Accelerated Reader™ Best Practices for English Language Learners

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Accelerated Reader Best Practices for English
Language Learners
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Use AR for English Language Learners

• Encourages extensive reading practice
• Enables individualization
• Provides ongoing feedback to monitor
• Builds excitement for reading
•  

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How Accelerated Reader Works

• A student selects and reads a book.
• The student uses a computer to take a quiz on the
  book.
• Accelerated Reader adds the quiz result to its
  database and generates reports for the student
  and the teacher.
• The teacher monitors the data and uses it to
  actively guide the students reading practice.

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Find Zone of Proximal Development

• Best Practice 1Find the optimum level for
  reading practice or ZPD
• Identify ZPD for reading in English
• Use STAR or SEL
• Adjust according to student performance
• Identify students ZPD for reading in primary
  language
• Use formal assessment and/or professional judgment

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Schedule Time for Reading Practice

• Best Practice 2Provide sufficient time and
  plenty of books
• At elementary level, 30 minutes in English
• If possible, include reading practice time in
  first language as well

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Reading To and With Students

• Reading aloud
• Preview vocabulary
• Preview concepts
• Paraphrase as necessary
• Paired reading
• Peer reader or audiotape support
• Choral reading
• Use movement and gestures

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Check TOPS Report

• Best Practice 3Use AR quiz results to help you
  guide students to appropriate books
• Averages of 85 or higher
• Narrow ZPD ranges to start

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Routines To Monitor

• Best Practice 4Establish routines for
  monitoring
• Student Reading Logs
• Also available in Spanish
• Status of the Class
• Conversational interaction in English

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Data-Driven Decision-Making

• Best Practice 5Use reports to keep
• track of progress
• TOPS Report
• Available in Spanish
• Diagnostic Report
• Student Record Report

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Best Books To Use

• Books with strong visual elements
• Provide scaffolding
• Photographs
• Illustrations
• Other graphics

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Books with Same Topic

• Choose multiple books on the same topic
• Reinforce vocabulary and build concepts

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Survival Vocabulary

• Books that contain survival vocabulary
• Books about
• School
• Days of the week
• Foods
• Clothing
• Weather

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Reinforce Students Culture

• Books based on a students own culture and
  experience

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Books with Available Translations

• Books in English paired with same titles in first
  language

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Resources

• Additional resources
• Colorin Colorado
• http//www.colorincolorado.org/
• Criticas Magazine
• http//www.criticasmagazine.com/
• Renaissance Learning Quiz Search
• http//www.renlearn.com