Rubric Quantity (25 Book) Reading Standard
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. Some students may be reading books in the 100 page range. Talk to Ms. D if you are not sure if a book will count. A typical seventh 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.
In 7th grade, all students will use the Reading Journal Format to verify books. All reading journal work is kept in a composition notebook.
Reading Journal Format
Fold the page in half.
Keep a record of your reading as shown below.
Journal #
Title and Author
Pages read, minutes read
Total time
Use the right side of the page to record anything that jogs your mind while you are reading. This could be a reaction, question, comment, confusing passages, interesting wording, or an unknown word. Be sure to note the page number where appropriate (new words, questions, interesting words, descriptions, or confusion). Write 2-3 sentences for every 30 min or so of reading.
When you finish a book, write a comment about the ending and write "end" under the last pages read.
Sample
The Cabin Faced West
by Jean Fritz
Journal 1-1
1-47 40 min.
48-86 40 min.
87-111 40 min.
111-124 30 min.
End
Total 150 min.
Ann really doesn't like the Western Country. I wonder why.
I get it. She is the only girl for miles. What does Ann find so special about the road?
The road seems to symbolize the way “back home.” Arthur seems really sweet. Ann likes him a lot.
Andy seems like a nice kid, but he's kind of weird. It's good that Ann is teaching him to read. How exciting! She got to meet George Washington. She's much happier about where she is. I'm glad she found her “spot”in the end.
You Can Never Go Home Again Journal 1-2
by Dyan Sheldon
1-40 30 min. Angel seems like a spoiled brat. She only cares about herself.
41-60 25 min. I wonder if Angel and her mother will ever believe Sean.
61-90 30 min. Why did Billy help Denise? Maybe he's starting to like the family.
91-115 30 min. P. 97 "...coarse, crude, arrogant, and dirty..." great description!
I can picture this.
116-140 35 min. Oh, I get it! Billy is BJ. I think he's beginning to like Angela.
Total 150 min.
You are expected to read 150 minutes each week. It is more effective to read daily. If that is not possible, you should make up missed days by reading more when possible.
Journal Scoring
Journals receive two scores. The first score is based on the level of thought in the responses.
E (Exceeds) - The overall or majority of entries reflect deep thinking and/or personal insights.
M (Meets Standard) - The overall or majority of entries reflect the expected level of thinking. This includes connections, reactions to character, plot and/or style, making predictions and later evaluating their accuracy, an awareness of comprehension difficulties, etc.
P (Partially Meets Standard) - Journal entries are mostly summaries with some thinking shown OR too few entries to show adequate thinking.
D (Does Not Meet Standard) - Journal entries are summaries OR there are very few entries.
A second journal score will be based on the average number of minutes a student spends reading each week.
E - A student reads an average of 200 or more minutes per week.
M - A student reads an average of 140-199 min./week.
P - A student reads an average of 80-139 min./week.
D - A student reads an average of less that 80 min./week OR a student passes in fewer than four journals for the quarter.
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 journal. 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 journal 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.