Read.Write.Think.A large portion of this year will revolve around independent reading. That means that student's will be carefully and thoughtfully selecting several novels to read throughout the year. They will also be making goals and constructing plans to achieve those goals at the beginning of every quarter. I expect students to challenge themselves during this assignment. What that looks like will depend on each student as an individual, and I will help them to set realistic and challenging goals during student conferences.
When selecting novels, I highly encourage that students put serious thought and consideration into what book they decide to read. Reading can be enjoyable, even—dare I say it—fun, when we select books that interest us, we connect with, or represent worlds, situations, and subjects that we are curious about. Students have been given the freedom to choose, so they should take advantage of it. Students should not select a novel just because it is short or because they think it will be easy to read. This assignment will be a lot more fun and rewarding if students engage with it mindfully. Objective: In reading, I want students to use literature to know themselves and the world, to discover what reading is good for. I expect them to explore not only what they are interested in but to also experiment with different authors, genres, and subjects. It is my goal that students will begin to notice how they engage, disengage, connect, predict, and participate as individual readers. While reading should be entertaining, it should also be thought provoking, and we, as readers, should participate in mindful and intentional reading habits.
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