This year, students will be participating in the 40 Book Challenge. The challenge was started by a teacher named Donalyn Miller who wrote about it in her books The Book Whisperer and Reading in the Wild.
Students will be challenged to read 40 books this school year. I know that sounds like a lot (almost one per week)! And it is! But it's a challenge. It's supposed to be hard! In order to "beat" the challenge, students will read books of their choosing in a variety of genres. Students will keep track of books read, books to read, genres completed, reading goals, etc. in their reader's notebooks.
At the end of the year, we will celebrate all reading and all readers. If a student reads 10 books, we will celebrate it. If a student reads 50 books, we will celebrate it.
My goal is for ALL students to have positive experiences with books. Will all kids leave this class loving reading? I sure hope so! But I understand that will not be the case for all kids. However, as long as all students leave saying "I read a book this year that was so good!" I will consider that a success.
It is not a requirement and it is not for a grade. Weekly, they will have a small reading response to complete that will be graded, but the overall challenge is not graded. Reading 40 books will not necessarily earn them an A and reading only 10 books will certainly not fail them. It is not meant to be stressful or dreaded. It is meant to get kids to read more than they ever thought they could and to enjoy reading.
Reading conferences! I will be conferring daily with kids about their independent reading. I will talking with them about the books they are reading to determine if they are actually reading, and if they are comprehending what they are reading. If they are reading books that are way too hard, I will be able to tell that and gently encourage them to find a more "just right" book by recommending books that are similar to the one they want to read, but at a lower level. I read a TON of middle grade novels and love to recommend my favorites to students.
I will also be reading their reading responses in their notebooks. Those written responses are a great way for me to see how much they are understanding and if there are any issues.
Talk to your kids about the books you are reading! Ask them what book their reading right now. Ask them to tell you a little bit about what's happening. Ask them who the main character is and what the main character wants and how he/she is changing as the story is progressing. Ask them if they have any predictions about what's going to happen next. Read over their reading responses and spark conversations that way.
Read with your kid! Even "big" kids like being read to. Sharing a novel with your child is so special. Let them pick the book and you guys take turns reading it and talking about what you are reading. You will get a great understanding of their reading abilities and build your relationship at the same time.
Be a reader yourself! Let your kids see that you read (novels, the newspaper, online articles, manuals, etc.) and that reading is a thing adults do that is important! When they see you model the behavior, they will pick up on it.