This post makes me think of zucchini stories, which always start with, "Do
you know why small towners lock their cars only in August?" followed by "So
noone gifts them with more zucchini." At this time of year, there are
always recipes passed around for "brownies with zucchini" "zucchini banana
bread," etc., always accompanied by the disclaimer that "you can't even
taste the zucchini." Well, what I've always wondered was--if zucchini is
used only as something that adds nothing to its dish, why use zucchini at
all? What's wrong with just brownies or plain banana bread??
This post pretty much follows the zucchini theory, I think. If you are
"teaching reading strategies, using lit circles, doing mini-lessons, reading
aloud, and implementing readers' workshop," why in the world would you need
AR? Your dish stands alone!!!!
I realize that I'm taking a chance on jumping into the discussion on a hot
button issue like AR. I have very mixed feelings about the program, but I do
continue to use it in my classroom. I'll try to explain why I think it has
value. To me, AR serves as a record-keeping and management program - no
more, no less. I would not classify my use of the program as assessment
because the test questions aren't the greatest and they definitely don't
inspire anyone to think deeply about their reading. If someone used AR as
their entire reading program, they would be doing themselves and their
children a great disservice. However, if you are teaching reading
strategies, using Literature Circles, doing reading-minilessons, reading
aloud, and/or implementing a reading workshop, I think AR can have its
place. I've heard horror stories about the way some schools implement AR,
and I would fight to the bitter end against some of the things I've been
told about. Let me compare and contrast some different methods of using AR:
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