| Throughout the year students will have an opportunity to read and respond to
independent reading books. Here are the requirements:
Independent Reading Assignments
Independent reading is reading that students choose to do on their own. It
reflects the reader’s personal choice of the material to be read as well as
the time and place to read it. Independent reading is done for information
as well as for pleasure.
Independent reading is a key part of the sixth-grade ILA curriculum. In
order to foster positive and lifelong reading habits, we will be encouraging
students to read for at least 20-30 minutes, 5 times per week. Many days,
students will conduct their independent reading during the course of our
class. On some other days, the reading will be assigned for homework. For
this reason, it is imperative that students always have a current
independent reading book that they take back and forth between school and
home. These books can be borrowed from the school, class, or public
libraries. They may also be purchased from book stores or our class
Scholastic book orders.
Procedure:
1. Bring in each new book before you start reading to be approved by the
teacher. I will ensure that the book is an appropriate challenge for your
reading ability. Place the name of the book on your chart after it is
approved.
2. Read each day for 15-20 minutes. On those days that reading is assigned for homework, bring
your book home with you and do it for homework. In
this length of time, you should be able to read approximately 15 or more
pages.
3. When you finish reading each day, record your page numbers on the chart
next to the appropriate day. Remember to include start and end pages, not
just the number of pages.
4. Complete all assigned reading responses. Be sure to follow the proper
format and answer the question fully. Write carefully, because spelling and
grammar count! When you are absent, you must make up the assigned entry.
When you have an assignment to complete at home, bring home your reading
response journal and complete it the night it is assigned.
Grading:
Students will receive four quiz grades for independent reading over the
course of the marking period.
1) During independent reading conferences, reading response journals will
be evaluated based on the following criteria. Averaged together, these
scores will count as a quiz grade. Response journals will be evaluated
three times per marking period.
Quantity of Responses: did the student complete all assigned responses? (%
based on number of possible responses)
Quality of Responses: students will select two entries for grading and
teacher will select two additional entries for grading. Each graded entry
will be worth 25 points based on the following rubric: (% of 100)
5 points = correct format
5 points = carefully written and edited
10 points = quality of content
5 points = completeness of answer and response
Complete and Accurate Reading Log: did the student record page numbers and
titles on his or her log sheet? (% based on number of possible entries;
extra credit given for additional days read and logged)
2) At the end of the marking period, students will be given an additional
quiz grade based on the number of books read. Sixth-graders are required to
read a MINIMUM OF TWO books per marking period. This grade will be based on
the number of “What Did You Think?” sheets completed by the student by the
end of marking period. Grading is as follows:
2 books = 75%
3 books = 85%
4 books = 95%
5+ books = 100%
HAPPY READING!
Format for Reading Response Journal Entries
(You must have the correct format…May your assignment be a worksheet, you
still must have the correct heading, as shown below, and then the worksheet
stapled below it).
Assignment # Date
Book Title:
Author:
Pages Read: (start and end pages)
* Paste, staple, or write assignment to be completed here*
XXXXXX SKIP LINE HERE XXXXXXX
Dear Miss Rini,
These are some of the words I did not know while reading Charlotte’s Web:
Runt
Phenomenon
Triumph
Humble
Miraculous
In the story, Mr. Arable was going to kill the pig because he was a runt. I
did not know what the word was, but when I looked at the context clues I
realized that Mr. Arable told Fern the piglet was very tiny and weak.
Therefore, I figured out that runt was the smallest and weakest animal in
the litter.
After trying numerous times to use context clues, I still could not figure
out what the word phenomenon means, so I looked it up. Phenomenon
is “something that is impressive or extraordinary, a remarkable or
exceptional person, thing, or occurrence.” I looked back in the story and
realized that all the animals on Mr. Zuckerman’s farm thought that Charlotte
and her web was a phenomenon because there was a word written in it. Spiders
can’t write words in their webs unless they are phenomenal!
I can’t wait to read more.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
* REMEMBER: Entries must be detailed. Any entry that leaves me asking who,
what, when, where, why, or how will lose points. Support all answers using
specific details from the story, and avoid using pronouns unless you have
identified the subject previously.
For Example:
It takes place on the farm. What takes place on the farm? What is the farm
like? Who is on the farm?
He wanted to do it. Who wanted to do what and why?
Entries can be typed, but must be placed in your Reader’s Notebook. If it
is not there you will not get credit for it.
Remember not to summarize your story.
*DO YOUR BEST WORK! *
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