Strive to Read 25 Minutes Each Day! |
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Reading Activities 2009-10
Strive for 25 is a MSDE and BCPS goal that asks all children to read at least 25 books over the course of the school year. This year we are going to look to surpass that goal by logging MINUTES spent reading each week and listing what we read. One child might be able to read books of 500 pages and another student might enjoy reading picture books to their siblings that are 25 pages long. What matters is the number of minutes spent reading each day. It only makes sense that the more you practice something, the better you get at it! No one would pay each week for music lessons if they were not going to invest some time in practicing the piece they learned to play at their lesson. Children learn new reading skills in school every day and need time to practice those skills. At home, children need to be reading materials that are fun for them, after they are finished doing their required homework. Note that the word is FUN. We are all apt to spend more time on an activity that we enjoy…..so please go with your child’s interests. The more children read the better readers they become and their academic success is positively affected. Research studies show that the number of minutes read each day is directly related to academic achievement scores.
Please keep a tally of minutes read on the monthly calendar side of the Strive for 25 Minutes Reading Log. Remember, the books read could include reading some picture books to a younger sibling or friend. Younger students can be read to by adults, but by the end of the year, they too, may be listing the books they can now read! Be sure to use the ORANGE Reading Minutes Log to record minutes read each day. Please keep this log in your child’s Take Home Folder so students and teachers can check progress each month. Classes may want to use the data to make a class graph of their minutes read and challenge each other to increase their efforts.
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Black-Eyed Susan Book Club
Grade 5 students are offered an opportunity to participate in a book club reading six of the nominated books and voting on their favorite book for the Black-Eyed Susan Book Award. Our new group of fifth graders will be starting their club in the last week of September. |
Which Book Will We Pick to Win? |
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Literary Events to Help Students Keep Reading
Below are some ways to encourage your child to read more this school year.
SEPTEMBER - Students will begin logging their minutes read for this school year on their ORANGE Strive for 25 Logs.
FALL
Muffins for Mom and Donuts for Dad
School-wide drop everything and read event where parents will be invited in to share books and a snack with their child.
OCTOBER - Pizza Hut Reading Incentive Program begins. It runs October through March. Be sure to see new guidelines for this program in school or class newsletters of participating classes.
NOVEMBER 25, 2009 Wax Museum
Fifth graders will present their Wax Museum featuring the biographical characters that they have picked for their book projects.
Encourage your child to read a biography this quarter.
OCTOBER-DECEMBER-Young Author's Contest
This is a chance to highlight any stories or poetry written by grade 2 to grade 5 students and enter them into a county competition. Classroom teachers will have contest rules. Entries have to be ready before we go on winter break.
JANUARY/FEBRUARY/MARCH -Read-to-Feed Read-a-thon to support families in undeveloped countries.
Classes may opt to participate in this program to read more minutes, collect some pledges for their effort and buy an animal, as a class, for a family in an impoverished country. This program incorporates global education and works along with our values program. The program is introduced the last week of January. Materials go home for reading to occur the whole month of February. Donations are collected the first week of March. We have participated in this worthwhile program the past two years and bought between 50 and 60 animals each year!
MARCH - Dr. Seuss' Birthday -guest readers
April/May Author Visit
We are aiming for a Wednesday in April or May for our Author Visit. The author is still to be determined. Feel free to suggest an author.
JUNE - Sneaks Reading Day Celebration
Classes celebrate reaching goal of increasing the number of minutes we read each day. End of Year Recognition of those who have kept, completed, and turned into their classroom teacher their year long Strive for 25 Minutes Reading Log. It will be held, in conjunction with SNEAKS READING DAY, the last full Friday of the school year.
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Benefits of Independent Reading |
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