New Year's Reading Resolutions

It's the start of a new year and the perfect time for kids to make some reading resolutions for 2017. Spend a few minutes with kids talking about the resolutions below.

My 2017 Reading Resolutions

1.  This year I would like to read __________ books a week.

2.  I plan to read at least _________________ minutes per day.

3.  A new genre that I would like to read is __________________________.

4.  I will share what I am reading with _________________ and __________________.

5. I will make sure to ask questions about things I don't understand when I am reading.

Having kids set reading goals helps create confidence and allows kids to take responsibility for their own reading.  

Happy New Year!

Holiday Reading

The holidays are in full swing. Between all the parties, presents and family get togethers make sure to set aside some time for your kids to read. With myON, kids have access to thousands of great books all through the holiday season. Don't have access to internet? No worries. With free apps for iPad, Android tablets and Chromebooks, students can read wherever they are. Just go to your app store and download the FREE myON app.

Check out these great Holiday reads!

One snowy Christmas, Little Hedgehog wakes from his deep winter sleep to find a very special gift from Father Christmas. It’s a snug, woolly hat that turns out to be the best Christmas present ever. The first book in the popular Little Hedgehog series, this magical story of friendship is the perfect Christmas gift for any fan of the other Little Hedgehog books – ONE WINTER’S DAY, ONE RAINY DAY, ONE SPECIAL DAY and ONE CHRISTMAS NIGHT. The simple Christmas story and warm, cosy pictures are just right for parent and child to snuggle up and share before bedtime.

Do you enjoy holidays throughout the year? Now you can celebrate them even more with Easy Holiday Origami. With a few simple folds you’ll make a pocket heart, a blooming tulip, a holiday stocking, and so much more. Grab some paper and start folding! 

Bright red poinsettias decorate homes and churches. Families gather together and sing songs during posadas. Children set out their shoes, hoping they will be filled with presents. These are the sights and sounds of Christmas in Mexico. Come explore the many Mexican traditions that bring people of this country together at Christmas.

In Hanukkah, early readers will learn about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah and the ways people celebrate it. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text will engage emergent readers as they explore this unique holiday. A labeled diagram helps readers understand the symbols of Hanukkah, while a picture glossary reinforces new vocabulary. Children can learn more about Hanukkah online using our safe search engine that provides relevant, age-appropriate websites. Hanukkah also features reading tips for teachers and parents, a table of contents, and an index. Hanukkah is part of Jump!’s Holidays series.

Uh-oh! It’s Christmas Eve and Santa Claus is under the weather! Can Mrs. Claus save Christmas?

Logging In for the First Time

It's the warm up phase and students all over Arizona are logging in and reading on myON.  If it's your first time logging in, you will notice that there are two things that students will do before they get to the library. 

First, students will complete an interest inventory. This lets them tell myON what kinds of books they like to read. Research shows that when students are interested in what they are reading, they will want to read more. The second thing students will do is take an initial Lexile placement exam. This helps target student's' unique ability levels. By using the interest inventory and Lexile exam, myON can personalize a library for each student that will provide the right amount of challenge to promote reading growth. This personalized library will be found under the Recommended tab in the student's library.

It is good to allow about 20-30 minutes for students to complete both the interest inventory and the Lexile placement exam. The Lexile exam has 35 questions and is adaptive.  Once a student has finished both of these things they will go to their dashboard and be able to access books in their library.  

Make a Game Plan

There are only 12 more shopping days until Christmas and 23 more days until the start of the Final Four Literacy Project. Teachers, it's time to make a game plan.  Every great coach knows it's important to start with a game plan. Having a good reading plan will help improve comprehension and develop reading strategies that will lead to student success in and out of the classroom. You can help coach your students to victory by following this simple plan.

GAME PLAN

• Stretch It Out. Allow students to s-t-r-e-t-c-h a bit by exploring myON and their personalized digital library of “just right” books for reading.

• Develop New Plays. Introduce literacy tools to build active reading skills and promote student engagement.

• Practice, Practice, Practice! Students need time to practice reading with books that are at their level and meet their interests in order to develop and improve literacy skills.

Did You Know?

Did you know that myON personalizes a library of books for each student? 

myON creates this unique library by combining the students grade level, their interest inventory and their Lexile Range (100 points below to 50 points above their current Lexile score). Students can find their recommended books by clicking on the library at the top of their home page and then clicking the Recommended tab. In that tab they will find hundreds of books that match not only their reading ability but their interests as well.  And the best part is, as students grow and become better readers the recommended tab automatically adjusts to meet those changes.

So encourage your kids to read out of their recommended tab and together we can help foster a life long love of reading for students!

3 Pointers for Using myON

3 Pointers for Using myON

1. The 24/7 access to myON allows students to read online and offline, wherever they are. This supports blended learning and out-of-school reading activity.
2. myON monitors reading activity, including: number of books opened or browsed, titles of books readers select, how many books students complete and the length of time a student spends reading
3. Multiple reading scaffolds allow all users to access and engage with content regardless of reading ability.

Getting Students Started on myON

Hi Teachers! The start of the Read to the Final Four will be here before you know it, but you don't have to wait until January to get your kids reading on myON.  You can get them started now! It's a perfect chance for them to warm up for the contest and have the opportunity to read some fantastic books during the holiday break!

Getting started is quick and easy!

First, have students to log into myON where they will complete a short interest inventory followed by an initial Lexile placement exam.

Once those are complete, students will be directed to their home page where they can click on the library tab at the top of the page. Encourage your students to click on the Recommended tab to find books that match his or her interests and reading level or browse the complete library for more options.

After students begin reading they can activate reading supports by selecting the appropriate buttons at the bottom of the screen. Options include audio, text highlighting, dictionary and a zoom feature that increases font and image size on the screen.

The students are going to love reading on myON!  Check this blog often for more tips on how to use myON in your classroom.  HAPPY READING!