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Will you accept the 40 Book Challenge?

English 6 Monroe2014-15

+You want me to what???

You WILL be reading 40 books this year.

You will be reading from a variety of genres in order to explore books that you might not ordinarily read and to develop an understanding of literary elements, text features, and text structures.

+The Expectations

Poetry Anthology [1 book]

Realistic Fiction (could happen in real life) [8 books]

Historical Fiction (takes place in a particular time period in the past) [5 books]

Fantasy (contains impossible elements like talking animals or magical powers) [5 books]

Science Fiction (type of fantasy with science or technology such as robots or time travel) [4 books]

Memoir/Autobiography (the story about someone’s life—written by that person himself) [2 books]

Biography (a detailed account of a person’s life written by an author) [1 book]

Informational (provides facts about a subject) [2 books]

Mystery (a mystery that isn’t solved until the end of the book) [2 books]

Student Choice (any genre) [10 books]

+One very important thing to remember:

Any book that is more than 350 pages counts as TWO books!

+Notes about the Required Genres:

On your 40 Book Challenge log, you will color in a box every time you finish reading a book. Make sure you color in the correct genre!

Each colored box must be traced back to your Completed Book List. That is where you will record the title, author, and page numbers of each book you read this year!

+Poetry Anthology

Shortened writing form.

Contains figurative language—simile, metaphor, personification, etc.

Authors express description, feelings, emotions in as few words as possible.

May rhyme and follow a rhythm or pattern but does not have to.

May contain illustrations.

The reader must often visualize and reflect on the meaning expressed in each poem.

Example of a Poetry Anthology: Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein 100 Great Poems for Boys (Edited by Leslie Pockell) 100 Great Poems for Girls (Edited by Celia Johnson)

+Realistic Fiction

Characters are everyday people doing everyday things.

Setting as a modern-day, realistic place.

Plot consists of realistic events.

Plot may highlight social issues.

Plot is believable and could happen in real life.

Examples of Realistic Fiction: Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick Wonder by R.J. Palacio Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass

+Historical Fiction

Takes place in the past. (Forty years before now is considered historical.)

Plot contains historical events.

Characters may be historical figures or made up from the author’s imagination.

Examples of Historical Fiction: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis Al Capone Does my Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko NIGHTJOHN by Gary Paulsen

+Fantasy

Contains unrealistic or unworldly elements.

Characters may have magical powers in addition to human qualities.

Theme is often focused on good versus evil.

Examples of Fantasy: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis The Thief and the Beanstalk by P.W. Catanese

+Science Fiction

Fantasy that involves or is based on scientific principles.

Often has technology, robots, time machines, etc.

Often set in the future.

Examples of Science Fiction: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins Divergent by Veronica Roth Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau The Maze Runner by James Dashner Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson

+Mystery

Involves something unknown.

Centers around a character investigating wrongdoing or obtaining secret information.

Suspenseful.

Solution to the mystery is not revealed until the end of the book.

Examples of Mystery: The London Eye Mystery by Siobhan Dowd Down the Rabbit Hole by Peter Abrahams Last Shot by John Feinstein

+Informational

Provides information on the topic.

Nonfiction.

Organized into sections or categories.

No characters or settings.

Examples of Informational: Super Storms by Seymour Simon Just a Second: A Different Way to Look at Time by Steve

Jenkins The World of Ballet and Dance by Mike Davis

+Memoir/Autobiography/Biography Memoir—an account of the author’s experiences written by

himself/herself.

Example of Memoir: Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl

Autobiography—a story of someone’s entire life written by himself/herself.

Example of Autobiography: I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and was Shot by the

Taliban by Malali Yousafzai

Biography—a story of someone’s entire life researched and written by someone else.

Example of Biography: George Balanchine: an American Ballet Master by Kristy Davida

+Frequently Asked Questions:

Can I read all picture books? No. This would defeat the purpose of the 40 Book

Challenge. The motivating goal of this challenge is to improve your reading comprehension, increase your reading stamina, and read genres you would not naturally choose to read on your own. If you only read picture books, you are not challenging yourself at all. However, you may read some picture books. The Seymour Simon books we discussed are wonderful Informational texts. They contain complex ideas and are about 40 pages long.