[tabs tab1="6th Grade" tab2="7th Grade" tab3="8th Grade" tab4="9th Grade"]
[tab1] [note]

6th Grade Classes:

Science:

Green notebook and green folder

Math:

Orange notebook and orange folder

ELA:

Blue notebook and blue folder

Social Studies:

Yellow notebook and yellow folder

Music:

Purple folder

6th Grade General Supplies:

Pencils
Colored pencils
Pens
Highlighters
Sticky notes
Glue Stick
Composition Notebook
Box of tissue
[/note][/tab1]
[tab2]
[note]

7th Grade Classes:

Social Studies-


Colored pencils

Glue sticks

4 one subject notebooks

Folder

Post Its

Math-


2 inch binder

1 subject notebook

5 tab dividers

Ruled line paper

Pencils

Colored pencils

Tissues

ELA-


2 inch binder
Composition notebook

Pencils

Post-Its

5 tab dividers

Assignment notebook[/tab2][/note]
[tab3]
[note]

8th grade – General Supply List:



Assignment Notebook

Hand-held pencil sharpener

Composition Notebook(s)

Binder (1-1/5 in)

Dividers

College Ruled White Lined
filler paper

Pencils

Pens[/tab3][/note]
[tab4] [note]

9th Grade Classes -

English


1-2″ binder
Filler paper
Pencils
Highlighters



Math


Notebook
Folder
Pencils
Eraser



Physics


Composition notebook (100 pages, not a spiral notebook)
Pencils
Pens[/note]
[/tab4]
[/tabs]

To ensure that you actually read the novel (and not a summary online), you are required to complete a Reading Journal. This journal can be typed or kept in a notebook and should include ten entries to receive full credit. You may choose any ten of the following questions to answer, but each entry must consist of at least two well-developed paragraphs made up of thoughtful and thorough sentences. Capturing your ideas on sticky notes as you read will help prepare you to write your entries.

[toggle title="Click to view grades 6-8 summer reading assignments..." style="fancy"]

Grades 6-8 Summer Reading Assignments:

To ensure that you actually read the novel (and not a summary online), you are required to complete a Reading Journal. This journal can be typed or kept in a notebook and should include ten entries to receive full credit. You may choose any ten of the following questions to answer, but each entry must consist of at least two well-developed paragraphs made up of thoughtful and thorough sentences. Capturing your ideas on sticky notes as you read will help prepare you to write your entries.
[icon_list style="check"]

1. What is the plot of this book? Summarize the plot using your own words.
2. Who are the main characters? What words would you use to describe them?
3. What is the setting of the story? Could the story be the same if it were set in another time and place?
4. Does this book remind you of any other books you’ve read? In what ways are the stories similar and/or different?
5. What bothers you about this book? What bothers you about certain characters?
6. How has reading this book changed your opinion of a certain person or topic?
7. Do the characters seem real and believable? Do you know anyone like them?
8. If this book were trying to teach you a lesson about life, what might that lesson be? Explain your answer.
9. What do you consider to be the three most memorable moments in the book? Explain what made these scenes so unforgettable.
10. What is your personal rating of this book (using 1-5 with five being the highest)? What are your reasons for this rating?

[/icon_list]

6th Grade:

Required Reading is either of the following 2 books:

[icon_link icon="cart" text="Holes by Louis Sachar" link="http://www.amazon.com/Holes-Louis-Sachar/dp/0374332665/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312423040&sr=1-1"]
[icon_link icon="cart" text="Taking Sides by Gary Soto" link=" http://www.amazon.com/Taking-Sides-Gary-Soto/dp/0152046941/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312423111&sr=1-1"]

Extra Credit readings:

Extra credit will be awarded to students who read and respond to additional books from the reading list. In order to receive extra credit, you must complete five journal entries for each additional book that you choose.

[icon_link icon="cart" text="The Big Empty- J. B. Stephens" link="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Empty-J-B-Stephens/dp/1595140069/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312423302&sr=1-1"]
[icon_link icon="cart" text="Chinese Cinderella- Adeline Yen Mah" link="http://www.amazon.com/Chinese-Cinderella-Story-Unwanted-Daughter/dp/0440228654/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312423333&sr=1-1"]

7th Grade:

Required Reading is either of the following 2 books:

[icon_link icon="cart" text="Tangerine by Edward Bloor" link="http://www.amazon.com/Tangerine-Tenth-Anniversary-Edward-Bloor/dp/015201246X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312422880&sr=1-1"]
[icon_link icon="cart" text="Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix" link="http://www.amazon.com/Among-Hidden-Shadow-Children-1/dp/0689824750/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312422965&sr=1-1"]

Extra Credit readings:

Extra credit will be awarded to students who read and respond to additional books from the reading list. In order to receive extra credit, you must complete five journal entries for each additional book that you choose.

[icon_link icon="cart" text="Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science Chinese Cinderella- John Fleischman" link="http://www.amazon.com/Phineas-Gage-Gruesome-Story-Science/dp/0618494782/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312422304&sr=1-1"]
[icon_link icon="cart" text="Bridge to Terabithia- Katherine Paterson" link="http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Terabithia-Katherine-Paterson/dp/0064401847"]

8th Grade:

Required Reading:

[icon_link icon="cart" text="The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick" link="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Book-Universe-Rodman-Philbrick/dp/0439087597/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312423465&sr=1-1"]

Extra Credit readings:

Extra credit will be awarded to students who read and respond to additional books from the reading list. In order to receive points, you must select a title from the appropriate grade level and complete the abovementioned journal assignment for each book that you choose.

[icon_link icon="cart" text="The Misfits- James Howe" link="http://www.amazon.com/Misfits-James-Howe/dp/0689839561/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312423565&sr=1-1"]
[icon_link icon="cart" text="I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This- Jacqueline Woodson" link="http://www.amazon.com/Hadnt-Meant-Tell-You-This/dp/0142417041/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312423598&sr=1-1"]
[/toggle]

[toggle title="Click to view grades 9-12 summer reading assignments..." style="fancy"]

Grades 9-12 Summer Reading Assignments:

[icon_list style="check"]

1. Identify the setting and mood of the opening scene and discuss how this mood is established.  Also, explain the initial conflict as it is introduced in the beginning of the story.
2. Construct a list of unfamiliar vocabulary words and take time to research and record the correct definitions.
3. Were you able to make an accurate prediction about something that happened later in the story? On what did you base your prediction?
4. If you could ask the author or characters any questions, what would you want to know?
5. How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?
6. Select and record five passages or quotations that you consider most important and tell why they are significant to the selection.
7. Do you agree or disagree with the decisions that certain characters make?
8. What important themes does this book discuss? How are they developed?
9. Does this book remind you of any experiences in your own life? In what ways can you relate to the characters or themes presented in the book?
10. Does this book remind you of any other books you’ve read? In what ways are the stories similar and/or different?
11. What bothers you about this book? What bothers you about certain characters?
12. How has reading this book changed your opinion of a certain person or topic?
13. What life lessons can you learn from reading this book?
14. What about the plot? Did it pull you in or did you feel you had to force yourself to read the book? Explain.
15. Do the characters seem real and believable? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?
16. What were the three most memorable moments of the book? Explain what made these scenes so unforgettable.
17. At what point in the book did you decide if you liked it or not? What helped make this decision?
18. Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he or she achieve this?
19. Would you recommend this book to other people? Explain why or why not.
20. If you were to direct a movie adaptation of the book, which actors would you cast as the main characters? Explain your choices.

[/icon_list]

9th Grade:

Required Reading:

[icon_link icon="download" text="Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom" link="http://www.amazon.com/Tuesdays-Morrie-Young-Greatest-Lesson/dp/076790592X"]

Reading Questions:

[icon_list style="check"]

1. How does Mitch change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?
2. Do you agree or disagree with the decision that Morrie made to discuss his personal illness on national TV? Why or why not?
3. Mitch and Morrie discussed many topics. Which topic did you find the most interesting? Why?
4. What is your favorite Morrie aphorism? What does that aphorism mean to you?
5. Does this book remind you of any other books you’ve read? In what ways are the stories similar and/or different?
6. What bothers you about this book? What bothers you about certain characters?
7. How has reading this book changed your opinion of a certain person or topic?
8. Do the characters seem real and believable? Do you know anyone like them?
9. At what point in the book did you decide if you liked it or not? What helped make this decision?
10. Would you recommend this book to others? Explain why or why not.
11. What do you consider to be the three most memorable moments in the book? Explain what made these moments so memorable.

[/icon_list]

Extra Credit readings:

Extra credit will be awarded to students who read and respond to additional books from the reading list. In order to receive points, you must select a title from the appropriate grade level and complete the abovementioned journal assignment for each book that you choose.

[icon_link icon="cart" text="April and the Dragon Lady- Namioka" link="http://www.amazon.com/April-Dragon-Lady-Lensey-Namioka/dp/0152008861"]
[icon_link icon="cart" text="A Separate Peace- Knowles" link="http://www.amazon.com/Separate-Peace-John-Knowles/dp/0743253973/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312455665&sr=1-1"]
[icon_link icon="cart" text="When I Was Puerto Rican- Santiago" link="http://www.amazon.com/When-I-Was-Puerto-Rican/dp/0306814528/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312455699&sr=1-1"]
[icon_link icon="cart" text="Kaffir Boy- Mathabane" link="http://www.amazon.com/Kaffir-Boy-Autobiography---Youths-Apartheid/dp/0684848287/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312455743&sr=1-1"]
[icon_link icon="cart" text="Harry Potter series- J.K. Rowling" link="http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Paperback-Box-Books/dp/0545162076/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312455779&sr=1-1"]
[icon_link icon="cart" text="A Tree Grows in Brooklyn- Smith" link="http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Grows-Brooklyn-P-S/dp/0061120073/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1312455810&sr=1-1"]

10th Grade:

Required Reading: The Help- Kathryn Stockett

This book has been provided for you as a .PDF file. It is password protected in order to ensure that it remains within the TBA community. The password is the last name of the very public man that visited our TBA community last year.

