Somerset Academy Silver Palms Elementary K-8



What is the Million Word Challenge? The Million Word Challenge is an exciting initiative that will really get you reading. YOU choose the books that you read. YOU choose the genre. Studies show that the number of words that students read in a year correlates with academic success. Students who read about a million words in a year fall around the 60th percentile. Students in the 98th percentile typically read about five million words each year. Now, I know that a million words sounds like a lot for one school year, but it is only about 20 – 25 chapter books. That’s easy peasy.43510201333500The Bulletin BoardIf you are up for the challenge, we will take your picture with your word count (I will attach the word count document) and we will post it on our class bulletin board. I will laminate the pictures so that as you read, I can update your word count. This makes for exciting competition as readers compete to read the most words. What Can Students Read? The short answer: anything and everything! Of course, you can read books from the local library, your own collections, or borrow from family or friends. I keep many books in my classroom which you can access when we return to the building. There are also many free pdfs books which you can access online. Important: The really beautiful thing about this challenge is that it frees you from having to read from a particular level or Lexile, or a certain number of pages, or a certain genre… After reading, there are no summaries, no quizzes or worksheets. The goal of this project is for you to simply read. The ultimate goal of assigning reading is to create readers. I intentionally have as few limitations as possible for you. If you’re concerned about accountability, there are ways to keep tabs on students to keep them honest, but the whole project begins with trust—and that is communicated very clearly to students. If you read and are honest about your word counts, you don’t have to worry about any of the extra “work” that normally comes with independent reading. (Believe me, most students are willing to agree to those terms!)When Should Students Read? I encourage students to find a time during their weekly schedule that works for them – before school during homeroom, on the bus, before bed, etc. However, you can also use the study time during my class period to read. This enables me to see what students are reading (and notice any suspicious word count submissions!) In every class we will have whole group instruction and we will also have quiet work time where you can discuss things with me or just read independently. You can apply your novel study books to your word count.How Do Students (and me) Keep Track of the Words? I have created a Google Form online that I keep linked on my website and on Google Classrooms. For each book students read, they fill out their name, title of the book, and word count, along with 1-5 recommendation score. It only takes a few seconds to complete, but it allows me to check for any unusual activity and keep ongoing records of all students’ words in one place. (Note: It’s easy to create a Staff/Faculty version of this form, too!) *It is really important that their first name is a separate line from their last name. This makes it really easy to sort through responses in Google Sheets:What are the Million Word Challenge goals? Each quarter I assign a target: Quarter 1 – 250,000 wordsQuarter 2 – 500,000 wordsQuarter 3 – 750,000 wordsQuarter 4 – 1,000,000 words Remember: Every student is capable of meeting these goals, but it won’t always be easy. Good Luck and Get Reading! ................
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