Piedmont IB Middle School

Summer Reading Project

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who
never reads lives only one.”
― ​George R.R. Martin​, A ​ Dance with Dragons

Dear Students and Parents/Guardians:

The English Language Arts Department wishes you all a wonderful summer! While you
are enjoying the summer, be sure to complete your summer reading project.

This year, all Piedmont students will read the novel ​The Only Road by Alexandria Diaz
and complete a project called a 1-pager. The due date for the project is ​Friday, Oct. 2​.

DESCRIPTION FROM THE BOOK JACKET​:

Jaime is sitting on his bed drawing when he hears a scream.

Instantly he knows: Miguel, his cousin and best friend, is dead.

Everyone in Jaime’s small town in Guatemala knows someone

who has been killed by the Alphas, a powerful gang that’s known
for violence and drug trafficking. Anyone who refuses to work for
them is hurt or killed—like Miguel. With Miguel gone, Jaime
fears that he is next. There’s only one choice: Accompanied by his
cousin Ángela, Jaime must flee his home to live with his older
brother in the United States.

Inspired by true incidents, ​The Only Road​ tells an individual story of a boy who feels
that leaving his home and risking everything is his only chance for a better life. It is a
story of fear and bravery, love and loss, strangers becoming family, and one boy’s
treacherous and life-changing journey.

The book is available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, Park Road Books
and at most public libraries.
 DUE DATE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2

Step 1: ​Read ​The Only Road​ by Alexandria Diaz

Step 2:​ ​A ​one-pager i​ s a way of responding to a reading selection. It represents your own
written and graphic interpretation of what you have read. It may be very literal (just based on
the facts or information in the pieces) or it may be a symbolic representation. It helps you
visualize what you are reading.

Directions:
❏ Use a blank sheet of copy paper or colored paper of the same size (8 ½ x 11)
❏ Utilize the ENTIRE page with your own thoughts, designs, and creativity
❏ The 1-pager must be typed or written in ink---no pencil!
❏ Include the title and author
❏ Use colored pens or markers unless the piece demands black and white

Required Elements:
❏ Must have at least 2 quotes from the novel. ​(Choose quotes that are significant to you or
the themes of the texts.)
❏ Must have at least two ​graphic representations that depict your main takeaways
from the story. These could be drawings, magazine pictures, and/or computer graphics.
YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO USE THE BOOK COVER AS A REPRESENTATION.
❏ Must include a personal response to what you read. ​Your personal response must
have a MINIMUM of 6 sentences. Be sure to write in complete sentences, use proper
punctuation, spelling and grammar.

SCORING RUBRIC:
Component Points Possible

Meaningful quote #1 3

Meaningful quote #2 3

Graphic Representation #1 (NOT THE BOOK COVER) 3

Graphic Representation #2 (NOT THE BOOK COVER) 3

Personal Response ​(shows your feeling and opinions about the story, 10
written in at least 6 complete sentences, uses proper punctuation,
spelling and grammar)

Creativity, effort, and neatness 8

Total: 30
EXAMPLE OF A 1-PAGER