Honors Reading Program

Middle School - Honors Living Books Program

Middle school students can choose selections that will enrich their lives by choosing ‘living books’ which Charlotte Mason says "bring a feast of experiences."  They can keep lines of communication open during the adolescent years by reading some of these books with their parents.   SBA encourages our families and students to read these “Living Books” and participate in the Honors Reading Program. 

Students who participate in this program do more than what the school requires, and will be recognized at the end of the year at our Awards Day Program.  Honors Reading begins each year on June 1st and ends on April 15th the following year.  The two (2) books that the middle school students are required to read from the summer reading list may be included in this program.  Program Instructions for those students who need accommodations are on the listed here or the link to the right.

The guidelines for this program are as follow:

• This program is for students in 6th-8th grades.

• Students may read books above their grade level, but not below. 

• Beginning this year, students will log books via our new Beanstack website. Link to this presentation for help signing into Beanstack. Once you have signed in you will need to join the Honors Reading Challenge. Previously participants were asked to complete a Verification Form. This year we are implementing Beanstack to make the process easier and more efficient. Once you have joined the challenge you will need to click on the Activities link and complete the form. You will earn a badge. 1 badge = 1 book read. You will also need to log your books in your reading log in order to see the books that you have previously logged. Please email Mrs. Hall at shall@silverdaleba.org if you need help logging onto the website or have other questions.

• There will be 2 honors levels; a Gold level (15+ books read) and a Silver level (10-14 books read). 

• In order to qualify for either level award in middle school, one of the books may be read aloud as a family or as shared reading to open up discussion.  

• All books read must be logged on the Beanstack website by April 15th  to be considered for Awards Day recognition.

• Though recognition will be given to students who reach the mark, we encourage the reading effort to be made for enjoyment and inspiration, not solely for the prize.

                Gold          Silver

6th Grade                15+                10-14

7th Grade               15+                10-14

8th Grade                15+                10-14

*Although we review and evaluate our content, not all titles in our collection are considered Christian literature. Titles can be selected using recommended reading lists for secondary students based on literature they might experience later in their classes or be expected to have a working knowledge of upon entering college. The SORA digital library app allows us to rate books and permit check-out only to certain grade levels based on their classification as Juvenile Literature, Young Adult Literature, or Adult Literature. Some books in the adult literature classification are on specific Honors Reading lists and are available for checkout by middle school students. We do ask that parents partner with their students in selecting titles that are appropriate for them. Some books may contain violence, vulgarity, or sensitive subject matter. Common Sense Media and Plugged In (by Focus on the Family) offer book reviews and suggested reading lists for families.