7th Grade Excel Language Arts
Summer Reading Project
Required Reading: Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang
Required Project: As part of the 7th grade Excel Language Arts program, you will be expected to complete independent projects throughout the year. Your first project will be to read the book Red Scarf Girl by Ji-Li Jiang and complete both a creative project and study guide related to the book. This should only take 1-2 weeks to complete independently.
Due Date: No Later than Friday, August 9, 2024.
These are required projects, and will be your first grades for the 1st quarter. We will discuss the novel during our first two weeks of school and have a test on it after that. Projects should be neatly done, either typed (preferred) or handwritten very neatly, on one side of the paper only.
There are several ways you can get a copy of the book for this assignment:
· Tippecanoe County Public Library
· Amazon - paperback for $7.48
· Openlibrary.org – this is a digital library from which you may borrow a download for about 2 weeks. There are several copies available. You will need to set up a username and password, but otherwise it is a free library. https://openlibrary.org/search?q=Red+Scarf+Girl&mode=ebooks&has_fulltext=true
· If you do not have internet access or are unable to get a copy of the book, you can contact Mrs. Mark (lmark@lsc.k12.in.us) and she will help you get a copy.
Turning in Your Project: Completed projects are due on No Later Than Friday, August 9th. Project posters, especially larger ones, can be dropped off in room 413 before classes start if you don’t want to carry them around the building during classes.
Summer Reading Project Components
· There are two components of the summer assignment- a study guide and a creative project. If you do not have access to a computer for typing, you may hand write your assignments very neatly, in ink on one side of the paper.
· Study Guide: Complete the Vocabulary, Character and Plot Identification pages of the study guide (see below) as you read the novel. Turn these pages in with your project no later than Friday, August 9, 2024.
· Projects: Choose ONE of the following four creative projects to complete.
A) Create an original Da-zi-bao poster. (Reference pp. 19-51)
o Must be on poster board or construction paper at least 11”x17”
o Target a behavior or life style representative of the Four Olds and use a catchy slogan to ridicule such people who demonstrate this behavior. (not a specific character in the book)
o Include Powerful words that clarify why and how such a person should remold their ideology.
o Illustrate the poster to reflect the theme of a Da-zi-bao, emphasizing Cultural Revolution-era themes (only black, red or white lettering and paper, nothing flashy)
o Fix a sheet of paper to the back of your poster, typed or neatly written in ink with the following: In 2-3 paragraphs, explain in your own words the effectiveness of the Da-zi-bao poster campaign in the Cultural Revolution. WHAT was the purpose of the posters? HOW did these posters serve the goals of the revolution? WHY did the Mao regime involve youth in the program?
B) Create a visual timeline of the ten most important events in the novel.
o Must be on poster board or construction paper at least 11”x17”
o Include images that represent the important events.
o Images can be clipart, internet, or hand drawn.
o Below each image must be a card or paper with a paragraph, typed or very neatly printed in pen, describing WHAT event the image represents and HOW it is important to the advancement of the plot and/or WHAT is its historical significance to the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
C) Create a 50 Word Tile Collage of important words or phrases.
o Cut from newspaper/magazine headlines 50 word/phrase- “tiles” that relate to the story in some way- characters/plot/setting/theme.
o Arrange them into a line drawing shape, that relates to the novel in some way. For example, a line drawing for A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh might be in the shape of a honey pot.
o Glue the tiles onto poster board or construction paper at least 11”x17”
o Creatively display the title and author of the novel on the poster.
o Fix to the back of your poster a separate paper, on which you explain the significance of the shape of your tiled collage and how it relates to the novel. Then, choose the 5 most important words on your poster and write a paragraph for each, explain their significance to the novel and supporting with evidence from the novel.
D) Create a poster about the Four Olds.
o At the top of a poster board or construction paper of at least 11”x17” creatively display the title and author of the novel and the title Four Olds. Then divide the rest of the poster, vertically in half.
o On one side, affix 4 images (clip art, internet, or hand drawn) that exemplify the Four Olds in China during the Cultural Revolution. Under each image, affix a paragraph explaining WHY this was considered a Four Old, HOW it was eradicated, and WHAT replaced it.
o On the other side, affix 4 images(clip art, internet, or hand drawn) that exemplify what you believe to be examples of the Four Olds in America today. Under each image, affix a paragraph explaining WHY this is considered a Four Old, HOW it should be eradicated, and WHAT should replace it.
Projects will be graded on quality and effort as well as depth of knowledge and content.
Projects are due on or before Friday, August 9, 2024. Late projects will receive a grade reduction of 10% per day late.