[icon_link icon="download" text="Click here to download a free pdf version of The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Remember to read the password information above to access the file." link="http://techbostonacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/The-Help.pdf"]

Extra Credit readings:

Extra credit will be awarded to students who read and respond to additional books from the reading list. In order to receive points, you must select a title from the appropriate grade level and complete the abovementioned journal assignment for each book that you choose.

A Lesson Before Dying- Gaines
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier- Beah
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents- Alvarez
Romiette and Julio- Draper
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian- Alexie
The Joy Luck Club- Tan
The Secret Life of Bees- Kidd
Things Fall Apart- Achebe

11th Grade:

Required Reading: Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance- Barack Obama

This book has been provided for you as a .PDF file. It is password protected in order to ensure that it remains within the TBA community. The password is the last name of the very public man that visited our TBA community last year.

[icon_link icon="download" text="Click here to download a free pdf version of Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance- Barack Obama. Remember to read the password information above to access the file." link="http://techbostonacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Dreams-From-My-Father.pdf"]

Extra Credit readings:

Extra credit will be awarded to students who read and respond to additional books from the reading list. In order to receive points, you must select a title from the appropriate grade level and complete the abovementioned journal assignment for each book that you choose.

A Civil Action- Harr
Black Boy-Wright
Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All American Meal- Schlosser
Having Our Say- Delaney Sisters
In Nueva York- Mohr
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl- Jacobs
Salem Falls- Picoult
The Color Purple- Walker

12th Grade:

Required Reading: All Souls- Michael Patrick MacDonald

This book has been provided for you as a .PDF file. It is password protected in order to ensure that it remains within the TBA community. The password is the last name of the very public man that visited our TBA community last year.

[icon_link icon="download" text="Click here to download a free pdf version of All Souls by Michael Patrick MacDonald. Remember to read the password information above to access the file." link="http://techbostonacademy.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/All-Souls.pdf"]

Extra Credit readings:

Extra credit will be awarded to students who read and respond to additional books from the reading list. In order to receive points, you must select a title from the appropriate grade level and complete the abovementioned journal assignment for each book that you choose.

Angela’s Ashes- McCourt
In the Time of Butterflies- Alvarez
Love in the Time of Cholera- Marquez
My Sister’s Keeper- Picoult
Song of Solomon- Morrison
The Autobiography of Malcolm X- Haley
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao- Diaz
The Life of Pi: A Novel- Martel
[/toggle]

All students that attended were members of the Boston Scholar Athletes Program (BSA)

President Barack Obama visited TechBoston Academy today, to deliver an important speech as part of his effort to increase the federal government’s commitment to use more technology in classrooms. Praising the achievements of TechBoston Academy’s students and faculty, he told the crowd that he “wanted to come to TechBoston so that the rest of America can see how it’s done.”

The President went on to say that TechBoston Academy was more than simply a lone success story, but also one that he believed can act as a template for education reform nationwide. “What’s happening here is working. We know what works. What’s required, then, to get results from any school is no longer a mystery. And that means there can’t be any more excuses — from anybody.”

During his visit to TechBoston Academy, President Obama, Melinda Gates of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and U.S Secretary of Education Arne Duncan toured classrooms, and spoke with both students and teachers. The President went on to praise TechBoston Academy for beating the city-wide test score average by 20% as well as for the fact that 94% of last year’s senior class went on to attend colleges and universities. The President also praised TechBoston Academy’s innovative use of technology throughout the curriculum, and told students that his administration was “working to make sure every school has a 21st-century curriculum like you do.”

The President was scheduled to attend a Democratic Party fundraiser at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts this evening, before returning to Washington D.C tomorrow.

TBA Lower Orientation:

All grade 6, new grade 7, 8, and 9 graders have a mandatory orientation on September 2nd from  10:00 am-12:00 noon
Location: TechBoston Academy Lower- 18 Croftland Avenue, Dorchester, MA 02124 map

TBA Upper Orientation:

All new grade 10, 11, and 12 students have a mandatory orientation on September 7th from  10:00 am-11:30 am
Location: TechBoston Academy Upper- 9 Peacevale Rd, Boston, 02124 map

Parents are Welcome to attend!

• Academic and Discipline policies will be reviewed
• Student IDs taken,
• Meet & Greet with the Staff
• Talk with current TBA students

If for any reason you can’t see the flash preview below, you can order the book by clicking here: http://www.blurb.com/books/1530113

Class of 2010 Yearbook by TechBoston Academy | Make Your Own Book