Independent Reading Guidelines
Grade 8
Rationale: We believe in the importance of reading for students, and we also know that if students are choosing their own books it greatly increases the likelihood that their experiences with reading will be positive. We have designed our 8th Grade Independent Reading Program (IRP) to be based on student choice, not confined strictly by reading levels or genre. Our hope is that students will find books they enjoy reading and share their favorites with their classmates to build a community of readers!
Program Requirements:
Students may choose their own books to read. Teachers will help guide students to appropriately leveled books, but it is the parent/guardians’ responsibility to ensure what the student is reading aligns with their family’s values.
Books are available through our classroom libraries in their reading/English classrooms, the Arcola library, public libraries, and privately-purchased books.
Students will be given individualized reading goals based on points. This individualized goal will be on each student’s online booklog (in Google Drive.)
Students may find the number of points a book is worth using arbookfind.com OR the teacher will determine a book’s point if it is not on the website.
Students are expected to use provided time in the beginning of class to read their chosen book. Independent reading may also need to be done outside of class as necessary to complete their reading goals.
Assessment:
Every Wednesday that school is in session, students will complete a random writing prompt about the book that they are reading. These prompts will be the “proof” that a student is doing their reading.
Student responses will be limited in length and completed in 15 minutes or less. The goal is to ensure that students are reading, and the responses will be marked as acceptable or unacceptable based on if they show appropriate knowledge of the book.
If a student misses an IRP prompt due to a school absence, a make-up prompt will be provided upon their return to school.
If a student is unable to respond to a prompt because they did not do their weekly reading, a percentage will be deducted from their credit for that particular book.
Please note that students may read as many books as they want/need to achieve their individualized IRP goal for the marking period. If a student does not earn full credit for a book because they got behind in their reading and missed a prompt, they can read an additional book to make up for the lost points.