Independent Reading is a significant part of a sixth grader's development in Language Arts. This year we will be implementing the Wachusett Regional School District's Literacy Initiative at the Middle School Level for the first time. Most of our incoming sixth graders will be experienced with Reader's Workshop and we will be including reading in class, conferencing, and developing habits of good readers in our classroom experience. It is our hope that this program provides all readers with enough choices so that everyone can find something that they enjoy reading. Participation will be evaluated as homework, class work, and writing assignments. As we proceed through the school year, we will be providing students the opportunity to experience a variety of genres through independent reading. Our intention is to foster the joy of reading and to encourage students to read more than ever before.

 

The independent reading program provides an opportunity to expose students to a variety of authors and genres.  This program allows students to choose books which interest and challenge them at their own reading level. 

• Students should have an independent reading book at school and at home at all times.
• Students are asked to read at home at least two hours (50-100 pages) per week.  Our goal is to make reading a valued habit.
• Students are encouraged to read as many books per marking period as they can. 

         

          Independent reading responses will be assigned periodically as both in-class assignments and as homework.  Lists of prompts are included below.

Independent Reading Prompts

 

1.        Who is the main character of your novel?  Describe this

character in such a way that you create a word picture of what

he/she looks like and what his/her personality is like.  What is the

main characters wish or the problem he/she is facing?

 

2.       Explain the title of your novel.  What meaning does it have

in the story?  Why do you think the author chose the title?

 

3.       How do you feel about the novel you are reading so far? 

Would you recommend it to a friend?  Why or why not?  Give specific

reasons and examples from the story.

 

4.       Identify your favorite character in the novel so far. 

Discuss why you like this character so much.  Is it because of the

characters actions, personality, and decisions?  Be specific.

 

5.       Choose the event from the story that you think is the most

important so far.  Give specific details from the story that

supports your reason for choosing this event.

 

6.       What is the setting of the novel you are reading?  Describe

it using as many VIVID details/adjectives as possible.  Why do you

think the author chose this particular setting?

 

7.       Is the author of your book a male or a female?  Do you think

the story would be any different if it were written be a person of

the opposite gender?  Explain why or why not using specific examples

from the story to support your reasons.

 

8.       What is the genre of the story you are reading?  What in the

story helped you to figure out what the genre was?  Give some

specific examples from your novel.

 

9.       Did this book make you laugh, cry, cringe, smile, cheer,

etc.? With details, explain why you had this reaction.

 

10.      Identify a major hurdle or problem a character faces in your

novel.  How would you react under similar circumstances?  What would

you have done differently?

 

11.      Select an interesting quotation from an important character

in your novel.  Explain with details from the story what the

importance of the quotation was to your novel.

 

12.      Review the different types of conflicts that can occur in a

story.  Identify the main conflict of the novel you are reading.  Is

it man vs. himself, man vs. man, man vs. nature, or man vs. society?

Give details that explain how this conflict affects the story.

 

13.      What could the author have done to make this story even more

interesting than it already is?  Give specific examples and explain

why these changes would make the story even better.

 

14.      Change the setting of your novel to modern times in the town

of Holden.  Explain how this would change the story.  Be specific. 

This involves comparing and contrasting the existing setting and

Holden.

 

15.      Make a prediction as to what you think will happen next in

your novel.  Give plenty of details to support your prediction.

 

16.      What is the most unusual thing that has happened in your

novel so far?  Describe it in detail.

 

17.      What do you think the major theme of your story is?  What

was the author trying to teach you when he/she wrote this book? 

Give examples from the story that show this theme.

 

18.      Compare and contrast two characters from the story.  Be sure

to explain both similarities and differences. 

 

19.      Create your own interesting reading log question and answer

it in a minimum of ten sentences.

 

20.     If your story is fiction, is it believable?  Explain why or

why not with details from the novel.

 

21.      Write about a time when a character shows some kind of

strength.  This strength could be mental or physical.  How does this

display of strength add to what is happening in the story?