What is Camp Read-A-Lot?
Camp Read-A-Lot is a year long reading project to continue to foster a love of reading, challenge our reading skills, and to explore new genres of books. All ACT students will be encouraged and challenged to read 40 books this year! This challenge is based on the research of Donalyn Miller which you can access her book and website using this link. The ACT students will be encouraged to explore new genres, authors, and themes. Each student will have a book blog where they will write letters to the author of the book they have read. This is a private blog that is password protected. Only students within our classes and the teachers have access to this blog. In addition to blogging about their books through author letters, the students will be able to earn beads for accomplishing specific reading challenges. Students can read any book of interest to them, however, the ACT teachers highly encourage that they read books that are challenging to their reading skills.
What are the bead challenges?
The challenges include:
- First Book Challenge: awarded to students for starting Camp Read-A-Lot and finishing their first book of the year
- Genre Master: awarded to students for reading a book from each of the specified genres
- 40 Book Challenge: awarded to students who have read and blogged about 40 books
- Teacher's Challenge: awarded to students who have met the specific teacher's challenge (this will change throughout the year).
- Genre Beads: awarded to students who read a book in one of the specific genres listed below
- Nonfiction
- Biography/Autobiography/Memoir
- Realistic Fiction
- Fantasy
- Science Fiction
- Historical Fiction
- Mystery
- Poetry
- Additional challenges will be added throughout the year!
What do I do if I think I've earned a bead?
Students who think they have met the requirements for a bead must have completed a "Letter to the Author" blog entry. Once the specific bead requirements are met and the blog entry has been completed, students can then go to the link below to fill in a "Bead Request Form". The ACT teachers will review these forms and award beads to students.