School starts in just over 20 days! I love summer but I am recharged and so excited to see my class again! I love the start of school. I have the best job! My little family has been playing hard this summer. I have to admit, my own children went pretty light on the reading in July. However, we are getting back on schedule here in August.
This brings me to our August "Beat the Heat" Reading Challenge!!! The first day of August we went kayaking on Lake Elmo. When I went back to my car it was 100 degrees! So, I came up with the 100 degree reading challenge. I am challenging each student to read 100 minutes between now and August 24 on RAZ kids. Now, that is not much to do in 20 days. I hope all the children are doing much more than 100 minutes of reading....but this challenge is just on RAZ. If your child logs more than 100 minutes on RAZ, I have a a special prize for them at school. They will eat lunch with me in the classroom and I will bring a dessert treat!
You can get on our RAZ kids account on a computer or device. Click here to go to the web based version. If you have an iPad or iPhone, there is a free app. Our class name is ConnectedOnes. Your child should know their password. If not...please email, text, or call. I'm always here for their learning.
I know there are some children that seem not to like reading on RAZ. In fact, just this summer, my second grader will say she doesn't like it, then she stalls, and then (gah) she even WHINES....but when I talk to her about it, she doesn't really have a great answer about why. I've really studied her dislike for RAZ, I've interviewed her, I've observed, and I have even eavesdropped when she speaks with her brother. In our case, RAZ definitely isn't making her dislike reading (which was my main concern)....but it is making her work . Here is what I have concluded; RAZ is hard for her. It's not that the books aren't interesting, it is that reading and taking comprehension quizzes is challenging. However, I really feel with my own daughter, the benefits outweigh the whine. I'm going to push through the whine so that she can shine. As with all things, RAZ is effective with developing readers if used in a balance. So, back to the challenge, the 100 minutes on RAZ is a small piece. I hope your child is balancing some RAZ reading with choice reading, balancing reading fiction and nonfiction, and balancing play and school work!
On a similar note, please continue with the reading bingo, reading list for those wonderful books not on RAZ, and homework pages. I can't wait to see what the children get done. And thank you for the great pictures of students reading. You really know how to make this teacher smile!
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