Reading 1 Million Words

Sustained Reading Provides Results

The importance of independent reading time, both at school and at home, cannot be overstated and has been shown to have a direct correlation to student success:

Student’s Percentile	Daily Reading Time	Total Words Read per Year
20^th %	.7 minutes	21,000 words
80^th %	14.2 minutes	1,146,000 words
90^th %	21.1 minutes	1,823,000 words
98^th %	65 minutes	4,358,000 words

(From Reading in the Wild, Miller and Kelley, 2014)

"Wild About Reading" Homework Journal

Students read each night for 30 minutes, making note of anything interesting, unfamiliar words, thoughts, etc. in their Homework Journal. Students must write at least one paragraph each week using an IVF sentence about the main idea or event and one or two detail sentences of the pages, chapter, or book read.

I=Identify the book and chapter read.

V=Verb ("tells," "describes," "demonstrates," etc.)

F=Finish the sentence

Detail Sentences: Explain or support the main idea discussed in the IVF sentence.

Example:

"Chapter three of Charlotte's Web describes Wilbur's attempt to escape from his pen. The goose tells Wilbur about a loose board in the fence and encourages Wilbur to run free."

PLEASE NOTE: this is just one paragraph about any chapter or section of the book. Students may, of course, write more if they wish. The journal portion of homework should take no more than 20 minutes, once a week. Students may write their summary paragraph on any night, but must be prepared to turn it in and discuss it with the teacher by Friday.

If your child cannot think of a summary, ask them to give you just the highlights or the "TV Guide" version - just the main idea. If they cannot do that, they may need to re-read those pages.

A Goal of 1 Million Words

Is it possible for 3rd graders to read a million words by the end of the year?

Short answer: YES!!

Long answer:

If students read at 100 words per minute, for 60 minutes, 5 days a week, and pass the tests that go along with those books, they absolutely can reach 1 million words. This does not even include books and stories read as a whole class, books read by the teacher and librarian, and books read on weekends and holidays. See the chart below.

75

words/minute*

100

words/minute*

130

words/minute*

170

words/minute*

A handful of students in 3^rdgrade read here.

This is the 3^rdgrade benchmark.

Many students in 3^rdgrade read here.

A handful of students in 3^rdgrade read here.

x 60 minutes

of reading each day

(30 minutes in class & 30 minutes at home)

x 5 days

each week

(Reading on the weekend is extra!)

x 37 weeks

(Reading you did over summer, or reading that takes place during the first week of school, over Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Breaks is extra!!!)

= 832,500

words by the end of the school year.

= 1,110,000

words by the end of the school year.

= 1,443,000

words by the end of the school year.

= 1,887,000

words by the end of the school year.

Although all students may not make it quite that high, this is a figure we are working towards for all students. As the year progresses, individual goals will be adjusted based on each child's needs.