ELA 9
INDEPENDENT
READING
NAME:
PERIOD:
1
ELA 9 Self-Selected Independent Reading Text Complexity Rubric
Name: ________________________________________________________ Period:________________
Text: ________________________________________________________________________________
Low
(1 point)
Complexity Measure
Moderate
(2 points)
High
(3 points)
Complexity of Meaning: Does the book use or include
complex literary elements? (i.e. satire, allegory, pun,
symbolism, complex motif, technical/academic content?) Or
does it seem more like a beach read?
Text Length: Low: 150 or less pages; Moderate: 150 – 200
pages; High: 200+ pages
Text Structure and Organization: Does the book appear to be
organized or structure in a unique and perhaps challenging
way? For example, does is appear to employ flashbacks,
multiple perspectives, or be written in a non-traditional way?
Language Conventionality: Does the book have challenging
vocabulary or historical language such as Elizabethan, Old
English constructions, technical and/or academic vocabulary?
Background Knowledge: Do you have background
knowledge on the topic, which would make the text easier to
comprehend?
Reading/Lexile Level:*
Grades 2-3 (450-790 L)
Grades 4-5 (770-980 L)
Grades 6-8 (955-1155 L)
Grades 9-10 (1080-1305 L)
Grades 11-12 (1215-1355 L)
Challenging: Will this text challenge you? Challenging is
determined by you comprehending about 75% of the text, while
working to make meaning of the remaining 25%.
Interest Level: Does this text match your interests?
Complexity vs. Content: For example, is the text a lower
Lexile book with adult content?
Awards: Did the book win any awards or earn any literary
merits?
TOTAL _________ / 30
24-30 points: APPROPRIATE TEXT CHOICE
15-23 points: ACCEPTABLE TEXT CHOICE
8-14 points: RECONSIDER TEXT CHOICE
0-7 points:
ELIMINATE TEXT CHOICE
*Lexile Level:
In order to determine a text’s Lexile Level, please visit http://www.lexile.com/. In addition, Barnes
& Noble allows you to search for books based on Lexile Level at:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/reading-level-reading-books-lexile/search.asp
2
ELA 9 Independent Reading Recommended Titles
This list is by no means an exhaustive collection of possible book selections for independent reading.
Instead, it is merely a list of exemplary titles we have compiled based on our knowledge as language
arts teachers and the challenging titles we observe students reading, which you may use to guide your
independent reading choices.
Please note that there is only one example per author, so if you find a similarly-written and challenging
title by the same author, feel free to read it.
Mystery/Thriller/Horror/Drama
Title
Author
Runner
The Adoration of Jenna Fox
The Road
Sherlock Holmes: A Study in Scarlet
Endangered
Liar
It
Carl Deuker
Mary E. Pearson
Cormac McCarthy
Arthur Conan Doyle
Eliot Schrefer
Justine Larbalestier
Stephen King
Fiction/
Nonfiction
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
Fantasy/Sci-Fi/Dystopian
Title
Author
The Hobbit
Heart of Darkness
Uglies
Divergent
Matched
J.R.R. Tolkien
Joseph Conrad
Scott Westerfield
Veronica Roth
Ally Condie
Fiction/
Nonfiction
F
F
F
F
F
Coming of Age/Relationships
Title
Author
If I Stay
Tuesdays with Morrie
Marley & Me
The 5 People You Meet in Heaven
The Poisonwood Bible
Angela’s Ashes
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
Lord of the Flies
Looking for Alaska
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
The Glass Castle
The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian
Gayle Forman
Mitch Albom
John Grogan
Mitch Albom
Barbara Kingsolver
Frank McCourt
Mark Haddon
William Golding
John Green
Ransom Riggs
Jeanette Walls
Sherman Alexie
3
Fiction/
Nonfiction
F
N
N
F
F
N
F
F
F
F
N
N/F
Me Talk Pretty One Day
Why We Broke Up
Dreamland
The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight
Because I Am Furniture
The Pigman
Ishmael
The Glass Menagerie
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
To the Lighthouse
Siddhartha
Jane
A Prayer for Owen Meany
Cold Sassy Tree
The Red Tent
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
David Sedaris
Daniel Handler
Alyson Noel
Jennifer E. Smith
Thalia Chaltas
Paul Zindel
Daniel Quinn
Tennessee Williams
Betty Smith
Virginia Woolf
Herman Hesse
April Lindner
John Irving
Olive Ann Burns
Anita Diamant
Stephen Chbosky
N
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
Emotional Turmoil/Life Lessons
Title
Author
Sold
Crank
The Kite Runner
Tweak
Nineteen Minutes
Before I Die
The Bell Jar
Ordinary People
The Lovely Bones
Bad Boy
Nothing
Death of a Salesman
Home Front
Dodger
Hate List
The Running Dream
Going Bovine
Patricia McCormick
Ellen Hopkins
Khaled Hosseini
Nic Sheff
Jodi Picoult
Jenny Downham
Sylvia Plath
Judith Guest
Alice Sebold
Walter Dean Myers
Janne Teller
Arthur Miller
Kristin Hannah
Terry Pratchett
Jennifer Brown
Wendelin Van Drannen
Libba Bray
Fiction/
Nonfiction
F
F
F
N
F
F
N
F
F
N
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
Romance
Title
Author
Water for Elephants
The Notebook
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Sara Gruen
Nicolas Sparks
Audrey Niffenegger
4
Fiction/
Nonfiction
F
F
F
Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
James Patterson
D.H. Lawrence
F
F
Sports
Title
Author
Friday Night Lights
I Never Had It Made
Million Dollar Throw
The Blind Side
Sandy Koufax
H. G. Bissinger
Jackie Robinson
Mike Lupica
Michael Lewis
Matt Doeden
Fiction/
Nonfiction
N
N
F
N
F
War/Survival/Historical Fiction
Title
Author
Persepolis
Maus
Jarhead
No Easy Day
Ghosts of War
The Things They Carried
Night
The Dark Game: True Spy Stories
Sarah’s Key
The Book Thief
127 Hours
A Stolen Life
Of Beetles and Angels
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The Grapes of Wrath
The Life of Pi
The Perfect Storm
Soldier’s Heart
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Between Shades of Gray
Salvage the Bones
Destined to Witness
Breaking Night
Stolen
To Book Thief
The Astonishing Life of Octavia Nothing
Marjane Satrapi
Art Spiegelman
Anthony Swofford
Mark Owen
Ryan Smithson
Tim O’Brien
Elie Wiesel
Paul Janeczko
Tatiana de Rosnay
Markus Zusak
Aron Ralston
Jaycee Dugard
Selamawi Asgedom
John Boyne
John Steinbeck
Yann Martel
Sebastian Junger
Gary Paulsen
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Ruta Sepetly
Jesmyn Ward
Hans J. Massaquoi
Liz Murray
Lucy Christopher
Markus Zusak
M. T. Anderson
5
Fiction/
Nonfiction
N
N
N
N
N
F/N
N
N
F
F
N
N
N
F
F
F
N
F
F
F
F
N
N
F
F
F
Culture/Life Lessons
Title
Author
Things Fall Apart
The Bluest Eye
Cry, The Beloved Country
The Joy Luck Club
The Woman Warrior
Falling Leaves
A Raisin in the Sun
How to be an American Housewife
The Gathering
The Women of Brewster Place
In Darkness
Chinua Achebe
Toni Morrison
Alan Paton
Amy Tan
Maxine Hong Kingston
Adeline Yen Mah
Lorraine Hansberry
Margaret Dilloway
Anne Enright
Gloria Naylor
Nick Lake
Fiction/
Nonfiction
F
F
F
F
NF
NF
F
F
F
F
F
Miscellaneous Nonfiction
Title
Author
The Tipping Point
Columbine
Steve Jobs
A History of the World in 10 ½ Chapters
Devil in the City
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Malcolm Gladwell
Dave Cullen
Walter Isaacson
Julian Barnes
Erik Larson
Rebecca Skloot
Fiction/
Nonfiction
N
N
N
N
N
N
Miscellaneous Fiction
Title
Author
Ahab’s Wife
The Sound and the Fury
The Red Tent
Picture of Dorian Gray
Sena Jeter Naslund
William Faulkner
Anita Diamant
Oscar Wilde
Additional lists of recommended titles
 Hatboro-Horsham Library Guide for Young Adult Literature:
http://libguides.hatboro-horsham.org/content.php?pid=354265
 American Library Association’s Best Fiction for Young Adults
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/best-fiction-young-adults
