[[The 100 Book Club]] has been conceived as an [[alternative|Purpose of the 100 Book Club]] to the Accelerated Reader™ program for readers who read at or above their grade level. It is not required of those readers, nor do those readers necessarily have to "drop out" of AR™. Almost all of the 800+ books on [[The List]] have AR™ quizzes available for them, so if a student wants to continue working towards AR™ point goals, that's fine. However, passing an AR™ quiz is not sufficient evidence for adding a title to a student's [[list of titles read|Totalling the Titles]]. Only an approved [[book review|Book Reviews]] will add a title to the student's total.
Here are the book awards we used to start assembling [[The List]]:\n\n*[[ALA Notable Children's Books|http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/childrensnotable/notablecbooklist/currentnotable.htm]]\n*[[The Batchelder Award|http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/batchelderaward/batchelderaward.htm]]: given to a work originally published in another language and translated into English\n*//Book List// starred review\n*[[Georgia Children's Book Award|http://www.coe.uga.edu/gcba/]]: voted on by Georgia children from a list of 20 nominees\n*[[Horn Book Award|http://www.hbook.com/awards/bghb/]]: cosponsored by the //Boston Globe// and //Horn Book// magazine, a journal for librarians\n*//Horn Book// starred review\n*[[Coretta Scott King Medal|http://www.ala.org/ala/emiert/corettascottkingbookawards/winnersa/cskawardwinners.htm]]: honors African American authors and illustrators whose distinguished books promote an understanding and appreciation of the "American Dream."\n*[[The Newbery Medal|http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/newberymedal/newberymedal.htm]]: the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children\n*[[The Scott O'Dell Award|http://www.scottodell.com/odellaward.html]]: award for historical fiction\n*[[The Sibert Medal|http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/sibertmedal/Sibert_Medal.htm]]: given to the most distinguished informational book published in English the previous year\n
Through the use of their book reviews, our students' reading will be linked to reflection and to writing in ways that it is not currently. Students will be writing for a purpose. \n\nWe expect students’ responses to become more extensive and sophisticated as they become more comfortable with the reflective writing process.
...this little bit is a dead end, left over from when we were trying to use a blog instead of the Destiny book reviews...
The Destiny online catalog allows students to review books. Any student can review any book; students reviewing 100 Book Club books get credit for those reviews once they're approved.\n\nHere's an overview of the process:\n*The student reads the book.\n*The student logs in to the Destiny catalog and writes the review.\n*When the student hits Save, the review is submitted to Mr. Lyles.\n*If the review meets the 100 BC standards, Mr. Lyles approves it. If it doesn't, Mr. Lyles will write a note to the student explaining why he didn't accept it, in which case the student should write the review again.\n\nYou can download [[the review instructions|http://dalelyles.com/nx/book-review-instructions.pdf]] (pdf).\n\nIt is a good idea for students to write their book review first on the Book Review Draft Form and show it to Mr. Lyles before they spend the time typing it in. You can download [[the Book Review Draft Form|http://dalelyles.com/nx/book-review-draft-form.pdf]] (pdf).
Certainly. Just come to the school and we'll set you up on a computer.\n\nYou will need to know the title of the book your student has reviewed, because the catalog does not index who wrote reviews.
Not really. The "club" is simply a database keeping track of how many reviews your student has written. If he/she stops writing reviews, who's going to know it?
Absolutely. You can bring up the [[Destiny catalog|http://destinyweb/common/welcome.jsp?site=109]] on your home computer and follow [[the instructions|http://dalelyles.com/nx/book-review-instructions.pdf]] (pdf) from there.
Dale Lyles is the media specialist at Newnan Crossing. He has been at Newnan Crossing since 1997. Before that, he had been the media specialist at East Coweta High School since 1981. During the summer, he is the assistant program director for instruction for the [[Georgia Governor's Honors Program|http://www.valdosta.edu/ghp/]]
You can email Mr. Lyles at [[dale.lyles@cowetaschools.net|mailto:dale.lyles@cowetaschools.net]]
[[The 100 Book Club]]
No, not really.
The genres which are tagged in the online list are as follows:\n\n@@color:darkgreen;font-weight:bold;Fiction@@\n*adventure\n*animals\n*families\n*fantasy\n*folk tales\n*historical fiction\n*horror\n*humor\n*mystery\n*romance\n*school\n*science fiction\n*social issues\n\n@@color:darkgreen;font-weight:bold;~Non-Fiction@@\n*art & music\n*biography\n*history\n*poetry\n*science
To get started with this blank TiddlyWiki, you'll need to modify the following tiddlers:\n* SiteTitle & SiteSubtitle: The title and subtitle of the site, as shown above (after saving, they will also appear in the browser title bar)\n* MainMenu: The menu (usually on the left)\n* DefaultTiddlers: Contains the names of the tiddlers that you want to appear when the TiddlyWiki is opened\nYou'll also need to enter your username for signing your edits: <<option txtUserName>>
Write a review for a book from [[the list|The List]]. When Mr. Lyles checks the book reviews, he will automatically add your student to his database. He doesn't have to tell Mr. Lyles or fill out an explanation or "join up" or anything.
