Part One:
Book Information:
Lowry, L. (1977). A Summer To Die. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.
Genre: Pre-1990 YA novel, Children’s Juvenile novel, Realistic Fiction, Death.
Grade Level: Grades 6-8, young adult.
Part Two: Response to the book: Predictions, thoughts about craft.
I first picked this book because it was sort of “girly.” The summary suggests this book is about two young sisters who move to a small house in the country, while later something dramatic happens to one of the sisters. I never expected this book to have such an emotional connection that I experienced. It was a realistic fiction that portrayed many difficulties we face in our own lives. This book had emotional connections to sisterly and brotherly fights/love, moving to a new house or city, true friendship, births, and deaths of those close to us. It also hit home to those who are close with their families.
I will admit, I started to possibly shed a tear in this book near the end. Something dramatic DID happen to one of the sisters, yet it was still a happy eventful ending. I think it sort of hit home because it made me think about the relationship that I have with my sister. Similar to the book, we are quite the opposite. We fight, argue, disagree, and share silly, happy memories. But under NO circumstance, you would never want/expect anything bad to happen. You sometimes look back and regret things you say. In the end, none of that really matters because they will always be apart of you. I honestly couldn’t put the book down.
Part Three: Critique
A Summer To Die For, by Lois Lowry was a great book with tons of emotional connections. I believe the book was geared towards young females or adults because the story is mainly about two sisters (Meg and Molly) and their family who move to a small country house so their dad can finish writing his book. When the sisters are confronted they leave are leaving during the school year they apprehensive about the move. The “smart” sister (Meg) with “not so good” looks also takes photography and amazing photos. The older, “beautiful” sister (Molly) with “not so many” smarts quickly gains a boyfriend and new friends shortly after moving. Meg eventually greets her 70 year old neighbor (Will) who later becomes one of her closest friends. He constantly works on his truck and happens to be a great carpenter who gives a Germany photo camera to Meg. Eventually Meg’s dad builds her a dark room and she teaches Will on developing photos. Molly ends up in the hospital because of a bloody nose, and Meg meets her new neighbors (Maria & Ben) with Will. Maria is pregnant and Meg was asked to take pictures of the birth. Meg later found out that her sister is dying of acute myelogenous leukemia. Meg’s dad eventually finishes the book and the family later moves back home in the summer after Molly passed away. Lastly, Meg visits a photography exhibit with her dad to see her image displayed (taken from Will) on the wall. As she immediately goes back to the small country house to visit Will, she begins to realize that always being hopeful tends to let you down. Therefore, if we not only think of the positive but the negative, we will be more prepared for what is to come.
This was a cleverly written book. Besides the emotional connection, it had a motivating moral for those who have lost someone, or those who are sometimes let down. There was not many images, only one small black and white photo on the beginning of each chapter page. It worked for me though, because it sort of captured the story of each chapter. The pictures were very “homey” and included items like fireplaces, a window with flowers, teapots and dishes, and a bedroom. It didn’t really tell the story, but they fit in their place. The reading was really easy and went smooth. There was not a lot of hard word choices, which makes it a great read for students in grades 6-8 to engage with. It is easy to tell where the setting take places and where the characters are at all times. The amount of detail used in the sentences helps create a bigger picture and promotes creativity. I thought it was a great read!
Part Four: Lesson Plan / Activity (Grade 6)
Subjects: Reading, Writing & Science
Using the Common Core State Standards:
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
Distinguish among facts, reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
Objective:
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The student will be able to read grade level appropriate text.
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The student will learn about a specific disease through someone they know, or learn about the disease listed in this book.
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The student will become familiar with the use of the internet for researching. They will additionally become famliar with primary and secondary resources specific to their book.
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The student will write a reflection about the disease of their choice and how it has affected their family/friends or others.
Lesson outline:
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For this lesson, students will read the book on their own.
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Students will then choose a disease that has affected their family/friends or themselves to study. If they don’t know of any, they can also choose the disease listed in this book, or a disease of their choice.
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Students will research more information about their specific disease. Using the internet resources, 2 primary sources and 2 secondary sources, they will include these sources and facts in their reflection. (Teachers can provide these resources to students by checking out books from the library, or they can make a field trip to the library and practice checking out their own books.)
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Students will write a reflection about their disease. They will provide a brief history, facts about the disease, and how it is affected their family, friends or themselves.
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Because these reflections are somewhat personal, students can choose to share their reflections if they want.
Discussion questions:
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Why do you think Molly’s attitude changed when she started getting sick?
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How do you think Meg and her family felt knowing Molly was too sick to live?
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Have you ever personally felt that you have caused a bad thing to happen because of things you may have said? (Meg regretted a few mean things she said and sometimes felt she caused the sickness to occur.) How do you feel about that?
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Do you think a disease is something that is spread? Or do you think we
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Does anyone know of a disease that has affected your family, friends or loved ones?
Links to outside resources:
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Molly talks briefly about her first book A Summer To Die. Really interesting to see that part of this book is truth about her own family and sisters whom died of a disease. http://youtu.be/5iQvBhdYIFc
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Here is a link to a cool video that students created acting out scenes from the book. Great idea! http://youtu.be/cr8QTkK9yxU
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A quick note about the author, and her first book A Summer To Die For. Author Study: Lois Lowry
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A video showing a great interactive science lesson activity to get students familiar with spreading diseases. https://www.teachingchannel.org/videos/sixth-grade-science-lesson
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Here is a similar lesson plan to get 6th grade students familiar with disease.
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Here is an additional writing activities for students. http://www.lesn.appstate.edu/fryeem/beth%20ama.%20Paula/FINAL/dd1.htm
Additionally, I like the idea for students to create an artistic image of Will. Meg takes over 30 pictures of will, none of which are shown and only described. Have students gather all the evidence they will need to create their own image and reflection of Will’s picture. This would also be integrating Art into the lesson!
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