SAFARI is a large component of RTI Literacy Lab.  The acronymn stands for Students And Faculty All Reading Independently.  For the first 10 minutes of every class students will sit in the SAFARI area of the classroom which has comfortable seating, cozy lighting, soft background music, and tons of great books to choose from.  Students will be able to choose the books they want to read independently, with suggestions from me. Books can be obtained from my classroom library, the Jr. High Library, public library or home.  The idea is for students to have the freedom to choose and to be given the time to practice their independent reading skills.  I will also help them in their quest for great reads.  I am a huge YA (young adult) fan and have knowledge on the many wonderful genres and writers for teens.  After 10 minutes of reading, students will log in their SAFARI portfolio and will have the chance to respond to the prompt given at the start of class.  This is an opportunity to promote critical thinking, improve listening and allows for sharing books with the other readers in the room.  This is also a great way for students to "sell" books to one another.  Up to 2 points will be awarded every time the student participates in SAFARI.  SAFARI portfolios will be collected and scored (rubric) each quarter.   Please talk with your child about  what they are reading independently during their SAFARI time in Literacy Lab. A paper came home for both student and parent/guardian to sign and return to school this week (9/23 or 9/24).