[MOSAIC] AR

[tdbell]

At our school, we don't have a choice.  We are mandated to do AR every day for about 60 minutes a day.  During that time, they read, take tests, and go to the library.  They may also do book talks with a partner prior to taking a test on a chapter book.  I agree with the person who said that it is primarily a memory test.  Many of my students have a really hard time passing the tests on chapter books because they don't recall the specific details that they ask for on the tests.  However, I do see improvement over the year.  Usually whatever chapter book I am doing during our Shared reading time is also an AR book.  We discuss the book as we read, practice writing summaries, and talk about the characters as they change throughout the stories. Then everyone tests on it when we are done. By the end of the year, must students have improved in their abilities to read a chapter book, to stick with it and have learned to talk about what they read.  One of the problems I see is that 
 when a student takes the STAR test at the beginning of the year and scores well, they are then set an awfully high point goal.  I do adjust these when I see students who just can't make those goals.  Some of them are good readers, but slow.  Some are just good test takers, but don't have the interest to read enough books to make those points.  

So, I guess to sum it all up.  I am stuck with AR right now.  However, we are finding ways to manage it, use it as a tool, and not let it be the sum total of our Reading instruction.  

Tammy
TX, 4 

 




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