Welcome to Book Haters!

To create lifelong readers. Goal To create lifelong readers. To increase vocabulary and writing skills through reading.

What the Research Says… taken from Kelly Gallagher The average amount of time spent reading for all grades is 7.1 minutes a day in public schools around the nation. The peak reading years are the 4th and 5th grades. By the time students reach high school, they’re spending about as much time on literature-based reading as kindergarteners.

Research cont. Students in the top 5% of national reading scores read 144 times more than students in the bottom 5%.

Standardized Reading Exams Percentile Rank Mins. of text reading per day Estimated # of words read per year 98 90.7 4,733,000 90 40.4 2,357,000 70 21.7 1,168,000 50 12.9 601,000 20 3.1 134,000 10 1.6 51,000

Ideas from the experts… taken from Jim Trelease “We have 100% interest in kindergarten, but lose 75% of our potential lifetime readers by senior year… and that’s why the (reading) scores haven’t improved in three decades.” “80% of college faculty members report that entering freshman cannot read well enough to do college work.”

Another expert opinion… taken from Kelly Gallagher Gates to college “can only be opened with the key of reading. This key is cut through years of voracious reading. If reading opens the door to college, it also keeps the door from shutting on the students once they are admitted. The amount of reading required at the college level is often a shock to freshmen.”

Experts support our goals… taken from Jim Trelease and Kelly Gallagher “It helps to remember that all of us are good readers and that all of us are also bad readers– it depends on what we’re reading.” ~KG “We’ve taught children how to read, but forgotten to teach them to want to read.” ~JT

Mapping out the path of our reading journey… Every day you will be thinking about reading. You are expected to read 25-30 minutes a day. This reading will be recorded on a log every time you read. Twice a week, you will spend time in class reflecting on your most recent reading.

Weekly Schedule M: Reading quiz/prompt and other reading activities T: Reading and other activities W: Journal assignment Th: Reading quiz/prompt and reading/other activities F: Reading Day

The Reader’s Bill of Rights The right NOT to read something. The right to skip pages. The right not to finish. The right to reread. The right to read ANY book.

The Reader’s Bill of Rights (Cont.) The right to escapism. The right to read anywhere. The right to browse. The right to read out loud. The right to not defend your tastes. The right to free access to LOTS of good books.

What’s it Worth? A lifelong love of reading, of course.  Every Friday you will be given 10 points for a completed week on your log and 5 points for reading quiz/prompt entries for a total of 20 points a week.

Frequent Excuses… “I hate reading….” If you keep stumbling on your journey of reading, you need to come to your teacher and ask for guidance. You just haven’t found the right books. “But I have so many other things going on, I don’t have any time to read!” Reading is part of your homework for Book Haters. You need to figure out a way to include this in your day!