Re: [MOSAIC] AR

2009-12-20 Thread Laura
That is a poorly run school and misuse of a very useful program when it is 
done correctly.
- Original Message - 
From: 

To: 
Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 10:18 AM
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] AR




I agree with both of you. The saddest thing of all is that some districts 
use AR as their "reading program'. Don't kids need instruction?? 
Obviously, some think not! When I was a long term sub quite a long time 
ago, AR was in place at the school. The kids weren't even reading the 
books. They were just pretty good guessers or had listened to the book. 
They were accumulating coupons for free pan pizzas like no tomorrow. I was 
so disgusted that I vowed I would never participate in it if I ever got my 
own class and thank god, I never have!

Sue



-Original Message-
From: bmw2...@aol.com
To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
Sent: Sat, Dec 19, 2009 11:27 pm
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] AR


I totally agree with you. We are dropping AR at our school an possibly in 
our entire district for the same reasons. It measures comprehenson by 
using very low level questions.

Marianne

-Original Message- 
From: jan sanders 
To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email 


Sent: Fri, Dec 18, 2009 2:35 pm
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] AR

No, the levels do not correspond. AR creates it's levels by the number of 
words on a page and the number of pages. That is also how they decide the 
number of points. If you make your own test, they give you the "formula" 
to figure out the point value...To me, AR is over rated and DOES NOT 
instill a love of reading for children. They learn that that you read to 
earn an award, instead of the reward being the story on the page. I was a 
rebel at my school and refused to have my students do it. Some parents 
complained, so the computer was there for them to use, but I did not give 
out any awards.To really know your students as readers, have conversations 
and conferences with them.

Jan



Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:31:46 -0800
From: brenda...@sbcglobal.net
To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
Subject: [MOSAIC] AR

We may have had this conversation, but I didn't have access to 
Accelerated Reader. What do you all think? Do the levels correspond with 
the actual reading level of the student?

Thanks for your input.
Brenda
Ca/4
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Re: [MOSAIC] AR

2009-12-20 Thread kim lum
Yes Carol. AR is a wonderful resource to help our students see if they are
really reading at their very own level, choosing their own books. I really
get to know my students and talk with each one about their reading. AR also
provides a wonderful tool for parents to see their child's successes
throughout the day at school. Using Home Connect, our families see their
readers scores right when the quiz is complete. I have been using AR for 15
years and my students and their families love it. I promise my students that
I will help them become some of the world's best readers and with them
involved that happens. AR is the independent reading practice part of our
literacy instruction. There are many more components too.

Kim

On Sun, Dec 20, 2009 at 2:29 PM, Carol Lau  wrote:

