Why don't you make your own tests for those books and put it in your AR system? I have done that for quite a few books that weren't AR books, or we hadn't purchased the tests. Your students could even help in creating some of the tests.
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of William Roberts Sent: Thursday, September 04, 2008 10:27 PM To: 'Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group' Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] text length Believe me when I say I understand completely how you feel. The problem is if one strategy works, then the powers that be decree that ALL must do it. I have kids who are fluent readers well above the 150-170 wpm of their age group, but we have to do daily fluency practice regardless. I understand what you are going through. I've had to revise college level samples for them in order to challenge them during the fluency practice. I've gone to my principal and have shown her the data proving my students are all fluent, but as a school, we didn't show growth in fluency last year, so she is insisting that everyone will do fluency. I like AR for students who don't read much, but when you have students reading Vonnegut, Grisham, King, and THE HITCHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, those aren't all AR books. Do I force AR on my students? No, but we are required to read AR books daily for 20 minutes SSR. I'd rather a student read a non AR selection that challenges them, than a boring series book written for children, but when they are required to have an AR book with them daily....I just tell them to have 2 books with them. In fact, I teach my kids 2 types of reading: SCHOOL and REAL WORLD. In school, we read nonsense and stuff that has little or no meaning in our lives at the present moment. In real life, we read what we enjoy, what we are interested in, and what has meaning in our lives. Many times I have had to make the distinction when teaching a strategy or lesson.... But as far as short texts go, there are many that lend themselves to deep discussion and debate. Opinion pieces, poetry by Langston Hughes or Robert Frost, speeches, short stories like "The Lottery" and "The Monkey's Paw" can all bring out the kind of teaching you described. I agree that larger works can enhance a reader's strengths, but don't discount the short texts. I like exposing them to more works and authors to enhance their backgrounds. I an just concerned that a longer work may turn off a reader who has to wait for the book to be finished, while shorter works may keep them interested with the variety of choices. I know there is some support for it, but I don't remember where I saw it. I tend to discount most research anyway since Reading First has been found at fault. I think sometimes we spend so much time worried about whether a teaching strategy has research or documentation, we tend to forget what's happening in our classrooms. A program or strategy is only as good as the teacher teaching it. A great researched program given to a bad teacher is not going to work as well as a good teacher teaching by the seat of his or her pants... Bill _______________________________________________ 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. _______________________________________________ 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.
