40 Book Challenge: What, When, Etc. (sent home 1st week of school for signature; glued into student journals)
What: The goal of the challenge is to read 40 grade-level or higher books over the course of the school year. Grades for the project will be given on a quarterly basis (every 9 weeks) based upon how well your student did in reaching their quarterly goal. Students will be given 30 minutes of independent reading as part of their Language Arts class every day. While this will certainly help your student in reaching their goal, it alone will not be enough. Students will need to develop the habit of reading at home as well. Books can be of any genre. If students end up reading mostly mystery books, for example, that is okay, though I will be encouraging branching out. They will be reading what they like, and thus developing a love of reading. Reading for fun is when the most reading skills are developed. Great, practiced comprehension skills from any genre can be applied to a broad range of genres with many fewer skills to try and master in a “boring” way. Some of our 5th grade students are natural readers for whom the 40 Book Challenge will be a piece of cake, while others struggle greatly with reading and the goal of 40 books is entirely unrealistic. Most students fall somewhere in between. With that in mind, I would like you to talk with your student and help them set a goal for the year. Students will be graded on the portion of books they finish reading of their chosen goal (see below) and how much effort they put into the Google Form Book "Letters. Let me emphasize that your child WILL NOT be graded solely on the number of books they read, but more for effort for each particular child. If they read five books independently in 4th grade and read 25 book independently in 5th grade, we will be thrilled!
Choose a Reading Goal with your child: Every 9 weeks, my child will read:
10 Books, Full Goal (to meet 40 books by end of May)
8 Books, Medium Goal (to meet 32 books by end of May)
How a many “books” your book counts based on how many pages it contains:
Up to 249 pgs = 1 book (No more than 2 books less than 100 pgs can be counted as a complete book all year)
250 - 499 pgs = 2 books
500 - 749 pgs = 3 books
750 - 999 pgs = 4 books
Only 2 graphic novels can be counted per 9 weeks (even though they are awesome)
NOTE: any books read past the the 9 weeks goal will carry over to the next 9 weeks :)
1 book every 9 weeks must be an informational text.
3 related shorter info books (including books < than 40 pgs each) also count as 1 informational book on the book log. WHAT IS AN INFORMATIONAL TEXT?
Where can I find books?
Hardcopy books can be checked out from the school library and Austin Public Library. Find links to these on my website. The bookstore also has many books.
Online ebooks and audiobooks can be checked out on MyOn and MacInvia (free AISD services) and from the Austin Public Library, to which ALL AISD students are eligible for a free account. Find links to these here.Online bookstores, such as Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, and Audible, also have large selections. Don't forget that Amazon Prime members get to read Prime Reading ebooks and audiobooks for free.
Where do I keep track of my books? You will "grab" an online reading log from Google Classroom that will both help you tally up the number of pages and books you are reading, but also direct you to the most appropriate Book "Letter" (Google Form) to complete for that book.
What Else? What are these Book "Letter"-Google Forms? Every time a student finishes a book they will fill out a Book "Letter" (a Google Form) to analyze the text content and writing style. The completion and effort are part of your grade.
Which form do I fill out?
Check your online book log. It should select the appropriate one and provide a link.
If you just finished an INFORMATIONAL BOOK, you will fill out:
Whichever number book that it counts as is the number you use to locate the correct Google Form in your current 9 weeks.
For example, if you just finished your 6th book in the 1st 9 weeks, you will select Books 4-7, 1st 9 weeks: Theme and Main Idea.