> I feel the need to speak in favor of AR.  I teach 2nd grade.  Our school
> uses AR in 1st-6th.  Each teacher handles it in her/his own way.  AR really
> helps me guide students into appropriate books for independent reading and
> to monitor who's reading and whether they are "comprehending"-- although it
> may be at the literal level.  I send weekly summaries to the parents of the
> AR books that their child read and the quiz scores on these books.  We all
> (teacher, parents, and especially the students) love it when the readers
> move up to new reading levels.  I do not give prizes or keep track of
> points
> (since almost all 2nd grade books are .5 points whether a thin beginning
> reader or a beginning chapter book).  I do print out the word count
> occasionally because it really tells a story of the "Matthew effect: the
> rich get richer, the poor get poorer" as motivated, fluent readers are
> exposed to hundreds of thousands of words through the months and
> unmotivated, or disfluent readers might read a few thousand.  I always talk
> about this at Back-to-School night:  the numbers don't lie.  (By the way,
> I'm not proud of this discrepancy and work hard to help my strugglers to
> read, read, read.)
>
> But my point is:  AR has helped me motivate, guide, and account for
> independent reading.  Second graders do not "fake" the tests.
>
> Carol
>
> -Original Message-
> From: mosaic-bounces+cllc=ca.rr@literacyworkshop.org
> [mailto:mosaic-bounces+cllc =ca.rr.com@
> literacyworkshop.org] On Behalf Of
> soozq55...@aol.com
> Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 8:18 AM
> To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] AR
>
>
> I agree with both of you. The saddest thing of all is that some districts
> use AR as their "reading program'. Don't kids need instruction?? Obviously,
> some think not! When I was a long term sub quite a long time ago, AR was in
> place at the school. The kids weren't even reading the books. They were
> just
> pretty good guessers or had listened to the book. They were accumulating
> coupons for free pan pizzas like no tomorrow. I was so disgusted that I
> vowed I would never participate in it if I ever got my own class and thank
> god, I never have!
> Sue
>
>
>
> -Original Message-
> From: bmw2...@aol.com
> To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
> Sent: Sat, Dec 19, 2009 11:27 pm
> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] AR
>
>
> I totally agree with you. We are dropping AR at our school an possibly in
> our entire district for the same reasons. It measures comprehenson by using
> very low level questions.
> Marianne
>
> -Original Message-
> From: jan sanders 
> To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email
> 
> Sent: Fri, Dec 18, 2009 2:35 pm
> Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] AR
>
> No, the levels do not correspond. AR creates it's levels by the number of
> words on a page and the number of pages. That is also how they decide the
> number of points. If you make your own test, they give you the "formula" to
> figure out the point value...To me, AR is over rated and DOES NOT instill a
> love of reading for children. They learn that that you read to earn an
> award, instead of the reward being the story on the page. I was a rebel at
> my school and refused to have my students do it. Some parents complained,
> so
> the computer was there for them to use, but I did not give out any
> awards.To
> really know your students as readers, have conversations and conferences
> with them.
> Jan
>
>
> > Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:31:46 -0800
> > From: brenda...@sbcglobal.net
> > To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
> > Subject: [MOSAIC] AR
> >
> > We may have had this conversation, but I didn't have access to
> Accelerated
> Reader. What do you all think? Do the levels correspond with the actual
> reading level of the student?
> > Thanks for your input.
> > Brenda
> > Ca/4
> > ___
> > Mosaic mailing list
> > Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
> > 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.
> >
>
> __

Re: [MOSAIC] AR

2009-12-20 Thread Carol Lau
I feel the need to speak in favor of AR.  I teach 2nd grade.  Our school
uses AR in 1st-6th.  Each teacher handles it in her/his own way.  AR really
helps me guide students into appropriate books for independent reading and
to monitor who's reading and whether they are "comprehending"-- although it
may be at the literal level.  I send weekly summaries to the parents of the
AR books that their child read and the quiz scores on these books.  We all
(teacher, parents, and especially the students) love it when the readers
move up to new reading levels.  I do not give prizes or keep track of points
(since almost all 2nd grade books are .5 points whether a thin beginning
reader or a beginning chapter book).  I do print out the word count
occasionally because it really tells a story of the "Matthew effect: the
rich get richer, the poor get poorer" as motivated, fluent readers are
exposed to hundreds of thousands of words through the months and
unmotivated, or disfluent readers might read a few thousand.  I always talk
about this at Back-to-School night:  the numbers don't lie.  (By the way,
I'm not proud of this discrepancy and work hard to help my strugglers to
read, read, read.) 

But my point is:  AR has helped me motivate, guide, and account for
independent reading.  Second graders do not "fake" the tests.

Carol

-Original Message-
From: mosaic-bounces+cllc=ca.rr@literacyworkshop.org
[mailto:mosaic-bounces+cllc=ca.rr@literacyworkshop.org] On Behalf Of
soozq55...@aol.com
Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 8:18 AM
To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] AR


I agree with both of you. The saddest thing of all is that some districts
use AR as their "reading program'. Don't kids need instruction?? Obviously,
some think not! When I was a long term sub quite a long time ago, AR was in
place at the school. The kids weren't even reading the books. They were just
pretty good guessers or had listened to the book. They were accumulating
coupons for free pan pizzas like no tomorrow. I was so disgusted that I
vowed I would never participate in it if I ever got my own class and thank
god, I never have!
Sue



-Original Message-
From: bmw2...@aol.com
To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
Sent: Sat, Dec 19, 2009 11:27 pm
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] AR


I totally agree with you. We are dropping AR at our school an possibly in
our entire district for the same reasons. It measures comprehenson by using
very low level questions. 
Marianne 
 
-Original Message- 
From: jan sanders  
To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email
 
Sent: Fri, Dec 18, 2009 2:35 pm 
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] AR 
 
