Name _______________________ Date ____________ Period ____
Reading Ladder: Analyzing your Reading Progress
Purpose: To step back and look at what you have accomplished as a reader in order to
measure progress and set new goals for the new year.
Directions:
1.
Create a Reading Ladder to show your progress thus far. A reading ladder, in this
case, is a table with the books you’ve read
listed in order of most difficult to
easiest reading. There are lots of
ways to define ‘most difficult’ but some you may
consider: the size
of the text and the number of pages, the subject matter (high
school romance is easier to follow than a memoir from Iraq since the memoir will likely
include references to places you don’t know and require
more complex thinking than
pleasure reading), the speed with which you finished the book (it is harder to begin
again each time you set down reading material and let time pass and pick it up again),
vocabulary and/or whether this was a new author or a well-known one to you. I want
your gut feel for difficulty in the books you’ve read so far. (Include book title,
author, and number of pages)
2. Write an explanation (Why this order?) as to why you ordered the books the way you did.
Be specific and honest.
3. Write a paragraph minireview (at least 6 sentences) of each book you finished reading.
Note: If you read more than 2 books, you only need to minireview your 2 favorites.
The others are listed on your ladder. (Minireviews include book title, brief summary,
why you liked/disliked it, and who you would recommend it to).
4. Write a reflection that includes:
A.
Discuss if you are challenging yourself to read more
and increase your stamina
in order to prepare yourself for complex
reading in college or the workplace, or if you
are just reading in class
and a little here and there at home, but not
making a
significant difference in your stamina and creating a reading habit. B. Set goals for the second half of marking period 2 AND the rest of the school year.
These should be specific: I will read 15 books by June. I will read at least one nonfiction book. I will read one Jane Austen novel. I will develop an at-home reading habit.
C.
For each goal include a plan to accomplish that goal.
Due Date : _______________________________
Mrs. Arminio’s Reading Ladder:
1. Girl Behind Glass by Abby Wilder 322 pp.
2. One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt 224 pp.
3. The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin 352 pp.
4. The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm 210 pp.
5. This Ordinary Life by Jennifer Walkup 240 pp.
6. Another Day by David Levithan 336 pp.
7. The Door in the Lake by Nancy Butts 160 pp.
Why this order?
Of all the books I read so far this school year, the hardest for me was
Girl Behind Glass. I say that not because it was a challenging reading level, but
because they were some parts that, for me, really dragged. I had difficulty
remaining interested in the book. Thankfully, there were also sections that
were action packed and kept me interested enough that I didn’t abandon the
book. I placed One for the Murphys second on the list as the subject matter
was tough to read about. In the book a teenage girl is placed into a foster
family and that was sad to read about. The Thing about Jellyfish really isn’t a
genre I favor reading. so I placed it third. The same is true for The
Fourteenth Goldfish, but I enjoyed that storyline better. I considered This
Ordinary Life and Another Day as equals on the list. Both books were easy
reads and kept me interested throughout the entire story. I placed The Door
in the Lake last as it was the easiest and shortest book but not really the most
enjoyable.
Minireviews of Favorite Books:
1) My favorite book on my reading ladder was This Ordinary Life. In this
book the main character Jazzy has a younger brother who has epilepsy and
a mom who has a drinking problem. Jazzy, a high schooler involved in
DJing, is essentially raising her younger brother while attending school
and competing for a DJing internship at a local radio station. Intertwined
in Jazzy’s life is a cheating boyfriend and a new, intense relationship. The
reason I LOVED this book is because the character development is superb.
Realistic fiction is my favorite genre anyway, but I really felt like I knew
Jazzy and I cried along with her when he brother, Daniel, had a seizure
and had to be hospitalized. I would recommend this book to those who like
realistic fiction, are interested in the radio biz, or maybe even know
somebody with a seizure disorder.
2) My second favorite book was One for the Murphys. Yes, this is yet again
realistic fiction! This book struck me differently, though, than This Ordinary
Life. In this book Carly is placed into foster care after her mom and stepdad
have a violent fight and both the mom and Carly are hospitalized. The family,
The Murphys, works hard to make Carly feel comfortable but the three boys in
the family begin to become jealous of Carly and the attention she is getting
from their mother. Carly also questions whether her life if better with the
Murphys or with her biological mom. This book intrigued me because I don’t
personally know anybody in the foster care system, so reading this gave me a
whole new perspective on the struggles faced; it also made me feel very fortune
for the way I was raised. I would recommend this book to those who like
realistic fiction and want to learn more about being a foster child.
Reflection:
I definitely feel as though I am challenging myself to read a lot as well as
in a variety of genres. I know this helps keep my mind sharp and I’m learning
about a variety of topics through my reading. For the second half of marking
period 2, I would like to finish reading I am Malala (currently I’m about 35%
through the book). I would also like to read at least 3 more books. I will do
this by reading consistently and picking books that interest me. For the
remainder of the school year, my goal is to make sure I read more nonfiction. I
recognize that I tend to shy away from this genre, so I will make every effort
to select at least 2 more nonfiction books. Getting recommendations from my
colleagues and classmates that read this genre will be helpful in my book
selection.
Reading Ladder Checklist
o Proper Heading
o Name
o Date,
o Period
o Reading Ladder (books listed hardest to easiest)
o Book title (italicized or underlined)
o Author
o Number of pages
o Why this order? (Explanation of order of books in reading ladder.)
o 2 minireviews of books you read
o Book title (italicized or underlined)
o Brief summary
o Why you liked/disliked book
o Recommended for?
o Reflection
o Challenging yourself or not?
o Goal for rest of 2nd marking period
o Plan for achieving above goal
o Goal for rest of school year
o Plan for achieving above goal
Also
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check your work for the following:
Variety of high-level transitional words (see reference sheets)
That ALL book titles are either italicized or underlined
Proper capitalization
Proper sentence flow – read your work aloud!
Proper punctuation (especially end punctuation)
Proper paragraphing (ALL paragraphs indented)
Proper spelling – don’t rely on spell check!