September
Dear Parents,
One of our biggest goals this year is to encourage your fourth grader to read and enjoy as many books as
possible. In an effort to do so, we are having the 4th grade participate in the 25 Book Challenge. By reading at
least 25 books (100 pages count as one book) by June 1st, your child will benefit in many ways. A few of these
benefits include:
 Enriched and broadened vocabulary
 Deeper comprehension skills
 Love of literature
To ensure comprehension throughout the chapter books, the students are expected to write one or two
“I Statements” per chapter (also known as Stop and Jots, Tracks of Thinking, or Stop and Thinks) in the Reader’s
Notebook. At the conclusion of the book, students will evaluate their “I Statements” and choose the best six to recopy
on a piece of paper and submit for grading. This type of self-reflection has been shown to be a valuable part of the
learning process and leads to deeper reading and thinking. In addition, one book project per marking period
(student’s choice of book) will be completed as per the teacher’s guidelines.
Your fourth grader is expected to read the equivalent of 25 books of their choice and maintain a log of
completed books. Students are required to read two realistic fiction books, one historical fiction, one fantasy or
science fiction, one mystery, one Newberry Award winner, and one nonfiction book. The remaining books may be
from any genre.
Since this is an independent project, there are no deadlines for “I Statements” to be handed in. However, we
have listed some suggested dates below to ensure that your child is successful with the challenge. Time will be given
during each school day for independent reading. Chapter books we read together as a class count as well, so your
child should be able to accomplish the reading goals by these dates.
 By December 1st: 8 books
 By March 1st: 17 books
 By June 1st: 25 books
Please discuss the challenge with your fourth grader and encourage independent reading daily at home. It is
our expectation that your child is reading for 80 minutes per week. A weekly log will be due each Friday that asks for
parents to sign off on the minutes that your child has read that week. Other ways you can help are by assisting
him/her in choosing appropriate books (see the attached book match sheet), talking about what they are currently
reading to ensure understanding throughout the book, and periodically checking your child’s book log, which is in their
red 25 Book Challenge folder.
We are asking each parent to sign and return the bottom portion of this page after you have discussed the 25
Book Challenge with your fourth grader. If you should have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.
We appreciate your support as we work together to foster a love of reading within your child.
Thank you,
The Fourth Grade Team
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I have read the 25 Book Challenge expectations and have reviewed them with my fourth grader. I
understand that 25 appropriate books (100 pages is equivalent to one book) with responses must be read and
completed by June 1. I know that “I Statements” must be used throughout all of the books and the best six are to be
graded. I understand that one book project per marking period will be completed and weekly reading logs (80
minutes per week) will be checked on Fridays.
Student’s Signature: _______________________
Parent’s Signature: ___________________________
Date: ____________
Date: ____________