Rising 4th Grade Summer Learning
Required Math Practice
This summer Athens Academy is asking rising 4th grade students to complete a series of lessons using the IXL program.
Please complete IXL Summer Boost skill plan - Math 4th grade using the IXL program. It is important to spread this work out over the summer. Ideally students should work in 15-25 minute sessions. Students may also explore other topics after they work on the suggested skills. For more information, please see IXL-Summer-Parent-Handout. Should you need assistance please contact: Returning students: [email protected] New students: [email protected]. For technical problems, please call our tech department at 706-433-2532 |
Summer Reading
Summer reading is an important part of the curriculum at Athens Academy. Students are responsible for reading the two required books BEFORE school convenes in August. Students should also select two additional books to read from the Choice List. Parents, please print, complete, and sign the signature form at the bottom of this page, and your student will turn it in the first week of school.
Required Books:
Choice Books (choose two):
FABLES AND FANTASY
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate A story about a homeless boy and his imaginary friend that proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary. The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm Ellie's scientist grandfather has discovered a way to reverse aging, and consequently has turned into a teenager--which makes for complicated relationships when he moves in with Ellie and her mother, his daughter. George’s Marvelous Medicine by Roald Dahl George decides that his grumpy, selfish old grandmother must be a witch and concocts some marvelous medicine to take care of her. Matilda by Roald Dahl Matilda is a genius, but her parents think she's a nuisance. She expects school to be different but there she has to face Miss Trunchbull, a kid-hating headmistress. Matilda soon discovers she has a remarkable power to fight back. It'll take a superhuman genius to give Miss Trunchbull what she deserves and Matilda may be just the one to do it! Pax by Sara Pennypacker After being forced to give up his pet fox Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get his best friend back. Snow and Rose by Emily Winfield Martin Before their father disappeared into the woods and their mother disappeared into sorrow, Snow White and Rose Red had the perfect life. This is the story of two sisters and the enchanted woods that have been waiting for them to break a set of terrible spells. Wishtree by Katherine Applegate Red is the neighborhood "wishtree"―people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with a crow and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this wishtree watches over the neighborhood. You might say old Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experience as a wishtree is more important than ever. HISTORICAL FICTION Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai Through a series of poems, a young girl chronicles the life-changing year of 1975, when she, her mother, and her brothers leave Vietnam and resettle in Alabama. The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson When Candice reads a letter addressed to her grandmother, she discovers a mystery about a young woman, an injustice, and a fortune that awaits the person who solves the puzzle. So with the help of the boy across the street, she begins to decipher the clues. The challenge leads them deep into Lambert, SC's history, full of ugly deeds, forgotten heroes, and one great love; and deeper into their own families, with their own unspoken secrets. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr Hospitalized ten years after her exposure to radiation from the Atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Sadako races against time to fold one thousand paper cranes to verify the legend that by doing so a sick person will become healthy. The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley A young disabled girl and her brother are evacuated from London to the English countryside during World War II, where they find life to be much sweeter away from their abusive mother. HUMOR Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli Fourth graders are tough. They aren't afraid of spiders. They say no to their moms. And they never, ever cry. Suds knows that now that he's in fourth grade, he's supposed to be a rat. But whenever he tries to act like one, something goes wrong. I Funny, a Middle School Story by James Patterson (or any in series) Jamie Grimm is a middle schooler on a mission: he wants to become the world's greatest standup comedian, even if he doesn't have a lot to laugh about these days. Pie by Sarah Weeks When Alice's Aunt Polly passes away, she leaves the secret to her famous pie-crust recipe with her cat, Lardo. And then leaves Lardo in the care of Alice. Now the whole town is wondering how you leave a recipe to a cat and just how can they discover the secret ingredients! Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar Accidentally built sideways and standing thirty stories high (the builder said he was very sorry for the mistake), Wayside School has some of the wackiest classes in town, especially on the thirtieth floor. That’s where you’ll meet Bebe, the fastest draw in art class; John, who only reads upside down; Myron, the best class president ever; and Sammy, the new kid—he’s a real rat. Swindle by Gordon Korman (or any in series) After a collector cons him out of a valuable baseball card, sixth-grader Griffin Bing puts together a band of misfits to break into a heavily guarded store and steal the card back. Spy School by Stuart Gibbs Ben Ripley may only be in middle school, but he’s already pegged his dream job: C.I.A. or bust. So he’s thrilled when he’s recruited to the C.I.A.’s top secret Academy of Espionage. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume Whether Fudge is throwing a tantrum in a store or scribbling all over Peter's homework, he's never far from trouble. He's a two-year-old terror—and Peter's had enough. When Fudge walks off with Peter's pet turtle, it's the last straw. How can he get his parents to pay attention to him for a change? Also recommended: Fudge-a-Mania, Otherwise Known As Sheila the Great, and Superfudge. The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John (or any in series) Miles Murphy is known for one thing and one thing only: pranking. So when he’s forced to move to boring Yawnee Valley (also known for one thing: cows), he assumes he’ll be the best prankster at his new school too. There’s one problem. The school already has a prankster and he’s good. Really good. War with Grandpa by Robert Kimmel Smith Upset that he has to give up the room he loves to his grandfather, Pete decides to declare war in an attempt to get it back. NONFICTION Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Favorite Norse Myths by Mary Pope Osborne From the creation of the universe, to its heroic battles for order, the fourteen intriguing myths in this collection come together to tell one powerful story. |
