Accelerated Reader Ideas

Accelerated Reader has become a big part of our reading program. This page is dedicated to ideas we have found useful. Many ideas were sent to me via emails.

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Teacher Made AR Quizzes:

Teacher Made AR quizzes are no longer available. Accelerated Reader attorneys have contacted me and requested that I remove the quizzes from my site. I wish I could help you all but I have to abide by the rules.

However, many teachers have sent in the ideas which have worked in their classroom.

 

 

On a large bulletin board in our cafeteria we have a race track complete with start, finish, gas station, tow trucks, emergency vehicles, and even a restaurant. Each item has a different school employee picture. All of our employees are on the bulletin board. For example, the sheriff is the principal, the art, music and computer teachers are on the fire truck, and our cafeteria workers are in the restaurant. For the contest, each homeroom is represented by a NASCAR car called "Team Stimpson" (whatever the teacher's name is) and a picture of the teacher is on the car. Each week the cars are moved according to how many points they received. There's a 5th grade point poster and a 6th grade point poster where the actual number of points is recorded. We also feature the Top Point Scorer' for each grade for each week. Their total points and picture is posted for that week. 
The kids love it. They check the scores every Monday to see who's in the lead and they're sure to remind me when I forget to change the standings! We have a competition between all 8 of our 5th grade classes as well as all 8 of our 6th grade classes. The 5th and 6th grade homeroom with the highest Accelerated Reader points gets a fieldtrip. Last year the students were taken to Chuckie Cheese's. 
Submitted by K.J.W. 
Cecil Intermediate School 
McDonald, PA

For Valentine's Day this year, I purchased a LARGE stuffed dog complete with a heart pillow that read LOVE. From the first day back from Christmas vacation to Friday, February 11, students will earn AR points. For every AR point they earn, they will receive one chance for a drawing for the dog. I'm a middle school librarian, and the students are really getting into this. I may do something like this at other holidays throughout the year. If middle school is liking it, imagine what elementary would do!-Submitted by Sandra Windle from Northport, Alabama : Collins-Riverside Middle School

 

Motivate students with a little old fashioned competition. Have grade level classes compete against each other for the highest points with the highest testing average. The test average can help break a tie, plus it help make students a bit more responsible. Post weekly results and reward students with an AR picnic, indoor lunch or a snack during their reading time. Kids love this! If reading slows down during the week, simply post the results and remind them that other classes are competing against them. If you are the only class in a grade level divide the class into teams.

We are just finishing a school-wide reading incentive using the Harry Potter theme as a template. Each class decided on a name for their "house" and earned points for their house by reading and taking AR tests. The house with the highest number each week got a snitch ball (golden ball with wings) posted outside of their classroom door. Students really loved seeing their class earn that ball! Each student had an individual goal and students who reached that goal got to attend a Muggle Quidditch game between teachers and top-scoring sixth grade students. The winning classes in each grade level won a popcorn party and a read-in. It has been a lot of fun for everyone and really gotten the kids and teachers excited about AR and reading! - Julie Richards, Shawnee Mission Schools

 

* Figure out each student's weekly point goal, add them up and multiply by the number of school weeks and that is you class yearly point goal. Make a big deal about this goal and hold the students accountable. Post your class goal up in the front of the classroom and track class successes weekly.

 

Our campus has used Accelerated Reader for 5 years with great success. We don't have an AR store and students still read! They read to meet their weekly goals. If students meet their weekly goal they get to participate in the AR activity on Friday. AR Activities range from wearing a cap, joining in an AR picnic, to wearing sunglasses. Students love and look forward to the different activities.

Students who reach their yearly goal get rewarded with a Splash Day. Splash Day consists of an outdoor picnic followed by water activities on the campus front lawn. Students get to wear their swimming wear. Water activities include water wiggles, slip and slides, water sprinklers, water guns, small swimming pools, and a rented moon walk. Students really enjoy the day.

Want to build your classroom library? Put an ad in the local paper or school newsletter and ask for donations of gently used children's books. Set up a drop off box in the school office. It really works! Sample: Teacher looking to create classroom library to motivate students to read. Please donate gently used children's storybooks at _________ School. Drop off box is located in school office. For more information call: ______.

