Weekly Reading Logs

Have you ever struggled with trying to get a Middle School student to read outside of school?  If so, you know what I have struggled with for the past several years.   One solution I have come up with/borrowed/edited from other fabulous educators is my Weekly Reading Log.  This log is due every Thursday without fail.  Students are expected to read 100 minutes a week and complete a writing activity to go along with this log.  While I'm not convinced every single student is being 100% honest on these logs, I am convinced that more reading is happening outside of school.  Their test scores have improved and we have more conversation about reading than before I started these logs.  To use my form click the link below!

Weekly Reading Log

Heart Maps

At the beginning of he school year we made "heart maps" that illustrated the things that were most important to us.  The kids were given a large heart shape (I printed them on different colors of paper).  Then I gave them a sheet called "Heart Mapping" by Georgia Heard.

Here are some of the exemplary heart maps:

I Have A Bagillion Books. Now What?

One of my first steps to getting organized: Classroom Organizer.

This is an amazing...and don't forget FREE....online cataloging resource for classroom libraries. I was using librarything.com, which is great for inventory purposes, but Classroom Organizer allows me to log the books, lexile, reading level, page number, and so much more. It also lets me create student accounts so that my students can check out books themselves. When they return the book, they can rate the book, leave a review, and comment on the condition of the book!

Completely Incredible!

AND! I can scan the barcodes with my phone to import the books into the system! AMAZING!

Literature Circle Roles