How My Students Track What They Read for the 40 Book Challenge

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Over the years, the way I’ve had students keep track of the 40 book challenge has evolved. During the first year of implementing the challenge, we started off with a composition book. The students opened to the first pages and wrote 1-40 down the left side. As they finished a book, they would write the title and genre, and that was about it. 

This worked okay. I didn’t have a place for them to write down what they wanted to read, or to really facilitate book conversations with me. It felt kind of clunky. This began the evolution of my 40 book challenge reading tracker.

The next year I did the same thing, however at the beginning of the year I handed my students a paper of books they wanted to read. They could use it to keep track of books they wanted to read while we did our Book Tasting activity (link). But then it was just a paper that was inevitably sacrificed to the desk monster at some point during the school year.

Each year I learned a little more, and did a little more, until I finally decided I needed to create a notebook specifically for the 40-book challenge, complete with everything I wanted my students to have. I sat down one summer and mapped out everything that I wanted in a reading tracker. Then I went to work creating it.

Sections in the 40 Book Challenge Tracker

1. Book Chart

At the beginning of their notebook I have a chart with 40 books on it. Each time my students finish a book, they pull out their tracker and color in one of the books. This makes it super easy to see how much progress they’ve made toward their goal.

2. Types of Book Genres

I have found that my students sometimes need a reminder about the different types of genres. This is a great section that my students love to reference throughout the year. Each genre includes a definition and 2-3 examples of books that could fit into that genre.

3. Yearly Goal

This section is important because it allows students to remember how many books they need to read from each genre.

4. List of Books I Want to Read

If you’re on Goodreads, you probably have a huge list of books you want to read. It’s important for students to have a list like this too. This helps them become more independent readers, as it takes away the excuse of “I don’t know what to read.”

5. List of Books I Have Read

After students finish a book, they will come to this section and write down the title, author, and genre of book they have read.

6. Monthly Reading Goals

Help your student complete the 40 book challenge by setting monthly goals with them. On this page, they can determine about how many books they want to read each month, and which genres they would like to explore. There is also a place for them to reflect at the end of the month on how they did in completing their goals. Breaking the challenge down into smaller chunks makes it easier for students to complete.

7. Monthly Book Letters

I love to have conversations about books with my students. To give my students the chance to practice their writing, I like to have them write me a letter each month about what they are reading. This is a great opportunity to teach students how to write a friendly letter. I encourage my students to ask me questions about what I’m reading too. I make sure to respond to each student’s letter. I want them to know that this is conversation! It is so fun to hear about what my students have been reading, and to “talk” about books with them.

8. Book Ratings

One of my favorite parts about Goodreads is the opportunity to rate and review the books I’ve finished reading. I love giving my students the same opportunity. This final section of the reading tracker allows students to give books up to 5 stars, and write a small book review. Having students share out reviews is a fun way to get kids involved in each other’s reading too.

Using a reading tracker will help your students be more successful when it comes to completing the 40 book challenge. Don’t want to spend your precious time creating a reading tracker for your students? I’ve got you covered! I’ve created one for you with all of these important elements included. 

It includes a printable and a digital version to best support all of your needs!

Want More Info on the Challenge?

This is Part 3 in a 5-part series about the 40 book challenge. Each week I'll post a new blog post that talks about one of the aspects of the challenge. Check out these blog posts to learn more!

Part 1: Why I Ditched Reading Logs and What I Do Instead

Part 2: How I Introduce the 40-Book Challenge to My Students

Part 4: Creating a Book Tasting Experience for the 40-Book Challenge

Part 5: FAQ about the 40-Book Challenge