Well, it //is// [[The 100 Book Club]]...\n\nYour student should read for fun, and read as much as they can. Certainly they have a goal of 100 books, but whether they make it to that goal is largely irrelevant in the long run.
It costs you nothing.
The ''Junior Division'' subset of the [[The List]] was designed to give 2^^nd^^ and 3^^rd^^ graders the opportunity to get a headstart on their 100 books, but to prevent 4^^th^^ and 5^^th^^ graders from "coasting" when the whole purpose of the program is to provide a challenge for advanced readers. These books are cataloged in the media center's online catalog with the subject heading //100 Book Club—Junior Division//. They do not show up in the main //100 Book Club// subject heading.
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[[The 100 Book Club]]\n[[The List]]\n[[Questions]]\n
Newnan Crossing Elementary School has grades ~Pre-K through 5^^th^^. We are at 1267 Lower Fayetteville Road, Newnan, GA. Our media specialist, who is in charge of [[The 100 Book Club]], is [[Dale Lyles]].
This one is not actually a link to information. However, now you can learn about the //close// menu option.\n\nIf you move your mouse on top of this block of info, a little menu appears in the upper right corner. Click on //close// to make this one go away. Feel free to play with the other options as well.
Students who begin [[The 100 Book Club]] in 4^^th^^ or 5^^th^^ grade are not likely to have the time to read 100 books from [[The List]] before they leave Newnan Crossing.\n\nWe are proposing a couple of options:\n*As we start up the club, and for all future students who join us after 3^^rd^^ grade, we will accept any book for which a student has taken an AR™ Reading Practice Quiz and passed with an 80% or better. The student will not have to write blog posts for these books. We will simply "spot" the student those titles to start their list.\n*For our first generation of 100 ~BCers, we will reduce the number of books necessary to achieve the final goal.\n**This year's 5^^th^^ graders will read 25 books. This year's 4^^th^^ graders will read 50 books. In other words, they will read the number of books they would have read anyway had they started in 2^^nd^^ grade. These books are in addition to any previous AR™ quiz books we've spotted them.\n*For future students who join us in 4^^th^^ or 5^^th^^ grade, we will honor them for achieving whatever they achieve by the end of 5^^th^^ grade, but they won't receive the full 100-Book honors unless they read 100 books.
At present, the only reading challenge being presented to our advanced readers is the accumulation of [[Accelerated Reader™|Accelerated Reader]] points. This is not exactly a bad thing, but sometimes these students read quickly and in a shallow way in order to churn out as many points as they can in a competitive manner, either with their classmates or with themselves. We would do better to ask them to read reflectively and deliberately. [[The 100 Book Club]], besides encouraging our brightest students to tackle the goal of reading 100 books of [[unassailable quality and complexity|The List]], includes a reflective component missing from the AR™ experience in the form of [[writing book reviews|Book Reviews]] in our online [[Destiny catalog|http://destinyweb/common/welcome.jsp?site=109]].
If you have a question about [[The 100 Book Club]], email DaleLyles.\n\n''Parent Questions''\n*[[How can my student join the 100 Book Club?]]\n*[[Why do this and not AR™?]]\n*[[Why would my student want to do extra work?]]\n*[[Can my student work on reviews at home?]]\n*[[When would my student find time to do the reviews?]]\n*[[Does this club have after school meetings?]]\n*[[Should I help my student write the reviews?]]\n*[[Can I see my student's reviews?]]\n*[[What will I be expected to do?]]\n*[[How much does this cost?]]\n*[[How many books does my student have to read?]]\n*[[Can my student be kicked out of the club?]]\n*[[Will this program continue in middle school?]]\n\n''Student Questions''\n*
The reading levels of the books range from 2.5 to high school level, as gauged by the [[Accelerated Reader]] program's ATOS levels. Books below 4.0, or which have an ''E'' section call number, are in the [[Junior Division]] and are restricted to students in 2^^nd^^ or 3^^rd^^ grade.
Please resist the urge.\n\nWe encourage you to discuss your student's reading with him/her and to pose thought-provoking questions on your own, but since the student's book reviews are about his/her personal response to his/her reading, you wouldn't be doing your student any favors by doing the work for them.\n\nFeel free to help out with spelling or structural issues if you like!
