Layla Henry- Fancy Free in 4th- Blog

Fancy Ideas for the Everyday Classroom

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Layla Henry- Fancy Free in 4th- Blog
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Contact

Accelerated Reader (AR) and an AR freebie!

July 21, 2012 By fancyfreein4th

My district uses Accelerated Reader (AR), which is a computer program that allows students to take reading and vocabulary tests after they complete a book.  We have class competitions, track their word count, test them every so often to see what their reading level is, and with each book that they read and pass a test (up to 60%) they earn points.  My new school is vigorous about A.R. They get really competitive and encourage students to get to the “Millionaires Club”- reading one million words in a school year. I set monthly AR goals for my students. Each trimester I increase how many points my students must have. At the beginning of the year I tell them that they need to reach 7 points a month.

One of my goals for this next school year is to have a more organized classroom.  This includes my classroom library.  Most of my books are packed away in storage waiting to be transferred by the District to my new school site, but I found a box full of 100 books in my garage and decided to organize them.

I created these stickers to put on the inside cover of each of the books:

You can download these stickers/labels on my TpT store for FREE

I spent my Friday night labeling the books I found.  I was able to find out the reading level, point value and quiz number (which is what the student’s need to take their test) on the Renaissance Learning teacher website. I turned on a movie and went to town:

It was fun to go through these books. I stumbled upon a lot of my favorite books as a kid. I saw handwriting from elementary school labeling my books.  

Now I have to figure out how to organize my classroom library: by level? by genre? How do you organize your classroom library?

Hope you like the freebie and I hope I am not the only crazy teacher out there who does stuff like this on a Friday night!  Have a good weekend you all!
«
»

Filed Under: AR, classroom library, freebie, TpT, Uncategorized 10 Comments

Comments

  1. Heather says

    July 21, 2012 at 4:22 pm

    We use AR at our school and it is very competitive too. I never thought of having a monthly goal. Mine was always for the trimester. I like the montly more. I made the change to have only AR books in my classroom library last year. They are organized by reading level. It makes it easier for my kiddos since they are first graders. They only have to look at the color of the book to know what they level of the book is, and it is easier for them to put them away.

    Heather
    The Busy Busy Hive

    Reply
  2. Jane says

    July 21, 2012 at 9:23 pm

    I enjoy reading your blog and nominated you for an award! Check out my blog to find out more!

    Jane
    Learning in the Little Apple

    Reply
  3. Teri Williams says

    July 21, 2012 at 9:30 pm

    What a WONDERFUL post! Thank you so much for it! And trust me…you are not the only one who does nerdy teachery things on Friday night (or any other night!) I am queen of nerds…I am trying to get organized and my classroom library is one of my priorities! Thanks so much for the label template! I can't wait to use it! I am using an app called "classroom organizer"that allows you to make a database by scanning your ISBN into your phone or Ipad…so far it is working well. Some of the books I have to input manually…try it and let me know what you think 🙂
    Teri
    5th Grade Tomfoolery

    Reply
  4. amy says

    July 22, 2012 at 3:44 am

    Being in 2nd, I have sorted my books by level. There are also some I have by topic as well (holidays, subject area). I want my students to be sure to have appropriate books on hand for reading time.
    My 5th grade friend also levels here books using the guided reading leveling system. She can easily pair up books with her students that way. She has found that her kids read more and actually finish a book when it is on their level.
    Good luck!
    Amy, your newest follower!
    Where Seconds Count

    Reply
  5. FourthGrade Flipper says

    July 22, 2012 at 4:46 am

    Thank you for stopping by my blog! I saw this post and had to comment because our district uses AR as well. We have school wide competitions, etc. and I use it in my classroom to keep track of my student's reading goals. Last year, I expected my students to read 4 chapter books per month (40 books per year) and they had to take AR tests on them so I could monitor their progress.

    Well, after entering the blogging world just a few weeks ago, I bought the book, "The Book Whisperer", and started reading it. The author does not promote AR and now I am having so many conflicting thoughts! I really can't give it up (the school has contests!). However, I do feel like I have done a lot right by allowing the students to choose their books by interest (I have my books arranged by genre or "themes" like sports, mystery, humor, etc.) and really don't emphasize how many AR points they have to earn. One thing I did require was that the book had to be a 4.0 level or higher starting in November since my group was the top reading group. I gave them a couple months to catch the reading bug and read easier chapter books if they chose to.

