7th Grade Home Page - 2023/24

Hello Reading Families! 

• Did you know there is an expectation at Imagine School Land O Lakes for each student to complete an average-sized, on-their-level chapter book a week? 

• Did you remember that the nightly reading homework is to read for 30 minutes? 

• Did you know that the best way to improve a child's reading is to have them consistently read interesting books at and just above their reading level in what is considered the stretch zone?

• Did you know there is an expectation that when a child finishes a book, they take an AR comprehension test in class so the teacher can monitor their progress?

• Did you know you can see your child's ZPD (zone of proximal development) on the STAR reading report stored in their black take-home folder? This tells you which levels of books are both comfortable and "stretchable" for your student.

I would like to introduced the Advanced Reading Challenge, or ARC. This is a unique optional reading program offered by Imagine Schools. Children accept the challenge of reading 25 high-quality books from a curated list and either complete an AR test or a project about them. Prizes are available along the way, including a $60 Barnes & Noble gift card! Nice!

The ARC is meant for strong readers who are at least reading on grade level. We have a second challenge for our students reading on a lower level. All students who do not choose the ARC will participate in "The 30 Book Challenge." This program also incentivizes students to stick with our school goal of finishing one chapter book a week.

Whichever challenge your child chooses, it is a win-win! They are required to read anyway - nightly homework is 30 minutes of reading. Why not earn prizes along the way? Completed ARC projects will substitute for weekly reading responses - there's no reason to double up on homework! Also, students will occasionally be able to use reading time to work on projects in class. We'll be dedicating a few minutes each Friday to present ARC projects, so ALL children will at least be hearing about these books, whether they sign up or not.

Of course, kids whose parents help keep them on track have the most success. This is why permission slips are required for the ARC. They went home today, and I have extras if needed. You can find the curated list of ARC books (there are hundreds) in my Google Classroom. Five of the twenty-five can be free choice books approved by me. I have many ARC books available in my classroom, but the public library and bookstores are great resources too. 

For that last few years ISLOL has had awesome participation and a high number of finishers. We want to break all the records this year!

p.s. There is a pizza and movie party at the end of the year for finishers from BOTH challenges. It's a get-out-of-class pass! No one will want to stay behind and do work on this day . . . so get reading now! :)