Independent Reading and Literature in Grade 7
Dear Grade 7 Parents and Students,
I am excited to begin working with students again to help them develop as curious readers and engaged writers. The course description provides an overview of what we do in 7th grade English. This document provides the rationale and details for our year-long reading program.
In these first weeks, Grade 7 students in English will be introduced to our reading program. To ensure we are all working together, I want to share some important information regarding our courses emphasis on reading.
Our goal is to nurture and develop student interest in reading by guiding students to engage in books of their own choice.
It is a commonly held and well-documented belief that students who read for pleasure are, as a whole, more successful in school and develop positive reading habits later in life. To encourage this habit, I am asking students to:
Taking student workload in and outside of school into consideration, I have worked to cut down on unnecessary homework in order to give them the time they need at home to pursue their own reading passions. Here is where parents can play a role.
I ask for your help and support to make sure your sons and daughters are making an effort to read at night. I encourage you to have discussions with them about what they’re reading, make recommendations, or just chat about what you like to read. We welcome any feedback you might have related to making their experience better.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have questions.
Sincerely,
Katherine Mustard
I am excited to begin working with students again to help them develop as curious readers and engaged writers. The course description provides an overview of what we do in 7th grade English. This document provides the rationale and details for our year-long reading program.
In these first weeks, Grade 7 students in English will be introduced to our reading program. To ensure we are all working together, I want to share some important information regarding our courses emphasis on reading.
Our goal is to nurture and develop student interest in reading by guiding students to engage in books of their own choice.
It is a commonly held and well-documented belief that students who read for pleasure are, as a whole, more successful in school and develop positive reading habits later in life. To encourage this habit, I am asking students to:
- Read for at least one hour per week. During most weeks, time will be provided in class. Ideally, students should be reading for one hour at home as well, for a total of two hours per week.
- Journal twice per month. Each student will journal with me (Ms. Mustard) through his/her journal “letters”. Journals are meant to be an outlet for students to informally pose questions about their texts, make recommendations or engage in a dialogue about reading with a teacher in a more comfortable setting. Students must submit their journal on the assigned due date.
- Meet twice per month. During weeks where students are not journaling, they will meet in groups during class time to discuss their texts, complete tasks, and share what they have been reading with peers.
Taking student workload in and outside of school into consideration, I have worked to cut down on unnecessary homework in order to give them the time they need at home to pursue their own reading passions. Here is where parents can play a role.
I ask for your help and support to make sure your sons and daughters are making an effort to read at night. I encourage you to have discussions with them about what they’re reading, make recommendations, or just chat about what you like to read. We welcome any feedback you might have related to making their experience better.
Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have questions.
Sincerely,
Katherine Mustard