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Dear Sixth Grade Families,
This year, incoming sixth graders have one book for required reading before September: Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie. Students are encouraged to purchase their own copy of this book, take notes, highlight, and mark passages as they read. In the first few weeks of school, we will be using this novel to jumpstart our literature circles and writing in language arts class. Students should be ready to explore the plot and analyze the story when they return in September, so please have them bring the book to school with them the first week back.
Our hope is that parents will read the novel along with their child. Although written for his 11-year-old son, Rushdie's writing is beautiful, complex, and can be more deeply appreciated by adults. Rushdie's fantasy world draws you in with its silly, inventive, and folky characters. However, more complicated topics can be examined including freedom of speech, democracy, and the conflicts of war.
As always, the more students read over the summer, the more prepared they will be for sixth grade. We encourage them to take a book with them wherever they go. In addition, a great way to keep up with writing skills is to journal about summer adventures.
I hope you all have a relaxing and safe summer and I look forward to getting to know all of you soon.
Sincerely,
Leila Huff
Sixth Grade Language Arts
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