Outside Reading Program
Overview:
In an effort to promote the enjoyment of life-long reading while improving comprehension and writing skills, all 8th graders will participate in the Outside Reading Program. Part of the goal of 8th grade is to prepare your student for the rigors of high school. We believe that reading for pleasure broadens their perspectives and contributes to life-long learning. Our Outside Reading Program is both pleasurable as well as educational. Students will read for pleasure both in and out of school.
To receive 100% for Outside Reading, a student needs to read 600 pages each Trimester (10% of their grade). In order for the program to be successful, parents/guardians will need to be involved in the selection of an appropriate book, making sure the student is reading on a regular basis, and discussing each book with the student upon completion. We are excited to bring students, teachers, and parents/guardians together in this endeavor.
Here’s how the program works:
& You read books of your choice that need to equal 600 pages total each trimester.
& Books must be at least 8th grade level. If you think a book may be below your grade level, ask the librarian or your teacher for help to determine this. You will not receive credit for books below 8th grade level.
& These 600 pages are independent from any reading assigned in class.
& You should be reading on a regular basis throughout the trimester to meet this objective.
& You cannot “reread” a book you read in the past (the past is Sept 3th 2008!!!)
& Once you finish a book you will need to complete the Outside Reading write-up and have a book talk with your parent or guardian within the week that you finish the book. If you do not turn in the write-up within a week your book will not count towards your outside reading total.
& Once you have completed the book talk with your parent/guardian he/she must sign the Book Talk Sheet.
& Completed Outside Reading write-ups will be collected on Wednesdays. Incomplete or unsigned Outside Reading write-ups will not receive credit. You may only turn in ONE write up per week.
& Class time will be provided each week for Outside Reading. You must bring your Outside Reading book AND signed parent reading log to class on these days. If you forget your signed reading log or are not reading during this time, or if you forget your book your Outside Reading Grade will be affected. (See each teacher’s policy)
EXTRA CREDIT:
You can read a historical-fiction/non-fiction book and receive 20% of the total pages of the book for extra credit. Here’s an example of this formula: A 200 page historical fiction novel would give you an extra 40 pages.
Student Responsibility:
Ø Students will complete 600 pages per Trimester (10% of grade).
Ø Students must bring Outside Reading book EVERY DAY!
Ø On Wednesdays students must also bring their signed reading or risk loss of points/pages.
Ø Outside Reading Write-ups must be completed within a week of a book being finished. Any write-up’s not finished within a week will not be counted.
Ø Each student is responsible for tracking the number of pages they have completed. This is not tracked by the teacher until the mid and end of each trimester.
Parent/Guardian Role:
Step 1 We encourage you to be involved in selecting your student’s Outside Reading book.
Step 2 Each week you will sign off on your student’s reading log and it will be checked by the teacher each Wednesday in class. This will allow us to keep track of your students reading progress.
Step 3 Once a student has completed a book, they will give you the Book Talk Sheet and you will use this to have a meaningful discussion about the book with your student. This allows you and your student an opportunity to discuss the novel that they have read.
Step 4 When your student has completed the book-talk with you and has completed the Outside Reading write-up, please sign the bottom of the Book Talk Sheet and his or her write-up before it is turned in. Students will only receive credit for their pages with your signature which validates they have read this book.
Suggested Reading, 8th grade level
Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women.
Bagnold, Enid. National Velvet.
Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451.
Bunyan, John. The Pilgrim’s Progress.
Christopher, John. The White Mountains.
Cleaver, Vera. Where the Lilies Bloom.
Collier, James and Christopher. My Brother Sam Is Dead.
Cooper, James Fenimore. The Last of the Mohicans.
Cormier, Robert. The Chocolate War.
Defoe, Daniel. Robinson Crusoe.
Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol.
Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
Dumas, Alexander. The Count of Monte Cristo.
Eckert, Allan W. Incident At Hawk’s Hill.
Engdahl, Sylvia. Enchantress From the Stars.
Forbes, Esther. Johnny Tremain.
Forester, C.S. The Horatio Hornblower Series.
Frank, Anne. Diary of a Young Girl.
Frost, Robert. Poems.
George, Jean Craighead. Julie of the Wolves.
Hamilton, Virginia. M.C. Higgins the Great.
Hautzig, Esther. The Endless Steppe.
Hilton, James. Goodbye, Mr. Chips.
Hinton, S.E. The Outsiders.
Hugo, Victor. The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Hunt, Irene. Across Five Aprils.
Hunter, Mollie. A Stranger Came Ashore.
Irving, Washington. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
Keith, Harold. Rifles for Watie.
Keller, Helen. Story of My Life.
Kipling, Rudyard. Kim.
LeGuin, Ursula K. A Wizard of Earthsea.
L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time.
Lester, Julius. To Be a Slave.
London, Jack. Call of the Wild.
Malory, Sir Thomas. Le Morte d’Arthur.
Mazer, Harry. The Last Mission.
McCaffrey, Anne. Dragonsong.
O’Dell, Scott. Island of the Blue Dolphins.
O’Hara, Mary. My Friend Flicka.
Paterson, Katherine. Jacob Have I Loved.
Peck, Richard. The Ghost Belonged To Me.
Peck, Robert Newton. A Day No Pigs Would
Die.
Pyle, Howard. The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.
Rawlings, Marjorie Kinnan. The Yearling.
Rawls, Wilson. Where the Red Fern Grows.
Reiss, Johanna. The Upstairs Room.
Saint-Exupéry, Antoine de. The Little Prince.
Schaefer, Jack. Shane.
Scott, Sir Walter. Ivanhoe.
Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein.
Smith, Betty. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Sperry, Armstrong. Call It Courage.
Steinbeck, John. The Red Pony.
Stevenson, Robert Louis. Treasure Island.
Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry.
Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit.
Twain, Mark. Adventures of Tom Sawyer.
Uchida, Yoshiko. Journey to Topaz.
Verne, Jules. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
Webster, Jean. Daddy Long Legs.
Wells, H.G. War of the Worlds.
Wilder, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey.
Yates, Elizabeth. Amos Fortune, Free Man.
Yep, Laurence. Dragonwings.
Zindel, Paul. The Pigman.