Independent Reading

Honors English 9

This assignment is meant to enhance students’ enjoyment and interest in reading independently. The purpose is to create a habit of reading to strengthen students’ literacy skills.

Why is reading important?

Reading is rewarding

Reading builds a mature vocabulary

Reading makes you a better writer

Reading is challenging, and being challenged is necessary

Reading makes you smarter

Reading prepares you for the world of work

Reading well is financially rewarding

Reading opens the door to college and beyond

Reading arms you against oppression

Kelly Gallagher, Reading Reasons, 2003

Requirements

●Teacher approval is required before you begin a book.

●You are responsible for reading one book each quarter.This book must be a minimum of 250 pages to receive full credit.

●Pages will not carry over to another quarter or semester.

●The novel must be new to you (not a re-read).

●The novel must be reading-level appropriate.

●Fiction and nonfiction stories are acceptable. Verse novels will count for half the number of pages (i.e. a 300 page verse novel will equal 150 pages).

●If you are considering a book that has been made into a movie, you must get teacher approval.

●You must bring your Independent Reading novel with you to class every Friday.

  • You must have your novel with you on SSR days (Fridays), but you can bring it every day in case you finish your work early. 

●To receive credit for your independent reading you will complete a Book Talk with me when you finish the book. Sign up to complete your Book Talk as soon as you finish the book. Book Talks take place during SSR on Fridays and before or after school by appointment.

*If you find a book you are truly interested in and it does NOT meet this criterion,

please see me!

You must have your book in class on Friday, October 7th for your first book check, whether you’ve purchased or borrowed from the library. This will be our first day of SSR—Sustained, Silent Reading—and you need to have something quality to read. Following this first book check, you will need to bring your book to class for SSR on FRIDAYS.

Books should be in class every Friday, even after you complete your book talk and reading requirement.

Reading Challenge

As an incentive for you to read even more than required,

you can choose to participate in a Reading Challenge.

Choose a type of book that fits the list of challenges and record the title, start and end date in the chart in your Writer’s Notebook. If you complete at least 2 challenges in a quarter, you will get a small prize and your name will be entered for a drawing at the end of the year. You can complete 2 new challenges each quarter for more small prizes and to get your name entered in the drawing more times. Books must be over 200 pages long to qualify for the challenge. These must be books you’ve never read before and cannot be books we read as a class.

Challenge Options:

  • A book published within the past year
  • A book published before you were born
  • A book on display at the library
  • A book suggested by family or a friend
  • A book on a banned book list
  • A book with a number in the title
  • A book with a blue cover
  • A book recommended by a teacher
  • A historical fiction book
  • A nonfiction book
  • A book with a one word title

Struggling to find a book?

  • Find a recommendation: did this book win an award; can a friend or family member recommend it? Books that have withstood the test of time have done so for a reason and may be a great read!
  • Companion novels: look for titles by a favorite author, in a favorite genre, a title that is a sequel in a series, etc.)
  • Look for a book with subject matter and a character with whom you can relate
  • Read the jacket
  • Cover illustration
  • Online review or description
  • Last resort – check with the teacher or the librarian