Personally I think it has its place in the middle school classroom as well.
How I run my {THR}...
My students to pick a book or magazine of their choice (I mean, that's how it works in the real world...I don't cuddle up to a text book at night) to read for at least 30 minutes.
After reading each night they have to complete part of the weekly assignment sheet (not how it works in the real world. I needed some accountability and connection building for the kiddos though) The sheet typically corresponds with what we are doing in class for the week. For example, if we are learning about story elements, the students may have to fill out a plot diagram using textual evidence as support.
If they chose to unplug from electronics one night, the parent signs and dates the TV and the student will get +5 on their THR grade. Bonus for their brain and grade!
At the end of the week the students & parents/guardians sign the THR.
The students run through my classroom door Friday morning waving their THRs in the air, super excited about their outstanding work! (Well...in my fantasy world they do this!)
For any student who completed all of the assignment (THR, Signatures, & corresponding sheet) their name is immediately* entered into the PRIZE PALACE....a HUGE deal in my classroom. At the end of class, after a huge drum roll, I draw a name out of the hat. That student gets a free THR pass for the next week.
*While they are working on their bell ringer, I quickly look through the THRs and put all of the 100s or 105s in a pile. I cut the prize palace coupons off, crumple them up, and put them in the prize hat. This allows me to keep the THR sheet to read over and comment on at a later date.
So now that you're all excited about doing THR in your middle school classroom you're probably wondering what my sheet looks like. No worries...I will share.
Here is a preview....
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| Sample Take Home Reading Sheet |
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