 Alex Award Winners
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/alex-awards#current
 Printz Award Winners
http://www.ala.org/yalsa/printz-award
6
Fiction/
Nonfiction
F
F
F
F
Independent Reading Book Talk
20 points
Now that you are finished reading your two (or more)
independent reading books for the quarter, your job is the share
one of these books (your favorite of them) with the class. Your
book talk should demonstrate thorough and thoughtful
understanding of the book as well as the meaningful connections
you made with characters, events, or themes.
You are required to include the following information in our book talk:
1. A brief synopsis/summary of the book
(just enough to entice your classmates, but don’t give
away the ending) -2 POINTS
2. A short reading from your book (a few paragraphs
that will give us a sense of the style of your book)- 2
POINTS
3. The reasons why you liked the book
(BE SPECIFIC. Don’t just say, “Because it was
good.”) -2 POINTS
4. A connection you made with your book (BE SPECIFIC.
“I couldn’t connect because I’m not like the character.”
Is not a acceptable response.)-2 POINTS
5. Who you would recommend this book to and why
(BE SPECIFIC. “Everyone” is not acceptable unless
you truly mean everyone.) -2 POINTS
In addition, you will be held accountable
for having effective public speaking skills!
So please be prepared!
7
8
Name:__________________________________ Date:________________ Period:____
Book Talk Outline #1
Directions: Use this outline to help you prepare for your book talk presentation
I. Give a Summary of your book
1. What is the book title? Why do you think it was given this title?
2. List the main characters/people in your book, what you imagined them to look like, and their
personality traits:
3. List the main events/facts in your book in order (remember not to give away the ending):

1st event/fact =

2nd event/fact =

3rd event/fact =

4th event/fact =
9
II. Explain at least one thing you liked about the book
1. What did you like about your book? (genre, topic, style, etc.)
2. Pick a short passage (1-2 paragraphs) that demonstrates why you like it. Mark the page # and
write it down here. PAGE # ________________
III. Connections
1. What about your book could you specifically connect to? (Remember connect it to yourself, other
books, things studied in school, TV/movies, music, etc.)
IV. Recommendation
1. Who do you recommend this book to? Why? (Be specific)
2. What age group is your book appropriate for? Why?
3. Is their a type of person or age group this book is not appropriate for? Why?
V. Letter Essay
1. Email your letter essay to Mrs. Small on the day you give your speech by the start of class. Include
your first and last name, book title and author’s name in the subject line of your email.
jsmall@hatboro-horsham.org
10
Name:__________________________________ Date:________________ Period:____
Book Talk Outline #2
Directions: Use this outline to help you prepare for your book talk presentation
I. Give a Summary of your book
4. What is the book title? Why do you think it was given this title?
5. List the main characters/people in your book, what you imagined them to look like, and their
personality traits:
6. List the main events/facts in your book in order (remember not to give away the ending):

1st event/fact =

2nd event/fact =

3rd event/fact =

4th event/fact =
11
II. Explain at least one thing you liked about the book
2. What did you like about your book? (genre, topic, style, etc.)
2. Pick a short passage (1-2 paragraphs) that demonstrates why you like it. Mark the page # and
write it down here. PAGE # ________________
III. Connections
1. What about your book could you specifically connect to? (Remember connect it to yourself, other
books, things studied in school, TV/movies, music, etc.)