NONFICTION (cont'd)
One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest by Jean Craighead George The future of the rainforest and the Macaw depends on a scientist and a young Venezuelan Indian boy, as they search for a nameless butterfly during one day in the rainforest. The Red Pencil by Andrea Davis Pinkney After her tribal village is attacked by militants, Amira, a young Sudanese girl, must flee to safety at a refugee camp, where she finds hope and the chance to pursue an education in the form of a single red pencil and the friendship and encouragement of a wise elder. REALISTIC FICTION Claudia and the Phantom Phone Calls (The Baby-Sitters Club, Book 2) by Ann M. Martin Claudia decides to investigate when she and the other members of the Baby-Sitters Club receive mysterious phone calls while out on assignments. Also recommended: other titles from The Baby-Sitters Club series and Baby-Sitters: Little Sister series. Earthquake Terror by Peg Kehret When an earthquake hits the isolated island in northern California where his family has been camping, 12-year-old Jonathan Palmer must find a way to keep himself, his partially paralyzed younger sister, and their dog alive until help arrives. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg Claudia knew that she could never pull off the old-fashioned kind of running away so she decided not to run FROM somewhere, but TO somewhere-the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After some careful planning, she and her younger brother, Jamie, escaped right into a mystery that made headlines! Fuzzy Mud by Louis Sachar Two middle-grade kids take a shortcut home from school and discover what looks like fuzzy mud but is actually a substance with the potential to wreak havoc on the entire world. Gaby, Lost and Found by Angela Cervantes Gaby is a volunteer at the local animal shelter. A story about adoption, abandonment, immigration and deportation wrapped in a warm-hearted tale. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen After a plane crash, thirteen-year-old Brian spends fifty-four days in the wilderness, learning to survive initially with only the aid of a hatchet given him by his mother, and learning also to survive his parents' divorce. Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry (or any other books by Henry) Two youngsters' determination to own a Chincoteague pony is greatly increased when the Phantom and her colt are among those rounded up for the yearly auction. Nothing's Fair in Fifth Grade by Barthe DeClements Jenny knows one thing -- Elsie Edwards is a thief who steals people's lunch money to buy candy. So when the book club money disappears, why is the whole class punished? Nothing's fair! Soon Jenny realizes things aren't fair for Elsie, either. Elsie is on a strict diet, but when she starts losing weight, her mother won't buy her new clothes. Suddenly everyone wants to help Elsie. Nothing's fair in fifth grade -- but sometimes things get better! Penderwicks on Gardam Street by Jeanne Birdsall The four Penderwick sisters are faced with the unimaginable prospect of their widowed father dating, and they hatch a plot to stop him. Pie in the Sky by Remi Lai When Jingwen moves to a new country, school is torture, making friends is impossible, and he's often stuck looking after his little brother. To distract himself, Jingwen dreams of making the cakes from the bakery his father had planned to open before he passed away. The only problem is his mother has laid down one rule: the brothers are not to use the oven while she's at work. As Jingwen and Yanghao bake elaborate cakes, they'll have to cook up excuses to keep it a secret from Mama. Save Me a Seat by Sarah Weeks and Gita Varadarajan Ravi's family just moved to America from India, and he's finding it pretty hard to figure out where he fits in. Joe and Ravi don't think they have anything in common, but soon enough they have a common enemy (the biggest bully in their class) and a common mission: to take control of their lives over the course of a single crazy week. Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor When he finds a lost beagle in the hills behind his West Virginia home, Marty tries to hide it from his family and the dog's real owner, a mean-spirited man known to shoot deer out of season and to mistreat his dogs. SPORTS Any sports books by Matt Christopher Comeback Kid series by Mike Lupica (or any in series) Series featuring young athletes dealing with challenging situations, both in and out of the sports they play. GRAPHIC NOVELS The Aquanaut by Dan Santat Ever since her father was lost at sea, Sophia has been moping around Aqualand, the marine theme park her dad and uncle created. But Sophia's world is turned upside down when an aquanaut breaks into the park's research lab. Bug Boys by Laura Knetzger Rhino-B is a brash, but sweet guy. Stag-B is a calm and scholarly adventurer. Together these two young beetles make up the Bug Boys, best friends who spend their time exploring the world of Bug Village and beyond, as well as their own -- sometimes confusing and complicated -- thoughts and feelings. Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte and Ann Xu Twelve-year-old Cici has just moved from Taiwan to Seattle, and the only thing she wants more than to fit in at her new school is to celebrate her grandmother, A-má’s, seventieth birthday together. Since she can’t go to A-má, Cici cooks up a plan to bring A-má to her by winning the grand prize in a kids’ cooking contest to pay for A-má’s plane ticket! Power Up by Sam Nisson and Darnell Johnson Miles and Rhys know each other only as Gryphon and Backslash, and in the video game Mecha Melee they’re an unstoppable team. But real-life wrongdoing blasts their duo into a crater the size of Arcticon. With life online and off a complete mess and BattleCon just weeks away, can the boys play their way back to each other? The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir and Amber Padilla Mary Lennox is a loner living in Silicon Valley. When her parents pass away in a tragic accident, she moves to New York City to live with her uncle who she barely knows. Looking for comfort in this strange, new reality, Mary discovers an abandoned rooftop garden and an even bigger secret. |