Re: SSR -- book selection

[Debbie Parker <debracparker@sbcglobal.net>]

Hi all!  Happy Easter:  Yes, I still have my 7th graders read independently chosen novels all the time.  My standing homework is to read their independent novel for 20 min. each night.  There are some kids who fight it and I am on them constantly.  However, for the majority of my 125 kids, it is still a successful program.  It takes a lot of time and effort to keep the kids mindful of this responsibility.  
   
  They get to choose a young-adult novel that they are interested in, but I have to approve it.  This does run into some parent problems occasionally because parents think their children should read anything.  I am careful that it has to be school-appropriate.  Most parents understand this once I point it out.  The book has to be on their level -- not too easy and not too hard.  At the beginning of the year, this is somewhat of a game to figure out.  
   
  Throughout the year, I ask the kids to read different genres and different authors. For the most part but with some exceptions I ask the kids to stay away from classics until the end of gr. 8.  The point of this program is to get the kids to read and enjoy.  By taking out the classics, many kids are right away less intimidated.  
   
  They have to read every night at home and many times for a few minutes in class.  This is the hard part -- getting kids to remember to bring their novels to class.  whenever there is downtime, my kids are expected to read their indep. novels.
   
  We also do whole class and lit circle novels so my students are usually reading 2 novels simultaneously.  One to learn the strategy and one to apply it -- the indep. novel.
   
  Approx. 3 times a week but sometimes daily, I do a status of the class, ala Nancy where the kids state the page they are on in their novel --- this chart gives me a quick visual to see how much progress kids are making in pages and in novels.
   
  Every 4-6 weeks, my kids create an assigned project to show their understanding of their independent novel. There are a variety of pop quizzes and written responses about the indep. novels too. They quickly realize that this is not a part of their work that they will be able to skip on.  Sure, some kids lie about their novel progress, but they get caught.
   
  By far, for the most part, my parents and students are amazed at how much the kids increase their desire to read -- it is extremely rewarding.  I tried somewhat of a contract but it was more work for me and frustrating for the kids or parents lied and signed no matter what!
   
  Hope this helps.  If you need more info, don't hesitated to contact me! Debbie Parker debracparker@sbcglobal.net

Nan Slone <nanslone@activemind.net> wrote:
  Hi Debbie,

I was just going over some past emails trying to purge my list and found
this note from you. I am really interested to know if you are still using
the unit you created and if your success rate is still positive. I teach
7th and 8th grade students in Language Arts and I think my system for
encouraging independent reading is in need of revision. I do have those who
beg to read, but also I have those who will not pick up a book in class even
if it costs them points on their grade. They know what is required,
however, they will do the bare minimum each 9 weeks to get by without a 0. 

If you could share some ideas I would be grateful. My students sign a
contract for the number of pages they think they can read for each nine
weeks. Then they work toward that goal. The minimum number of pages I will
accept is 500, many of my avid readers go well beyond that number. It is
not unusual to have 10-12 kids who will read well over 2-4 thousand words.
They can take a Scholastic Reading Counts test if the book has one, do a
book talk, book review, or have a round table discussion if there is no RC
test. We also have a Reading Counts report for any book read during the
nine weeks. As I look at this on screen, there has got to be a better way.
The novels we do in class or in literary circles do not count toward toward
their contracted pages.

Thanks for listening and any ideas for improving our SSR would be welcome.

Nan Slone

_____ 

From: middle-lit-owner@interversity.org
[mailto:middle-lit-owner@interversity.org] On Behalf Of Debra Parker
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2005 7:39 AM
To: middle-lit@interversity.org
Subject: Re: [middle-lit] SSR -- book selection


I have really worked at independent reading over the past 7 years and wrote
the unit for our middle school to implement it across gr. 6 through 8. I've
read lots of research on it and Atwell certainly has had an influence on me.

It is really important that kids read books they want to on their reading
level. Our school uses Independent reading Inventories by Johns as a basis
for understanding students' reading levels for independent, instructional,
and frustration.

My kids never stop reading independent novels. They are expected to read
indep. even when we have a whole class or lit circle book -- I have had lots
of success getting kids interested and improving their comprehension by as
much as 2 years. 

I have various projects due every 4-6 weeks that show the kids knowledge
about their indep. books. WE also have quizzes, discussions, and use the
indep. novels as practice for reinforcing reader response, character
analization, and reading strategies. My kids beg to spend a period reading!

Debbie Parker
debbieparker@msn.com

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Nancy Vait 
To: middle-lit@interversity.org 
Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2005 6:48 PM
Subject: Re: [middle-lit] SSR -- book selection

Cathy -- When I first instituted SSR I often worried
that kids were getting one over on me by reading books
below their level or rereading books or . . . . But .
. . some then approached me with valid requests to
reread favorite authors like Roald Dahl or yes, Lemony
Snickett, or other favorites they might have missed. 
I think of the many shorter books which kids would
have missed had I mandated a book length of 150 pp.
minimum. I also allow kids to read graphic novels and
magazines, though I do require one book a quarter. 
Given choice and time, kids read -- and then they
share what they're reading with others -- and continue
reading. I do think a few kids probably take the easy
route (and probably would, no matter what I required)
but by far, the large majority benefit and would be
quite aggravated if I limited their choices. I also
now have moved away from reading logs into Friday book
letters, which allow for more latitude in their
responses, because they aren't as structured as my
reading logs were. 

For SSR I teach one girl, a senior, who's rereading
all the Harry Potters 1-4 because she can't remember
the characters to start 5 or continue with 6. I see
this as an absolutely valid reason to reread, as I
returned to the earlier HPs in order to read #4. 
She's an avid reader and finished Speak and The Bean
Trees earlier this fall. When I see her now during
SSR, she's absolutely engrossed and miles away. I
couldn't ask for more. Go Ask Alice (very short in
length) is currently hot for checkout with some of my
other students, but I also have one student in
Catch-22 and another girl in Bean Trees. I vote for
choice. I think sometimes kids will choose "easier"
books, but in my experience, they alternate with more
demanding reads. I do the same thing in my own
reading all the time. (Just finished Janet Evanovich
#11 but am now beginning Allende's House of Spirits
because I will hear her speak at the NCTE convention
in Pittsburgh.)

Nancy Vait
Homer, AK 

--- SommerWind410@aol.com wrote:

> 
> Hi all--
> Hoping to get feedback here from those of you who
> have IR programs. Do you 
> have any rules or limits for book selection? For 
> example, one of my former 
> colleagues required that all books should be at
> least 150 pages in length; 
> the novel could not have been adapted to film; and
> students could read no more 
> than two books by the same author in a single
> marking period.
> 
> I'm also wondering how you've handled the students
> who want to take the easy 
> way out and read below their level. I have an 8th 
> grade student who read 
> five books this marking period -- four of them were
> from the Lemony Snicket 
> series. I have a number of other students reading
> the Snicket series as well. 
> Am I wrong to want to nudge them to challenge 
> themselves more? Or should 
> SSR simply be for the joy of reading? 
> 
> Thanks in advance for any replies.
> 
> ~Cathy :-) 
> 
> 




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Debbie Parker 
debracparker@sbcglobal.net