Monday, August 25, 2008

							Monday, August 25, 2008


Dear Parent/Guardian:

          This letter’s purpose is to acquaint you with an one aspect of class that we will be working on this year. Your son/daughter’s clas
will be participating in independent reading multi-book project. What is independent reading? Independent reading allows your child to
select from a wide array of novels/short stories/plays, read that work independently in class during Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) time, a
complete supplementary writing activities that foster understanding and indicate critical thinking of the chosen text. Research has found th
the majority of secondary students are not reading independently and the majority of their reading takes place in school with assigned
textbooks. In a series of studies involving hundreds of students, Anderson, Fielding, and Wilson (1988) found that students spend less tha
2 percent of their free time reading. Furthermore, as students get older, the amount of reading they do decreases. However, Students who
read independently become better readers, score higher on achievement tests in all subject areas, and have greater content knowledge th
those who do not (Krashen 1993; Cunningham and Stanovich 1991; Stanovich and Cunningham 1993). Because research on independen
reading is overwhelmingly supportive, coupled with my own observations of student growth and reading gains, independent reading is an
important facet of my classroom since one of my main goals for my students is for them to become life-long readers and critical thinkers. I
addition, your child has elected to be in a college-bound honors literature class. Because it is impossible for us to study the major works o
American Literature authors that he/she will be expected to be familiar with in college in an American Literature survey class, this on-going
project will enable him/her to encounter a wider variety of genres/authors than he/she would have otherwise.

         Since students are selecting their own novels for this independent study project, reviewing all of the texts student select
would be impossible. I could limit students' choices to novels that I've previewed, but I don't want to limit them to a small
selection of literature that may not appeal to their interests since the goal of this endeavor is for students to gain a life-long love
of reading. Therefore, students may encounter a text that you might not deem appropriate for their individual age and maturity
level. I would like you to be involved in his/her reading choice. Please indicate below any parameters you wish for me to follow
when approving texts for your son/daughter to read independently in the classroom. If you and your son/daughter find that after
reading a portion of the novel they have selected, it is an inappropriate choice for him/her, I will be more than happy to assist in
selecting another novel.

          Please review the project requirements with your student and sign below indicating that you both understand the
project. As always, I am more than willing to work with you in refining the project to meet your student's needs. If you would like
to talk with me about the project, please indicate this on the slip below.

         Also, please ask to see the project overview handout. I would love for you to take time and re-visit a classic you read a
while ago or to discover a newer American classic that you might have not had the time to read yet. Taking the time to discuss a
novel/play that you both are reading together will help your child to appreciate fine literature.

Thank you,


Jennifer Breaux
jlfarnham@mail.clay.k12.fl.us

____ I have reviewed the project requirements with my student and do not need to speak with you before my student selects a
novel.

____ I have reviewed the project requirements with my student and would like to indicate these parameters when my student
chooses a novel/play/short story
anthology:________________________________________________________________________


________________________________________________________________________________


________________________________________________________________________________.

________I have reviewed the project requirements with my student and would like to speak with you before my student selects
a novel.


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Parent/Guardian Signature                          Date