Lorraine Jean Hopping's Blog, page 5
August 8, 2012
A Top 17 List: Sixth Graders Read, Rank 1,752 Books
When you want to know what books kids like, ask some kids, right?
This past school year, I did more than ask. We listed, tallied, and ranked all the books everyone in the class read from September to May. The results, listed below, surprised me a bit in terms of which books kids choose to pick up.
First, the raw data. Last year was impressive: 85 students read 1,752 books. One young lady accounted for 119 of those titles! Of the top 10 readers, four were boys.
To compile the data, I asked the 85 sixth graders to rank their 10 favorite books from the titles they read, from 1 (top choice) to 10. Some students had only read seven books (the minimum required by my Book Buddies incentive program), so I told them to add three titles they enjoyed in fifth grade.
We awarded a book one point for each time it appeared on someone�s top 10 list. If a book appeared as one of the top three on a list, we gave it two bonus points.
The students insisted on being able to list a whole series, instead of one book, as a choice. So, just like the individual titles, I awarded points for a series mention and created a mixed list�single titles and series.
I now present you the finalists in order of popularity. I�d be curious to hear from other sixth grade teachers how our list compares to yours and from sixth graders about their thoughts on the list.
This past school year, I did more than ask. We listed, tallied, and ranked all the books everyone in the class read from September to May. The results, listed below, surprised me a bit in terms of which books kids choose to pick up.
First, the raw data. Last year was impressive: 85 students read 1,752 books. One young lady accounted for 119 of those titles! Of the top 10 readers, four were boys.
To compile the data, I asked the 85 sixth graders to rank their 10 favorite books from the titles they read, from 1 (top choice) to 10. Some students had only read seven books (the minimum required by my Book Buddies incentive program), so I told them to add three titles they enjoyed in fifth grade.
We awarded a book one point for each time it appeared on someone�s top 10 list. If a book appeared as one of the top three on a list, we gave it two bonus points.
The students insisted on being able to list a whole series, instead of one book, as a choice. So, just like the individual titles, I awarded points for a series mention and created a mixed list�single titles and series.
I now present you the finalists in order of popularity. I�d be curious to hear from other sixth grade teachers how our list compares to yours and from sixth graders about their thoughts on the list.
December 28, 2011
The Yankee Book Swap Game!
How to exchange classroom gifts any time of year without spending a penny!
My students wanted to exchange gifts this Christmas, but I didn
My students wanted to exchange gifts this Christmas, but I didn
September 11, 2011
How to Speed Date a Book
Okay, that's a squirmy title for a middle grade reading blog, but after having lunch with a friend who speed dates, I decided it was the perfect description of what I do on my first day of literature class.
I begin with a declaration:
I begin with a declaration:
Would You Speed Date a Book?
Okay, that's a squirmy title for a middle grade reading blog, but after having lunch with a friend who speed dates, I decided it was the perfect description of what I do in my first week of literature class.
I begin with a declaration:
I begin with a declaration:
August 28, 2011
My All-Star Read-Aloud Lineup to Start the School Year
A teacher friend who is switching grades this year asked me about good read-aloud books for middle grades. I
August 20, 2011
August 13, 2011
Hooked on History: Going for the Small Story
I am a die-hard history fan
August 8, 2011
Icefall, by Matthew Kirby
My Dad sure can tell a story! We
August 5, 2011
The Cardturner, by Louis Sachar
When I heard about THE CARDTURNER: A NOVEL ABOUT A KING, A QUEEN, AND A JOKER, the new book by Louis Sachar (Holes, There
The Clockwork Three, by Matthew J. Kirby
Wow! Wow! Wow! This is the debut novel of Matthew Kirby and Wow! (I say again) it is terrific. It reminds me of so many stories, and yet the plot is unique. (My sister Lorraine passed along an ARC of Kirby's next book,
Icefall
, which I like even more; review coming soon.)
Three characters, Giuseppe, Hannah, and Frederick all live in a bustling, late-1800s port city bordered by McCauley Park, an area that has never been developed. Parts of the park are so wild that cougars still live there.
Each of the three characters needs something, and they can't achieve their goals without helping each other. Giuseppe (joo-SEP-ee) is a street musician who longs to return home to Italy. Fredrick is an apprentice clockmaker who wants to make journeyman (a step above apprentice) by creating the most amazing clockwork man (a type of automaton) the world has seen. Hannah has had to quit school to support her family as a maid in a fancy hotel. Her father is seriously ill, and she desperately needs money for the medicine to help him.
Three characters, Giuseppe, Hannah, and Frederick all live in a bustling, late-1800s port city bordered by McCauley Park, an area that has never been developed. Parts of the park are so wild that cougars still live there.
Each of the three characters needs something, and they can't achieve their goals without helping each other. Giuseppe (joo-SEP-ee) is a street musician who longs to return home to Italy. Fredrick is an apprentice clockmaker who wants to make journeyman (a step above apprentice) by creating the most amazing clockwork man (a type of automaton) the world has seen. Hannah has had to quit school to support her family as a maid in a fancy hotel. Her father is seriously ill, and she desperately needs money for the medicine to help him.
