Also, if you check on the Renaissance web site, they list every available test so you can handpick books for your school or classroom libraries. If a student likes football and is at 3rd grade level, you can scan through the titles and find what he or she might be interested in reading. Bill
----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2006 4:33 PM Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] Question for the group > > Good Afternoon-- > I have to start by saying that I am not an AR fan. I think it is just > like the matthew effect--those who can do and those who struggle do > not! But, since I have been in several schools that have mandated its > use--there are things you can do to make it palatable! > > My kids truly believed that every book was an AR book. Many teachers do > not realize that every AR disc comes with blank tests that can be > written by the teacher (or the students) and entered into the computer > by the teacher for everyone in the school to take. this takes some > work, but at the end of the first year my seventh grade struggling > readers had written 50 tests and we edited them and put them in the > computer together. I had to be very nice to my media specialist and she > gave her blessing to each and every test the kids wrote--but that way, > I did not have to restrict their reading to a certain selection of > books. > > Most of my students were reading between the third and fifth grade > level. Do you realize how many books are written (or not written) on a > third or fourth grade level that interest seventh graders? Not many. > So, we did away with the AR reading level and I ransacked the public > libraries for books-on-tape and purchased even more with grant funds. > We were able to make more texts accessible to them. Also, the typical > third grade level book is worth about 3 AR points. The typical 7th > grade level book checks in at 8-10--so my struggling readers would have > had to read 3X as many books as their peers just to keep up. Well there > was not a prayer! > > I was able to get my media specialist to set a goal and instead of > plastic prizes we had a make your own sundae party for all of the kids > who met their individual goals. The teachers set the goals with the > kids. there was lots and lots of conversations about this. The idea we > decided was to be inclusive instead of exclusive and to trust each > other. There was never a question in four years about what kids went to > the party! > > As an administrator I would never force any school into a program like > AR. It is just not for everyone! > Like Alphie Kohn says about the Pizza Hut Book it program is our kids > who read alot get pizza and get fat! Our kids who don't read > much--still don't read much! > Mary Anne > ________________________________________________________________________ > Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and > security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from > across the web, free AOL Mail and more. > > > _______________________________________________ > Mosaic mailing list > [email protected] > To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. > > Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.405 / Virus Database: 268.12.12/461 - Release Date: 10/2/06 > > _______________________________________________ Mosaic mailing list [email protected] To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/mosaic_literacyworkshop.org. Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive.
