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Paynesville Press - June 22, 2005

Sixth grader sets middle-school reading record

By Michael Jacobson

kodySixth grader Kody Klein set a new reading record at the Paynesville Area Middle School this year. Klein read dozens of books this year and scored more than 1,000 points in the accelerated-reading program.

Sixth grader Kody Klein scored over 1,000 points by reading dozens of books during this school year.

Klein reads anywhere and all the time, said teacher Rick Houske. "They're isn't anyone who's been close to 1,000 points before," Houske added.

Klein, the son of Brenda Klein, had a goal of 36 points per quarter in accelerated reading, or 144 points for the year. He averaged over 250 points per quarter and totalled over 1,000 points.

"It's fun," said Klein of reading. "It passes the time, you learn new things and words, and it's entertaining, too."

Klein said he likes fiction books the best, especially adventure stories. This year, he read classics like "Gone With the Wind," by Margaret Mitchell and newer books like the Redwall series by Brian Jacks.

He earned the most points for a single book for "Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan, worth 65 pointsx (In accelerated reading, books are awarded points based on their length and difficulty. Students set their own goal for points. Once they read a book, they must pass a computerized comprehension test.)

Klein, according to Houske, has maintained a 98 percent average on his accelerated-reading tests this school year.

Klein said he was an avid reader in third grade but had not read as much in fourth and fifth grade. This year, he decided to make it a focus again, he said.

He broke the middle school reading record set last year by Aaron Zenner, who earned 570 points.



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