    I just organized my chapter books by using a colored dot with the AR level written on it and taped over with book binding tape on the binding. I used a different colored dot for each grade level 2nd to 6th but keep the books sorted by interest theme. I would love to hear your thoughts on the Book Whisperer if you have read it. My brain is like mush!! Sorry for the never ending post! Thank you:)
    ~Holly
    Fourth Grade Flipper

    Reply
  6. Amanda says

    July 22, 2012 at 4:18 pm

    I say genre!! Especially since you have older students. I feel like my students really loved to be able to find books they loved easily. I too had them leveled, but try to make sure each genre or subject has a variety of levels so all students can have access to that topic. AND I have all my books with AR dots and the quiz number inside… and I think this year they are nixing AR! Haha of course. Oh well at least they're leveled! 🙂 Love your little labels. Cute!

    Amanda
    Reaching for the TOP!

    Reply
  7. Dee Bibb says

    July 23, 2012 at 2:01 am

    Thanks so much for the label freebie! This will be fabulous! Stop by my blog….it is new…so not much on it yet!

    Reply
  8. Jennifer Wright says

    July 23, 2012 at 2:07 am

    I completely admire your sticker organization! My students use a classroom binder with an alphabetized list of AR books to see the points and level of classroom books. My library is organized by genre because I think this helps to teach genre. I always enjoy reading your ideas.

    Reply
  9. The Polka Dot Room says

    July 23, 2012 at 1:20 pm

    I'm your newest follower! I made you 201..but I'm sure with such a great blog you'll be at 300 before you know it. Just happened upon you and glad I did…can't wait to check out your blog more!

    Reply
  10. Courtney Baker says

    July 24, 2012 at 1:00 am

    I organize by genre. I really like it. I use the plastic shoe boxes and they fit around 15-20 chapter books each. I wrote the AR level on the inside cover (which your stickers would have made SO much cuter!) . I don't sort by AR just because I worry students won't explore as much because they'll think their choices are limited. Sometimes they'll read a tough book because it interests them! (Thanks for stopping by .. I added your button to my page. LOVE your blog)!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome Widget

Welcome Widget

Subscribe Via Email

Topics

Latest on Pinterest

  • Kindness Counts, class notes, note to the student, pbis, postitive classroom culture
  • Secretary's Day Freebie! - Fancy Free in 4th
  • Interactive Synonym wall is one of the best bulletin boards in the world! Kids add it all year!
  • The perfect gift for Teacher Appreciation, Secretaries Day or anything in between.Looking for a great gift for anybody? This combines nails, the Target Dollar Spot and a free printable to go with!
  • Data Wall
  • Editable Cactus Classroom Theme Decorations that will make your classroom a beautiful place to be. Your teacher heart will be so happy with all the organizational goodies in here and you can customize it to suit your classroom needs.
  • Whole Class Journals: Get your kids writing across all genres for the entire year with my 5 sets of Whole Class Journals.  The students will love this weekly activity for center time and it is amazing to see the growth in their writing over the year.
  • Figurative Language Spring Bulletin Board
  • emoji surprise ball DIY
Follow Me on Pinterest

Instagram

When your puppy is named Olive and we read this; s When your puppy is named Olive and we read this; she’s feeling her Christmas doodle self 🐩🎄
And that’s a wrap on ⚡️Percy Jackson . If yo And that’s a wrap on ⚡️Percy Jackson . If you need a book to help reluctant readers fall in love with reading, chose this one.
Ending our Ancient Mesopotamia unit with a little Ending our Ancient Mesopotamia unit with a little cuneiform clay tablet activity thanks to @historyfromthemiddle 🫶🏻
I’m a snack. On Halloween and always. #teacherha I’m a snack. On Halloween and always. #teacherhalloweencostume
Classroom hack: pass out tea lights to get the stu Classroom hack: pass out tea lights to get the students in the mood to be creative. #gamechanger So proud of these authors! Clear eyes, tea candles, full heart. #iteach6th #ilovemymiddles
It’s October, so any day is a perfect day for a It’s October, so any day is a perfect day for a Tim Burton selfie 🤳 Thanks to my artistic student teacher for delivering this lesson. 🦔🫶🏻👯‍♀️✨#iteach6th #iteachmiddles thanks @artwithtrista for this awesome@product.
Instagram post 17926360442541760 Instagram post 17926360442541760
Instagram post 18179922439242127 Instagram post 18179922439242127
Sorting positive and negative integers together! # Sorting positive and negative integers together! #iteach6th #mymiddles
Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2023 · Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in