Mission              

The Middle School Reading Challenge, a component of Governor Hodges’ Focus on Reading, is designed to introduce middle school students to quality literature, promote excellence in reading and writing, and spark a love of reading throughout South Carolina.

The Middle School Reading Challenge is a voluntary program designed to offer support to teachers in motivating students to read for enjoyment. Schools and individual teachers may choose whether or not to participate.

The initiative is based on a two-semester school year. At the beginning of each semester, middle schools will receive copies of the featured reading selections and information about the student reading response choices. Featured books for the Fall 2001 Challenge are:

Bell Prater’s Boy by Ruth White, donated by Farrar Strauss & Giroux and Random House

Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers, donated by Scholastic Inc.

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt, donated by Henry Holt, Inc. and Random House.

The books are yours to keep, even if you do not participate. Sponsoring publishers include: Chronicle, Clarion, Farrar Straus & Giroux, Harcourt Brace, HarperCollins, Henry Holt, Houghton-Mifflin, Hyperion, North-South, Penguin Putnam, Random House, Scholastic, and Simon & Schuster.

Students in participating schools are invited to read one or more of the featured titles and write a response to the book(s). Choices for student reading responses are provided.

The purpose of the Reading Challenge is to foster a love of reading. We hope to inspire personal and creative responses from participating students. Suggested reading topics include:

1) Choose a quote or passage that was especially meaningful to you and explain its relevance to the story and/or a personal experience.

2) The theme of abandonment runs through each of these novels. Choose one of the featured books and one of the topics below to expand upon this theme.

• In Somewhere in the Darkness by Walter Dean Myers, Jimmy lives with Mama Jean. His father, known as "Crab" is in prison and has not maintained contact with his son. Crab appears suddenly and wants to take Jimmy to Arkansas to prove to his son that he is an innocent man. Jimmy knows he is loved by Mama Jean but feels abandoned by his father. Write a letter that Jimmy might write to Crab telling him why he feels abandoned and betrayed. Or, write a letter to Mama Jean that Jimmy might write on the train ride home explaining to her what he has learned about the true meaning of "father."

• In Belle Prater’s Boy by Ruth White, Gypsy feels abandoned when her father dies, and Woodrow suffers from his mother’s disappearance. Think about how Gypsy’s feelings are different from Woodrow’s. Pretend you are a reporter for The Mountain Echo, the newspaper in Coal Station, Virginia. Write a news story about Belle Prater’s disappearance. Include interviews with Woodrow, Everett Prater, Love Ball Dotson, and Granny and Grandpa Ball. Or, write a journal entry that Gypsy might write that reveals how Woodrow helps her deal with her feelings of abandonment and therefore makes a difference in her life.

• In When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt, Toby feels abandoned by his mother, Cal by his brother, and Zachary Beaver feels abandoned by life. Toby’s dad says, "You are a lucky person if you go through life and one person needs you." Write a response about how Toby, Cal and Zachary need each other.

3) The theme of belonging runs through each of these novels. Choose one of the featured books and one of the topics below to expand upon this theme.

• In Somewhere in the Darkness, Jimmy feels he belongs with Mama Jean. Though she is not his real mother, she is the only mother he has known. Write an essay Jimmy might write nominating Mama Jean for "Mother of the Year".

• In Belle Prater’s Boy, Woodrow, despite personal problems, was soon to be accepted by his peers. Discuss the personality traits that helped him achieve acceptance, giving specific examples from the story. Is it one’s responsibility to promote acceptance?

• In When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, Zachary tells Toby and Cal about all the places he has visited. It turns out Zachary has visited these places only through books. Write an essay about how books give Zachary a sense of belonging.

4) Students may create an individual response, subject to their teacher’s approval.

Schools are responsible for holding an internal contest selecting a total of four students per school to participate in the statewide contest. The contest should be conducted as follows:

1) "Sorting Hat" Selection – Each school may conduct three drawings, one for each grade level including the 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grades. Satisfactory student responses are entered into each grade-level drawing, resulting in one winner for each grade, a total of three from each school. Teachers determine satisfactory responses.

2) Merit-Based Selection – In addition to the "Sorting Hat" Selection, schools may submit one additional response per school by conducting a merit-based competition. Teachers determine satisfactory responses. Teachers may choose to evaluate responses based on the enclosed state 15-point scoring rubric. Teachers are encouraged to work with individual students to revise, improve, and resubmit an unsatisfactory response. Submission guidelines are enclosed.

As with the school selection process, there are two ways responses are selected on the state level.

1) "Sorting Hat" Selection – A statewide drawing will be held among all school submissions. A total of four student responses will be drawn and declared winners of the Governor’s Middle School Reading Challenge.

2) Merit-Based Selection – A panel of judges will evaluate and score student responses submitted as school merit-based winners. A total of three merit-based responses will be declared winners of the Governor’s Middle School Reading Challenge.

Governor Hodges will honor the seven statewide winners by inviting them to a luncheon and book talk. Each students’ sponsoring teacher or media specialist is also invited to attend. Over lunch, Governor Hodges will lead a lively discussion about the featured titles. As an avid reader, Governor Hodges is excited about the opportunity to talk about books and the joy of reading with students and teachers.

Timeline
January 2002	Spring 2002 Challenge packets mailed to all middle schools

Contact Information                                 

Governor Hodges’ Focus on Reading
Middle School Reading Challenge
800 Richland Street
Columbia, South Carolina 29201

Phone:     803-737-1825
Website:  http:// www.state.sc.us/governor/focus_on_reading.html