LOWER SCHOOL SUMMER READING
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Winsor's Summer Reading Philosophy
The Winsor summer reading requirement is designed to encourage you to become avid, life-long readers and learners by inviting you to take pleasure in reading substantial, thought-provoking books. We hope you will find reading a pleasure in itself, but you should also be aware of some significant benefits of reading:
- Reading enriches your classroom experience. Avid readers develop a broad perspective and are able to bring more than just their personal experiences to classroom discussion.
- Reading widely and challenging yourself in your reading selections are the best ways to develop a strong vocabulary.
- Reading great literature teaches you how to be a great writer.
Expectations
Each class has its own required summer reading assignment for English class (see below). This assignment should be completed before school starts in September, preferably in August, because there will be discussion and follow-up during the first few weeks of school.
Required summer reading books will be handed out in class in May. New students will receive books at the welcome event in May or by mail.
Required Reading by Grade Level
Class I
Class I students are asked to read A Place at the Table by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan, which will be discussed in English class in the fall.
You should also read at least four additional books, including one nonfiction book, chosen from the Lower School Reading lists (a total of five books).
Please remember to keep a record of the titles and authors to give to your teacher in the fall.
Please do NOT read the following titles because they will be read in class next year. Feel free to read other books by these authors instead: The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson, Strong As Fire, Fierce As Flame by Supriya Kelkar, I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day, The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson, Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids edited by Cynthia Leitich Smith, or Maizy Chen’s Last Chance by Lisa Yee.
Class II
Class II students are asked to read Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall in preparation for English class. We recommend that you read the required book late in the summer so that you can discuss it in class when you arrive in September.
In addition, please read at least four additional books, chosen from the Lower School Reading lists (a total of five books). One of your additional books must be from a nonfiction category.
Please remember to keep a written record of the titles and authors of all of the books you read this summer and to give the list to your teacher in the fall.
Please do NOT read the following titles because they will be read in class next year. Feel free to read other books by these authors instead: The Wanderings of Odysseus by Rosemary Sutcliff, Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry by Mildred Taylor, Ida In the Middle by Nora Lester Murad, Climbing the Stairs by Padma Venkatraman, or Lucky Broken Girl by Ruth Behar.
Class III
Class III students are asked to actively read The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera over the summer and to bring the novel to English class on the first day of school in the fall. Reading actively means making brief notes about important or intriguing moments in the margins of the book while you read. We recommend that you read the novel late in the summer because we will work with it in class for a few days in September.
You should also read at least four additional books, chosen from the Lower School Reading Lists. At least one selection must be from a nonfiction category. The rest may come from any category.
Please remember to keep a written record of the titles and authors of every book you read this summer to give to your teacher in the fall.
Please do NOT read The Arrival by Shaun Tan, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, and The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton because they will be read in class next year.
Class IV
Students in Class IV should actively read The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. We recommend that you read it late in the summer because we will work with it in class for a few days in September. Please bring it to class on the first day of school in the fall.
You are also expected to read at least four additional books this summer, chosen from the Lower School or Upper School Reading lists. At least one selection must be from a nonfiction category. The rest may come from any category.
Please remember to keep a record of the titles and authors of every book you read this summer to give to your teacher in the fall.
Please do NOT read The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, As You Like It by William Shakespeare, or When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka during the summer because they will be read in class next year.
Have a great summer!
Sharon Jones Phinney, Head of the Lower School
Laura Duncan, Library Director
Courtney Jackson, Head of the English Department