Newnan Crossing's student reading community
The 100 Book Club
The 100 Book Club is a [[program|Purpose of the 100 Book Club]] for 2^^nd^^ through 5^^th^^ graders at [[Newnan Crossing Elementary School]]. Students who choose to participate work on reading 100 books from a [[list|The List]] of more than 700 books.\n\n//To get more information, start clicking on the @@color:blue;font-weight:bold; [[blue links|Not This One]]@@.//
*There are more than 800 books on the list.\n*The list is always growing.\n*The books selected for [[The 100 Book Club]] are either [[award winners|Awards]] of some kind (like the Newbery Award) or have received starred reviews in library journals. \n*There are enough different [[reading levels|Reading Levels]] and [[genres|Genres]] for everyone to have a lot of choice in their selection. \n*All books are cataloged in the media center's online catalog, accessible via a subject search for //100 Book Club// or //100 Book Club—[[Junior Division]]//.\n*You can see the complete list [[here|http://dalelyles.com/nx/the100bookclublist.htm]].
Students receive free t-shirts proclaiming their accomplishment at the 25, 50, and 75 book level. On the back, we'll iron on a list of the books they've read.\n\nWhen they reach 100 books, --we'll set off fireworks-- they receive a t-shirt, a hat, and a mug. Their parents will receive a bumper sticker and bragging rights.
#Students begin in the 2^^nd^^ or 3^^rd^^ grade reading in the [[Junior Division]] of [[The List]]. 4^^th^^ and 5^^th^^ graders read from the regular list. (For students who join after 3^^rd^^ grade, there are [[other options|Other Options]].)\n#Students can choose a book by looking it up in the online catalog, or by checking the online list.\n##Checking the online list is usually a better choice, because students can filter their choices by author or genre, or check what other students are reading.\n#Students read the book and write about their reading by writing a [[book review|Book Reviews]] in the [[Destiny online catalog|http://destinyweb/common/welcome.jsp?site=109]].\n##When finished with the book, students finish their blog post on the book.\n##Mr. Lyles approves the book as //read// and adds it to the student's ''Books Read'' list.\n##If the book review is superficial, i.e., not indicative of the student's having read the book, Mr. Lyles not accept the book review and will post a comment suggesting ways the student can improve the post. The student may then rewrite the book review.
After the student has written a suitable book review about their reading experience, [[Mr. Lyles|Dale Lyles]] adds the title to the student's record in his database.
Support your student in his/her reading. Resist the urge to push harder. Inquire about whatever they're reading now. Ask what's on their "To Read" list.
This is a legitimate concern. Most students of 100 Book Club caliber tend to have enough free time during the instructional day that this shouldn't be a problem, i.e., they finish their work early and would love to have something to do, especially if that //something// is going to the media center to work on a book review.\n\nAlso, the media center is open every morning at 7:30 and every afternoon until 3:30. Afternoons are problematic, of course, but homeroom teachers are usually willing to allow students to come to the media center in the morning.\n\nAnd you can always [[work on them at home|Can my student work on reviews at home?]].\n
Your student can actually do both. If he's read the book and wants to take the AR™ quiz, that's fine. An AR™ quiz is not time-consuming.\n\nIn fact, your student's AR™ status will actually be improved by participation in [[The 100 Book Club]], since these books are always worth more points than the books they've been reading.\n\nHowever, if your student is tired of jumping through the AR™ hoop, we'll support that as well. The 100 Book hoop is high enough!\n\nAlso, see the question about [[extra work|Why would my student want to do extra work?]].
Good question. \n\nStudents appreciate and respond to rigor in their environment. In //Teaching What Matters Most//, Richard W. Strong defines rigor as "the goal of helping students develop the capacity to understand content that is //complex, ambiguous, provocative, and personally or emotionally challenging//." This means a rich, complex learning environment with intellectual puzzles which are not solved at first glance.\n\nAccelerated Reader™ is not rigorous: the quizzes that students take on the books they read are based on simple //recall// skills, which is the lowest of the academic skills as outlined by educator [[Benjamin Bloom|http://www.coun.uvic.ca/learn/program/hndouts/bloom.html]]. [[The 100 Book Club]] is designed to provide students with the challenge of //analysis//, //synthesis//, and //evaluation//, all of the higher order thinking skills that we say we want our students to excel in.\n\nStrong also lists //thought// as one of the necessary teaching components. He asks, "To what extent are students encouraged to pose questions and use evidence and proof to substantiate their findings? To what extent are students given the opportunity to write and elaborate on what they have learned? To what extent do students think about their own learning in order to find gaps and improve as learners and thinkers?"\n\nThe book review component of The 100 Book Club will give your student just such opportunities, as he/she learns to communicate his/her thoughts about the books to an audience of his/her peers.\n\nYes, it is more work, but it is more //interesting// work. In addition, the practice your student will receive in perfecting his/her writing skills is worth the extra effort. Writing is thinking, and someone who can put their thoughts on paper (or computer screen!) is the single most valued kind of employee today. [[The book review process|Book Reviews]] is going to provide your student with individualized writing instruction from Mr. Lyles and the classroom teachers, and that is certainly worth it.
After we get our own program up and running, [[Mr. Lyles|Dale Lyles]] will invite other media specialists in the county to look into it as a model for setting up their own.\n\nBut no, there is no similar program in middle school at this time.