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Beginning this fall, our 2nd graders are no longer going
to participate in the 30-hour reading club, but will instead be doing
Accelerated Reader with the 3rd-5th grades!
The Accelerated Reader program challenges all readers – from the novice
to the most advanced bookworms - to read quality literature at their own level. The
program is not a replacement for direct instruction in reading.
Instead, the program is a supplement designed to increase students’
practice in daily reading.
To
use the Accelerated Reader program, the student reads a book from the list of books
that we have tests for. We currently
have over 3300 tests, and the number grows monthly. AR books are
designated on our library shelves by a bright orange sticker. After the
student has read one of these books, he/she then tests his or her knowledge and
comprehension of the book by answering multiple-choice questions on the
computer. The computer handles all scoring and record keeping automatically and
presents the student with a score based on the number of correct responses, the
reading level and the length of the book. Students can take AR tests in
their classroom, in the library, or in the computer lab.
However, if a student fails the test (60% accuracy is usually required),
he/she cannot retake the quiz. This
means that if you fail a test in 3rd grade (for example, by trying to
take a test over a book you haven’t understood), you cannot try to retake it
in 4th or 5th grade either.
For this reason, students are encouraged to choose books that are
on their reading level, and to read carefully with comprehension.
Our 2nd graders are the exception to this rule.
At the teacher’s discretion, teachers may delete a test from a
student’s reading record to allow the student to re-read the book and take the
test again. This will only be
allowed in 2nd grade.
By clicking on “AR Quiz List” above, you can use a
searchable database called “Quizlist Interactive” which allows you to search
by author, title, reading level, subject, number of points, etc. and print a
custom list for your child, if desired. Most
teachers require their students to achieve a certain number of points, or read a
certain number of books each grading period. Your child’s teacher will
let you know what the requirements are for their class.
We also have an Accelerated Reader Store once a month, and students can
spend their points on various items (see AR Prize List).
Students can either spend their points as they earn them, or save them for a
larger prize later in the year. For
example, 4th and 5th grade students who want to attend the lock-in party in May
must save 75 points to buy a ticket to the party.
Once points are spent, they can’t be used again.
If you've recently
read a book that you think others would like, and we don't have it on our test list, you
can check to see if the quiz is available from
Renaissance
Learning. If it is, Mrs. Horowitz will be happy to order it for our
library. Just email
her with
the title of the book.
