Saint John Academy Summer Reading
For Rising 5th Graders
Greetings Parents and Students
The books, stories and poems have been carefully selected to foster an enjoyable and thoughtful reading experience. Enjoy this special time with your child. These assignments are meant to be enriching and meaningful. Be sure to balance the assignments with lots of fun, enjoyable time outside with family and friends.
Best to you and your family,
Mrs. Karen Tessier
Assistant Headmaster
Saint John Academy
Core Elements for Rising 5th Graders
- You will need a writing journal (a leather journal that you may keep and reuse over time).
Choose 2 books to read (Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is the mandatory read, and you may choose 1 other book from the list.)
You are encouraged to read as many as you like.
- For each book draw a picture of something interesting or an image that strikes you and illuminates something important to the story. Think about the characters, the setting and the sequence of events as your draw. Sketch the picture and then color it.
- Write a 1-2 paragraph(s) describing each picture inside of your journal (pictures may be drawn and placed inside journal if you would like).
The Magician’s Nephew by CS Lewis
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling
A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth Speare
Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Read all four recommended poems, copy one in your journal and memorize, reciting it at home (at the dinner table or some other spontaneous moment). This will also be recited at school.
“A Psalm of Life” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“Shiloh: A Requiem” by Herman Melville
“The Charge of the Light Brigade” by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
“The Lake Isle of Innisfree” by W. B. Yeats
- Read a couple Gospel narratives of The Good Shepherd: Luke 15: 1-7 and John 10: 1-18
Please view (and ponder) H.O. Tanner’s painting and NC Wyeth's illustration of "The Good Shepherd" to help you enter the scene of those moments.
- Imagine you are a sheep or a wolf (or another animal) at night and the “Good Shepherd” goes out to look for the lost sheep, describe the scene and tell it like a story. (in your journal)