The Joy
of
Reading
Textbooks for Holt
Many times we teachers have heard people say, "I made it through high school and never read a book." How sad that those individuals had not experienced (at that point in their lives, at least) the joy of reading. With the use of STAR and Accelerated Reader, we are now able to match students with books on their ability levels and then test their comprehension on these books. With 2117 books/quiz choices in our library (click here to see the list on our SWJH website), we hope to foster a love of reading for all students.
By implementing our sustained reading program, we have provided our students with twenty minutes of reading time per day. The reading levels of those students who are reading their books daily have improved. for testing, students have been asked to read one book in their reading range and additional books from the same or lower reading levels with teacher discretion. Regular English students have been asked to accumulate 10 points minimum per 9 weeks with a total of four books. The percentage scores on the four books are averaged for one grade.
To help your child become a reader, you might want to try some of the following:
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Click on our website (swjh.springdaleschools.org) and help choose books in which your child might have an interest. The public library also has a copy of AR choices.
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Have your child read aloud to you or take turns reading to each other.
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Schedule a family reading night when the entire family has quiet time to read or even sharing time to discuss the various books being read by each family member.
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As a treat, buy your child a paperback book that he/she is interested in reading.
Test dates are always one week before the end of the quarter. Please encourage your student not to wait until the last day to test in case he/she doesn't score high enough and needs to read a second book.
While we are trying to encourage life-long readers, we need your enthusiasm for reading expressed to your child. Together, we can establish the joy of reading.
"Reading is to the mind
what exercise is to the body."
Richard Steele---The Tatler
Janet Cupit
English Dept.
