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Deadline for second quarter AR Goals is December 18. |
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| Deadline for second quarter AR Goals is December 18. Don't miss the chance to have your name entered into the end of the year drawing. KEEP READING IN ORDER TO MEET YOUR GOALS | ||
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AR Numbers are in for the First Quarter |
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"The numbers are in for the first
quarter Accelerated Reader goals!" announced Ms Luttrell. Ms.
Luttrell is the SSES AR coordinator.
Congratulations to all students who met their first nine weeks Accelerated Reader Goal (87 students in all)! These students received a certificate, two free tickets to the Fall Carnival, and a pirate bookmark. Also, one lucky student from each class won a pirate cup filled with pirate goodies and gold! Let's work hard this second quarter and have even more winners next time. The new deadline is December 18. Remember that your name is entered into the end-of-the-year drawing each time that you meet your goal! |
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Accelerated Reading Program |
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| Ms. Higginbotham, SSES Librarian, has been very busy this quarter. Ms. Higginbotham reported that as of October 8, two thousand, four hundred forty four books have been checked out of the library. All students who met goal will have their names added to a year end drawing for several grand prizes. Congratulations to all students who have reached their AR goal!!! | ||
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Accelerated Reader Program |
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| Second Street Elementary students participate in Accelerated Reader. This is a computer Program that helps teachers motivate their students to read more and better books. Numerous studies have shown that reading is a foundational skill- the key to performing well in all subject areas. The Accelerated Reader is but one of the tools our teachers use to ensure that your child receives the practice he/she needs to become a better reader. | ||
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How does it Work? |
.......It's as easy as |
1, 2, 3! |
| 1. The student chooses a book and reads it at their own pace. AR books are placed in a special area of our library and are divided into sections by their point value, making it easy for students to find a book at their level. Our teachers provide a silent reading period every day, and students are encouraged to read when they complete class work early, at home or when they have some spare time. | ||
| 2. The student takes a quiz on the computer. The quiz has either 5, 10 or 20 multiple-choice questions, depending on the level of difficulty of the book. Quizzes are taken in the classroom. We now have access to every AR quiz available, so there should be a book for everyone! Some of our teachers also make up quizzes and enter them into our computer system. | ||
| 3. The student and teacher get immediate feedback to direct ongoing reading practice. Points are awarded based on the reading level and length of the book. | ||
| The STAR reading assessment software has also been introduced to our students. It allows us to set individual goals for each student based on how he/she performed on the test. This test is usually given in the months of August, December, and May of each year to students in grades four and five. The STAR Early Literacy reading assessment is administered to students in grades four and five. | ||
| Frequently Asked Questions | ||
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do I tell if a book is right for my child? Books should be challenging, without being frustrating, with students aiming for at least 80% on the quiz. This ensures that the book was at the child's appropriate reading/listening level for comprehension and the student experiences success. |
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| What
if my child doesn't pass the quiz?
If the student is unsuccessful on a quiz, this can also yield valuable information as it lets us know that the student did not comprehend well what they heard or read. Therefore, the student should choose an easier and/or shorter book. |
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| What
if my child says they cannot find any books that interest them?
We now have access to every Accelerated Reader Quiz, which should ensure that all of our students have access to material they find interesting and is suitable for their individual reading skills. |
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| What
do the points that my child earns mean? The points a student receives is a measure of the amount of reading practice that child has done. The score on individual quizzes give the teacher or parent valuable information on how well the student comprehended what they read or heard. It is a diagnostic tool to evaluate whether the book was too difficult, too easy or just right for this student. |
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| Is this a competitive program and will my child be compared with others? No. All of our students need to practice reading, but at their individual level and pace. Students do keep track of their points and try to reach their own goals. As everyone reads at a different level (just as some run faster or slower than others) each student will have different goals to reach and will reach them at a different pace. As stated earlier, each child's goal is individually set and should be attainable by the student each term if they are reading enough books at the appropriate level. | ||
| Is it OK for a helper (or me if I'm in the school) read the quiz to my child? As we are dealing with comprehension (did they understand what they read or heard), it is OK for our younger students to have the books and the quizzes read with them or to them. | ||
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the student gets "stuck" on a question, should I (or the helper) give them
the answer? No. As we are attempting to obtain information about the suitability of the reading material, it is not appropriate to give the student answers as the information the teacher receives will not be accurate. Not being able to give an answer/answers is an important piece of information for you and the teacher as it can be an indication that the level is too high for this student to practice their reading with. |
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| How can I find out if a book is an AR book? Parents can access www.arbookfind.com from home to verify if their child's book is an AR book.. | ||
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Date of last revision: Friday December 04, 2009 |
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