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TH
8 GRADE GT LA SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT:
You will be required to read 2 novels this summer. The first novel is assigned and
required. You will complete the Dialectical Journal Assignment using the first novel,
The Book Thief. The second novel is your choice, but it must follow the criteria
below.
st
1 Novel Required Reading to be used for the Dialectical Journal Assignment:
The Book Thief , Marcus Zusak – This book will be referenced all year!! READ IT!!
nd
2 Novel: Student Choice of Novels
Students will also choose and read one book that meets the following criteria:
• Must not have been read previously
• Must be a thought provoking book
• Must not be a graphic novel, Manga, or picture book
• Minimum of 200 pages
NOTE!!!! – YOU WILL READ 2 NOVELS, BUT YOU WILL ONLY
COMPLETE THE DIALECTICAL JOURNAL FOR The Book Thief by
Marcus Zusak.
*****Be prepared to discuss and complete activities concerning
both novels when school starts.*****
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DIALECTICAL JOURNAL WITH THE BOOK THIEF BY MARKUS ZUSAK
(DIALECTICAL JOURNAL ASSIGNMENT-DUE THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS!)
THE JOURNAL:
th
This will be the first impression of you as an 8 Grade GTLA student! Make it count!! You
may complete this one the computer and print it. You may have a handwritten journal.
It’s up to you! Make it your own!! On the cover or front, let your personality shine by
decorating it. Be Creative!! I’m looking forward to seeing how creative you can be!
THE JOURNAL ENTRIES:
The term “dialectic” means “the art or practice of arriving at the truth by using
conversation involving question and answer.” Think of your dialectical journal as a
series of conversations with The Book Thief. The process is meant to help you develop a
better understanding of the text as you read. Use your journal to incorporate your
personal responses to the text and your ideas about the themes you discover. You will
find that it is a useful way to process what you’re reading, prepare yourself for group
discussion, and gather textual evidence for your literary analysis assignment and/or
Socratic Seminar that we will do in class the first few weeks of school.
THE JOURNAL PROCEDURES:
o You may do this on lined notebook paper and put in a folder, a small notebook
or journal, or you may type it and put it in a folder.
o As you read, choose passages that stand out to you and record them in the left-
hand column of a T-chart (ALWAYS include page numbers).
o In the right column, write your response to the text (ideas/insights, questions,
reflections, and comments on each passage)
o Label your responses using the following codes:
o (Q) Question – ask about something in the passage that is unclear
o (C) Connect – make a connection to your life, the world, or another text
o (P) Predict – anticipate what will occur based on what’s in the passage
o (CL) Clarify – answer earlier questions or confirm/disaffirm a prediction
o (R) Reflect – think deeply about what the passage means in a broad
sense – not just to the characters in the story. What conclusions can you
draw about the world, about human nature, or just the way things work?
o (E) Evaluate - make a judgment about the character(s), their actions, or
what the author is trying to say
o You must use a variety of these labels. Do not have all Questions or all Predicts,
for example. USE GOOD JUDGEMENT!
o The book has 88 various length chapters divided into sections. Complete at least
one entry for 25 of the 88 chapters. In other words, you cannot do all 25 from the
first 3 chapters! They have to be spread out.
o REMEMBER – The more you put into this assignment; the more you will get out of
this assignment.
o Please look at the sample journal entries on the following page.
Any questions, please feel free to email Mrs. Austin if you are at Dawson Middle School
or Mrs. Ash if you are at Carroll Middle School at michelle.austin@southlakecarroll.edu
or
melany.ash@southlakecarroll.edu
Sample Dialectical Journal entry:
THE THINGS THEY CARRIED by Tim O’Brien
Passages from the text Pg#s Comments & Questions
“-they carried like freight (R) O’brien chooses to end the first section of the
trains; they carried it on Pg 2 novel with this sentence. He provides excellent visual
their backs and shoulders- details of what each solider in Vietnam would carry
and for all the ambiguities for day-to-day fighting. He makes you feel the
of Vietnam, all the physical weight of what soldiers have to carry for
mysteries and unknowns, simple survival. When you combine the emotional
there was at least the weight of loved ones at home, the fear of death, and
the responsibility for the men you fight wit
single abiding certainty h, with
that they would never be this physical weight, you start to understand what
at a loss for things to soldiers in Vietnam dealt with every day. This quote
carry”. sums up the confusion that the men felt about the
reasons they were fighting the war, and how they
clung to the only certainty - things they had to carry
- in a confusing world where normal rules were
suspended.
Sample Dialectical Journal entry:
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Passages from the text Pg#s Comments & Questions
“Mr. Lorry reddened as if (C) I’ve been in this situation before, (no, not in a bar
he were conscious of having Pg before!) but I have been embarrassed that someone
debated the point in his 82 heard my thoughts in my head. Not that I ever think
mind, and Mr. Carton made bad things, just things that I would mind if anyone
his way to the outside of else heard. It makes you uncomfortable to even think
the bar.” that someone could tell what you were thinking. We
all have the devil/angel on our shoulders at some
point and we are debating issues and choices in our
minds, but we wouldn’t want the world to know! So, it
is for that reason that I feel bad for Mr. Lorry,
because we’ve all been there!
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