Voluntary Free Reading

Voluntary Free Reading

The Procedure

1. Choose an English book that you are interested in and would really want to read.
2. Bring your books to class for teacher’s advice/approval. (on Feb. 29)
3. Plan to read for 30minutes everyday and mark your daily progress on the reading log. If you skip a day, skip the entry for that day. This log must be turned in at the end of each month.
4. Every other week, submit a reading journal (RJ) and post it on class blog before the due date. There will be 7 journals for this semester. More submissions do not guarantee extra grades. No late journal accepted. You are encouraged to look at your classmates journals and give feedback when possible.
5. This activity will continue throughout the semester. If you finish reading one book before the semester ends, read another. Always talk to the teacher before you begin a new book.

1. Choosing an English book for this project

1. Your motivation is the most important. The ideal situation is that you are so carried with the content that you “forget” that it is in English. Exclude textbooks. (They are to be studied.)
2. This class requires that the text be mostly continuous discourses (not simply exchanges of dialogues as often seen in comics) and in English only (avoid bi-lingual, side-by-side presentations).
3. The Humanities Library (10th fl. Humanities Bldg) and the Reading Lab (6th fl., Humanities Bldg) offer graded English readers and you can borrow them. It may also be a good idea to share books among friends and classmates.
4. Please don’t feel you must begin at high level to “justify” your reading proficiency. Start at the level you are most comfortable with. It is probably better to have a humble beginning and make steady and speedy progress than to begin with excessively high expectation then feel frustrated and disappointed. The “feeling good” factor is essential for the success of the reading project. There must be a few pleasant incentives to attract you to continue.
5. There is no limit to the amount or the level each student must achieve. The guiding principle is “each person to his/her own best ability”. We certainly would like to see each of you feel proud of your growth.

2. What to write in your reading journals

1. What you have read so far—even if you have not finished the book. You can tell what you have read up to that day.
2. Your feelings, thoughts (critical responses) of it
3. How you do it, and how effective you think you are
4. Reflections of how might you enjoy the exercise more—how to be more effective, how to choose a more appropriate book, how to make your reading more comfortable, etc.
5. Questions related to this reading project