When our Reading for Enjoyment class was first started in 1994 the Electronic Bookshelf (EBS) was used. The company which created EBS was later purchased by Scholastic and it was renamed Reading Counts. Reading Counts like that of EBS is a computer program that is used to help manage this high school class.

To put it simply, students read books and the computer program administers quizzes to students to check for readership and comprehension. Results are reported immediately to the student, accumulated and then stored in the student's reading record. The theory behind this program is that any skill needs practice for development and improvement. Reading is no exception.

The goal of the program is to provide a motivational device for students to practice their reading skills with good literature that can be chosen at their reading level and individual preference.

The benefits for using Reading Counts are:

• Students increase their reading abilities.
• It creates independent self-directed learners.
• It gives them a sense of self-satisfaction and accomplishment.
• Students learn goal setting, work ethics and time management skills.
• It enhances other curriculums.Students gain enthusiasm for reading.
• It develops an awareness for both classic and modern literature.

Since the creation of this class a total of over 700 books are on the reading list. Many quizzes are teacher made quizzes which were made by the teacher after the teacher has read the book. The book list includes books that are Newbery award winners along with other such awards given to books which are recommended as books to be read by young people. Other books might be classified as the classics, best sellers, contemporary classics, biographies, fiction, nonfiction and so on.

Many of the books on the list were made into movies. When the class as a whole reaches a pre-specified goal, the class earns time to watch one of these movies.

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The 400 Points Club

A student can become a member of the "400 Points Club" by earning 400 reading points in one school year. This can be done by reading 40 ten point books or by reading books that are varying point values that total 400 points or more.

To earn 400 points a student must be willing to read above and beyond what most students read and really enjoy reading. A student can usually earn an "A" by reading approximately 60 point each nine weeks. (400 points would be equivalent to approximately 10,000 pages of reading depending on what level of reading in read.)
 

Holgate's "Reading for Enjoyment"  400 Points Club
Year	Name	Points Earned	Books Read
2002-2003	Ashley Branham	936	35
2003-2004	Hunter Steingass	789	42
1996-1997	Josh Aultman	766	53
2003-2004	Brenda Just	683	43
1998-1999	Joshua Barnes	540	48
1998-1999	Josh Aultman	515	47
1997-1998	Joshua Barnes	485	62
1997-1998	Angel Torres	484	56
2002-2003	Danielle Oberhaus	480 (1/2 year)	42
2002-2003	Alicia Aldrich	460	48
1998-1999	Charlotte Siebert	445	63
2002-2003	Dustin Westrick	439	17
1999-2000	Ashley Branham	429	40
1999-2000	Charlotte Siebert	422	47
2003-2004	Jeffery Just	414 (1/2 year)	16
1999-2000	Chris Knepley	413	21
Current	Chris Medina	700+	+
Current	Michael Cain	600+	+
Current	Dustin Eiden	500+	+

This page was last updated on March 10, 2005
 
       

Here are some of the best read and most highly rated books that were selected by students in the "Reading for Enjoyment Classes"
	Both Sides Of Time by Caroline B. Cooney Let Me Call You Sweetheart by Mary Higgins Clark Number The Stars by Lois Lowry Out Of Time by Caroline B. Cooney Phoenix Rising Or How To Survive Your Life by Cynthia D. Grant Slam! by Walter Dean Myers Third Eye, The by Lois Duncan Walk To Remember, A by Nicholas Sparks Face On The Milk Carton, The by Caroline B. Cooney Intensity by Dean Koontz Master of Murder by Christopher Pike Choice, The by Og Mandino Freak The Mighty by Rodman Philbrick Giver, The by Lois Lowry Tick Tock by Dean Koontz Among Friends by Caroline B. Cooney Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Click here to read vignettes for each title listed above

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Since this method has been used to teach reading, the "Reading for Enjoyment" program has received many compliments from parents in the community. Here are a two:

One mother sent a note to the teacher saying: "What a joy it is seeing my son reading at home. I don't know what you did to do this, but keep up the good work!"

A father came to a parent/teacher conference for the sole purpose of saying: "I just had to come in and shake your hand. We've tried everything to get our son to read until now, but now he is reading at home almost every night."

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Here are some comments that were made by students after taking the "Reading for Enjoyment " class:

"It has made me appreciate literature at a much higher level."

"Before taking this class, I had never read a full book. Coming to the end of this semester, I have read 21 books. It just makes me want to read more."

"I think everyone should take this class because it is a good way to learn to enjoy reading."

"I never read a book all the way through until this year. I appreciate literature a lot more because I realize that you can escape, and get caught up in a book."

"Taking this class is like taking a break from school. You may have to read a little bit at home, but reading a book is as good as watching television or a movie if you use your imagination."

"Reading is something that I will always do. It's better than watching television because I can make my own pictures and theories about what is happening."

"I like a more wide variety of books now, and I feel that this class has given me the drive to try different books."

"Before I took this class, I hadn't read a book since middle school. It made me read. I started out with smaller books, and then worked my way up. I actually read all the time now. At the beginning of the year, I read because I had to, but now I like to read."

"This class was an excellent addition to my class schedule. I had always liked to read but this class changed me from reading only a little in my spare time to making spare time to read a lot. It was great getting out of my busy schedule and just have fifty minutes of relaxation and getting into a great book. This class in definitely worthwhile."

"This class makes me appreciate literature more because it made me realize that there are good writers out there. There isn't just the ones that your English teacher makes you read."

"I enjoy this class because I always got 10's on the quizzes and this impressed my friends with perfect scores."

"I already considered myself a good reader. I'm glad I took this class because it gave me a good reason to read."

The "Reading For Enjoyment" program at Holgate was started in 1994 with a teacher grant from the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation. It was nominated as one of the "Best Practices" in Ohio in 1996. Mr. Tim Kohl, the program facilitator, has been teaching at Holgate for over twenty-five years. His undergraduate degree is from Bowling Green State University and his graduate degree was earned from the College of Mount Saint Joseph in Cincinnati.