Classroom Library Letter

September, 2014

To grow as a reader, one must read. This holds true for avid readers as well as reluctant readers. With this in mind, the goal is for your son or daughter to read 40 books this year. For the average student, this translates to 40 minutes of reading every day.  We will work to motivate your child to read across genres as well as for pleasure.  Your son or daughter will have the opportunity to select his or her own books to read independently.

To help your child reach the goal of reading 40 books this year, we will provide a selection of books to borrow from the classroom library. It is available to any student who wants to choose a book to read independently.  (This is not the only place to get books.  You can certainly help by bringing your child to the public library and/or a local bookstore.)  Readers who have access to an e-reader may also choose this option.  Research shows that availability of books is a major motivating factor in getting children to read. Students who are surrounded by books at school and at home read more. Students who read more will read better. We have found that having our own classroom library has dramatically increased the amount of reading that students do.

We want you to know that we are sensitive to having appropriate reading material in our classroom library. That said, what is considered appropriate may vary from one parent to another.  Please be aware that the selections in our classroom library, just like any public library, have a broad range for both interest and readability. As a parent, we ask you to remain aware of the books your child will read throughout this school year and assist in gauging appropriateness.

Rest assured the books in our classroom library are never assigned. The books are chosen by your child, so there can certainly be other choices if you are not satisfied with any book.  Please help your child with choosing alternate books if you want him or her to not read a chosen title.

Also, please help remind your child to return any borrowed books.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact either of us.

Sincerely,

                                       

Crossroads Middle School Language Arts Staff