My goal this year is to help my students develop a love of reading and instill in them the habit of reading outside of class everyday, on their own. I will encourage students to really think about their reading, compare books, make connections, question, reflect on what they’ve read, and reflect on themselves as readers.
This goal will not be accomplished without having students read much and often out of novels that they select and which are appropriate for their level. Students will have independent reading time in class, but will also be required to read each night at home for at least 20 to 30 minutes. Since students will also use their novel in class to identify literary techniques we are learning about and to practice reading strategies, it is imperative that students bring their novel to class each day. We will begin each reading class with ten minutes of silent reading.
Students will be required to read 380 pages for the first 9 week grading period. The 380 page requirement will be fulfilled with student selected novels from the library, class library, or home each 9 week grading period and will count as a major grade.
Book selections must meet the following criteria:
Books must be novels (chapter books) which are fiction or non-fiction (biographies, memoirs, diaries, autobiographies) (poetry anthologies may be included also) We will include expository text in later in the year.
Books must be no less than 140-150 pages unless approved by me.
(Books less than 140 pages must be approved by me first as the goal is to get students reading novels which have more depth and are more aligned to their age/reading level.)
Examples of how to meet the 380 page requirement:
A student could meet the requirement by reading one 380+ page novel for the 9 week period or by reading one 150 page novel and one 230 page novel etc…
To meet the 380 page requirement by the end of the 1st 9 weeks, students should be reading a minimum of 50 pages a week. That averages to around 7 pages a day if the student is reading every day of the week. The 380 page requirement will increase with each new 9 week period. Please encourage your child to read each day of the week. When/if the reading requirement is raised, it will be necessary for students to read each day to meet the new goal.
In addition to reading their novels, students will also be required to keep a reader’s notebook and turn in reading responses once a week on what they have read. The responses will be completed in class and will count as a daily grade.