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Developing as a Reader
Over the course of the semester, I set 5 different goals for myself and my reading. The first goal I had was to read for at least one hour every night. Although I did not read for an hour every single night of the semester, I did a lot better than I thought I would with keeping up with my reading. I often would read for 2 hours a night to make up for another night of missed reading. Second, I wanted to find new books for my future library. Through the resource library, peers, and research, I found some great new books that I plan to have in my future library. Next, I wanted to continue learning how young readers read. Through this, I learned what are good topics for 3-5 graders to read. I also learned that in my future library, there should be a lot of variety in genres of books because every student has different interests. Lastly, I wanted to make more time for reading for myself. I did get some reading in this semester with these books, but I would still like to continue to make more time for reading for pleasure in the future. Overall, I think I achieved my goals and I am proud of the progress I have made through this project.

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1. Read for 1 hour every night

2. Find new books to add to my future library

3. Continue to learn how grades 3-5 readers think and read

4. Make more time for reading in the future

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Ways to find books for grades 3-5
Books I want to read:
1. The One and Only Ivan
2. The War That Saved My Life
3. Fish in A Tree
4. Girl In Pieces
5. Tales of A Fourth Grade Nothing

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Books read this semester

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By: Ronald Kidd
This book follows a young white girl in the deep South of Alabama in the middle of the Civil Rights Era. Billie Simms is a thirteen year old girl, who is unsure of her beliefs with racism, and how it affects her town. Centered around a true historical event of the Freedom Riders, a group of black and white people who traveled on a bus from Washington D.C. to the deep South, Billie sees how this shakes her small town, and wonders if their town should be segregated or not. Many people in her town believe in segregation, including her father, but throughout the book, you see Billie's beliefs change as she witnesses many traumatic events.

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I enjoyed this book a lot because it was very thought provoking and written very well. I enjoy books with very descriptive writing, and this book had that. The way the author describes the scene of the bus being attacked in her town makes you feel like you are really there and you can feel the emotions of the people in that situation. I also enjoyed this book because I think it is a good book for grades 3-5 to learn about the Civil Rights Era and segregation.

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Author: Ronald Kidd
Title: Night on Fire
Publisher: Albert Whitman and Company
Copyright Date: 2016
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 288

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By: Rainbow Rowell
This is a modern book similar to the plot of Romeo and Juliet of two star-crossed lovers and their journey together. In this book, you have two 10th graders navigating high school with bullies, family issues, and school work. The two, Eleanor and Park, meet by chance, and fall for each other. Throughout the book, the reader follows their love story and how their families, school, and every outside affect, effect their relationship.

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I enjoyed this book because I am a sucker for a good love story, but also because it has a lot of different types of families issues that affect their relationship and the reader is able to see how many different things a person could be going through outside of school. I think grades 3-5 would enjoy this because it would teach them not only about high school, but also about how every person lives a different life outside of school and it is important to respect and remember that.

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Author: Rainbow Rowell
Title: Eleanor & Park
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Copyright Date: February 2013
Genre: Romance
Number of Pages: 333

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By: Ruta Sepetys
This book follows four different people towards the end of World War II, who all have something to hide. Their paths eventually cross as they are all on the journey to find their way to Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship for refugees that promises salvation. They face many different obstacles on their journey to the ship where their trust for each other is tested. Ultimately, they make it to the ship, but before long tragedy strikes. Based on the true event on the sinking of Wilhelm Gustloff, that many people do not know about, this story shows many different hardships and courage during the war.

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I enjoyed this book because I have always loved reading and learning about World War II. I like these kinds of books because it can teach students a lot about an important time in world history. I also like this book because although it is historical fiction, it is based on a true event and those things intrigue me a lot because it is crazy to me that the things in these books actually happened. I also really liked the characters in the book because they are similar in age to myself and that intrigues me as well because I could not imagine going through these things.

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Author: Ruta Sepetys
Title: Salt to the Sea
Publisher: Penguin Books
Copyright Date: February 2nd, 2016
Genre: Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 391

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By: Kate DiCamillo
This book follows Opal, a young girl, and her father when they first move to Florida. During their time their, Opal meets a stray, suffering dog, who is glady adopts and names Winn Dixie. During the summer in Florida, Opal and Winn Dixie meet a few new friends in the neighborhood, who Opal learns many life lessons from. As she hears stories from her new friends, her father also begins to tell her more things about her absent mother. Opal learns many things along the way and they are because of Winn Dixie.

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I enjoyed this book when I was a kid and even now as an adult because it is a very heartwarming story about a young girl who meets new people through her dog. I like this because they are not people you would typically see a young girl hanging out with, but they all have stories that can teach her a lot and that is what they do. I also enjoy this story because I love dogs and they create so many wonderful moments in a person's life and this story shows that.

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Author: Kate DiCamillo
Title: Because of Winn Dixie
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Copyright Date: March 2000
Genre: Children's Novel
Number of Pages: 182

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By: R.J. Palacio
This book follows Auggie, short for August Pullman as he navigates the world of middle school. What makes this a big deal is that Auggie has never been to a mainstream school, because he was born with a severe facial difference, causing him to be homeschooled until now. Throughout the book, the reader sees how Auggie and his family struggle with this transition and how they learn to deal with this new way of life. This book is very heartwarming because the reader sees the people around Auggie learn how to treat him like a human being rather than being mean to him or making fun of him. He finds himself true friends, and thrives at school and at home. He survives the school year with much to look forward too.

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I enjoyed this book because something like this hits very close to home for me. Although mine is not a physical trait, I will still self conscious about a medical disease I have in middle school and did not want people to treat me differently because of it. So I feel connected with Auggie throughout the book while he goes through the ups and downs of it. I also enjoyed this book because I am a firm believer in treating people how you would want to be treated. This is so important in middle school and this book can help students learn that. This is a great book for grades 3-5 because it teaches them so much about being kind to people.

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Author: R.J. Palacio
Title: Wonder
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Copyright Date: February 14th, 2012
Genre: Children's Novel
Number of Pages: 310

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Looking Back
During this semester of reading, I found it easy to sit down and read my books because I love reading and I do not get to do it as often as I would like anymore. I love getting lost in the world of a book and it was no different with these books. I also found setting my goals was a good start for me to plan out my semester and stick to those goals. My goals also helped me remember what to look for and think about while reading. I also found it really helpful to talk to my peers about different books they read and what they thought about those books because that gave me a list of books I want to read in the future. I found it was not too hard to track my reading as I went. I kept an online journal of how long I read each time I read. Since my goal was to read at least an hour every night, I focused on amount of time I read versus how many pages I read. This track tool helped me stay on track as well because I could see what days were best reading times for me, as well as see how long it took me to read one book. I used many of things we've learned about this semester while reading, also. I was more aware of phonics. I was more aware of the 6 traits of writing as well. I could hear the voice of the writer in every book and that is my favorite part of books. I also always notice word choice in books because authors use such vivid, descriptive language in order to describe places, things, and people. This is another great part of writing.

In the future, I want to continue to make more time for reading for pleasure as well as read more literature I can have in my future library. I think both are very important. I also want to continue to expand my vocabulary through reading. I think through these tools I will learn how to be a better teacher of reading. I have made progress this semester, but I still want to improve. I want to learn more about strategies of teaching reading in the future, as well as watch teachers use these strategies with students. Overall, I am ready to learn more about teaching reading to young readers.