undergo the procedure. She recently celebrated one year of being cancer-free. “If those opportunities don’t exist to find therapies that save lives, we really find ourselves at a disadvantage," Grollman said. Asking Funding Be Restored The Whitehead family traveled to D.C. to advocate for restored NIH funding. During their visit, they met with members of Pennsylvania’s delegation like Representatives Glenn Thompson and Joe Pitts as well as Senators Pat Toomey and Bob Casey. (The family also managed to squeeze in a few games of tag with government staffers.) According to the National Association of Children’s Hospitals, 45 percent of pediatricians, half of pediatric specialists and the majority of pediatric researchers train at children's hospitals. Less funding from the NIH and other government organization means less support for these doctors, specialists and researchers.