INDIVIDUAL READING GUIDE
Requirements:
Read books you enjoy! Read approximately one book per week unless otherwise instructed. This will depend on the books you read, of course. Read all you want to, though. The books you read will be your own choices from the library, the classroom library, or home (Yes, YOUR choice!). In each quarter, the teacher from books in the classroom will assign two books. We may spend more time when we read these assigned books. A new selection of books will be in the classroom each quarter.
Guidelines:
1. Select your book on or above your reading level. You should be able to find ten new vocabulary words.
2. Choose a book that is interesting to you.
3. Choose books on a variety of topics.
4. Take care of the books you read.
Do not read the following books yet. They will be assigned by the teacher throughout the school year.
Call it Courage, Roll of Thunder-Hear My Cry, Tuck Everlasting, From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, The Cay, Door in the Wall, Where the Red Fern Grows, Summer of the Monkeys, Bridge to Terabithia, Martian Chronicles, Wrinkle in Time.
Learning Vocabulary As You Read
Vocabulary words for each book will be on a 3 by 5 note-card. Choose a minimum of 5 words for each book. If you can’t find at least 5, it just means the book is very easy for you. Keep your cards alphabetically in a card file.
· On the front of the card write the book title and author, the page number where the word was found and your name.
· In the center on the front of the card, print the word, the pronunciation respelling from the dictionary, and the part of speech.
· At the bottom of the card write the sentence you found the word in and underline the word.
· On the back of the card, write the word, give the definition of the word in your own words.
· Be sure you use the meaning of the word the way it is used in the story. Discuss the word with parents or friends to be sure you understand the meaning.
· Write an original sentence using the word.
· Learn these words before conference day.
For each book you will have a TITLE PAGE. Head your paper with the following information: title, author, copyright date, number of pages, type of activity (such as RTW), your name, and the date. Also, write your 5 vocabulary words with page numbers. Next, determine the length of time it will take you to complete your book. Set your goals for completing the book by dividing the number of pages in your book by the number of days. Make a chart as follows:
Date Goal Pages read Goal completed
Log in the dates and your goals as you begin each new book. Indicate the pages you read each day and whether you met your goal. Your activity will begin on the next page.
For each book you will do RTW, which is Read, Think, and Write, or sometimes, activities will be either teacher assigned or you may choose from the list.
READING CONFERENCE-
You will conference individually or in a small group on a day assigned to you by the teacher.
Before you come to the conference: 1) Pick a favorite passage from the book, practice reading the portion you have selected, and be prepared read it orally. 2) Learn the vocabulary words you have completed for that book. 3) Be ready to discuss your story and share your activity.
BRING TO EACH CONFERENCE: YOUR BOOK, READING JOURNAL WITH YOUR ACTIVITY COMPLETED, VOCABULARY CARDS, AND READING RECORD SHEET COMPLETED.
Grades will be determined by the number of points earned each quarter from books read, reading activities, reading assignments, skill evaluations, and vocabulary tests.
Points: Book - 1-6 points per book read and reported on.
Points are based on the length, difficulty,
and your reading level. !! IMPORTANT – Choose the book YOU want !
If you cannot find 10 vocabulary words in your book, it is too easy for you.
Generally, one point per 40 pages is the guideline.
Activity - 0-6 points per book.
RTW will be one of the main focuses of reading. As you read, you will write your personal responses to the work. Share your feelings, thoughts, reactions, and questions about situations, ideas, actions, characters, settings, plot, theme, or any other elements of the work, which interest you. Don't be overly concerned with spelling, punctuation, etc. Write only neatly enough that it can be read. Express yourself using the best words you can even if you’re unsure of a words use. Make use of as many vocabulary words used in the story as you can and underline them. You cannot be wrong in your responses, so take risks and be honest.
You may work individually, or at times, read the same book as one or two others. Read, think, write, discuss and share.
RTW guide:
1-Write about what you like or dislike, what seems confusing or unusual to you.
2-Tell what you think something means.
3-Look for examples of writing you particularly like or dislike and talk about them.
4-Make predictions about what might happen later.
5-Relate your personal experiences which connect with the plot, characters, or setting.
6-If you like, quote brief passages from the work and respond to them.
