100 Book Challenge

 

 

  

100 Book Challenge

   At George Washington Elementary School, we implement the essential components of a balanced literacy program.  These include Reader's Workshop, Word Study/Vocabulary, and Conferencing. Our teachers follow best practices instruction by explicitly teaching reading skills and strategies through a variety of teaching methods while gradually releasing students to apply the skills and strategies on their own.  Teacher modeling, shared reading, read-alouds, small flexible reading groups, independent reading, and conferencing with students are just some examples of instructional techniques GWES teachers use during Reader's Workshop. 

     Independent reading is just one component of the Reader's Workshop and it is a time when students are able to apply the learning that they have been explicitly taught earlier during reading instruction.  GWES utilizes the 100 Book Challenge program to supplement our students' independent reading time. 

 

The 100 Book Challenge program brings many wonderful things to all of our students, such as a plethora of books to the classroom, the opportunity for students to have choices in the books that they are interested in reading, and most importantly, daily classroom time to enjoy the pleasures of reading in a warm, supportive environment. 

     The philosophy behind the 100 Book Challenge program is to build life-long readers who value reading internally.  The 100 Book Challenge program is not intended to be a competition in any way among students, teachers, parents, or the community. 

     Our students spend 30 minutes every day reading at school.  They then record their books on their log sheet (1 step/line for every 15 minutes of reading).  Students may log 2-4 steps/lines a day when they read at home for 30 min. to 1 hour (log ONE line for every 15 minutes of reading) and up to 12 steps/lines on weekends.  This program allows the students to be exposed to new information and vocabulary without becoming frustrated by the reading level.

Our students are experiencing reading that is "Fun, Fast, and Easy" at their independent reading level.

     There is a weekly goal/target that students strive to reach with their reading and that is 22 steps/lines each week.  100 Book Challenge is part of nightly homework for all GWES students.

It is a fact, the more your child reads, the more successful they will be in all subjects.