Getting Results with AR

100 Pages·2009·2.5 MB·English

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Accelerated Reader
™

Getting Results
with Accelerated Reader
The Accelerated products design, Accelerated Reader, AR, Accelerated Vocabulary,
AR BookGuide, AR BookFinder, ATOS, Renaissance Home Connect, “Advanced Technology
for Essential Practice,” NEO 2, STAR Reading, STAR Early Literacy, and Renaissance Place are
trademarks of Renaissance Learning, Inc., and its subsidiaries, registered, common law, or
pending registration in the United States and other countries.
ISBN 978-1-59455-293-9
© 2007 by Renaissance Learning, Inc.
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
This publication is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. It is unlawful to duplicate
or reproduce any copyrighted material without authorization from the copyright holder. If this
publication contains pages marked “Reproducible Form,” only these pages may be photocopied
and used by teachers within their own schools. They are not to be reproduced for private
consulting or commercial use. For more information, contact:
Renaissance Learning, Inc.
2911 Peach Street
Wisconsin Rapids, WI 54494
[phone]
www.renlearn.com
05/09
Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Accelerated Reader Basics
q The Purpose of Accelerated Reader: Powerful Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Essential Practices
w Assemble Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
e Personalize Reading Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
r Schedule Time for Reading and Quizzing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
t Manage Each Student’s Reading Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
y Put Comprehension First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
u Make Success Visible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38
i Spread the Joy of Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Managing AR in Your Classroom
o Student Routines and Responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
p Teacher Routines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
a Common Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
When You’re Ready to Do More
s Set Additional Goals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
d Enhance Practice and Analyze Data More Deeply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Appendix
Instructions for Common Software Tasks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Reproducible Forms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
iii

Introduction
Congratulations! You have purchased one of the most effective software tools for
fostering reading growth—Accelerated Reader. As with all tools, the results that you
and your students achieve with AR will depend on what you do with it. When used
casually, AR helps students’reading abilities grow. When used thoughtfully and with
proven techniques, it leads to tremendous gains and a lifelong love of reading.
In this book, we describe some of the techniques that maximize the potential of
Accelerated Reader. First, we give you basic information about the purpose of AR
and its essential concepts. Then we describe the practices that will get you and your
students off to a good start. After that, we provide tips for managing your classroom,
and finally, we describe other practices that we encourage you to do when you’re
ready. The appendix contains step-by-step instructions for the most common
software tasks.
We hope what you find here will inform and inspire you. Bear in mind, however,
that this is only an introduction. To learn more about other professional-development
opportunities, visit our website: www.renlearn.com.
1

Accelerated Reader
Basics