Renaissance Reading or Accelerated Reader (AR) is a computerised reading management program.
Here at Blayney High School, we aim to improve students reading and comprehension skills, while fostering a love for reading.
We have students participate in Renaissance Reading. An online program that assesses a student’s reading ability, determines a level for books they should be accessing and tracks their reading progress. Through this program, we have seen students make significant improvements in their abilities and find a genuine passion for reading that extends to their study of English.
At the beginning of each Semester, students will complete the STAR reading assessment that will determine their Zone for the next two terms. Books in the library are identified into Zones using stickers. A Zone is determined by the difficulty of the language/words in the text, not by the length or subject matter of a text.
As students complete their reading, they complete a quiz on the text and gain points for their reading. This is rewarded through school merits and invitations to participate in reward excursions.
Our new Junior English syllabus requires all students to engage in the independent reading of texts, and to demonstrate their understanding of material. As a result, we are introducing all juniors to Reading Journals, which they will complete once a fortnight based on their reading. These entries will be checked and monitored as part of our assessment of students. These entries will be completed during the Renaissance Reading lesson in the library, where students will also be able to borrow new texts and complete quizzes.
Every English lesson begins with 10 minutes silent reading. Students are expected to have their books for each lesson. As with other equipment requirements, there will be signature consequences for students who repeatedly do not bring their book to class to read. During this time, students may be asked to read aloud one-on-one with the teacher or SLSO. To support the reading completed in class, it is expected that students are completing 15-20 minutes reading per day at home. This can be completed independently, or your child can read with you. With the increasing popularity of Audiobooks, you may also use this tool to support your child’s reading.
