I have used AR in two separate schools, one was very poor and one was middle class. At the very poor school, where the students were very low achieving, I don't think it helped much. At the school I am at now, it is wonderful!!! I ask my students to read one AR book a week, but they can read whatever they would like the rest of the week (third grade; and they usually still choose another AR book). I have found that the students find books that are "just right" for them, because they don't want to fail a test, but at the same time will not pick a book that is too low, since I will not count it! Because of the positive response, I have marked all of my classroom books that have an AR quiz with the AR level. The students like this. I do not rely on AR quizzes for grades, only to be sure the kids are reading at the correct level. With the same books they take quizzes on, they do other comprehension activities as well. I think it is a program that has benefits if used correctly.
Christine McLaughlin Beaumont, California > Date: Sun, 2 Sep 2007 13:17:19 -0600> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: > [email protected]> Subject: [MOSAIC] Accelerated Reading> > Hello > all,> I am a Learning Support Facilitator in the area of literacy in my > school division. We have been working on reading comprehension strategies > using the work of Ellin Keene, Stephanie Harvey, etc. etc. etc. As with all > things, there are the keen, the reluctant, and all those in between (and on > other sides of the spectrum!). Recently I had an administrator contact me > because he wants to purchase the Accelerated Reading software. I was somewhat > familiar with it, having read about it years ago, but my very general opinion > was (is) that these are worksheets on a computer screen, the main point is to > get kids to do lots of reading (which isn't a bad thing), it tests kids on > very literal comprehension, but it doesn't teach kids about how to think > about their reading which is something we are working on. Also, it's an > incentive program which research shows has little or no effect on long-term > attitudes towards reading. Of course, wanting to be someone with an open > mind, I have been researching anything to do with AR and still, I haven't > been swayed to the other side. That's not necessarily a bad thing either, in > this case. What I have read is that like any other program, it's not the > program, but the people who implement it, that make the difference. So I am > looking for for some response to this issue. Is there anyone out there who > uses AR in a way that supports "Mosaic of Thought" thinking? (I warn you, it > has to be a VERY good argument to convince me!!!!). I sound like one of those > resistant people, don't I?! However, I really am interested in a conversation > about this.> > Marg Epp> Learning Support Facilitator> Prairie Spirit School > Division> Saskatchewan, Canada > > _______________________________________________> 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. > _________________________________________________________________ Discover the new Windows Vista http://search.msn.com/results.aspx?q=windows+vista&mkt=en-US&form=QBRE _______________________________________________ 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.
