Reading Marathon

What is a Reading Marathon?

A reading marathon is an extended period of Independent Reading time over the course of several days with 8 “checkpoints” to monitor comprehension and/or review each day. They are a great way to engage readers at times in the year when students aren’t always the most focused! The perfect activity for the end of the year, before or after major breaks, and are a great way to keep students engaged during assessment season.

What are my students reading as they participate in the Reading Marathon?

Students read any text they like!!! Due to the time frame, longer texts like chapter books work best, however, students can also read a different shorter book, or picture book each day and still practice the same skills, therefore this activity is automatically differentiated for your classroom!

How long does a Reading Marathon Take?

Ideally, your students will complete the marathon over the course of 5 days. HOWEVER, this can easily be adapted to be shorter or longer depending on your class needs and time frame. All comprehension skills have been covered by Day 5.

What Comprehension Skills are Reviewed?

• Analyze Characters
• Make Connections
• Visualize
• Identify Author's Purpose with text evidence
• Make Predictions/support or change predictions
• Summarize
• Ask and Answer Questions
• Identify Cause and Effect Relationships
• Identifying Main Idea
• Identifying Setting
• Compare and Contrast
• Determine Importance
• Identify Problem and Solution
• Sequence of Events
• Evaluate and Review a Text

What is included in the Reading Marathon download?

Check out the Preview for More Details!

• Instructions and time breakdowns
• Comprehension Checkpoints with directions and ways to differentiate
• Student Recording Sheets pre-labeled with Comprehension Checkpoint topics for 5 Days
• Blank Recording sheet to use as needed
• Student Certificate after completion of Reading Marathon

What will I have to Prep?

Nothing! Each student will need a book and a recording sheet. All pages were intentionally created in black and white to minimize ink use. PDF can also be projected onto a screen, or Smart Board as a guide and students can record in a reading journal to save on copies.