Independent Reading

IR FAQs

Short answer: Pretty much whatever you want.
Long answer: Books that are at your reading level, of your choosing, that you read on your own. You can read any mix of fiction or nonfiction. You can read books by the same author all year, or only read biographies of US Presidents. You goal is to be consistently reading throughout the school year.
Magazines, newspapers, reference texts, blogs, textbooks, online fan fiction, etc are all great reading options, but do not count for independent reading and should not be read during in-class SSR.
Similarly, we will not be logging books like Big Nate, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dog Man, Captain Underpants, Bad Guys, etc. While these are all super fun books, their content does not have enough "meat" for the types of analysis activities students will be expected to do with their independent reading books.
If you need book suggestions, I am happy to help!

Sure, graphic novels are awesome! But if you are only reading graphic novels, I might have to impose stricter reading guidelines. When you log a graphic novel on your reading log, it counts as 1/3 the total number of pages in the book (ex: if your graphic novel is 150 pages long, you will log it as 50 pages).

Yep. You can find the total number of pages for your reading log by looking up your book on GoodReads or Amazon. Do not use the number of "pages" listed in the e-book, they are not the same as the number of pages in the physical book.

You will set a reading goal, based on your personal reading data, at the beginning of each quarter, and you will receive a grade on your progress toward meeting that goal.
You will also be graded on one book project each quarter.
I will also periodically ask you to journal about your book, talk about your book with classmates, or complete activities about the plot, characters, or other elements of your book.

I do not assign daily homework. I expect you to work hard and complete your work during class time. In return, I ask that you commit to doing your independent reading and completing your book talks and reviews at home.
I will give you at least 30 minutes of reading time in class per week (often more). I also ask that you read for 15-20 minutes every school night (5x a week). You might also choose to read during Plus period, depending on what your Plus teacher has planned.
You will need to complete a minimum of 100 minutes of independent reading each week, in and out of the classroom, in order to meet your independent reading goal.