Just Read
- New packages of Just Read books go home every Wednesday. This is the same day as our Library class, so hopefully it's easier to remember to return all books on this day each week :)
Scroll to the bottom of the page for links to some helpful articles on reading with your child :)
Our school division collects data on how many books are read by students at each school through the Just Read program. I have been trying for a few years to collect this data in different ways, trying to make it meaningful for students, more accurate, and less time consuming to record and submit for both parents and myself. In the past, I've tried having families do the following in their Just Read duotangs: daily and weekly recording of book titles; daily/weekly tallies (no titles recorded); as well as an incentive program where for every page filled up in the Just Read duotang (which consisted of filling out 50 titles read...didn't matter how long it took to fill out the page), students got the opportunity to pick a prize from the class treasure box.
The problem that I've often come across in the past using these methods has been that families feel obligated to have read and recorded a certain number of books by a given deadline and rush through the Just Read bag of books with their children just to get it done (which is not meaningful). When tallies were used without having to record titles, some families just recorded random tally marks on various dates in the duotang because they felt that they might be looked down upon for not reading enough at home, or they forgot to record how many books they read the night before and "guesstimated" (which is neither meaningful or accurate). When families were left to their own timelines for filling out a page of 50 titles, I found it more difficult to keep track of who read what by when, as some families would inform me with a note when a page was filled, while others assumed that I was checking the duotangs weekly (this became more time consuming than intended!) Some students got to pick from the treasure box several times as their families filled out several sheets, whereas others only got to pick once or perhaps not at all, not necessarily because they weren't reading at home, but because their families either didn't have the time or didn't see the point of writing down all those book titles (not meaningful either!)
And so, I've decided to try yet another method for our Just Read program in KTS that I hope will prove to be meaningful and more efficient!
As part of our monthly calendars, families can keep track of how many days children read and/or listen to a loved one read books to or with them for at least 15 minutes.
At the end of each month, parents would record the total number of days read that month (ex: 22/30) on the bottom of the calendar and can help their child to write down one of their favorite titles read. At the beginning of each new month, families can return the bottom portion of the calendar with this information on it. I will put all of these papers into a draw where 4 random students will be chosen to win a prize...a brand new book of their choosing! Children who win the draw for that month will be "interviewed" by the class on their favourite book (ex/ why that book was their favourite, what was the book about, was it fiction or non-fiction, etc.). Not only will this help to give me more insight into each child's reading, but I'm also hoping that by having them talk with myself and their peers about a book that they enjoy will help make this reading more meaningful and fun as well as introduce us to some new favorite titles! I invite all parents to feel free to provide constructive criticism/feedback on this method that we'll be using in KTS this year. I welcome your ideas and input anytime! :)
Scroll to the bottom of the page for links to some helpful articles on reading with your child :)
Our school division collects data on how many books are read by students at each school through the Just Read program. I have been trying for a few years to collect this data in different ways, trying to make it meaningful for students, more accurate, and less time consuming to record and submit for both parents and myself. In the past, I've tried having families do the following in their Just Read duotangs: daily and weekly recording of book titles; daily/weekly tallies (no titles recorded); as well as an incentive program where for every page filled up in the Just Read duotang (which consisted of filling out 50 titles read...didn't matter how long it took to fill out the page), students got the opportunity to pick a prize from the class treasure box.
The problem that I've often come across in the past using these methods has been that families feel obligated to have read and recorded a certain number of books by a given deadline and rush through the Just Read bag of books with their children just to get it done (which is not meaningful). When tallies were used without having to record titles, some families just recorded random tally marks on various dates in the duotang because they felt that they might be looked down upon for not reading enough at home, or they forgot to record how many books they read the night before and "guesstimated" (which is neither meaningful or accurate). When families were left to their own timelines for filling out a page of 50 titles, I found it more difficult to keep track of who read what by when, as some families would inform me with a note when a page was filled, while others assumed that I was checking the duotangs weekly (this became more time consuming than intended!) Some students got to pick from the treasure box several times as their families filled out several sheets, whereas others only got to pick once or perhaps not at all, not necessarily because they weren't reading at home, but because their families either didn't have the time or didn't see the point of writing down all those book titles (not meaningful either!)
And so, I've decided to try yet another method for our Just Read program in KTS that I hope will prove to be meaningful and more efficient!
As part of our monthly calendars, families can keep track of how many days children read and/or listen to a loved one read books to or with them for at least 15 minutes.
At the end of each month, parents would record the total number of days read that month (ex: 22/30) on the bottom of the calendar and can help their child to write down one of their favorite titles read. At the beginning of each new month, families can return the bottom portion of the calendar with this information on it. I will put all of these papers into a draw where 4 random students will be chosen to win a prize...a brand new book of their choosing! Children who win the draw for that month will be "interviewed" by the class on their favourite book (ex/ why that book was their favourite, what was the book about, was it fiction or non-fiction, etc.). Not only will this help to give me more insight into each child's reading, but I'm also hoping that by having them talk with myself and their peers about a book that they enjoy will help make this reading more meaningful and fun as well as introduce us to some new favorite titles! I invite all parents to feel free to provide constructive criticism/feedback on this method that we'll be using in KTS this year. I welcome your ideas and input anytime! :)