Back in October I kicked off our 20 Book Challenge. I was challenging each 5th Grader to read 20 chapter books over the course of their 5th grade year; 5 from a recommended list, 3 during novel study, 12 of their choice. The whole purpose was to push kids to seek out books that they might not ordinarily seek out, largely because the path of least resistant is... well, it is easier (hence least resistance)!
Where are we now? Well the kids that would eat it up are doing just that. I've got a few that have completed the challenge already, and are aiming for 50 (that is just the type of kids they are- book in hand all the time, excited to read, challenging themselves, getting it). I've got quite a few in the 10+ range (say 10-15). Many of those kids I would expect to be there, but not all of them. I've also got a variety in the 5-10 range, and a few in the 0-5 range for a myriad of reasons. The volume is fantastic, which really is half the battle. You become a better reader by reading more, and at an appropriate level. While they didn't start the year seeking out thicker, more challenging titles, they are often are now. They know that the expectation is to have a book with them at all times (throughout the school day- although beyond would be best). I couldn't be happier.
The next step is creating a book project that shows understanding of a book they read. We'll start that work this week. While we continue with some non-fiction reading, we'll add in the project with plenty of work time attached. Then we'll take time during the last week before Winter Break to present our books to our peers, post them on our wiki, and get feedback. It'll also be a great chance for the kids to experiment with posting on the wiki, something I have held off on thus far. Combining the 20 Book Challenge with our novel study will hopefully lead us in the right direction for narrative writing understanding.
I am a pre-service teacher and I really love your idea of 20 book challenge. Reading more does absolutely help our students to become better readers and writers. Sometimes that little nudge will help them get started in their love for reading. The wiki book project sounds fun and interesting. I think the kids will enjoy using the wiki.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your idea!
Our wiki was really successful last year. But each year is different, and sometimes it is well received (other times not- more assumption than anything). Best of luck to you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing you book challenge. I am a pre service teacher and love knowing that there are teachers setting the bar high knowing that students are capable of doing such work because that it was I am learning in my classes. When I was in elementary school I always enjoyed participating in our read-athons. I was far from the strongest and best reader. I needed a push to get reading and I think the read-athon did that for me. After reading your blog I have a couple questions: How much time do students get to read during the school day? Do the students get some type of extrinsic reward at the end? What were the students reactions when they were told about the challenge? Do all of the students believe they can do it? I think this is a really great idea and I can’t imagine any students not benefitting from it.
ReplyDeleteHow much do they read? Good question. I have them in Social Studies/Literacy for 60 minutes everyday. In there I typically have a 10-15 minute mini-lesson of some sort. Beyond that they'll be reading/writing the remaining time. As a grade level kids read whenever they finish other work- ie. finished with a math assignment, they read prior to checking over with a partner etc. Later in the year I'll split up the reading block between novel study and social studies, with a 15-30 minute block of reading where I meet with small groups or individuals in need of support/monitoring. The other 30-45 will be social studies work.
ReplyDeleteThe first 20 Book Challenge post talks about the kickoff as a whole: http://teachlearnconstruct.blogspot.com/2010/10/reading-challenge.html
What a fantastic idea! When I was a young reader, I was never encouraged by my parents or teachers to go beyond what was required which disabled me from gaining a love of reading. It wasn't until after college that I started reading for pleasure. I am a little bitter about that! If feel like I missed out on a lot!
ReplyDeleteI now have a 3 year old emergent reader with whom I read with morning, noon, and night. As a mother and a preservice teacher, I vow to not let what happened to me happen to other kids! Again, I really like your idea and although my aim is to teach middle level math, I may even try it out in my future classroom!