No, the levels do not correspond. AR creates it's levels by the number of
words on a page and the number of pages. That is also how they decide the
number of points. If you make your own test, they give you the "formula" to
figure out the point value...To me, AR is over rated and DOES NOT instill a
love of reading for children. They learn that that you read to earn an
award, instead of the reward being the story on the page. I was a rebel at
my school and refused to have my students do it. Some parents complained, so
the computer was there for them to use, but I did not give out any awards.To
really know your students as readers, have conversations and conferences
with them. 
Jan 
 
 
> Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:31:46 -0800 
> From: brenda...@sbcglobal.net 
> To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org 
> Subject: [MOSAIC] AR 
> 
> We may have had this conversation, but I didn't have access to Accelerated
Reader. What do you all think? Do the levels correspond with the actual
reading level of the student? 
> Thanks for your input. 
> Brenda 
> Ca/4 
> ___ 
> Mosaic mailing list 
> Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org 
> 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. 
> 
 
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Re: [MOSAIC] small success?

2009-12-20 Thread Karen MacKinnon

Congratulations to you Judy...this is what it is all about!


- Original Message - 
From: 
To: "Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email Group" 


Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 9:57 AM
Subject: [MOSAIC] small success?


This has been a year of VERY hard work for me in a new grade level. But 
today one student showed me how worthwhile that work is. On her Christmas 
card, she wrote, "You make me want to share my thinking."

Judy
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Re: [MOSAIC] AR

2009-12-20 Thread soozq55164

I agree with both of you. The saddest thing of all is that some districts use 
AR as their "reading program'. Don't kids need instruction?? Obviously, some 
think not! When I was a long term sub quite a long time ago, AR was in place at 
the school. The kids weren't even reading the books. They were just pretty good 
guessers or had listened to the book. They were accumulating coupons for free 
pan pizzas like no tomorrow. I was so disgusted that I vowed I would never 
participate in it if I ever got my own class and thank god, I never have!
Sue



-Original Message-
From: bmw2...@aol.com
To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org
Sent: Sat, Dec 19, 2009 11:27 pm
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] AR


I totally agree with you. We are dropping AR at our school an possibly in our 
entire district for the same reasons. It measures comprehenson by using very 
low level questions. 
Marianne 
 
-Original Message- 
From: jan sanders  
To: Mosaic: A Reading Comprehension Strategies Email 
 
Sent: Fri, Dec 18, 2009 2:35 pm 
Subject: Re: [MOSAIC] AR 
 
No, the levels do not correspond. AR creates it's levels by the number of words 
on a page and the number of pages. That is also how they decide the number of 
points. If you make your own test, they give you the "formula" to figure out 
the point value...To me, AR is over rated and DOES NOT instill a love of 
reading for children. They learn that that you read to earn an award, instead 
of the reward being the story on the page. I was a rebel at my school and 
refused to have my students do it. Some parents complained, so the computer was 
there for them to use, but I did not give out any awards.To really know your 
students as readers, have conversations and conferences with them. 
Jan 
 
 
> Date: Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:31:46 -0800 
> From: brenda...@sbcglobal.net 
> To: mosaic@literacyworkshop.org 
> Subject: [MOSAIC] AR 
> 
> We may have had this conversation, but I didn't have access to Accelerated 
> Reader. What do you all think? Do the levels correspond with the actual 
> reading level of the student? 
> Thanks for your input. 
> Brenda 
> Ca/4 
> ___ 
> Mosaic mailing list 
> Mosaic@literacyworkshop.org 
> 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. 
> 
 
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To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to 
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Search the MOSAIC archives at http://snipurl.com/MosaicArchive. 
 
 
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[MOSAIC] small success?

2009-12-20 Thread jvmazur
This has been a year of VERY hard work for me in a new grade level. But today 
one student showed me how worthwhile that work is. On her Christmas card, she 
wrote, "You make me want to share my thinking." 
Judy 
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Re: [MOSAIC] small success?

2009-12-20 Thread mrsjroman
Judy,
 
I can appreciate your small success story. I had one of my special needs  
students say to me something like this. I get so excited when you use those  
really big words Mrs. Roman cause now I know what they mean.
 
June in KY
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[MOSAIC] small success?

2009-12-20 Thread jvmazur
This has been a year of VERY hard work for me 
in a new grade level. But today one student showed me how 
worthwhile that work is. On her Christmas card, she wrote, 
"You make me want to share my thinking." 

Judy 
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