August 2015
Greetings 6th and 7th grade families: It is my goal that by the end of 7th grade ALL of our students believe in their extraordinary talents as readers
and writers, and that they all genuinely love to read. To help our kids develop powerful reading skills and an
ongoing interest in reading, I keep a stocked classroom library. I want to make sure that students ALWAYS
have access to the books they want to read; however, before I turn the kids loose on the library shelves, I’d
like to provide you with some information.
Our library is geared towards middle school readers who represent a wide variety of reading interests and
levels, so it contains ‘young reader’ novels and ‘young adult’ novels, along with picture books and nonfiction resources. Please not that I will not REQUIRE students to read young adult novels for course content,
but they are available for independent reading.
Most young adult books are in the general stacks, but I do have a collection of “forbidden books.” These are
young adult books that I feel contain more sensitive subject matter and are therefore not available for
general use. For example, Asher’s Thirteen Reasons Why, a book dealing with teen suicide, is a forbidden
book.
If a student would like to read a forbidden book, they can bring home a forbidden book slip. This will give
you the name and author of the book. In this instance, please research the book at home and decide if you
will allow your student to read it or not. Then, fill out the slip, sign it, and send it back to school.
As a family, please decide between the following levels of permission for your student. Indicate your choice
by filling out and returning the second page of this form.
•
Level 1: Young readers only (grades 3-6 according to Barnes and Noble)
•
Level 2: Young readers and young adult books in "general stacks" (NO forbidden books)
•
Level 3: ALL books including young readers, general young adult, and forbidden books
Although I work to read or screen all books in my library, it is possible that there is mature content in the
general stacks of books. We will spend time during the first week of school learning how to select books
that are personally appropriate. This means that the kids know how to pick books that are interesting, at an
appropriate independent reading level, AND contain content that the students feels comfortable reading. If
students come across anything that is objectionable, I ask them to “abandon” the book and to select a new
book. Please feel free to research titles that your student would like to read at home so that we are all part
of an effective book-selecting process.
Please visit our classroom homepage to find links to our digital parent handbooks for more
information about our reading program. Thank you for supporting your child as they develop strong
independent reading habits!
Sincerely,
Mrs. Trow
Classroom Homepage: http://home.d47.org/jktrow/category/la/
More Info in the online LA parent handbook: https://sites.google.com/a/d47.org/trow-test/LA
Mrs. Trow’s Classroom Library
Permission Page
Student’s first and last name: ________________________________________
My student has the following library permission: Please indicate your choice checking
ONE level….the level represents the books your child has permission to select and read
independently.
Book Level Definitions Young Reader: Books written at third through sixth grade reading levels containing elementary school appropriate content Young Adult: More challenging books written for upper middle school and high school readers containing more mature content and language Forbidden Books: Books written for high school students dealing with sensitive issues and mature content ______ Level 1: Young readers only (grades 3-6 according to Barnes and Noble)
______ Level 2: Young readers and young adult books in "general stacks" (NO forbidden books)
______ Level 3: ALL books including young readers, general young adult, and forbidden books
Please have a conversation with your student about their independent reading choices. I
will monitor independent reading, but it will also be your student’s responsibility to select
personally appropriate books based on his or her reading permission level.
Parent Printed Name: __________________________________ Parent signature: ______________________________________
Student signature: _____________________________________
Please sign and return a paper copy of this form.
Additional information is available at: https://sites.google.com/a/d47.org/trow-test/LA