Reading
Counts! Guidelines
Mission: The purpose of implementing Reading Counts! is to measure and monitor independent reading practice by using Sustained Silent Reading (SSR).
Goal: Students will read more.
Process: Students will take
the Scholastic Reading Inventory (SRI) twice per year.
Students
will set personal reading goals each quarter.
Minimum
goals per grade level:
·
6-8 = 10 points
·
9-10 = 15 points
·
11-12 = 20 points
Students
will read self-selected books based on Lexile level and personal interests.
Students
will utilize SSR for a minimum of 10 minutes per block in English classes. Teachers will model SSR. Conferencing will not take place during SSR
time.
All
teachers are encouraged to allow students to read independently when appropriate.
Students
will earn points toward their goals by taking short quizzes on the computer,
which verify completion of each book read.
Tests
may be taken in the English classroom or library before or after school or at
English teacher’s discretion.
Students
will keep a reading log. Teacher’s
signature authorizes students to take tests.
Students
must meet point goal at least one week prior to end of each quarter.
Points
will not carry over from one quarter to the next.
Reading
Counts! will count for 10% of each quarterly English grade.
Points
will not be part of the progress report grade, but a letter will be sent to
inform parents of their students’ point progress.
Students cannot earn points on books taught or read aloud in classes.
Incentives: The purpose of incentives
is to recognize students who exceed personal goals, show marked improvement, or
read from a variety of genres.
Teachers
may create literary-based incentives in their own classes.
Incentives
will be awarded quarterly and yearly.
Appropriate
quarterly incentives may include:
·
book marks
·
sticky notes
·
writing utensils
·
magnets
·
highlighters
Appropriate
yearly incentives may include:
·
books
Roles &
Responsibilities:
Library Teacher (program manager)
·
administer SRI
·
update records
·
order quizzes and
books
·
print parent
letters for progress reports
·
distribute
incentives
·
print reports as
needed
·
monitor quizzes
·
intervene when
necessary
·
set goals with
students
·
monitor quizzes
·
implement and
model SSR
·
monitor progress
·
conference with
students
·
intervene when
necessary
·
provide library
time
·
include RC! as 10%
of quarterly grade
·
monitor reading
log
·
monitor program
usage
·
engage students
and staff in book discussions
·
keep abreast of
current theory and best practices related to reading instruction
·
model reading for
enjoyment
·
support
professional development and activities related to reading
·
support SSR
Classroom Ideas: The following are examples of questions to use
for book talks, journals, or conferencing.
Select 1-2 questions for each conference.
:
·
When you first saw
the book, what kind of book did you think it was going to be?
·
Have you read
other books like it?
·
While you were
reading, were there words or phrases or other things to do with the language
that you liked? Disliked?
·
Which character
interested you the most?
·
Think of yourself
as someone watching the action in this story. With whose eyes did you see the
story? Did you only see what one character in the story saw, or did you see
things sometimes as one character saw them, and sometimes as another, and so
on?
McCall, Lori, Elizabeth
Bottomley, and Barbara Rothschild.
“Critical
Inquiry Questioning.”
2000. http://www.aenc.org/RESOURCES/EducNews-FS.html
·
List several
conflicts from your book and discuss them.
What could be a solution for each problem?
·
List the
characters in your novel and briefly describe them and their values. Pick one
with whom you can relate and tell why. Which ones would you like to meet? Why?
Would any of them be your friend? Enemy?
·
Write your
reaction to the novel. What do you like about it? Dislike? Does it relate to
any other book that you have read or film you've viewed? Why and how?
·
Pick a quote from
your story that has significant meaning for you. Explain it. What is the
author's purpose in this section?
·
How does your book
relate to life today?
·
Do you believe
what is happening in your book? Can you "suspend your belief?" Why or
why not? Are there any unexpected twists of plot, character, or diction?
·
Overall evaluation
of the novel. What impact has this book made on you? Is there any section that
you would change in this book? Will this book ever be considered a
"classic?" Finally, write an alternate ending to the book.
Satterwhite,
Dawn. “Journal Topics for Novel Study.” 2000.
http://www.aenc.org/RESOURCES/EducNews-FS.html
·
Characters'
Actions and Interrelationships:
which would you like to meet, have lunch with? Have a drink with? Which
characters remind you of yourself or someone you know? Which would you bring
home to meet your family or take to church? Which would you be afraid to meet
in a dark alley?
·
Literary Terms
and Theory: (locate examples in
your book) symbolism and foreshadowing are often most interesting to hunt up
·
Verisimilitude
and Credibility: Do you believe
what happens in this book? Can you suspend disbelief at least? If the book is
fantasy or science fiction, are the departures from the "real world"
handled well, craftily?
·
The works
similarity to other books or films:
Are they classics like To Kill a
Mockingbird? Are the works characterized by formula plots and static
characters?
·
Oddities: unexpected twists of plot, characters, or
diction that surprised you
·
Author's
Purpose: (find examples from
your book, can you confirm your idea?)
·
Quality of the
book: Will it ever be called a
classic? Does it resonate? Is it universal in its appeal, its themes? Are there
any moral issues raised?
·
So What? What difference does this book make (to your
life, that of your students or children, the future)? How would you sum up the
whole book?
Jacobsohn, Rachel W. “Topics
to Discuss in Your Reading Groups.” The
Reading Group Handbook. 1994.
http://www.aenc.org/RESOURCES/EducNews-FS.html
·
Regarding each of the passages you marked in the
book...
·
WHY did you select
that passage?
·
Read the passage aloud if you like.
·
Read it aloud as you first read it, if you
can reconstruct that reading. Did you go back over troublesome or intriguing
text? Did you stumble on a word? Did you speed through the passage to learn
what would happen next? Once you finished the passage, did you reread it or
relate it to another passage in this book or in another one?
·
Regarding your reading of the book as a whole...
·
Were you able to
predict the book's outcome? If yes, how? If no, where did you go wrong?
·
Did your opinion
of the book change after your reading group discussed it?
·
What did you do
when you encountered a word you didn't know?
·
How would you
describe the pace at which you read this book?
·
What is your usual reading pace?
·
What kind of books
do you usually read?
·
How is this process similar to or different
from the way you usually read a book?
Protocols.”
2000.
http://www.aenc.org/RESOURCES/EducNews-FS.html