On page 90 the author states "The reading program that is most appropriate for all students and essential for gifted students is one that allows them to read, discuss, analyze and write about literature that challenges them, while being excused from practicing skills they have already mastered."
While I wholeheartedly agree with this, how do we put this into place with AR being the tool that is most widly used in schools? While I agree that AR is a great tool to use for those students who are below grade level readers, I believe that it becomes punitive for students who are reading above grade level, gifted or not. Why should an 8th grade student who reads at a 12th grade level have to read more than everyone else? How about having them delve deeper into the book and use higher level thinking skills instead of rote memorization for AR tests?
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Marlene it is simply used for exposure to words. The star testing and garde level placement is a vocabulary evaluation.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Wanda . . . but it does not have to remain that way. Our class read the book "Charlie's Monument" last year. There was no AR test for it, so I wrote one. It was not based on vocabulary. The questions dealt with the theme and author's point of view.
ReplyDeleteWhile AR, in its current state is limited, it can be enhanced to address the deeper meanings of literature. One way to do this is to have an enrichment activity for gifted students. Instead of reading a book and testing on it, have them read the book and write a more comprehensive test for it.
I also think that there needs to be more positive rewards for students who are reading above their grade level. In my classes any student who is reading one or more years above their grade level DO NOT have to AR test or complete the weekly reading logs. In addition, for those students who meet their AR reading goals, they too are exempt from filling out the reading log.
This is a tough dilemma. We know from scientific research that kids hit a reading bubble in the third or fourth grade when they jump to chapter books. There is also immerging research that suggests that middle school students also lose ground in the area of reading, because they become more involved in other things.
My question is how do we keep our high readers reading? Research also indicates that when you do not use it, you lose it! And it has been my observations that even though you might have a high reader on the literary level, many of these readers do not do so well on the expository reading (the reading they will do most when they get to college!).
Kristi: I am one of those that hates expository reading.....I can do it, but would never do it for enjoyment. Yet there are others that do like to read at that level. Is it okay to only read for enjoyment?
ReplyDeleteI think you might have misunderstood my comment. I know most people do not enjoy expository reading, but I think we need to make sure all our students have the skill ability to decode and fluently read expository material if they are going to be successful in college. I have met several people who struggle in college because they do not have the decoding or reading skills to comprehend complex concepts related to the textbooks they are required to read at the college level.
ReplyDeleteMy point would be that reading instruction for our gifted students who read at higher literary levels would be to incorporate more expository text reading skills into their curriculum.
And how do we do that without killing their love for reading? If they are only allowed to read at their ability level that leaves a lot of great books out. I absolutely agree that they need to be prepared, but when do we start preparing them for college level reading? I would assume (and I may be wrong) that most gifted kids will take classes in their ability level in high school that will prepare them for expository reading.
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