8Th Grade Reading Log New

Name: ______Class Period: ______Quarter: ____

8th Grade Independent Reading Log – Mrs. Suckow’s Classes

Research shows that reading even 5 minutes per day can help improve reading comprehension skills, vocabulary development, and overall academic achievement. Therefore, in this weekly assignment you will be required to read independently for a minimum of 45 minutes each week. This can be done in any increment you would like as long as the total is at least 45 minutes for the week. Each time you read, fill out the log attached. At the end of each week, answer the short questions included at the bottom of the page. A bonus question is also available.

Acceptable reading materials include:  Books (fiction or nonfiction) – be sure to identify the genre  Magazine, Newspaper, or Internet articles

What does NOT count:  Assigned reading for class (English or any other course)

Each Friday you will submit your reading sheet. When you finish a book, or start a new book, you will keep track on the organizer in your folder. These reading sheets will be a part of your binder quizzes throughout the year. Do NOT lose them!!!!

The vocabulary word of the week will be presented during our Energizers on Mondays. If you are absent, make sure you get the word of the week from a friend, or check Mrs. Suckow’s website for the word. We will periodically come back to these words in activities throughout the year. DIRECTIONS FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTIONS: Directions for Summary Question: Remember, a summary is not simply a list of events of facts from your reading. You must think about what you read, consider the main points and ideas, and formulate a response that gives a general account of the reading.

Example: Summary from The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan Percy, Annabeth and Grover journey deeper into the Underworld where they see more and more of the dead. They eventually meet Hades, and they ask him to return the master bolt – but it suddenly appears in Percy's backpack! It turns out that Hades had never taken the master bolt and his helm of darkness had been stolen too. The chapter ends with Percy having an idea about who really stole the master bolt and Percy, Annabeth and Grover using the pearls to escape the Underworld because the dead are hot on their heels.

Directions for Connection Question: Making a connection means relating something you read to a previous experience. This previous experience can be something that happened to you or someone you know (Text to Self), it can relate to some current event (Text to World), or it can remind you of something else you read (Text to Text).

Examples: Text to Self - When I read about Sam Gribley making a shelter for himself in My Side of the Mountain, I remembered when my cousins and I made a shelter in my Grandma’s woods. He made his shelter inside a living tree so he’d have a place to live. We made ours from a fallen tree and lots of sticks and branches so we’d have a place to play. I could picture Sam’s shelter in my mind as I was reading. Text to World or Text to Text- When I read in the newspaper about the stock market falling, it made me think about what I had learned in Social Studies about the Great Depression in 1929. A lot of people lost their savings and their jobs back then and I know the problem lasted for several years. I read that people are afraid of losing their retirement savings now and I hope this problem does not last as long this time like it did in the 1920’s and 1930’s.

BONUS – Directions for Discussion with an Adult Question: Discussing what we read requires us to think about the text in a new way. Sometime during the week, take a few minutes to tell an adult about what you are reading. You may want to fill them in on plot developments, the characters’ actions, or any other topic that is relevant to your reading. If you read an article or other nonfiction piece, ask the adult their opinion on the topic. *****Must be at least 5 sentences!!!!*****

Example: On Thursday I talked to my Uncle Tom about A Wrinkle in Time. He said that he read the book years ago but couldn’t remember the details. I told him that I have read the first 3 chapters and I am still not sure what a “tesseract” is, but I think it will be important to the story. Mentioning the “tesseract” seemed to help him remember the story, and he told me that I should keep reading to learn more. Name: ______Reading log Due: ______

Directions: In the log below, keep track of the time(s) you read during the week.

Date Title & Author of reading material Page Type of Time Numbers Reading/ Spent Completed Genre (Minutes)

Total Weekly Pages Completed: ______

Total Weekly Reading Minutes: ______

Answer these questions once at the end of each week- not necessarily for each separate reading encounter. Answer all questions in complete sentences. 1. Word of the Week ______Explain what the word means: ______Use the word in an original sentence:

Answer the following questions on the back of this log.

2. In a brief paragraph (3-5 sentences), summarize the main ideas of your reading this week.

3. In a brief paragraph (3-5 sentences), make a connection between the text and your outside experiences: Text to text, text to self, or text to world.

BONUS QUESTION: Discuss your reading with an adult. In at least 5 sentences, describe the conversation. Have the adult sign below:

I spoke with this student about his or her reading this week. ______