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How many books would you think you could read over the summer...if you had the summer off like the kids do? 10? 15?
Jaden got his summer reading list from school and he is required to read 2 books for the summer. 1 fiction and one non-fiction. Now, I know that is the assignment and that he can do more...but it just irks me that the bar is SO LOW right now.
So, I told Jaden he was going to read ALL the books on the schools list that the kids had to choose from...He promptly said no way and then went on to count how many were listed...it was 65, I think. Ok, so 65 books over the summer was a bit aggressive, so, I have backed off of that target and decided that I would approach it in a slightly different way.
If Jaden and Jacob only read 2 books this summer (actually from now through the end of summer...which gives them an extra 2 weeks...), that is fine. That is their choice. But, if they read 5 books they get prize level 1. 11 books is prize level 2. 18 books is prize level 3 and 26 books is prize level 4. 26 books for the summer is my goal for them. However, I am helping them choose the books and they have to write up a small report or summary on each one to prove they are comprehending it. They also have to mix some non-fiction in with the fiction stories as well.
I refuse to give them a low goal. It is going to be hard for them to make level 4. I don't want to discourage them, but I don't want them to not realize that they can do things with some hard work either. We have put a big carrot in front of them if they can make level 4...an iPod Touch...but it will be hard work to get there. I have Great Expectations of them.
Now we will encourage and support them to get there. I will give some updates as we go over the next couple of months.
