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This project was created to encourage students to read for fun. So many students have had so many reading projects thrown at them over the years that they do not enjoy reading. Why do I do with my students to combat this? I throw another reading project at them! I feel that the students who say they hate books just have not found the right book yet. Instead of a regular book review where the students would pick a book, read it (maybe), and then write some lengthy diatribe they stole from the back leaf, this project places more emphasis on the actual art of reading. The students can choose almost whatever book they want to read. They get it approved by me and have a month and a half to read it. At the end of that time, they give a mini-review in front of the class. They have to tell us what the book was about, whether they enjoyed it or not, and if they would advise their peers to read it or not. I type the comments on a newsletter to share with the school. Though this seems to hearken back to days of grammar school, the project actually works for many of the students. The students have the freedom to gauge their own interests and reading levels. This projects relates to several of the Illinois Learning Standards because it involves reading, communication, comprehension, and interpretation.
Demonstrated Skills and Behaviors
The largest goal for this assignment is that the students read a book. That is why it is the Read-A-Book project as opposed to the Book Review project. The students have to make a decision about what they want to read. For many of the students, the biggest issue is deciding what, of their many books, they want to use for the project. For too many others, the most difficult part is finding one book in the history of the universe that they might want to read. They must read a book that they have never read. Many students attempt to find books far below their reading levels so the assignment will be easy. I advise against this practice because most studetns get bored and do not finish the easy book at all. We all work very closely with the school and town librarians to introduce the students to a wide variety of books for their perusal. I love the surprised looks on students' faces when they discover that they may read about a favorite sports hero or singer. Another skill the students have to master to complete this project is time management. They have a month to finish a book of around two hundred pages. This is an overabundance of time. Because it seems like so much time, many students attempt to put off reading their selected books for as long as they can. I discourage this because then the looming deadline makes them loathe the book, and that is exactly what I am trying to avoid. Because I give vast amounts of time for the students to read in class, they quickly get into the habit of taking their books everywhere. When the students bring books and read them in my class, I can also be more aware of who is actually reading and managing his or her own time. A final skill needed for this assignment is interpretation. The students must be able to interpret or explain the salient points of the book in front fo the class in a little amount of time. They also need to relate the points to the class and whether those points add up to actually enjoying the book or not. I encourage teh students to give specific reasons for whether they liked or disliked the book. This not only persuades the students to think about their reasons behind their likes and dislikes, it also makes for more interesting reviews in the little brochure for this project. The students have done an admirable job with this assigment. The Freshmen have especially amazed me with their perseverance. This group was antagonized by the Accelerated Reading program for years; I had little hope that they would ever read anything for me, so I was very excited when they immediately found books and started devouring them. Many of the students are starting to believe me when I tell them that they just have not found the right books to read.
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Connection to the NBPTS Core Propositions
Teachers are commited to the students and their learning (Proposition #1)
This assignment encourages students to be successful in many areas. It gives them preactice in reading, time management, interpretation, retention, and speaking skills. The ability to read and comprehend a book is of the utmost importance for future students, citizens, workers, and leaders. All of the time given in class for reading allows the included student and slow learner to get help from me if he or she is having trouble. Giving no specified kind of book allows the students to not only chooose something that interests them, but also lets them choose something at their own reading level. This choice is a boon for included students or slow learners, as they may have severe problems with reading at their grade level. Listening to other students give their views on different books not only demonstrates the plethora of books available, it also helps show that it is ok to say that you don't like a book as long as you support you opinions with reasons.
Teachers know the subjects they teach and how to teach those subjects to students (Proposition #2).
Using this activity to promote reading for enjoyment has various and insidious benefits. Some people might see working a month for a five-minute presentation and newsletter as a waste of time; I see it as a way to encourage students to read for fun. If I want students to read for fun, I cannot eke all of the enjoyment out of what they are reading. If the students do learn to read for enjoyment, they will have better grammar, more sophisticated writing skills, better spelling, more awareness of activities outside of their sphere, and be, in general, more well-rounded citizens. Therefore, I am trying to enforce not just a sometimes fun outside activity but a way of life that will make my students better people in the long run. Perhaps one book read for a semblance of fun will not make my non-readers competitive with my readers, but at least it gives them a chance.
Teachers are responsible for monitoring and managing student learning (Proposition 3).
Having the students respond orally, rather than in a written form, about the book eased their stress about being tested on their books. The students talked about their books in an informal circle. They tend to enjoy this method, as it allows them to see books as something to enjoy rather than something to fear. After last year, I warened the students that making up a book or pretending to have read a book is a very bad idea. I have read so many books for my own enjoyment that I usually have read most of the books the students pick for their project.
Teachers are members of learning communities (Proposition #5).
Having a Newsletter at the end of this assigment is a great way to show people in the school and community what the student have been doing. I think I am going to send the finished ones this year to the town and school libraries to post. I usually put a copy in the teacher's lounge, so the other teachers can see what some of the students chose to read.
REFLECTION
When I first assigned this project, I was not sure how the students would react. I was surprised when some of them just needed a small push in their area of interest before they charged away to read. I think some of the students never realized that there were books that they would be interested in, not just dusty old tomes written by the proverbial "dead white guys."
I love the reactions from the other teachers when the students talk about this assignment. Several teachers commented on how so many of the students were carrying books around to read during "dead time" in their classes. THe proctors of the ISAT exams this year remarked on how well-behaved the Freshmen were after the test. Instead of the usual twittering and fidgeting, the students just sat and read. I feel almost guilty being proud of this project; it requires so little work from me since I could talk about recreational books all day. It is really just the usual book review idea, but I place so much more emphasis on the process and joy of reading, rather than the finished product at the end.
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