We are inching closer and closer to the start of high school! I have already shared my Course Record Form and my Volunteer Log with you. Today I have another high school record keeping tool for you–a book log.
This is a simple concept: your student reads a book, then he or she records it on the form. All you need to track is the book title and author. When your student graduates, you will have record of his homeschool high school reading list.
While I don't think a recorded reading list is do-or-die, I do think there are good reasons to keep one. The first time I heard about keeping track of all the books a student reads in high school, I was sitting in a seminar led by Amanda Bennett. Since I have a reader, I determined it would be a great idea to log what he reads; I could add his reading list to his transcript and potential colleges would see one of his strengths. After that seminar, the idea of a reading list came up in a conversation with a friend who has graduated four students from her homeschool. She mentioned that one of her daughters went to a university which required a copy of her daughter's reading list. I have also heard Lee Binz (homeschool high school guru) encourage moms to track the books a student reads throughout high school and to compile them into a reading list to submit with the transcript.
What books should be included on a high school book log?
- classics
- popular literature
- books read for classes
- books read for fun
- books your student read independently
- books you read aloud to your student
- audiobooks
Basically, you include everything.
It's important to log everything because the reading list indicates various things about your student. It demonstrates reading level, shows the types of books your student enjoys, indicates unique interests, and it may even highlight your student's passions and gifts.
The recordkeeping part of the reading list can be done by your student. I put the form on Elijah's desktop, so he can simply open it and add books as he finished them. Just like the other two record keeping forms I created, he can type right on the form.
I haven't ever been able to keep up with Elijah's reading. Now I don't have to. It's his responsibliity, and one less thing I have to worry about.
Note: the blue shaded areas don't show when you print the form; they just let you know which areas you can type in.
You can download a copy of the homeschool high school reading list record form below.
Download Homeschool High School Reading List Record Form
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