[MOSAIC] Accelerated Reader/trapped?

[ljackson]

Even I can concede AR as the lesser of these evils.

Lori


On 9/3/07 3:36 PM, "kimberlee hannan" <mrshannan6th at gmail.com> wrote:

> Joy,
> While I do understand your feelings, I must say I'd rather have the AR
> police at my door than HM police, or the OC police, or the Reading First
> police.  In my experience with it, AR does expect the kids to read for long
> uninterrupted periods of time, with books (supposedly) at their level, with
> books they CHOOSE, has stupid little quizzes that mirror the STAR tests we
> give at the end of the year.  It gets real books into kids' hands where
> perhaps there would be none allowed.
> 
> There is still a great deal of good teaching you can do with it.  You can,
> in fact, conference on those books, put together book studies, test on class
> read alouds, use partner reading with those books, do extensive responding
> or writing about the books that can incorporate deeper thinking. Books can
> be started and abandoned.  If a book isn't exactly the best of books the
> kids can learn to think critically and discuss why that book was bad...
> 
> It IS settling for something less than the ideal, granted, but I can think
> of SO many better reasons to throw up my hands a quit.
> Kim
> 
> On 9/3/07, Joy <jwidmann at rocketmail.com> wrote:
>> 
>> The folks I feel for are those trapped in a school/system where they are
>> forced to use it. So what to do in that instance? I've said that I'd leave.
>> Not always the easiest thing to do. So, in the meantime, the mortgage has to
>> be paid, families have to eat. What do you do until you can find another
>> position, or what do you do if you are in the "perfect" position, other than
>> being stuck with AR?
>> 
>>   This is where knowing your administration and their limits comes in
>> handy. I'm not suggesting that anyone be insubbordinate, but you have to
>> know your work environment. Do you have a good open relationship with your
>> administrator? How much fidelity do you have to show to the program? How
>> closely are your grades going to be scrutinized? (At my old school AR
>> results were viewable by the principal as were our computerized gradebooks.)
>> 
>>   Are you able to close the door and teach, or are the AR nazis going to
>> be at your door? Will you have to train your kids to pull out AR books
>> everytime someone comes to the door?  Can you do Lit Circles and have
>> everyone take the test on that book? Can your students keep reading response
>> journals?
>> 
>>   Granted, this makes your job a bit more challenging, but if you're like
>> me, you'll want to do what's best for your students. If that means double
>> dipping, then that's what I'd do.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>                 Joy/NC/4
>>   jwidmann at rocketmail.com
>>   How children learn is as important as what they learn: process and
>> content go hand in hand. http://www.responsiveclassroom.org
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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> 

-- 
Lori Jackson
District Literacy Coach & Mentor
Todd County School District
Box 87
Mission SD  57555
 
http:www.tcsdk12.org
ph. 605.856.2211


Literacies for All Summer Institute
July 17-20. 2008
Tucson, Arizona