The 40 Book Challenge is new this year.  It comes from the conviction that reading is critical to student learning and to student intellectual and emotional growth.  In order to promote reading, the librarian and seventh and eighth grade reading teachers are piloting this program.  Some things to know for now about how this program will run in Grade 8 are:

• 40 books is the goal.  Not everyone will meet this goal, and that's OK.   Yet,  some students will exceed it. 
• To a great extent, this activitiy will be customized to meet individual capabilities. 
• Books read over the summer and books read for my class all count.  
• Students should bring their novels or "Challenge" books to  class every day because there will be opportunities to read in class.
• Another goal is to set aside at least one class period every other week for Time Out for Reading (TOFR) 
• Ms. Paugh will be coming to our class every couple of weeks to check in on our progress. 
• At the end of each marking period, a grade will be given for the record keeping students do via their 40-Book Challenge tracking sheets.  The grade will count as homework.

As this is a pilot project and problems are discovered or new ideas emerge, changes may and will be made.  Check here for updates!