The Great Book Challenge
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Books Boost Brainpower! It's Science!
According to Teresa Dumain's article, " The 5 Ways Reading for 30 Minutes a Day Can Change Your Health," reading books, particularly fiction, can stimulate and strengthen the language-processing parts in your brain. Reading a book helps readers build creativity, critical thinking skills and empathy. Additionally, researchers have discovered that reading reduces stress and helps you have better quality of sleep. All of which are essential in a 21st Century workforce. After reading "The Book Whisperer" by Donalyn Miller a several years ago, I became inspired to implement this challenge into our ELA curriculum. Even though there are about a million new tech programs in the ED-Tech marketplace that help with reading, there is nothing that replaces the growth that comes from just reading a good book. My goal for my students this year is to challenge them to read 30-60 minutes per day. That's it! It doesn't matter when or where they read, just as long as they are reading books that interest and excite them. |
Here are the details...
- Step 1: Students will determine a challenging yet realistic number of books they aim to read for the year.
- Step 2: Students will select age and reading level appropriate books that are of high interest. Selections may be fiction or nonfiction with the majority being chapter books. Personal choice is key!
- Step 3: Students are to commit to reading 30-60 minutes per day as part of their ELA homework.
- Step 4: At the conclusion of each completed book, students will complete a "FlipTok" Book Review via Flip where they will also answer reader response questions.
The Rules
- This is not a competition.
- There are no prizes. This is meant to help build a true love of reading.
- Books up to 300 pages count as 1 book. Over 300 pages count as 2 books.
- Class novels will count toward your overall reading goal.