Does that picture make your head hurt? Yes, mine too! A few years ago, Renaissance "updated" their quiz blocking/level setting/ something to the dreaded "sliders". I've had nothing but complaints from teachers ever since. I've contacted Renaissance, but the sliders seem to be sticking around. I created a video tutorial to hopefully explain how they actually work and help you navigate through it.
AR Slider Tutorial Video
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This statement was made by a student today! I used a scavenger hunt to test my 5th grade students on research skills. We have been reviewing databases, online catalog, and reference books as sources for factual information. The "test" was a four question scavenger hunt asking them to choose an appropriate digital or physical resource and find an answer to a question or a useful title (of a book or article for further research).
Usually, I hear complaints about "work" students are asked to do, but with each of my classes this week, I have seen teamwork and excitement! The activity is helping me to see where the gaps are and what I need to remediate with research skills. The students are learning there is more than one way to find information. Except for one question, there are 2 or more possibilities for students to choose from. Today they even surprised ME by what they were able to find! Link to document coming soon! As a librarian, it would be impossible to read every single book purchased for students. Having students ranging in age from 5 to 15, I have to have a way to know which books might not be appropriate for younger readers. One strategy I use to figure it all out is Common Sense Media. (http://commonsensemedia.org) On this site you can check the content of many books and movies. Users can post reviews and give ratings in many areas from language and violence to consumerism. If you have a title you are not sure about, try to search it on CSM!
For teachers, the site now has lesson plans and other resources on digital citizenship. Click on the image below to check it out! I recently learned that 3rd grade students were studying famous African Americans for February for Black History Month. I planned a lesson that included a study of biographies and their text features, encyclopedias (they were much faster due to a nasty computer bug on our network), and culminated in a final digital product. The students were super excited to get to create "Fakebook" pages on classtools.net I included research elements from the Super3 to get my younger students ready for more complex research using the Big6 (in a couple of years). To help them out (and save time), I pulled biographies ahead of time. I also gave them a prepared note collection sheet with spaces to collect the info they needed to make their pages. This page included a rubric as well. See the resources below if you might be interested in doing a similar project with your class and for sample pages! ClassTools.Net My Sample Page- I used this to show students and get them excited about what they would be creating. A Student Work Sample My note page.... I plan to edit this page next time so that the "Year" says "date". A full date makes the FB page look more realistic. I should have included a place for "parents" as well for them to add as "friends" on the FB page.
Below you will find the presentations from the Sept 15th Faculty meeting along with additional resources.
Literacy Skills Quizzes 1. Emaze 2. Video Tutorial (not shown at meeting)
2. Video Tutorial (not shown at training)
Magnolia
Email for video tutorial (video is private due to password being shown) Learn360 Video Tutorial
In this GoAnimate presentation, you will see a typical day in the library for me. I'm only half joking! Certification Goals help student build reading stamina.
Learn360 is a great attention-getter! Whether you are trying to hook the learners in, activate prior knowledge, or help students understand a complex topic, Learn360 probably has a video clip that will help. Learn360 also offers their own tutorials on certain features of the site. Check it out here! Learn360 Tutorials- Log in required. Below is a link to an excellent resource for Literacy Skills quizzes, including sample reports and teacher guides. Literacy Skills Quizzes
The PDF below contains a list of all current Literacy Skills Quizzes as of the date of this posting. My Literacy Skills presentation is embedded below the link.
While AR to Lexile is not an exact science, the conversion chart found below can serve as a guide. Many books are not Lexile rated. It works in the same way that AR levels are set. Publishers must pay the companies to rate their books. If the publisher has not done so, the book will not have an AR or Lexile level. Another option for checking book levels is to search our catalog. If there is an AR or Lexile measure for the title, it will appear in the catalog. You can widen the range by searching across the entire district for the book. Just keep in mind that we can only loan titles from our library. AR to Lexile Conversion Chart |
AuthorI am Jennifer Dunkin, a K-8 library media specialist. I have a Masters of Science in Instructional Technology, and I am a National Board Certified Teacher. Archives
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© 2016 Jennifer Tannehill Site last updated 2/2016
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