7-Try to relate this work to another work you've read. How are they alike? How are they different?
8-What was the message the author was trying to tell you, the reader?
9-Do you think the story was true to life? Explain.
10-What do you know without the author telling you?
11-Would you change any part of the story? Explain.
12-Did any of the characters change in the story?
13-Has the story made you more aware of anything?
14-Note any cause/effect relationships
AVOID PLOT SUMMARY OR RETELLING! Simply read, think, and write YOUR thoughts.
DO NOT RETELL THE STORY!
WRITE APPROXIMATELY EVERY 20 PAGES
The following is a list of possible sentence lead-ins.
They are just ways to get started but not to always rely on.
1. I wonder what this means..
2. I really don't understand this part because..
3. I really like/dislike this idea because..
4. This character reminds me of somebody I know because..
5. This character reminds me of myself because..
6. I think the setting is important because..
7. I think the relationship between _______and ________
is interesting because..
8. This situation reminds of a similar situation in my own
life..
9. If I were_________at this point, I would..
10. If I could, I'd ask the author...
11. I particularly like this description...
___________________________________________________________
Alternatives to RTW - Check with the teacher first!
II. COMPLETE ANY
2
1. DESCRIBE THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE STORY. AS YOU READ GIVE EXAMPLES OF WAYS IN WHICH THE
AUTHOR DEVELOPS THE MAIN
CHARACTER.
2. DESCRIBE THE SETTING OF THE STORY.
3. RELATE THE MOST EXCITING INCIDENT OF THE STORY.
4. TELL WHY YOU WOULD OR WOULD NOT LIKE TO BE THE MAIN CHARACTER IN THE STORY.
5. EXPLAIN THE TITLE OF THE BOOK.
6. TELL WHY YOU WOULD OR WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THE BOOK.
7. TELL WHY YOU THINK THE AUTHOR WROTE THE BOOK.
8. LIST IN ORDER IN WHICH THEY OCCURRED, THE FIVE MOST IMPORTANT INCIDENTS IN THE BOOK.
DESCRIBE THE INCIDENTS AND EXPLAIN
WHY EACH IS IMPORTANT TO THE STORY.
9. WRITE A SUMMARY OF THE STORY.
___________________________________________________________
III. CREATIVE WRITING ACTIVITIES:
COMPLETE ONE
1. WRITE ANOTHER CHAPTER TO YOUR BOOK.
2. USING ONE OF THE CHARACTERS FROM THE BOOK, CREATE A STORY OF YOUR OWN.
3. WRITE A STORY WHICH HAS THE SAME SETTING AS YOUR BOOK, BUT CREATE YOUR OWN CHARACTERS AND
PLOT.
4. WRITE A POEM ABOUT THE SETTING AND/OR A CHARACTER FROM
THE BOOK.
5. USE THE TITLE OF THE BOOK AS THE TITLE OF A STORY OF
YOUR OWN.
6. WRITE A PLAY BASED ON YOUR BOOK. YOU MAY WORK IN A SMALL GROUP AND PERFORM YOUR PLAY.
7. IMAGINE THAT YOU ARE THE MAIN CHARACTER IN YOUR BOOK.
WRITE ENTRIES IN YOUR DIARY.
8. REWRITE AN EPISODE FROM THE BOOK USING A DIFFERENT POINT
OF VIEW.
__________________________________________________________
V. SAVE THE LAST WORD FOR ME-
Write on a note card a statement
from the book you are reading about which you would like to make a comment
upon.
From: The Cat Ate My Gymsuit
example: "Mom always made me go to tap and ballet lessons.
She said that they'd make me more graceful."
comment: We often "grow" from doing things that parents and
teachers tell us are good for us, even though we may not want to do them.
From: The Cay
example: Suddenly I blamed my
mother because I was on a raft with a stubborn old black man.
comment: Sometimes children have the tendency of blaming something on somebody else.
___________________________________________________________
VI. PREDICTION ACTIVITY
Following the form given below,
make at least five (5) predictions.
PREDICTION
#1:______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Justification:(give good reasons from the story for your prediction)
________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Read to page ______
EVIDENCE
Confirm:____________________________________________________
Disprove:___________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________