Accelerated Reader
Shrubland Street Primary School is proud to now be an Accelerated Reading (AR) School. All pupils in Year 3, 4, 5 and 6 are enrolled on the program system for the academic Year 2019-20. We believe that with our commitment to the scheme and your support at home we will vast improvements in our reading and academic achievement.
Why do we want pupils to read?
- Regular reading improves comprehension (the ability to read text, process it and understand its meaning), concentration, broadens vocabulary and boosts academic success.
- Reading becomes faster and more fluent.
- Research shows that children who read for pleasure are likely to do significantly better at school than their peers.
- It can have a positive impact on pupil’s social and emotional behaviour.
- Imagination is stimulated.
- ‘Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body’ – Joseph Addison.
What is Accelerated Reader?
Accelerated Reader is a really effective software tool used to monitor reading. It enables students of all abilities to improve their reading and comprehension skills by guiding them to books at an appropriate level for them.
Pupils take a STAR test to establish their STAR reading level. Students then read books within this level. AR Fiction books are organised by their reading level in the library and around school in the book nooks. Pupils take a quiz on the website after reading each book to assess how well they understood it. AR then gives pupils and teachers feedback based on the quiz results which the teacher then uses to help the child set targets and ongoing reading practice.
The more a child reads, the more quizzes they pass leading to a sense of success and achievement.
How much should my child read a day?
Renaissance Learning’s research has revealed that children who read for more than 20 minutes a day with a 90% comprehension rate on AR quizzes see the greatest gains.
What is Myon?
Alongside the AR program the children also have access to the following website. www.myon.co.uk. This website has over 1000 texts and books available for the children to access at home and at school. These books can be selected by interest and are grouped into the appropriate book level for each child. The books can also be quizzed to monitor comprehension and the website tracks how much reading your child is doing.
There a number of other features on the website to support children who find reading at challenge at times – audio options, highlighting of text etc.
Class teachers can also set challenges and projects for pupils to do at home or in lessons.
What is Home Connect?
Home Connect provides parents with a snapshot of their child’s reading progress, including the books read, the average percentage correct on quizzes, number of points earned and results in the last quiz.
How can I find the books that are suitable for my child to read?
AR Book Finder is a great website which allows children and parents to search for the books in the suitable level. Children are still encouraged to read books that take their fancy, however, for the best results the children need to make sure the book is at their level.
Rewards
Each week we will share the word counts classes in assembly, on Twitter and in newsletters.
Every time a pupil scores 100% on a quiz, their name will be put into a termly raffle.
There will be prizes for the house that has taken the most quizzes each term.
We will work towards a ‘Millionaire’s Club’ where those children who have read a million words will be rewarded with a special certificate and prize.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I read my own books from home?
Yes, but it is important that they are at the right level. Use the book finder website to check if the book is on the scheme. Make a record of the quiz number and complete the quiz once the book has been read.
Can I do quizzes on books at home?
No, quizzes are done at school.