Independent Reading is one of those practices about which the 6th Grade teaching team is very intentional. Coming from the Rooster Games in 5th grade and Battle of the Books in 4th grade the newly minted 6th-grade students are readily engaged in a nearly year-long reading challenge that is Rhode Island themed in its title "Quahog Cup" and its very RI team names which include the Delsers, the Donut Cakes, and the Bubblas! This was our 2nd annual QCup challenge based on a curated list of books with contributions from each of the team teachers and me. With booktalks and lists of ideas established at the beginning of the school year, 6th graders are "required" to read ten of the books and are encouraged to read all twenty-five! The genres include fantasy and science fiction with a bit of dystopia thrown in, graphics and blended novels; visual storytelling to engage the reader, historical fiction, and realistic fiction. Some are sports themed, magical and a bit scary; something for everyone. This spring on April 11th the 6th graders traveled to the farm after having met with their mixed homeroom groups and making team-themed name tags. The Delser's were, needless to say, shaped like lemons. The activities included geography, locating where the story takes place on a map, identifying first lines, artifact creation, trophy design and a breakout challenge with padlocks and all! There was a high level of engagement especially as we used some of the FlipGrid responses the students recorded as part of the breakout challenge as well as a chance to share favorite books with the teams! At the end of the challenge rotations, the 6th graders were treated to donut cake (of course) and were ready for the 4th Quarter Book Club choices soon to follow. One parent asked if there was a 7th-grade independent reading challenge! The Rhode Island Middle School Book Award Nominees for 2020 may be a great place to start! Here's a sneak peek at next year's Quahog Cup list for sy1920.
Independent Reading is one of those practices about which the 6th Grade teaching team is very intentional. Coming from the Rooster Games in 5th grade and Battle of the Books in 4th grade the newly minted 6th-grade students are readily engaged in a nearly year-long reading challenge that is Rhode Island themed in its title "Quahog Cup" and its very RI team names which include the Delsers, the Donut Cakes, and the Bubblas! This was our 2nd annual QCup challenge based on a curated list of books with contributions from each of the team teachers and me. With booktalks and lists of ideas established at the beginning of the school year, 6th graders are "required" to read ten of the books and are encouraged to read all twenty-five! The genres include fantasy and science fiction with a bit of dystopia thrown in, graphics and blended novels; visual storytelling to engage the reader, historical fiction, and realistic fiction. Some are sports themed, magical and a bit scary; something for everyone. This spring on April 11th the 6th graders traveled to the farm after having met with their mixed homeroom groups and making team-themed name tags. The Delser's were, needless to say, shaped like lemons. The activities included geography, locating where the story takes place on a map, identifying first lines, artifact creation, trophy design and a breakout challenge with padlocks and all! There was a high level of engagement especially as we used some of the FlipGrid responses the students recorded as part of the breakout challenge as well as a chance to share favorite books with the teams! At the end of the challenge rotations, the 6th graders were treated to donut cake (of course) and were ready for the 4th Quarter Book Club choices soon to follow. One parent asked if there was a 7th-grade independent reading challenge! The Rhode Island Middle School Book Award Nominees for 2020 may be a great place to start! Here's a sneak peek at next year's Quahog Cup list for sy1920.