Changes to AR

One of the most common questions I hear from 7th grade parents is about Accelerated Reader (AR).  Undoubtedly, AR has caused a bit of stress for you - and your student! - over the last several years.  It's my hope that we can simplify the process, and reintroduce the concept that reading is fun and should be enjoyable. 

In my Reading classes, I ask students to read two books per quarter. I'm not concerned about the number of points they earn or even the exact reading level (as long as it's comparable to what they should be reading).  For each book, students will do two activities. First, they will take the AR quiz over their book so that I can verify that they have, in fact, read the book.  Next, they will be asked to complete a short project over the book.  In most instances, I give students a choice of three potential projects and it's up to them to choose the option that best fits their abilities and interests.  Usually, there is a written option, a creative response, and an analytical choice.  I try to encourage students to not pick what seems to be the "easiest" but instead choose the project that they think will showcase their knowledge the best. 

In order to help students reach this goal, the first ten to fifteen minutes of each class will be devoted to silent reading.  Students are expected to bring their AR book with them each day and to be actively reading.  Your student will have a Reading Log bookmark which he/she will use to keep track of the number of pages read each day. 

When it comes to grades, each AR book is worth a total of 100 points. Fifty of those points come from the percentage they score on the AR quiz, and the other 50 come from the grade they earn on their project.  In order to help students plan ahead, they will receive the AR deadlines for the entire quarter at the start of each quarter.  You can also find this info listed under "Important Dates" on this blog.  If at any point you have questions about AR, please be sure to let me know as soon as possible so we can keep your student on the path of success.