IV. Recommendation
1. Who do you recommend this book to? Why? (Be specific)
2. What age group is your book appropriate for? Why?
3. Is their a type of person or age group this book is not appropriate for? Why?
V. Letter Essay
1. Email your letter essay to Mrs. Small on the day you give your speech by the start of class. Include
your first and last name, book title and author’s name in the subject line of your email.
jsmall@hatboro-horsham.org
12
NAME:
PERIOD:
DATE:
BOOK TITLE:
Hatboro-Horsham Oral Presentation Rubric – Book Talk #1
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
Distinguished
Focus
 Demonstrates clear
purpose and the ability to
stay on topic.
Content
 Demonstrates
comprehensive
knowledge of topic.
 Sophisticated analysis;
develops ideas with
supporting details that are
specific.
 Makes no omissions or
errors.
Organization
 Well organized and
thoroughly supports
focus.
.
Distinguished (10)
Distinguished (4)
Proficient
Basic
 Demonstrates a purpose
but unable to stay on
topic.
 Purpose is inconsistent
throughout/difficult to
follow.
Proficient (6)
 Demonstrates proficient
knowledge of topic.
 Shows adequate
understanding of the
topic and explains with
detail.
 Makes few errors or
omissions.
Proficient (3)
 Organized and
moderately supports
focus.
Basic (2)
 Demonstrated basic
knowledge of topic.
 Show minimal
understanding of the
details of the topic.
 Many errors and/or
omissions.
Basic (2)
 Organization is limited
and/or lacks clarity.
Below Basic
 No clear purpose.
Below Basic (0)
 Does not demonstrate
knowledge of topic.
Below Basic (0)
 Presentation lacks
organization.
PRESENTATION SKILLS
Proficient (1)
Basic (.5)
Presenter Engagement
with the Audience
 Use of direct eye contact
for entire presentation.
 Consistently engages the
audience through
appropriate levels of
emotion throughout.
 Does not need to rely on
notes for prompting
Distinguished(2)
 Use of direct eye contact
most of the time.
 Engages the audience
through appropriate
levels of emotion most of
the time.
 Relies on notes for
prompting only.
 Minimal eye contact
with audience.
 Inconsistently engages
the audience through
appropriate levels of
emotion.
 Often reads from notes.
 No eye contact.
 Does not engage the
audience through
appropriate levels of
emotion throughout.
 Entirely read from
notes
Below Basic (0)
Language/Clarity
 Advanced use of grammar
and vocabulary.
 All words are pronounced
correctly.
 No use of filler words (like,
you know, etc.).
 Basic use of grammar
and vocabulary.
 Seldom are words
pronounced correctly.
 Significant use of filler
words (like, you know,
etc.).
 Below basic use of
grammar and
vocabulary.
 Distracting use of filler
words (like, you know,
etc.)
Voice/Volume/Rate
 Always speaks with clarity
 Volume is at a level where
audience can easily hear
throughout.
 Pace is appropriate.
 Proficient use of
grammar and
vocabulary.
 Most words are
pronounced correctly.
 Minimal use of filler
words (like, you know,
etc.).
 Speaks with clarity most
of the time.
 Volume is at a level
where audience can
hear most of the time.
 Sometimes speaks
with clarity.
 Volume is inconsistent;
audience struggles to
hear.
 Pace is inconsistent.
 Does not speak clearly
or is not easily heard.
 Speaker is inaudible.
Basic
Below Basic
 Uses visuals/media/
technology that
provides limited support
of the presentation.
 No use of
visuals/media/technolo
gy to support the
presentation.
