Reading Standard
Verifying Books/Reading Grade
There is no set length for books. The appropriate length of a book is determined by the student's reading level and the content of the book. Some shorter books may have a complicated plot or have challenging content. Some longer books may have lots of details but a fairly easy-to-follow plot or easy-to-understand content. In general the “Dear America” and “My Name is America” diary books ARE NOT appropriate for eighth grade when reading historical fiction. They are written for a younger audience. However, some of these books help make the time period clearer to students. This is particularly true of World War II and the Civil War. Talk to Ms. D if you are not sure if a book will count. A typical eighth grade book is (on average) 200 pages in length. Some students will be reading books which are much longer than this. In order to allow for the extended time involved, books will be weighted using multiples of 200. This means a 400 page book will count as two books, a 600 page book will count as three, etc.
Students may count a newspaper or magazine they read on a regular basis if they respond to the articles read. This is also true of internet articles. Newspapers and magazines may be used in place of four books.
You can verify books in several ways. Keep in mind your reading grade is based on the thinking you show when you are writing about your reading. You may also keep track of the number of minutes read. You may use this as extra credit, so it may be used to improve your grade, but will not harm it. You are required to write about your reading and pass in your journal once per week.
Option 1: Follow the format for the reading journal. This means in addition to recording the title, author, you write a brief entry each time you read. You must write at least two sentences for every 30 pages or so. These sentences should show thinking about your reading. Your journal will verify your books. Be sure to clearly state that a book is done and write a comment about the end. Sample Reading Journal
Option 2: Write a letter to Ms. D. about what you are reading. Be sure to tell the title and author of what you are reading. Your letter should include your thoughts, feelings and reactions to your reading. You might have questions about genre, author's style, character actions, etc. Your letter should be addressed to Ms. D. and signed by you. Remember to use a proper closing. Your letter should be at least one page long in your composition book. If you choose this option you may be asked to do further work to verify your books. You might use a written verification or a book chat to do this. Sample Journal Letter
Reading for other teachers: You may be assigned reading by other teachers such as historical fiction for Social Studies. You should include this in your weekly writing about your reading. If you have been following the traditional journal format you can simply record title, author, minutes and the teacher who assigned the reading. You will verify the book by completing your work for the teacher who assigned it. When you have finished the book it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to get your reading record signed by the appropriate teacher. Be sure to show me the signature, so I can add the book to your reading record.
We will have some class readings and also work in literature groups. The books read in these situations will be verified by completing your assignments.
If you are making up work and need to verify a book, please use the verification format. A link is at the top of this page.
Journal Scoring: Journals will be scored based on the level of thought in the responses. You will also be scored on the average number of minutes you read each week. The average is computed at the end of the quarter. Journal Scoring Rubric