For eighth grade reading, your child is challenged to read 40 books for the entire school year (school initiated). This project is outlined in the well-regarded book, The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller. The 40 books will be divided into ten books or more per nine weeks. This will NOT include books read in elementary school. Listed below is the breakdown per genres of the 40 books:
Poetry 3
Traditional literature 2
Realistic fiction 5
Historical fiction 5
Fantasy 6
Mystery 4
Informational 5
Biography, autobiography
or memoir 2
Books of your choice 8
Total: 40
Our purpose with this challenge is to 1) build your child’s stamina as a reader; 2) increase vocabulary knowledge; and 3) perfect comprehension skills by reading a variety of texts. Research shows these skills need to be in place before your child encounters rigorous academic content. In other words, the struggles with academic content are enough of a challenge; your child needs to have comprehension skills and strategies well in place. Research supports that strong readers are academically more successful. Students should be reading 30 minutes a night.
While there is NOT a specific list of books to read as each child reads at a different reading level and also has his/her own individual interests, we will be providing your child with some suggestions as we cover different genres. Our job is to find that “home-run” book for your child. We want your child to have the power of choice in selecting reading texts. Any reading done for any other class will count towards the 40-Book Project. If your child reads an informational book for Science, it may be counted towards the 40 books. We are striving to make this project a rigorous challenge, but an enjoyable one at the same time.
Here’s how you can help your child reach this goal:
1. Time management—Help your child develop a calendar that makes reading a habitual activity. This may mean reducing TV and/or video game time. Encourage your child to “steal” moments to read—on the bus, for example. There will be some time given in class for independent reading, but the majority of their reading will be done outside of class. Starting in October, students will be given a calendar and having a parent to initial that they have read for 30 minutes or more.
2. Read some of the books together and discuss as a family. Your reading has a powerful influence on your child. Children who see their parents reading are more likely to be readers themselves.
3. Help your child to know when to abandon a book. If your child is really struggling with a book, perhaps it’s just not the right time for that book. It’s ok to abandon books—just make sure your child has given the book a fair chance.
The question of how many pages per book is difficult to answer, but for the sake of simplicity, we (the school) have decided that for a book to count, it must be 150 pages or more. For poetry and informational texts (these tend to be shorter texts), students may need to read multiple books to equal 150 pages. For example, they may read 2 books of 75 pages each. On the flip side, if a student reads a 450-page book, that would equal three books for that particular genre.
Poetry 3
Traditional literature 2
Realistic fiction 5
Historical fiction 5
Fantasy 6
Mystery 4
Informational 5
Biography, autobiography
or memoir 2
Books of your choice 8
Total: 40
Our purpose with this challenge is to 1) build your child’s stamina as a reader; 2) increase vocabulary knowledge; and 3) perfect comprehension skills by reading a variety of texts. Research shows these skills need to be in place before your child encounters rigorous academic content. In other words, the struggles with academic content are enough of a challenge; your child needs to have comprehension skills and strategies well in place. Research supports that strong readers are academically more successful. Students should be reading 30 minutes a night.
While there is NOT a specific list of books to read as each child reads at a different reading level and also has his/her own individual interests, we will be providing your child with some suggestions as we cover different genres. Our job is to find that “home-run” book for your child. We want your child to have the power of choice in selecting reading texts. Any reading done for any other class will count towards the 40-Book Project. If your child reads an informational book for Science, it may be counted towards the 40 books. We are striving to make this project a rigorous challenge, but an enjoyable one at the same time.
Here’s how you can help your child reach this goal:
1. Time management—Help your child develop a calendar that makes reading a habitual activity. This may mean reducing TV and/or video game time. Encourage your child to “steal” moments to read—on the bus, for example. There will be some time given in class for independent reading, but the majority of their reading will be done outside of class. Starting in October, students will be given a calendar and having a parent to initial that they have read for 30 minutes or more.
2. Read some of the books together and discuss as a family. Your reading has a powerful influence on your child. Children who see their parents reading are more likely to be readers themselves.
3. Help your child to know when to abandon a book. If your child is really struggling with a book, perhaps it’s just not the right time for that book. It’s ok to abandon books—just make sure your child has given the book a fair chance.
The question of how many pages per book is difficult to answer, but for the sake of simplicity, we (the school) have decided that for a book to count, it must be 150 pages or more. For poetry and informational texts (these tend to be shorter texts), students may need to read multiple books to equal 150 pages. For example, they may read 2 books of 75 pages each. On the flip side, if a student reads a 450-page book, that would equal three books for that particular genre.
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