Aerobics of the Mind
What is it?
How many of you play a sport, such as football or baseball? How many of you play a musical instrument, such as piano or trumpet? How many of you take singing or dance lessons? How do you get better at any of these hobbies…PRACTICE! How does a baseball team get to play in the World Series? How does a football team get to play in the Super Bowl? PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Do you think these players become proficient at their sport by practicing 4 minutes a day? According to research performed by John Pikulski and David Cooper, the average 7th grade student reads 4 minutes a day independently. Aerobics of the Mind (exercising the mind) is a program to guide students to become proficient readers through practicing reading at their independent reading level and achieving the Georgia state standard of reading 25 books in one year.
“The Commission on Reading, based on its review of these studies, concluded,: ‘ Research also shows that the amount of reading done out of school is consistently related to gains in reading achievement.’ (Anderson et al., 1985, p.7). That same review suggested that there was extremely wide variability in the amount of independent reading that students did at home. However, it was determined that most students spent very little time reading at home. About half of the students read only for 4 minutes or less per day. Clearly there is substantial reason to try to increase the amount of reading that students do outside of school.” Pikulski, John J. and J. David Cooper. “Out of School Independent Reading.” Issues in Literacy Development. 1997. Houghton Mifflin Company. 30 March 2005 http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/res/literacy/in_read2.html.
The common sense notion that students who do a substantial amount of voluntary reading demonstrate a positive attitude toward reading is upheld in both qualitative and quantitative research (Long and Henderson 1973; Greaney 1980; Hepler and Hickman 1982; Greaney and Hegarty 1987; Reutzel and Hollingsworth 1991; Shapiro and White 1991; Mathewson 1994; Barbieri 1995; Short 1995). Students’ reading achievement has been shown to correlate with success in school and the amount of independent reading they do (Greaney 1980; Anderson, Fielding and Wilson 1988). This affirms the predictability of a success cycle: we become more proficient at what we practice (Cullinan 1992). Greaney, V., and M. Hegarty. 1987. Correlates of leisure-time reading. Journal of Research in Reading 10(February): 3–20.
Rationale for Aerobics of the Mind:
! Research
! That elusive motivation factor
So what do I need to do to reach a level of achievement?
READ! You should read at least for 30 minutes (one hour would be fabulous) every day you eat!
Level of Achievement / # of Pages Read / Book EquivalentWarm Up / 150 pages / 1 book
Beginning Techniques / 450 pages / 3 books
Heart Rate Rising / 900 pages (including 1 nonfiction book) / 6 books
Working Up a Sweat / 1800 pages (including 1 mystery book + a 2nd nonfiction book) / 12 books
Feeling the Challenge / 2700 pages (including 1 historical fiction + a 3rd nonfiction book) / 18 books
Georgia Mental Aerobics Award / 3750 (including an adventure book + a 4th nonfiction book) / 25 books
Each level of achievement = 1 ticket for weekly drawing to sit with 3 friends at lunch (who eat at the same time as you and have met at least the same reading goal as you) + recognition on Friday’s announcement + 1 bookmark indicating the level of achievement completed
Drawing for a Big Prize
Name: Name:
Homeroom Teacher: Sit w/ 3 friends at lunch who has met the same goal as you:
1.
2.
3.
What Research Tells Us about Independent Reading
“Children who frequently read for pleasure ‘will become adequate readers, acquire a larger vocabulary, develop the ability to understand and use complex grammatical constructions, develop a good writing style, and become good (but not necessarily perfect) spellers. Although free voluntary
reading alone will not ensure attainment of the highest levels of literacy, it will at least ensure an acceptable level.’” (qtd. On 189). Stommen, Linda Teran, and Barbara Fowles Mates. “Learning to Love Reading: Interviews with Older Children and Teens.” Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy 43:3 (November 2004): 188-199.
The amount of free reading done outside of school has consistently been found to relate to achievement in vocabulary, reading comprehension, verbal fluency, and general information. Students’ reading achievement correlates with success in school and the amount of independent reading they do (Anderson, Wilson, and Fielding 1988; Guthrie and Greaney 1991; Krashen 1993; Cunningham and Stanovich 1991; Stanovich and Cunningham 1993). Anderson, R. C., P. Wilson, and L. Fielding. 1988. Growth in reading and how children spend their time outside of school. Reading Research Quarterly 23: 285–303.
Suggested Timeline For Reading:
End of week 9 = a minimum of 7 books read
End of week 18 = a minimum of 12 books read
End of week 27 = a minimum of 20 books read
End of week 34 = a minimum of 25 books read
Accountability:
Reading must include genre from this list:
¨ At least 1 mystery
¨ At least 1 historical fiction
¨ At least 1 adventure
¨ At least 1 biography or autobiography
¨ At least 1 fantasy or science fiction
¨ 2 more nonfiction books, not counting the biography or the autobiography
Most educators are concerned about what students read because reading only light material does not automatically result in an ability to read advanced material. Hafner, Palmer, and Tullos (1986) found that better readers preferred complex fiction. In a large-scale study in fifteen countries, Thorndike (1973) found that for fourteen-year-olds, the types of reading that correlated best with reading comprehension were (1) humor, (2) history and biography, science fiction, myths, and legends, and (3) adventure and current events. By the end of secondary school, the pattern changed somewhat: students with the highest levels of reading comprehension read history, biography, technical science, philosophy, and religion. Mellon (1990) found similar reading tastes and habits among rural teens.
