Welcome to Accelerated Reading 101!
After students completed the test STAR reading test they were provided with their AR level and goals on the sheet in the front of their STAR binder. Please check this is you have not already. Students are permitted to take AR quizzes on books they are reading in their level. Students can take the Third Grade Angels book quiz, but are not required to. Some books we have read in class also fit into AR this year and we will take those quizzes together, you do not need to fill out quiz slips for Journeys or leveled reading group novels. Please remember that students will not be able to take AR quizzes on books that parents have not filled out a quiz slip for. This prevents students from just taking a quiz to try to get points if they did not fully understand it. The low score on an AR quiz they just took spontaneously will hurt their grade. There should be slips in the student binders already, but when students run out and need more remind them to get some from the AR quiz slip basket in the classroom library.
Break down:
- Find out your student’s AR ZPD reading level (most look like 2.5-3.7 or something similar) on paper in front of STAR binder
- Each book has a different point value depending on the difficulty and level (some are 0.5-5 points)
- Students can read the book alone, with a parent, aloud to someone, or taking turns reading and listening
- When students have finished a book they should talk about the story to check for comprehension with parents at home.
- Have students make a story map with character, setting, events, problem, conclusion…
- Have students describe characters, or use graphic organizers such as KWL, Venn…
- Once comprehension is on target, parents need to fill out a gold AR quiz slip and send it into school
- Students will turn in the AR slip in the morning first thing when they get there
- I look over AR quiz slips and OK them, then meet with the student and tell them they can begin to take the quiz for the book online with the Chromebooks between 7:15-8:00 am
- Students take the quiz and the results and how much of their goal they have reached are displayed on their screen. It also shows them them the questions they answered incorrectly and what the correct answer is.
- Students see the books they have already taken quizzes on and the score they got
- If students did not get 100% of the questions correct they might not earn full point for the book. If they get up to 85% of the questions right, they get partial credit.
- Parents can go online at home and also see the quiz results and more
- The sheet to do this with the log in was send home last week
- There is also a potion on the home site you can request notifications to get e-mails of student’s results the second they complete it
- Students have the whole quarter to reach their individual AR goal. There are also rewards for completing the goals and even whole class rewards if ALL students in the class reach their goal.
- At the end of the quarter students will be given a grade on their AR reading for the quarter. It is 50 points and take a percentage of participation (is the student taking quizzes regularly and not waiting until the end of the quarter?), quiz score average (the average score of all the quizzes the student took that quarter), and the percent of the their goal they reached (if they reach their goal they get a 100% in that section, if they do not- it is lower, and if they go ABOVE their goal they get extra bonus points).
- I suggest that if students are performing low on quizzes to make sure they keep reading and reading because the extra bonus points on being above the goal will help gain more of the 50 points.
- I also suggest that students are constantly testing (depending on their level of book at least every other week one quiz, some students take 2-3 a week) because this will also help level out low quiz scores and if the goal is not met. If students are at least trying the participation percent will go up and level out the other areas.
- The break down rubric of the 50 point grade will be sent home in the Wednesday folders closest to report cards. (SEE PICTURE BELOW)
- A reminder on the progress of your student reaching their goal will be sent home in tomorrow’s Wednesday folder to keep you on track to finish by 10/20
