Hopkinton  Middle  School  Summer  Reading  Program   During  their  years  at  Hopkinton  Middle  School,  students  are  required  to  read  an  assigned   novel  each  summer  for  their  English  Language  Arts  course.  When  students  return  to  school,   they  are  expected  to  have  read  the  novel  and  answered  the  reading  guide  questions.   Teachers  will  collect  the  reading  guide  questions  during  the  first  two  classes  of  the  school   year.  Additionally,  students  will  be  assessed  on  the  reading  with  a  common  summative   assessment  that  will  receive  a  Pass/Fail  grade.  Grade  6  students  entering  Grade  7  next   school  year  need  to  read  the  historical  fiction  novel  So  Far  From  the  Bamboo  Grove  by  Yoko   Kawashima  Watkins.  Students  can  purchase  this  novel  from  a  local  bookstore  or  borrow   from  the  public  library.       Answers  to  reading  guide  questions  can  be  handwritten  or  typed  in  complete  sentences.   Below  are  the  questions  students  need  to  answer  as  they  read.       So  Far  From  the  Bamboo  Grove:  Reading  Guide  Questions  

Chapters  1-­3:   1.  Why  does  Yoko’s  family  live  in  Korea?  How  does  being   Japanese  affect  them  as  the  war  develops?   2.  How  do  the  Kawashimas  act  toward  the  patients  on  the   train?  What  does  their  behavior  reveal  about  their  values   and  character?   3.  What  saves  the  Kawashimas  from  the  Korean  soldiers?   4.  Yoko  refers  to  her  sister  Ko  as  ”Honorable  Sister.”   Sometimes  they  exchange  words  that  are  not  very   honorable.  What  sort  of  relationship  do  they  have?  Why   does  Ko  seem  “bossy”  to  Yoko?   5.  Yoko,  Ko  and  their  mother  face  exhaustion,  hunger,  danger   and  fear  on  the  way  to  Soeul.  How  does  this  life-­‐or-­‐death   situation  affect  their  ability  to  deal  hardships?     Chapter  4-­7   6.  Where  does  Hideyo  go  after  he  escapes  from  the  factory?   7.  Describe  the  living  conditions  of  the  Kawashimas  in  the   train  station  in  Seoul  and  then  the  factory  in  Pusan.   8.  Why  does  Mrs.  Kawashima  stop  in  Kyoto?   9.  What  values  does  Mrs.  Kawashima  have?  Do  the  girls  share   these  values?   10.  At  this  point,  how  would  you  describe  Ko?  Yoko?     Chapter  8-­11   11.  How  does  Yoko  treat  Mr.  Naido?  How  do  the  other   girls  treat  him?  What  does  this  reveal  about  her  character?   12.  After  Mrs.  Kawashima  returns  from  her  trip,  what   news  does  she  share  with  Yoko?  What  happens  next?  How   does  the  event  affect  the  lives  of  the  girls?   13.  How  does  Corporal  Matsumura  find  Yoko?  How  is  his   friendship  so  important  and  so  helpful  to  the  girls?  

14.Why  do  you  think  Yoko  writes  about  her  school   experience  rather  that  her  ordeal  in  Korea?   15.  What  skills  and  qualities  does  Ko  have?   16.Which  character  in  the  story  did  you  admire  the   most?  Why?  Provide  textual  evidence  for  your  answer.     Geography  Connections:  Use  an  Atlas  or  map  of  East  Asia  to   answer  the  following  questions:   Where  is  Pusan  located  relative  to  Seoul?   Where  is  Japan  located  relative  to  Korea?   What  countries  border  Korea?  What  effect  might  this   have?   Why  did  the  Kawashimas  leave  by  ship  from  Pusan  and  not   Seoul?   Provide  an  example  of  how  the  terrain  (land)  and  climate  of   Korea  affected  any  part  of  the  story.                   Other  Suggested  Reading   Also,  please  note  that  if  your  child  is  interested  in  additional  reading  this  summer,  Ms.   Norby,  the  school’s  library  media  specialist,  has  posted  a  list  of  engaging  middle-­‐level  novels   along  with  story  descriptions.  You  can  access  this  list  at:   https://sites.google.com/a/hopkinton.k12.ma.us/hopkintonmiddleschoollibrary/