The Daily CAFE Discussion Board

Keeping Track of Books Read and Book Logs

bjlinne 2014-10-05 23:23:39 UTC #1

This is my first year implementing Daily 5 in my second grade classroom. I'm finding that I have a lot of good readers in my class and a lot of them are reading chapter books. Should I have my students keep track of books they're reading? I'm also noticing that a lot of them are choosing books based on the series (for example- Diary of a Wimpy Kid) because they've seen the movie and when they put it in their book box to read, they don't necessarily start at the beginning and read the book all the way through. When I see this, I encourage them to start at the beginning of the book but I'm worried that they're not starting books and reading them all the way through. Should I have them log their books so I can see what they're reading? Should I have them do some sort of book report or book talk so I can tell if they're reading a book all the way through? Thank you for any guidance!

spin606 2014-10-20 00:36:50 UTC #2

I used to worry about that too until I realized that they were reading some books the same way I did! Old familiar stories that I loved and re-read are often started at "a good part" or maybe the "sad part" if that's what I'm in the mood for. My children at home think it's weird but many of my own reading "buddies" report the same habits. As long as that is not the ONLY kind of reading they are doing I wouldn't worry.
As far as the book reports/logs etc. I've gotten away from those because they take away precious seconds/minutes of actual reading time. As soon as my students are reading independently for our target time I will be reading with them and assessing their understanding of the books they are reading as well as taking a peek in their book boxes (could talk to them during "shopping" periods too.
BTW - they will not be reading their non-fiction from cover to cover for a variety of reasons - that might make a great lesson/discussion/exploration "How to Read a Book" (also the title of an old but very interesting book on the subject that my brother borrowed and never returned)
Steph:)