The Page 99 Test

It's probably no secret that I love to read. I love to read professionally and I love to read personally. I always have a book or two on my desk or night stand ready to be picked up. Fostering this lifelong love of reading is an important job of teachers. It is also important to help students to learn to assess and analyze their reading.

It's also probably no secret that I love to write, so when I heard about a website that let's me read and write, I got excited.

The website is www.page99test.com. When you or your students visit Page99Test you have a couple options. First you can read the ninety-ninth page of a book. (Be sure to pick your genre first so that you are reading student appropriate books.) After reading the ninety-ninth page, you decide whether or not you'd like to read more and write a short reason why or why not. After submitting your feedback you learn the book's title and author. What a great way to help students think deeper about what they enjoy reading and why. It's purposeful reading and purposeful writing all combined in one fun activity.

Page99Test also has a feature for aspiring authors or writing clubs to submit their writing and get feedback. Imagine students getting honest feedback from around the globe. It may inspire them to pursue writing more vigorously.

So, whether you plan to use it to find your own personal reading or as an activity for your students, check out www.page99test.com.

PS: Looking for some good books to read? Here are a couple of my recent recommendations: Drive by Daniel Pink; Sarah's Keys by Tatiana de Rosnay; The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen; or A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink. Of course, I also recommend anything by Malcolm Gladwell and if you haven't read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen you must read it before the movie comes out this Spring.

Happy Reading.....and writing!