Accelerated Reader Book Talk: One Fat Summer
January 31, 2006 - In the Library
"I always hated summertime. When people take off their clothes. In wintertime you can hide yourself...But in the summertime they can see your thick legs and your wobbly backside and your big belly and your soft arms. And they laugh." -Bobby Marks, in One Fat Summer
The Accelerated Reader (AR) Program is a way for teachers to track the books that their students read. When I was coming up through school teachers were big on one page book reports, but the AR program saves the teacher from having to grade all those book reports.
In the AR program students are tested on their reading ability and then assigned a reading zone, like 4.6 -5.9. The student can choose books to read that have an assigned level that falls within their zone. After they finish a book, they take a test on the book and if they past the test they earn the point value assigned to that book. For example, One Fat Summer, by Robert Lipstye has a Level of 4.5 and a value of 6.0.
More general information about the AR Program and how schools implement it is avaliable at:
http://www.renlearn.com/ar/overview/howitworks.htm
http://www.sbe.mps.k12.mi.us/AR_program.htm
The AR list that I use at work and reference here is avaliable at:
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/allschools/FrancisBradley/index.html
The AR program can create problems at a public library in a couple of different ways. First the AR lists aren't always the same, so parents and kids have to look at the list for their school to know what they can read. Many public libraries keep copies of the lists, which can be a couple hundred pages in binders in the library. But librarians can't usually mark the level and point values on the book because it could be different for every school. I recently started making AR book bundles for a specific school with books in a level range like 7.0-7.9. I haven't had any feedback from parents and kids yet though.
I started doing one AR Book Talk program a month to highlight AR books and encourage teens to read. Both teens who have and haven't read the book are encourage to come to this program. If they haven't read the book the program tries to arouse their interest and entice them into reading it later. The format of these programs is to talk about the book in general terms without giving away the ending for fifteen or twenty minutes. Then play a game related to the book, like Character Pictionary. Then I provide snack and drinks and the teens can hang out and talk about whatever they want until I have to kick them out to clean up the room.
I had one or two teens at the AR Book Talks in the fall, but not a single teen showed up for this program. I should have sent some flyers to the local schools again and called some of the regular teens to remind them.
I found a copy of a great book called Teaching Banned Books: 12 Guides for Young Readers, by Pat R. Scales. One Fat Summer and the two other books about Bobby Marks by Robert Lipsyte are included. The book has discussion questions and activites for One Fat Summer. I've listed a selection of the discussion questions below.
1. How does Bobby get the courage to call Dr Kahn about the lawn job?
2. Why does he choose to keep his summer job secret from his family?
3. What does Joanie mean when she asks Bobby, "Are you a man or a rug?"
4. Why is Willie Rumson so angry? Why is Bobby a victem of Willie's anger?
5. Bobby's father says, "A man has to do something with his life." What do you think Mr. Marks wants Bobby to do with his life?
6. One Fat Summer has been challenged because it is "sexually explicit and full of violence." How do the sexual and violent passages affect this book.
One Fat Summer, by Robert Lipsyte, ISBN: 0439080886
Teaching Banned Books: 12 Guides for Young Readers, by Pat R. Scales,
ISBN: 0838908071
"I always hated summertime. When people take off their clothes. In wintertime you can hide yourself...But in the summertime they can see your thick legs and your wobbly backside and your big belly and your soft arms. And they laugh." -Bobby Marks, in One Fat Summer
The Accelerated Reader (AR) Program is a way for teachers to track the books that their students read. When I was coming up through school teachers were big on one page book reports, but the AR program saves the teacher from having to grade all those book reports.
In the AR program students are tested on their reading ability and then assigned a reading zone, like 4.6 -5.9. The student can choose books to read that have an assigned level that falls within their zone. After they finish a book, they take a test on the book and if they past the test they earn the point value assigned to that book. For example, One Fat Summer, by Robert Lipstye has a Level of 4.5 and a value of 6.0.
More general information about the AR Program and how schools implement it is avaliable at:
http://www.renlearn.com/ar/overview/howitworks.htm
http://www.sbe.mps.k12.mi.us/AR_program.htm
The AR list that I use at work and reference here is avaliable at:
http://www.cms.k12.nc.us/allschools/FrancisBradley/index.html
The AR program can create problems at a public library in a couple of different ways. First the AR lists aren't always the same, so parents and kids have to look at the list for their school to know what they can read. Many public libraries keep copies of the lists, which can be a couple hundred pages in binders in the library. But librarians can't usually mark the level and point values on the book because it could be different for every school. I recently started making AR book bundles for a specific school with books in a level range like 7.0-7.9. I haven't had any feedback from parents and kids yet though.
I started doing one AR Book Talk program a month to highlight AR books and encourage teens to read. Both teens who have and haven't read the book are encourage to come to this program. If they haven't read the book the program tries to arouse their interest and entice them into reading it later. The format of these programs is to talk about the book in general terms without giving away the ending for fifteen or twenty minutes. Then play a game related to the book, like Character Pictionary. Then I provide snack and drinks and the teens can hang out and talk about whatever they want until I have to kick them out to clean up the room.
I had one or two teens at the AR Book Talks in the fall, but not a single teen showed up for this program. I should have sent some flyers to the local schools again and called some of the regular teens to remind them.
I found a copy of a great book called Teaching Banned Books: 12 Guides for Young Readers, by Pat R. Scales. One Fat Summer and the two other books about Bobby Marks by Robert Lipsyte are included. The book has discussion questions and activites for One Fat Summer. I've listed a selection of the discussion questions below.
1. How does Bobby get the courage to call Dr Kahn about the lawn job?
2. Why does he choose to keep his summer job secret from his family?
3. What does Joanie mean when she asks Bobby, "Are you a man or a rug?"
4. Why is Willie Rumson so angry? Why is Bobby a victem of Willie's anger?
5. Bobby's father says, "A man has to do something with his life." What do you think Mr. Marks wants Bobby to do with his life?
6. One Fat Summer has been challenged because it is "sexually explicit and full of violence." How do the sexual and violent passages affect this book.
One Fat Summer, by Robert Lipsyte, ISBN: 0439080886
Teaching Banned Books: 12 Guides for Young Readers, by Pat R. Scales,
ISBN: 0838908071
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