Independent Reading Unit (Intro)

1/11/2019

click on poster for an enlarged image

As we begin this Independent Reading Unit, please remember that the "Bill of Rights" I have posted above certainly applies to you but that we do have an end goal for this unit. I want you to find a book that fits my rather loose parameters of a "work of literary merit," that you can finish reading by Tuesday, January 29th, but that also gives you pleasure as you read. Today's blog post is designed to help you plan for the end of unit assessment (TBA).

Cristina Hartmann

Still struggling to define "literary merit" and how to know if a book has merit? Well then, welcome to my world! This question has no single answer and can send you down a rabbit hole (what literary allusion did I just make?) if you try. I did find this interesting (even with all its typos and grammatical "oopsies" - I think she may have typed it on her phone as I often find some students do!!!) essay written by Cristina Hartmann on Medium. Read her piece for some commentary on this topic by clicking on her image to the left.

Step 1: By now you should have selected a novel from the library, my library, or your own shelves. You need to figure out how long it will take you to read in order to finish in time. To figure out how many pages you need to read a day, complete the calculation below.

Reading Speed Formula

Read a page. Time how long it takes in seconds (divide by 60) and, voilà, you now know how many minutes you take to read a page!
Count your book's pages, multiple by your page/minute speed, divide by 60 again and, voilà, you now know how many hours you will take to read your book!
Count how many days you have until you need to finish reading in order to give yourself time for the End of Unit Assessment (probably by Tuesday, January 29th) and so on and so forth!

I know that this seems like a ridiculous activity, but I am always surprised by how much more successful students are at reading, comprehending, and completing assignments when they know exactly how long it will take to complete the reading AND be able to finish all the tasks!

If you are interested in discovering how long you take to read literature of a variety of complexities, use the interactive calculator below.

click on the image above to go to www.myreadspeed.com

Step 2: Respond to this blog post, using your own name-no pen names this time, by:

listing the title and author of your selected novel (remember, you can always change the book, but not the due date!),
stating in a brief paragraph why you selected it,
and completing this blog response by 11:59 pm on Monday, 1/14!

Step 3: Start reading!!! You will be posting updates and responding through this blog about your understanding, interesting thoughts, progress, etc. every Friday.

*I am expecting you to keep your selected novel with you at all times. This is the best way to finish your novel ahead of your own schedule. Whenever you have a free moment, you should take your book out to read a page or two. You will be surprised at how much reading you can accomplish if you always keep it at hand to read at these odd moments! As an incentive, I will randomly reward students I "catch" reading with treats. Don't be surprised if I pop into one of your classes to see if you have your book on your person!

Olivia Merza

1/13/2019 01:46:52 pm

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
I selected this novel because it is a famous novel I have been interested in reading for a while. I also thought it would be a good idea to read it because I figured it would come p again in my life, especially since it is a classic, so I figured it would be a great idea to read it while I am in high school. I also felt like reading a romantic novel for a change.

Jemmea Jean-Gilles

1/13/2019 03:24:20 pm

I chose to read Great Expectations by Charles Dickens because I've heard a lot about Dickens' novels in general and I think reading a book written in the 1800s will help me on the AP exam.

Diana Lemos

1/13/2019 03:31:10 pm

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
I selected this book because it seems to be really popular and it will most likely help me on the AP test. I have always heard people talking about the book and have even read books/articles that made references to this book, so I wanted to read it for myself. I also thought that the plot seemed interesting since it was set in a dystopian future.

ivor Valdivia

1/13/2019 09:22:54 pm

Silence by shusaku Endo
I chose this book because the premise seems highly intriguing. I researched the author and found that he is very well received in the East, giving me hope that the book will be of high quality. The motion picture is also directed by Martin Scorsese and I love Scorsese.

Adesola Bamigbaiye

1/13/2019 10:15:43 pm

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang
I chose this book because I hadn't read a fantasy book in a long time and wanted to see if it still held the same weight it used to. The plot also seemed interesting and it made me want to find out what happens next. I mean, the kid was raised by wolves!

Adesola Bamigbaiye

1/13/2019 10:17:41 pm

I also chose it because it's written from a unique perspective, allowing readers to see things we wouldn't have seen otherwise.

Micelda Lott

1/13/2019 11:37:03 pm

Dracula by Bram Stoker.
This was because of the high influence Dracula has on the image of vampires today and really helps with allusions and deeper meanings to symbols in other books.

Julia Andrews

1/14/2019 09:11:12 pm

Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward
I chose to read this book because of the reputation it holds as well as the writing style used. It seems very casual and personable which makes it easier to relate to. Also, after being interested in another book by this author but hearing that this one was even better, I chose this one.

Alyssa John

1/14/2019 09:54:39 pm

I chose to read I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak. I choose to read it when it was recommended to me by Ms.Williams. I read the back cover of the book and was intrigued by the short summary of the plot. I also wanted to read a book that I've never heard of so I could read it without any outside influence.

Alex santana

1/15/2019 01:13:41 am

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
I choose to read this book since it takes place in a post apocalyptic time period. I am very fascinated by books like this because there are a vast majority of different type of apocalypse events that occur such as, zombies,climate change, economy crash, and ext. I also saw that it Was awarded the National Book Awad Finalist so I thought it would be a fantastic book of literary merit.

Shameer Khan

1/17/2019 05:39:36 pm

THE HATE YOU GIVE (THUG)
Angie Thomas

The reason I chose this book was racism. Looking back at the old days we have seen how racism was the most powerful force but over tome people stood up and fought back and fragmented it into different pieces, but still it hasn't left us. This book is all about how racism can leave the victim PTSD and how each story differs from one another.

Liv Lam

1/21/2019 10:28:24 pm

In The Woods by Tana French
I chose to read this novel because it is a suspenseful story that addresses how humans are capable of such terrible actions and how history repeats when change is not made. It was also awarded the Edgar Award, so I thought it would be a good mystery book with literary merit.

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