Logging Our Choice Reading in Language Arts

Today, we discussed our choice reading days at WMS. Reading is essential to student success, that's no mystery.  On Fridays this year in Language Arts, we will spend the majority of the period choice reading.  This will be a quiet environment for students to read, respond, and discuss the books they are reading.

I handed out calendars to the class today, and we discussed the procedures for filling out our logs of the weekly reading that we do.  These calendars are required for Language Arts and are a part of our homework and practice grade.  They help both me, and students have a visual of their reading progress, and help us to set new goals.  Ultimately, I would like students to shoot for Reading 100-125 pages per week between here and at home. This weekend, I am encouraging students to READ and log their time and pages.

We also questioned and discussed the following before we had some choice reading time today - Here is what came up in all of our classes:

Why Read Books?

·                 Books affect how we interact with others

·                 Books help us to better understand other human beings.

·                 Books help us to question the world around us.                   

Why Respond to Our Reading This Year?

·          because WE get to decide if we agree or disagree and in the process, find out more about ourselves and others and the world around us. 

WHAT IS RIGOR?

We only get better at reading and anything in life when we are rigorous!

Rigor is how much EFFORT we put into our PRACTICE!

(think about the basketball analogy J )

·                 The essence of rigor is ENGAGEMENT and COMMITMENT to our Reading when we are doing it. 

·                 Rigor is the energy and attention that we give to a text when we read it. 

·                 Who ULTIMATELY chooses the RIGOR that they put into everything?

Next week, we will discuss how we will keep track of the books we complete this year in 6th grade.