I feel that reading is one of the most essential skills in life.  Students are required to read, keep track of their reading in a journal, and earn at least ten Accelerated Reading points per nine weeks. Each student is required to get the ten A.R. points, or they will not be allowed to participate in the A.R. parties at the end of the nine weeks!  They will also have the opportunity to go over ten points, which will give them free assignment coupons and good things to eat and drink.   Students will also have to do a Book Report over one of these books every nine weeks.  6th grade students will also read short stories, poetry, novels, etc., from our Holt Reading Series.  Each student will take Spelling/Vocabulary Tests almost every week.  They will have a list of words by Monday to study, and the test will be on Friday of that same week. We will read two novels over the course of the school year.  Those two novels will be Hatchet by Gary Paulsen and Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell.