Thread: Reading logs

Mine are due every Monday and they have to be signed. It's an easy grade that they don't want to miss. that may not work for all classes, but it has worked for mine.

As a parent, I really dislike the reading log. My children read because they come from a home where EVERYONE reads. If I had to write down what I read and for how long, it would drive me nutso.

On the other hand, if I had to write a brief summary about what I read, with the freedom to interject my opinions here and there, I'd be quite likely to do that without any complaint at all. (Not to mention, that would require actual reading and not just staring at an open book for 20-30 minutes).

We offer a unit standard to our students where they have to read and review 6 books throughout the year. Here is the link: [url]http://www.nzqa.govt.nz/nqfdocs/units/doc/8808.doc[/url]
This is for our year 11 students, 15yo's. They are old enough and ugly enough to be able to read two books each term. It also counts as credits towards their NCEA certificate. I think it is a good thing to encourage reading but boy is it hard to get the books out of them

Originally Posted by Mathematical Mary

As a parent, I really dislike the reading log. My children read because they come from a home where EVERYONE reads. If I had to write down what I read and for how long, it would drive me nutso.

On the other hand, if I had to write a brief summary about what I read, with the freedom to interject my opinions here and there, I'd be quite likely to do that without any complaint at all. (Not to mention, that would require actual reading and not just staring at an open book for 20-30 minutes).

I would tend to agree with you, but not all families are like ours. While I admit that there are probably some who just stare at the book and parents sign anyway, the majority of mine don't. We do Readers Response in the classroom on Mondays and Thursday on what was read at home and we conference on Tuesday and Friday on their responses, so that takes care of some of the problem and gives us a chance to discuss the book.

When I taught primary grades, I used a reading log that included date, title, # of pages read, and parent initial.

I collected them weekly, and gave certificates monthly for those who met goals. Kids enjoyed it, and parents tolerated it because their kids were reading. Younger children seemed to enjoy hearing that BIG number of minutes for the month, after their nightly reading had been added up.

In middle school, here's what I do:

They have a Reading Journal, which includes a reading log. It's a 100 page spiral notebook. The first 5 pages are the reading log, and the rest are the journal.

In the reading log, they record title, author, genre, date started, date completed, and a rating. They are required to read 5 books a month; one of those may be non-fiction. They get to choose their own books, with the understanding that, if I think they are making inappropriate choices, their grade will be lowered and they will be required to get approval from me for future choices. I give them their lexile, and show them how to use the lexile database to check a book's lexile. While there is no requirement as to the level of book chosen, I do discuss with them the benefits of reading within range, and if an advanced reader is reading "magic tree house" books, for example, I'll require them to choose something within range.

Once a week, they must write a letter to someone about the book they are reading. They write the letter in their journal, using a friendly letter format. The letter must be at least a page long. It can share plot, character development, questions, and their reactions/responses. Half of the letters they write must be written to me. The other half can be written to anyone.

When they write a letter, they give their journal to the person they wrote to, and that person writes a letter responding, right in the journal. When I respond, my responses are positive, encourage them to think about their book differently, or more.

I collect the reading journals every two weeks and give a homework grade based on whether or not they've done all of their reading, written all of their letters, and how thoughtful the book discussions have been. I stagger their due dates, written on the inside cover of their journal, so that I'm never collecting more than 3 in one day. Their journals may be due on "the 1st and 3rd Monday" of the month, for example.

I also keep a reading log and journal. When I write a letter about a book I've read, it is a combination book talk, mini-lesson on elements of literature, and a model of personal reflection. I write at least one long letter a week, sometimes more, and pass it along for them to respond to. My reading journal is available in class for all to read, and I sometimes read letters and responses aloud.

This is a rather complicated, time-consuming process to set up, but runs smoothly after the first month or so. I wanted a way to make them accountable for reading outside of school that would be more motivating for them. Our new, mandated language arts adoption is good, but the reading is minimal. They MUST do more reading outside of class time. This is kind of like a reading workshop modified into homework instead of during class.

The parents don't sign the log; they sign the daily planner, which lists homework from all classes that day. There is an entry every day, M-F:

"Read for a minimum of 30 minutes; keep reading log/journal updated."

Originally Posted by wag

Mine are due every Monday and they have to be signed. It's an easy grade that they don't want to miss. that may not work for all classes, but it has worked for mine.

I would say the same beginning of the sentence with the opposite ending:
Mine are due every Monday and they have to be signed. It's an easy grade that THEY DON"T CARE TOO MUCH ABOUT. :lol:

My students are beginning English learners, though the more advanced EL teachers are having the same issue (or, more, acutally, mine will at least do what I tell them to do). Reading is slow and difficult for them. Even though I have a great selection of young adult fiction in Spanish and beginning reading books in English, many of them have limited schooling in their primary language, so reading is just not fun in any language. I do like the idea of me keeping a reading log and sharing it with them.

Right now my log is a piece of paper with four spaces for Mon-Thurs. Each night they record the title, author, etc, and write a one sentence summary of what they read. I'm getting some that say "Danny and the Dinosaur" and they read it every night for a week! Yeah, right. Or, this one is classic. I had a student reading the Judy Blume book "Blubber" in Spanish. The title in Spanish is "La Ballena" (The Whale). Her summaries say, "Whales are big and powerful animals." "Whales live in the ocean." etc. Apparently she couldn't even be bothered to look at the picture on the front!
The parents sign them.

I like hearing about your reading logs.
Do your students do Reading Counts or AR?

Flor wrote:

I like hearing about your reading logs.
Do your students do Reading Counts or AR?

My students do neither, although they've had AR up until they get to me.

If all parents would insist on their children reading at home, there would be little need for the teacher to try to be the parent at home. Reading logs are an attempt for the teacher to do something she cannot do: be the supervisor in the home. Unfortunately, there is not real way to do this, so reading logs often fall short of their intended purpose.

I don't think there's any way you can guarantee that the kids will actually do the reading, unless you quiz them on their books. Maybe try offering a reward for repeated reading, but have the parents sign off to verify that the reading was actually done?