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Summer Reading, Math, and Other Preparation



How do I find out what summer reading books I should be reading?

In late May, you will find the MS Summer Reading Lists here. Each grade level requires students to read books and complete assignments over the summer. Students should also keep a reading log of all their reading.

Are there other things that my student can do to prepare herself for her humanities classes at Bryn Mawr?
Don’t worry. We will meet her where she is. Students come from other schools with a range of mastery, and our teachers are prepared for that.

The best thing she can do is read and try to think critically as she reads: What message is the author trying to convey? What techniques is he/she using to convey it? What is motivating the characters' decisions/beliefs/actions?

If your student is interested in reading any of the books that the students in her current grade read at Bryn Mawr this school year, please see the books listed below:

5th graders (rising 6th graders) should be able to read Y and Z Lexile level books (Scholastic.org). They read the following books this year:
  • I Can Make This Promise by Christine Day
  • Song For a Whale by Lynne Kelly
  • The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz
  • The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani
  • Stella By Starlight by Sharon M. Draper
  • The Giver by Lois Lowry

6th graders (rising 7th graders) read the following books this year:
  • Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
  • More to the Story by Hena Khan
  • World Without Fish by Mark Kurlansky 
  • Come On In: 15 Stories about Immigration and Finding Home edited by Adi Alsaid and Maria Andreu
  • A dystopian book of students' choice (Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Maze Runner by James Dashner, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, or Snowglobe by Soyoung Park) 

7th graders (rising 8th graders) read the following books this year:
  • A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
  • Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
  • Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes
  • One (or all) of the student choice books: Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak,They Called us Enemy by George Takei

8th graders (rising 9th graders) read the following books this year:
  • The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
  • Lord of the Flies by William Golding
  • The Odyssey translated by Emily Wilson
  • Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare
  • Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

How should students prepare for their math classes at Bryn Mawr?
To support student success and prevent summer learning loss, all middle school students are required to complete summer math work.  These assignments will reinforce key concepts and ensure readiness for the upcoming school year.  A strong number sense is key as students move into math courses that become more abstract and incorporate more algebraic application.  The following details provide the required work for each math course.  We recommend that all students spend about 20-30 mins per day, three to four times per week, on math practice with the required work listed below.
Required Summer Work: 
Entering 6th Grade Math Connects
  • Spectrum Math Grade 5 (ISBN-13: 978-1-4838-0873-4)
  • Workbooks will be purchased and mailed to new families and provided to current BMS students in June.
Entering 6th or 7th Pre-Algebra
  • Kuta Review Packet 
  • Packets will be mailed to new families and provided to current BMS students in June.
Entering 7th or 8th Algebra 1
  • Kuta Review Packet 
  • Packets will be mailed to new families and provided to current BMS students in June.
Entering 8th Geometry 
  • Kuta Review Packet
  • Packets will be mailed to new families and provided to current BMS students in June.
Additional websites are also available for extra OPTIONAL practice to support the required summer work: 
Interested in challenge problems? Mathcounts offers access to challenging problems complete with solutions (free: https://www.mathcounts.org/resources/past-competitions).


What about any summer classes?

Bryn Mawr offers math and English enrichment classes for students. Click here for all of our offerings.


 
Updated 7/2024
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The Bryn Mawr School

109 West Melrose Avenue