RATIONALE

    In a democratic society, the right to academic freedom, as well as the standards of the community, must constantly be protected; therefore, it is proper that a district such as Granite has and maintains procedures not only to assure the individual's right to read, but also to establish a selection process for books and materials used in the classroom.

    The practice of Granite School District in regard to book selection is to consider and select, through committee action, appropriate books to be placed on this district's Elementary Complementary Instructional Materials list.  This list contains titles of approved fiction and biographies for in-class study in grades four through six.  In-class study is defined as total-class study, small-group study, and teacher read-alouds.

    The purpose of this publication is to assist classroom teachers in grades four through six and other district personnel in selecting books which support instructional goals and objectives.  This listing is updated regularly and made available to all elementary teachers of fourth through sixth grades, administrators, and media specialists.

    Before this list was published by the district, elementary school committees reviewed and evaluated the books.  Each school committee is composed of a classroom teacher, a student, a parent, an administrator, and the media specialist or another teacher in the school.  The District Elementary Novels Committee consists of teachers from various elementary schools representing each instructional network within the district, the Elementary Language Arts Curriculum Specialist, PTA and community representatives, and an administrator from the Curriculum Services Department.

The process for reviewing books is:

• A teacher recommends a title by filling out a Teacher Referral Form (pink)and sends the form to the Elementary Language Arts Curriculum Specialist.
  
• Copies of the book are purchased and given to school committees and PTA and community representatives.
  
• School committee members and others review the books and record recommendations on evaluation forms.
  
• At a regularly scheduled committee meeting, the total district committee reviews the recommendations of evaluators and votes to accept or reject the title for use in grades four through six and adds any appropriate comments.
  
• The recommending teacher is then notified of the decision.
  
• Any responsible individual may request reconsideration of an approved title by completing Citizen's Request for Reconsideration of a Work form (green) and sending it to the Elementary Language Arts Specialist. 
   

INSTRUCTIONAL EXPECTATIONS

Teachers in grades four through six are expected to be in compliance with the expectations outlined below:

      Choose only listed books for read-aloud and group study.

      Read each selected book completely before presentation or recommendation to students.

      Follow guidelines set forth in the annotations.

      Consider curriculum needs, content of the book, student reading level, and student maturity when books are selected.

      Plan in advance an alternate, comparable book for a child to study if a parent objects to the title chosen for study.

      Remember that books on the novels list are supplementary to adopted textbooks.

We appreciate your thought and care in choosing reading materials for students. If you have questions about the list or these items, please contact the Elementary Language Arts Specialist.

     Remember that teachers may request that the district committee review a book for addition to the Complementary Instructional Materials List. A form is provided in the back of the novels list or one may be down-loaded from the web site.