Round 1 Has Begun!

A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to all of the 68 AZ schools that have moved on to Round 1!  You guys rock!  Don't let up now. We are just getting started and the competition is fierce! Round 1 goes until 11:59pm on February 7. Only the top 8 schools in each region will move on to Round 2. Please note that the time does NOT reset each round. It is cumulative throughout the contest.

We are so proud of every 3rd grader and school that has been reading! Way to represent Arizona! Even if you are not one of the top 68 schools to move on there are still plenty of reasons to keep reading.

Reason 1- There are no losers when kids are reading!
Reason 2- The top 5 readers in every region still have a chance to win!
Reason 3- Everyone has access to myON until August 31!  That means that there are still plenty of great books that haven't been read!
Reason 4- Last year in Houston they read over 9 million minutes. Arizona can do better than that. Let's show them that there is something bigger in Arizona than in Texas!
Reason 5- Reading makes us smarter and who doesn't want to be smarter?!

So keep reading, keep getting smarter, and keep making Arizona proud!

The First Round Starts Tomorrow!

The first round of the Read to the Final Four Literacy Challenge starts tomorrow! You have until 11:59pm tonight to squeeze in those last few minutes of reading.  At 12:00am Wednesday, January 25th, the top 17 schools in each of the 4 regions will advance to the first round. Those schools will be announced in a special press conference that will be held at 10:30 tomorrow morning. Students and teachers will also be able to find the information on the contest page. As schools advance into the first round, their time spent reading will NOT be reset. All minutes read are cumulative.

Good luck 3rd graders and HAPPY READING!

Questions About Time Spent Reading

This is a common question I get from teachers about time spent reading.

"When my students log in to myON it shows that they read X amount of minutes but, when they get to the contest page it shows less time read."

Answer:

myON will track students' reading time for their entire history on myON. They will be able to see that information on their dashboard and in their activity.

If they want to see how many minutes they have read during the contest period (which started Jan. 4th) they will need to hit the contest button and go to the contest page. Only the minutes read from Jan. 4 will count as minutes read during the contest. If your students started reading before January 4 those minutes will be included in their minutes read in myON, but will not count for the contest.

If you have any other questions please feel free to call or email me.

Rainy Day Schedule

What are 3 words every teacher hates to hear? Rainy Day Schedule! Fortunately, it doesn't happen very often in this beautiful sunny state of ours but now, with the Final Four Challenge in full swing, Rainy Day Schedule can take on a whole new meaning.

Rainy Day Schedule now means that your students have extra time in class to read on myON and earn those precious few minutes that just might give you an edge in the contest.

Rainy Day Schedule now means that instead of a noisy classroom full of antsy kids, your classroom will be blissfully quiet as students engage with one of the 5,500 books available on myON.

Rainy Day Schedule now means that students can take time to explore the literacy tools that are available on myON like journaling and highlighting as well as the built in supports like audio and the dictionary.

Rainy Day Schedule now means that after finishing a book, students have time to write a review about what they just read and share it with their peers.

Rainy Day Schedule also means that students have the time to explore new genres and unfamiliar topics.

So teachers, embrace the Rainy Day Schedule and take a tip from your kids!  Login to myON and start reading!

Frank Elementary School Makes a Slam Dunk With Reading

The students at Frank Elementary School in the Tempe Elementary School District are serious about their reading! Especially in Miss Blanchard's ELD class. Because most of the 22 students in the class don't have access to computers at home, they have been getting to school an hour and a half early every day just to read on myON. Here is what Miss Blanchard has to say:

"myON is my favorite reading website because it provides students the opportunity to read, learn early researching skills, learn how to use a computer, track their Lexile, and answer comprehension questions at home and at school. Students can annotate in the text and write reviews, which provides them with time to reflect on their reading. myON provides students with an engaging way to practice reading, testing and computer skills. I have seen students who hate reading fall in love with it because it incorporates technology. Students get to read books at their level as well as challenge books. Students are also able to use a highlighter, a narrator, and a dictionary if they need help with reading. They get to read books on topics they actually want to read about. Teachers can differentiate by creating book lists. There are also bilingual books!"

The students are also excited about myON. Check out their pictures and their thoughts below.

One student loves reading about other countries on myON.                     

"I love myON because it has activities, helps me learn, and is a great way to explore new places!"- Lucero

                      "myON is super AMAZING!  I love it because it is fun and you  can learn about new                               stuff by reading books."- Alex

                                              "I like it because you can read on any electronic stuff that has wifi.                                                 They let us pick avatars. They show us different kinds of books."-Andrew

KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK FRANK ELEMENTARY!  YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME!!!!

A MILLION

At 3:12 MST, on January 17, 2017 Arizona 3rd graders hit the ONE MILLION MINUTES READ mark!  

Way to go AZ 3rd graders!  This is only the tip off phase and there is still a lot of contest left so keep reading!  

Deer Valley Unified School District Rises to the Challenge!

What are 3rd grade teachers and students in the Deer Valley Unified School District saying about myON and the Read to the Final Four Literacy Challenge?  

"I like myON because there are a lot books to read about and they are interesting."-3rd grade student

"I like myON because I get to read new books and learn about them."-3rd grade student

"Our kids are amazing. The love the program and are always on it reading."- DRyan 3rd grade teacher

Other teachers say that their students love myON and that they find it to be an amazing resource. One school reported that while preparing for the challenge they saw a growth of 200+ Lexile points with their students.

Deer Valley Unified School District has definitely risen to the challenge and are not slowing down any time soon! Cherryl Paul, Director of Organizational Improvement & Professional Learning for DVUSD says, "Our kids are on FIRE for reading!"

Great job DVUSD 3rd graders! Your parents and teachers are so proud of you!  Keep reading! There is only one week left until Round 1 begins.

*If you have good stories or pictures of your kids Reading to the Final Four send them to me so we can feature them on our blog!