My children's school has a competition among each class in each grade (there are four classrooms in each grade, except for 5th grade). Each month, each class's total points for AR are added up, and the one with the most points gets the 'flag' to hang on the wall outside the door for the next month. They had to buy flag mounts for each room, and one flag for each grade (but they could be made by some industrious parents). It really encouraged my two to read, so their class would 'get the flag!!! Another big incentive was at my husband's school. The principal promised, if the school reached a certain point level by a certain date, he would kiss a pig. (Poor pig) They went over and beyond. And this from a school attended by many children whose parents don't have a lot of money and education is not a priority in the family.

Hackneyed as it sounds the new and used book store is my best friend--that was the start of my classroom library--take a list of the best love AR books on your computer and then buy them at the new and used I also have friends at the high school that tell their parents that they can donate old children's books to elementary school classrooms. I always have the children conference with me about their goals and together we set goals for reading level and points, then at parent conference I discuss the goals with the parents. Every summer I read student recommended books, then I can tell my next years students about books they might like. I have read some really terrible books that bored me stiff, but I can tell my students why I did not like them I have read over ten Goosebumps books, and I learned to like the Bailey Kids. I not only know books and authors, but the subtitles of the different genre'. I can direct students to new authors and new books they will enjoy. They learn to trust me and they bring in books for me to read. Some of the books they have brought are not AR, after reading them I have made teacher tests for the best of them. Learn to know your students and getting to know children's literature is the best ad.

I took pictures of businesses downtown and used those as the spots children moved when getting points. I also took full length pictures of each student so he/she could actually move from one place to the other.

 

Our theme last year was the Circus and we had a circus train. Each class decorated their overhead cart like a train car with whatever they wanted. I did mine like a lion car, and I had kids bring stuffed animals to put on. 
This year's theme is Castles, and we are having a poster contest... The poster? A coat of arms. 
Anon

Try this chapter book reading log, it makes it easier for students to use.


These ideas are used in a third grade classroom:

On Fridays I have partner reading- I select an author that I want to discuss for the week. I try to get as many books by that author in my class on Friday. The students read the book together and make sure that each one comprehended the book well. They get to test on the book separately and if both get a hundred the get a ticket for a drawing at the end of the day. Sometimes one student gets a hundred and the other one doesnt, so they try harder next time. They usually get to read 4 to 5 books within the hour. They don't get to test them all but they can test later in the day too.

We have – Stephen Cosgrove Day- Bring in any stuffed animal. 
Dave and Pat Sargeant Day-I have stuffed animals that go with each book. They grab that animal as they read. 
* Dr. Seuss Series. We have them make hats too. * Arthur Day 
* Clifford Day- Bring in their favorite dog. 
* Magic Tree House Day 
* Berenstein Bear Day- They bring in their favorite bear to cuddle with. 
* Junie B Jones Day 
* Madeline Day 
* Curious George Day- We have bananas at the end of the session. 
* Read Whatever Book Day 
* Read with a Parent Day- Parents come in and read with them. Not all parents come in so they partner with peers.

 

We have "POP" into reading Day. We read as we eat popcorn

If student meet their goal, we allow them 15 minutes of free time at the end of the day.

The students read to earn tickets. Every 100% gets them a ticket. The book must be at grade level. At the end of the week we open a little store to trade their tickets. This one is very popular with the students.

During Halloween, one room on our campus is decorated like a haunted house. We have RIP time. (Read in Peace) We all take our students in there at our assigned times. All the lights are off and the students read with flash lights. They love to do this. Sometimes we get parents to come in with them.

Our librarian has a Santa's Workshop during Christmas. According to their points earned, they go to certain tables and get a prize.

We also have a pillow day. The students bring pillow and go on the floor to read.

We start our low performing students with the Arthur and Clifford books. I just feel that they are good, fun books to read and if they are in third grade and have not read them yet, they have missed out on good authors. We really push AR because the kids will begin to love reading just because they begin to love the author. We introduce one series at a time and they get to read all of the books and log them in their book log. After we finish the series, we group them and they select their favorite book from the series. They are given large butcher paper and they make a graphic organizer with the story to present to the class.

 

Title__________________ Author_________________

Characters and Traits

Major Minor

*

*

*

Setting:

Beginning_____________________

Middle________________________

End__________________________

Problem____________________________________________________

Event 1__________________________________________________

Event 2 __________________________________________________

Event 3 __________________________________________________

Solution to problem________________________________________

Draw the best part of the story

Submitted by Lee in South Texas!

 

If you have successful ideas you have implemented with Accelerated Reader please share them with fellow teachers, email them to me at jresendez@teacherszine.com.

Happy Reading,

Janie