Mrs. Perkins' Independent Reading Page

Mrs. Perkins' Page

Independent Reading

What great books have you read today?

Mission Possible: Create the habit of reading every day.

You are expected to read at least 20 minutes from your independent reading book every night of the week. The only exception to this homework assignment is when we are reading a book as a class. On these occasions, you must read the assigned pages from the classroom-wide reading book as homework. Please know that I always encourage you to supplement the reading of your class-wide book with reading from your independent book.

Need help choosing a book?

Here are some resources to help you find a great book that's right for you.

My Book Talks page

BookAdventure.com

Check out these lists of award-winning books for middle school readers:

Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

Newbury Award Winners

Nutmeg Award Winners

The Children's Literature Web Guide

Browse Local Library Websites:

Babcock Library (Ashford's Town Library)

Bibliomation (connects you to catalogs of libraries in surrounding towns)

Reading Response Journals: Tools for thoughtful reading

Recalling the events in your story is a fine start, but now it's time to "kick it up a notch" and practice going beyond the text. Every Monday and Thursday, you will be expected to write in your Reader's Response Journal for 10 minutes. At the beginning of the year, I will often choose the prompt for you. (To see samples of prompts from the 2005-2006 school year, click on one of these links: 1st quarter; 2nd quarter; 3rd quarter.) By the end of the year, I'm expecting that you will be able to write your own responses that reflect evaluation, interpretation, inferences, and connections with the text.

Reading can be a lot of fun.

The more you read, the better reader you will become. The better reader you are, the more reading becomes enjoyable. Here are my top-ten strategies for helping you experience books more fully:

1. Find an author you enjoy and read other books by the same author. Reading books in a series can also be very motivating.

2. Find a genre of reading material you have enjoyed and find other books in that genre. Your independent reading is for you to find enjoyment and meaning through written material. You can learn a lot by reading sports magazines, comic strips, graphic novels, and mysteries, in addition to the more standard fare of historical, realistic or science fiction.

3. Read about subjects that interest you. Is reading about Queen Elizabeth I your cup of tea? There are volumes of stories about this powerful monarch, both fiction and non-fiction, at all reading levels. Start with one tidbit of a book, then try another...and another...until you've had your fill!

4. As you read, create a picture in your head. Try to visualize what the movie of the book would look like. Put yourself in the director's chair and choose the actors, the camera shots, and the mood music with your imagination. Who knows? You may have a future in film!

5. Maybe you want to be an actor. Get together with a group of friends and act out a scene from a favorite book together. Harry Potter, anyone?

6. Read books more than once. You get more meaning out of a story when you read it for the second and third time. Rereading helps you focus on parts that you may have had trouble understanding the first time around. It's also fun to see foreshadowing, where you may have missed it on first read through. Believe me the jokes are still funny, even when you've read them before. Maybe they're even funnier!

7. Having trouble figuring out a new word? Ask an adult to help you. Sometimes looking up the word in the dictionary isn't enough to help you figure out the meaning. Even context clues may not be enough, so ask for help. Read the passage to someone else who can help you understand the meaning of the word and some of the background information around it.

8. You're never too old to have someone read to you. Ask a parent, a teacher, or a friend to read aloud a favorite story or a difficult reading assignment. It may even be entertaining for your partner if you read out loud in return.

9. If the adults or friends are too busy to read aloud to you, then listen to audiobooks. Whole books can be downloaded to your computer and transferred to your iPod or MP3 player. Click to the iTunes or audible.com websites for more info. There's also a wide selection of books on tape or CD in the library or bookstore. Sometimes the warehouse stores have great audiobooks at reasonable prices.

10. The most fun is to start or join a book club. Bring a few snacks and get together with your friends to share your interest in great stories. Each member gets a turn choosing a book for the group to read. You can rotate locations or if you prefer, chat online. Babcock Library has an online weblog especially for Ashford Jr. High students. To find out how you can join, click here.

A few words about whole-class books...

When we are reading a book as a class, you will not be expected to write about your independent reading book in your Reader's Response Journal. You are, however, expected to respond to the whole-class reading assignment by way of quizzes, worksheet packets, and group discussions. To see a list of class-wide reading books, click on Mrs. Perkins' Page on Unit Studies.

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