VISUAL ENHANCEMENT
Distinguished
Visual
Enhancement
 Creatively uses high quality
visuals/ media/ technology
that clearly supports and
enhances the presentation.
Proficient
 Uses Visuals/media/
technology that support
the presentation.
TOTAL: _____/20
13
14
NAME:
PERIOD:
DATE:
BOOK TITLE:
Hatboro-Horsham Oral Presentation Rubric – Book Talk #2
CONTENT KNOWLEDGE
Distinguished
Focus
 Demonstrates clear
purpose and the ability to
stay on topic.
Content
 Demonstrates
comprehensive
knowledge of topic.
 Sophisticated analysis;
develops ideas with
supporting details that are
specific.
 Makes no omissions or
errors.
Organization
 Well organized and
thoroughly supports
focus.
.
Distinguished (10)
Distinguished (4)
Proficient
Basic
 Demonstrates a purpose
but unable to stay on
topic.
 Purpose is inconsistent
throughout/difficult to
follow.
Proficient (6)
 Demonstrates proficient
knowledge of topic.
 Shows adequate
understanding of the
topic and explains with
detail.
 Makes few errors or
omissions.
Proficient (3)
 Organized and
moderately supports
focus.
Basic (2)
 Demonstrated basic
knowledge of topic.
 Show minimal
understanding of the
details of the topic.
 Many errors and/or
omissions.
Basic (2)
 Organization is limited
and/or lacks clarity.
Below Basic
 No clear purpose.
Below Basic (0)
 Does not demonstrate
knowledge of topic.
Below Basic (0)
 Presentation lacks
organization.
PRESENTATION SKILLS
Proficient (1)
Basic (.5)
Presenter Engagement
with the Audience
 Use of direct eye contact
for entire presentation.
 Consistently engages the
audience through
appropriate levels of
emotion throughout.
 Does not need to rely on
notes for prompting
Distinguished(2)
 Use of direct eye contact
most of the time.
 Engages the audience
through appropriate
levels of emotion most of
the time.
 Relies on notes for
prompting only.
 Minimal eye contact
with audience.
 Inconsistently engages
the audience through
appropriate levels of
emotion.
 Often reads from notes.
 No eye contact.
 Does not engage the
audience through
appropriate levels of
emotion throughout.
 Entirely read from
notes
Below Basic (0)
Language/Clarity
 Advanced use of grammar
and vocabulary.
 All words are pronounced
correctly.
 No use of filler words (like,
you know, etc.).
 Basic use of grammar
and vocabulary.
 Seldom are words
pronounced correctly.
 Significant use of filler
words (like, you know,
etc.).
 Below basic use of
grammar and
vocabulary.
 Distracting use of filler
words (like, you know,
etc.)
Voice/Volume/Rate
 Always speaks with clarity
 Volume is at a level where
audience can easily hear
throughout.
 Pace is appropriate.
 Proficient use of
grammar and
vocabulary.
 Most words are
pronounced correctly.
 Minimal use of filler
words (like, you know,
etc.).
 Speaks with clarity most
of the time.
 Volume is at a level
where audience can
hear most of the time.
 Sometimes speaks
with clarity.
 Volume is inconsistent;
audience struggles to
hear.
 Pace is inconsistent.
 Does not speak clearly
or is not easily heard.
 Speaker is inaudible.
Basic
Below Basic
 Uses visuals/media/
technology that
provides limited support
of the presentation.
 No use of
visuals/media/technolo
gy to support the
presentation.
VISUAL ENHANCEMENT
Distinguished
Visual
Enhancement
 Creatively uses high quality
visuals/ media/ technology
that clearly supports and
enhances the presentation.
Proficient
 Uses Visuals/media/
technology that support
the presentation.
