January's WOW Idea - Book in a Bag

We have (finally) started Book in a Bag and I have to say, I am totally loving how I revamped the process from last year. 

Kids take home book(s) on Monday's and return on Wednesday's and then take home a second book(s) on Wednesday and return on Friday. So, they have reading homework four nights a week. It took awhile for parents to get used to reading the same book(s) two nights in a row but I sent home a letter explaining how rereading helps all levels of readers with all kinds of reading strategies. 

Included with the book(s) is a bookmark which helps parents understand the expectations and gives directions on what reading activities to work on before, during and after reading. These activities and bookmarks are easily differentiated. I'd like to work up to some comprehension strategies for my readers while understanding that they are not developmentally ready for true comprehension. Also on the bookmark is a place for parents to check whether they felt the book was Just Right, Too Easy, or Too Hard. Hopefully after all of the time we've spent on learning how to self-rate the difficulty of books for independent reading with their book boxes, my kinders can help educate their parents on this process. 

My aide does an awesome job of organizing and prepping for me. We keep records on books students have read as well as a log of whether the parent felt the book was just right, too easy, or too hard. With parent/teacher conferences coming up soon, this is something I usually end up discussing with parents. 

If you'd like a copy of any of the items described above, please leave a comment with your email address and I'll send you a copy. 

So this was my January WOW idea.  Link up with Coast to Coast Kinder to get more WOW ideas and share your own!