Over the past quarter, independent reading has been the assignment that has been slowly but surely leading to the conclusion for this nine weeks. The conclusion is probably this, so the excitement just left the room. Anyway, independent reading expands the mind, allowing the reader to visit new worlds that are waiting impatiently to be explored. There have been three habits that Mrs. Huff has attempted to instill in all of her students so far this year: reading regularly, keeping track of the amount of reading by using a reading log, and keeping a reading journal, with some taking more effect than others.
Regular reading is crucial to the assignment, and is one of the few habits involved with this assignment that can actually be done enthusiastically. Just about every day I am able to read for at least twenty minutes. This amount of time seems amazing considering all of the other homework and non-related school activities I have to give time to accomplish, but that is why there are weekends (mainly so I can tell my parents I am doing homework when I am procrastinating from doing other homework). The regular reading has also helped me to read more books and to also read other books that I may not have read otherwise. Take for instance The Hunger Games series. I never really understood what the big deal and hype about the books until I actually started reading them, turning even a hardened skeptic like myself into a fan of the series. I always enjoy reading most any book with a good story, and the fact that reading is an assignment just makes the situation even better.
Along with reading outside of class, to prove that the books we say we have read were read, the amount of time read and the thoughts about the reading have been recorded in our reading logs and our reading journals. While the reading log has not altered much about how I read, the reading journals almost hinder the reading experience. Possibly because I am not used to logging my thoughts while I read, this portion of the assignment has not been easy or fun. Sometimes a book is just better to take at face value and not over-analyze the themes and characters, often driving the reader crazy trying to discover these. However, like most events and struggles in life, the reading journals will have a bigger impact on me as a reader and help to instill the skill to analyze texts quicker and easier.
One of the major goals for my next quarter reading will be to journal more often and have more analytical thoughts about my reading. While I did a decent job, in my eyes at least, of inking deep thoughts, Mrs. Huff will probably think otherwise. Also, I will make sure to date all of my entries to the journal, not just the last five or six. As for books, I hope to finish The Lord of the Rings series, and also to read Mockingjay and find out how the rebellion goes down.
All in all, I do enjoy reading, but am not the biggest fan of the reading journals. However, I may eventually come to enjoy inking my thoughts by some strange twist of fate.
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Remember--it's important to have a balanced reading diet. It's okay to sometimes read for pure pleasure, to simply enjoy the story and the characters. Sometimes, though, we need to practice reading on a deeper level. Forcing yourself to dig, to re-read, to stop and think and reflect and ink, helps develop analytical and critical thinking. By the end of the year, if you really work at improving your analytical reading skills, I'll bet you won't be able to escape reading deeply--even when you want to simply read for pleasure!
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