TOTAL: _____/20
15
16
LETTER-ESSAY | Fall 2015
Dear Students,
Your journal is a place for you to reflect on what we are learning in class. In
addition to these semi-daily entries, once a quarter, you’ll review your entries
related to your readings and think about your independent reading books. You
will analyze your book in informal responses directed to me and I will write back
to you about your ideas and observations. These “letter-essays” will become a
record of your analysis of your independent reading and your reading/thinking
process.
Each letter-essay should be at least one page long (single-spaced, typed) and
written as a personal, critical response to one book – in other words, not a series
of paragraphs about a series of books, but a long look at one that intrigues you.
You should write a letter-essay to me on the day of your book talk.
Before you write, look back over your reading record. Which title that you’ve
finished would be most enjoyable to revisit as a fan? What book that you
abandoned – or remained hopeful about to the bitter end – would be most
enjoyable to revisit? Once you’ve decided return to the book. Skim it, and select
at least one passage you think is significant, in terms of how you reacted to the
book’s theme, problem, character development, or plot arc, or to the author’s
style. Choose a chunk of text that you think shows something essential. In
your letter-essay, quote the passage you chose, and write about what you think it
shows about the book, the author, or your response to either.
What else might you say in a letter-essay? Tell about your experience as a
reader of the book. Describe what you noticed about how the author wrote. Tell
what you think the themes might be. Tell what surprised you. Pose your
wonderings – your questions about the author, the characters, the structure, the
voice, and yourself as a reader. Look at the questions I’ve provided for you to
help to get you thinking and writing. Be aware that a good letter-essay is one
that teaches YOU something you didn’t realize about your book, or yourself
as a reader, before you wrote it.
In order to practice proper email etiquette, you will be emailing these letters to
me. Please use a conventional greeting (ie. Dear _______), and closing (ie.
Sincerely, ________). Your email addresses don’t always give away who you
are! Also, always cite the name of the author of the book and its title. Indicate the
title by capitalizing and italicizing it – for example The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.
I can’t wait for us to begin reading and thinking about literature together in this
serious-but-friendly way. I can’t wait for your letter-essays and a semester of
opportunities to learn from you, learn with you, and help you learn more about
the power and the pleasures of books.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Small
jsmall@hatboro-horsham.org
17
SSR Book Letter Essay—25 points
Due:


On the day of your speech by the start of class (-15% each day late)
Email to Mrs. Small at jsmall@hatboro-horsham.org
(Include your first and last name and book title in the subject line of email)
Requirements:
 At least 1 single-spaced typed pages long; 12 pt. times New Roman or Calibri font
Your analysis of at least TWO of the following: plot, characters, themes, literary
1-2 paragraphs 
elements
 ONE cited piece of textual evidence from your book that you believe to be significant
1 paragraph
and your explanation of why you chose it/why it is significant
 Your experience as a reader: Evaluate the text-- Include connections, thoughts on the
1 paragraph
author, writing style of the book, what you learned about yourself as a reader, what you
might read next
NOTE: At no point should you summarize the plot of your book! AND this is not simply
your speech typed up
Rubric
Text Analysis
Critical/personal response to theme,
problem, character development illustrated
indepth; author's style and/or plot discussed
in descriptive detail
Novice
Developing
Proficient
5
7
10
Passage/ Quote
Analysis
Includes a relevant passage from the text
with strong connections to why it was
chosen as well as insightful and thorough
analysis
1.5
3.5
5
Experience as a
reader
Evaluates the text and makes
recommendations for future readers and
plans for future readings
5
7
10
TOTAL ____/25
18
What you could discuss in your letter-essay…
Plot




Do you like how the plot is structured? Are there parts that confuse you because of how the book
is written/organized?
Do you like how the plot develops? Is the book too fast-paced? Not fast-paced enough? Too slow
to start?
Were there plot points that you liked? Loved? Hated? Frustrated you? Connected with? Are there
any parts you would change?
Did you like the story? Why or why not?
Characters
 Did the author do a good job of developing the characters? Did you see them change by the end
of the book?
 Did you like the characters?