Hafner, L., B. Palmer, and S. Tullos. 1986. The differential reading interests of good and poor readers in the ninth grade. Reading Improvement 23: 39–42.
Students will be asked to increase their “training stimulus” by increasing their independent reading level (once mastery has been accomplished at the present level) and by reading a variety of genre throughout the year.
Daily Reading Log
“To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.”
Edmund Burke
Completion of a daily reading log is a requirement in addition to one of the following activities (which becomes a part of the scrapbook) for each book read:
Scrapbook Page Requirements
The following requirements are to be completed after you have finished reading each book.
! 80% or better on an Accelerated Reader Test (place a printout of the score in your scrapbook)
OR
! Completion of a PowerPoint Template (a printed copy is to be placed in your scrapbook) and emailed to me
OR
! Completion of the Compare and Contrast Handout (place in your scrapbook)
OR
! Completion of an Emotion Chart
OR
! At least 1 of the activities (for each book read) listed below for each genre
Mystery Activity
1. Name at least 2 examples of each of the following:
a. Alibi
b. Clue
c. Evidence
d. Red Herring
e. Suspects
2. Identify the mystery to be solved.
3. What was the main clue needed to solve this mystery?
4. What is the solution to the mystery?
Historical Fiction Activity
1. Explain 3 true events in history used in this book.
2. Explain 3 fictional events in history used in this book.
3. Explain the conflict in the plot.
4. Explain the resolution of the conflict.
Biography or Autobiography Activity
1. Describe how 2 people influenced this person (positive or negative)
2. Describe 3 struggles or challenges this person had to overcome.
3. Explain 5 good thoughts, accomplishments, &/or positive attributes
4. 10 interesting facts (not already mentioned)
5. Answer who, what, when, where, why, and how about this person
6. What is the author’s message to the reader?
General Genre Activity 1
For any type of genre read, you may choose from the following (place the finished assignment in your scrapbook):
Before reading the book, complete these sentences in your scrapbook. (5 points each)
1. The title of this book is ______and the author is ______.
2. I hope this book will be…
3. I predict that this book will be about….
At any time while reading your book, select and respond to 5 of the following prompts. Please restate the prompt/question in your answer and write the number of the prompt. (10 points each)
1. My favorite character right now in my reading is ______because… (Write at least 1 paragraph.)
2. I am surprised by ______in this book because…. (Write at least 1 paragraph.)
3. I predict that this book will end by … (Write at least 1 paragraph.)
4. Complete the compare/contrast handout comparing and contrasting the main character and you.
5. If you could write advice to the main character, what would it be?
6. Write the outgoing message the main character might leave on their answering machine. Then write several messages left by various characters in the book.
7. Write an interview with one of your characters, pretending to be a reporter covering some event in your book.
8. Where did the story take place? Describe the setting(s) in your own words. Find a place in the story where the author describes the setting and write the page number. Write a response explaining how this description helps the reader understand the story and characters. Explain how the story would be different if the setting were changed.
9. Find 3 conflicts that have taken place so far in your book. Tell what caused each and explain the effect it had on the characters.
10. Describe a feeling that the main character has in this book. What events have happened in his or her life to make him or her feel that way?
11. Would you bring the main character home for dinner? Explain the traits you discovered in this book that would make him or her a good dinner guest or why they would not make a good dinner guest.
12. Would you like to be best friends with the main character? Explain what traits you discovered in the book that would make him or her a great friend for you? If you wouldn’t choose this person to be your best friend, explain why and share the traits that would make a friendship with him or her difficult.
After you finish reading the book, respond to 2 of the following prompts in your scrapbook. Restate the prompt in your answer and list the number of the prompt. (15 points each)
1. Describe how the main character has changed during this story.
2. Create a detailed plot diagram for your book. Be sure to include: exposition, rising action, climax, conflict, falling action, resolution, and ending.
3. Write a script for a talk show (You chose the host.) on which the main character of your book is a guest. Write down the questions the host will ask and the character’s appropriate responses. Make sure the character gives reasons for his or her answers so I can see that you understand the character.
4. Complete the following table for 5 quotes from the book that you feel are good lessons.
Quote / Page Number and Paragraph Number / Lesson / Reason for selecting this quote / Explain why this quote is important to the understanding of the story.1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
5. Go on a pretend shopping spree! Look through catalogs, etc. and create a “Birthday Wish List” for the main character in your book. Explain why he or she would choose each of the gift on the list. Would you want similar items? Why or why not? How is your taste in gifts like or unlike the main character’s? Why?
6. Write a test for your novel. Write 10 multiple choice (with 4 choices in responses) questions which cover the beginning, middle, and end of the book. Write 3 essay questions (one from the beginning of the book, one from the middle of the book, and one from the end of the book. Please make sure you include an answer key.
7. Complete the emotion chart according to the example from The Outsiders and the directions that follow.
15
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2 *
1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8 *
9
10
In order to complete the Emotion Chart, students will need to:
1. After reading a chapter, write a one sentence summary (no more than 15 words) of the main idea of the chapter.
2. As students continue to read the novel, they are to continue writing a one-sentence summary after reading each chapter.
3. At the end of the book, select the 20 most important events in the entire book.
4. Put these events in chronological order, keeping in mind the author may have used flashback and/or foreshadowing in their writing techniques.