OverviewAs the first quarter of the school year approaches, I would like to share the Independent Reading unit that I have created for both myself and my students to work on throughout the semester. In the past, my students only had Independent Reading units last six to eight weeks. I believe in encouraging lifelong reading habits not temporary ones. Switching to a semester long unit has been an adjustment, but I believe it is for the best. The additional time has provided readers with an opportunity to explore different genres and titles rather than rushing through a book that they may not be interested in. Between Monday, September 14 and Friday, January 15, each student and myself is required to create a Reading Bingo! A Reading Bingo! is the same as a traditional bingo - five consecutive squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. The following board will be used: SpecificsStudents are provided time in class to read almost daily. Time amounts range from ten to fifty minutes. I also encourage my students to read at home for at least twenty minutes a day. A lot of them are beginning to realize that they need to be doing this to stay on top of the requirements for Reading Bingo! Once they begin to read at home, they realize how much fun reading is. If a parent/guardian had concerns about books that their child(ren) could and could not read, I asked that they communicate with me, so I could supervise accordingly. I do not place a tight filter on books students choose to read. The free square is allowed to be claimed after a student has read two consecutive squares prior to it and is not to be used as a “break” from reading and making progress on Reading Bingo! After claiming the free square, the student needs to pick another square to accomplish and find an appropriate book to fulfill the task. As known from traditional bingo rules, the free square does not need to be used to create a Reading Bingo! The free square cannot be used for extra credit. Extra credit can be earned with Reading Bingo! After a student has made a bingo, each category square that is completed afterwards will earn one point of extra credit. Each book review needs to earn at least a 70% to count for extra credit. For two book category squares, both reviews need to be at least a 70%. The extra credit point(s) will be added onto the overall grade of Reading Bingo! Book ReviewsIn order to hold students accountable and learn about new books, a review needs to be written about each book read. A book review requires:
Examples of potential final grade situations are below:
My high school students complete their reviews through a Google Form on their iPads (1:1) and my middle school students have packets to complete with plenty of writing space for the different requirements. Essential questions tie back to the theme of each course and have students practice the skills associated with finding, analyzing, and connecting textual evidence to larger questions and claims.
Rating SystemsIn order to provide each class (two sections of English 7, two sections of English 10, and one section of English 12) with a sense of ownership associated with Reading Bingo!, we spent a few days brainstorming, sharing, and collaborating their thoughts on rating systems. Each class walked away with their own rating system that they agreed upon. After rationale and symbols were agreed upon, I finalized their rating systems in Piktochart. The reviews are beginning to trickle in, and I am nearing the end of my first book. Stay tuned for further reflection, book reviews, and updates to next semester's Reading Bingo!
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ReviewThis book is packed with a ton of information. The book opened with helpful definitions to orient the reader with the ideas of inquiry, literacy, and service in the classroom just in case they were not aware of what they were or how the authors were going to be referring to them as. These definitions and the examples that accompanied them provided an excellent scaffold in and out of each detailed unit, essential question, project, etc. that the authors described. I killed several highlighters while reading this book just because I wanted to note and remember all of the excellent concepts, unit plans, essential questions, etc. moving forward. Jeffrey Wilhelm and the authors are all Teacher Consultants for the Boise State Writing Project, and their passion for teaching with inquiry, literacy, and service are very present on every page of the book. Because I read this during my Summer Institute at the Red Cedar Writing Project, I felt an instant bond with these teachers and could see their thought process with the lens of the National Writing Project. This book is Exceptional because it provides the reader with a new approach to teaching, while still being adaptable across grade levels and content areas. As I mentioned before, the book is packed, and at times overwhelming. Jeffrey and the rest of the authors seemed to do everything so fluidly in their classrooms that it made the thought of implementation very daunting, especially for a first year teacher. Classroom ImplicationsThis whole book implies and includes the classroom. I felt the authors did a great job chunking up chapters by the types of service that can be accomplished through this approach.
So What?Out of these chapters, I believe "Service to School" is an important service to focus on because school is often viewed as a place where students have to be rather than a place they want to be. Wilhelm says, “schools need to be places that students find not only safe, but also engaging, significant, and fun” and where they can “engage in personally and socially significant work with other people that they could not do on their own” (59). The chapter focuses on several examples of how students can engage with projects focused on service to their schools. The first project has students becoming “actual historians” as they conduct primary research and explore the multiple aspects that have shaped the history and culture of the school. Both a third space is created and service is provided to the larger community by discovering aspects of the school’s history that may not be known. Through students’ work in their school, whether conducting historical research or transforming school culture, students and their teachers become democratic citizens. Wilhelm et al uses Todd DeStigter’s definition of “democracy” to further the democratic citizens point. DeStigter defined democracy as “a way of interacting with others by which all people have the desire, ability, and opportunity to participate in shaping their individual and collective lives” (64). Continuing the ConversationDo you implement inquiry, literacy, and/or service into your classroom? What projects or units have been the most effective in terms of service? Feel free to comment below!
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The Avalanche of Books
As an educator and avid reader, I am constantly hearing about books. I feel like I am being chased by a giant, rolling avalanche of titles and authors. Rating System
5 books - New fave! Read it now!
4 books - Shelf worthy 3 books - Quality read, but ... 2 books - Borrow it 1 book - Skip it Archives
December 2017
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