 Could you connect to the characters?
 Were the characters realistic? Did they seem like they could be real people? Did the decisions
they made feel realistic to you?’
Theme
 Is there a message to the book? What is it? Do you agree with it?
 Discuss the theme of the book and how the author develops it
Connections
 Are there text-to-text connections you can make to the book? Does it remind you of another book,
a movie, or a TV show?
 Are there text-to-self connections you can make to the book? Do any of the characters or their
lives connect to yours or someone you know? Can you sympathize or feel empathy for a
character?
 Are there text-to-world connections you can make to the book? Does anything in the book remind
you to real-life situations or events?
The Author
 What would you like to tell the author about the book?
 Do you have any questions about the book?
 Does this book connect to other books the author has written? How do it compare?
 How did the author’s life influence this book? (if you know about the author)
Writing Style/Literary Elements
 What literary elements did you notice the author employed? Does the author use beautiful, rich
imagery? Or is the writing very flat, lacking detailed? Why do you think that is? Did it serve a
purpose in the book?
 Do you notice the use of symbolism? Was it effective?
 Was there something particularly noticeable about the writing style used in the book?
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Sample Letter Essay
Dear Mrs. Small,
In Levitt & Dubner’s Freakonomics, these two authors set out to share their smart look on the world.
Through various outrageous statements that would otherwise seem irrelevant to an outsider, such as “What Do
Schoolteachers and Sumo Wrestlers Have in Common?” and “What Makes a Perfect Parent?” they explain the
basics of human nature: from how people respond to incentives, to if parents really matter.
One part of the novel that I chose was when the authors were looking over the Early Childhood
Longitudinal Study conducted by the U.S. Department of Education. From this study, they were looking for the
factors that appeared to have an influence on test scores. One of the factors they believed had a negative correlation
with test scores was if the child was adopted or not.
“In a paper titled “The Nature and Nurture of Economic Outcomes,” the economist Bruce Sacerdote
addressed the nature-nurture debate by taking a long-term quantitative look at the effects of parenting. He used three
adoption studies, two American and one British, each of them containing in-depth data about the adopted children,
their adoptive parents, and their biological parents. Sacerdote found that the parents who adopt children are typically
smarter, better educated, and more highly paid than the baby’s biological parents. But the adoptive parents’
advantages had little bearing on the child’s school performance. As also seen in the ECLS data, adopted children test
relatively poorly in school; any influence the adoptive parents might exert is seemingly outweighed by the force of
genetics. But, Sacerdote found, the parents were not powerless forever. By the time the adopted children became
adults, they had veered sharply from the destiny that IQ alone might have predicted. Compared to similar children
who were not put up for adoption, the adoptees were far more likely to attend college, to have a well-paid job, and to
wait until they were out of their teens before getting married. It was the influence of the adoptive parents, Sacerdote
concluded, that made the difference” (Levitt & Dubner 179).
Even before I was aware of these results, I was always confident on telling people that I, myself was
adopted. It was always coming up one way or another. Where were you born? What will you look like when you’re
older? Even family tree projects would require some further explanation. Today, I use the fact that I was adopted
overseas in Ukraine as an icebreaker to conversations rather keep it secret. How many times will you hear in your
lifetime that the one kid you sat next to in class was born in Odessa, while the majority answer I get back was
Abington.
Personally, I loved the book. Probably will stay at the top of my list for a while. The writing style of the
book made me feel like I was watching Seinfeld. While there was little to no humor or comedic value in the book,
the way various loose ends were presented to the reader, and then pulled together by the end of each chapter
reminded me of the show. The style also felt like the authors were presenting their arguments, and backing each
statement up with various studies and facts. This book had shown me that I could take interest in other non-fiction
books and the topics they covered. While this uncovered an interest for books besides novels, I look forward to
reading more about the mythology of the civilizations whose culture is still vibrant and morals still relevant today.
Sincerely,
Student’s Name
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