LM_NET: Library Media Networking
From: jtrella@adsnet.com (Jan Trella)
Our Accelerated Reader store is a store of paperback books. We supply them
with book fair free books, parents group, grants, or wherever we can get
the money. The students need to earn a certain number of points each month
if they reach the goal they earn a buck (double the goal two bucks). These
bucks spend just like cash and can be saved for a special book.
*********************
From: Catherine Saunders <csaunder@guilford.k12.nc.us>
My school store uses a (very) rough 10cents/point. If an item costs $1.00
it would cost 10 points. Of course my school is on a limited budget.
Here are some of the things sold"
pencils, erasers, file folders, key chains, American Girl trading cards,
the pull-out posters from various school magazines, also trading cards
from SI for Kids, plastic cups with the various logos from sports teams,
cheap toys - some found at yard sales- , Macdonald happy meal toys, the
big point items, walk man radios, T-shirts from sports teams, tennis
balls, Oriental Trading catalog has tons of cheap stuff.
One other thing that has been successful is a drawing. The student gets
his name in the "pot" once for a set point level, and additional times for
each additional increment. The more points, the more chances you have
towin. We had an autographed Wake Forest basketball, some autographed
soccer balls from the pro team in our area, etc. It seems odd that the
way to get the kids to read is to offer them sports stuff, but it was an
incentive.
**********************
From: IN%"BORN_K@hccai.hcca.ohio.gov" 10-JAN-1997 14:40:33.95
I just made out my AR list of prizes. This is my first semester of AR
and the students will have the opportunity to spend their points next
Friday (the end of the quarter).
A friend suggested an order list for the kids to fill out to
alleviate a mad rush. I purchased many of my items from the book
clubs (Scholastic, Trumpet, etc), some with cash and others with my
points. I bought Beannie Babies while on sale over the holidays. Our
local children's bookstore had rocket erasers for sale for $1 each, so
they ordered me a box of them. I have doorhangers from our Book Fair
and tasseled bookmarks from the Half Price Bookstore that sold for 5
for $1. I bet several sets of books for the really ambitious, like a
3-book set of E.B. White and a set of Tolkein's books. We are a 1-8
school, so for the older students, I purchased such books as Garfield,
Grimmy, and Far Side Gallery. It is suggested by AR that each point be
worth a nickel. However, I lowered the point value a bit for books, so
as to encourage them to select those first. So I have a range of items
from 5 points to 339 points. The students can carry their points over
from quarter to quarter. Because it's hard for the 1st graders to rack
up many points, they are also working as a class to reach a 75-point
goal, at which time I promised them a movie and popcorn. I'm also new
at this and just feeling my way, so if you hear any other suggestions,
I'd sure appreciate hearing them. Good luck! It's a great program.
**************************
From: Linda Shooks <lshooks@scnc.lsd.k12.mi.us>
(Personal stuff deleted........) This is my first year with
Accelerated Reader and I am about to open my "Store." I ordered things
from Oriental Trading---erasers, videos, pencils, puppets, plush animals,
wooden puzzles, dominoes, pick up sticks, etc. I figured 10 cents per
point. I have a variety ranging from .5 points to 110 points. I just
put the things in a display case this week. The kids seem really excited
and it triggered a new burst of reading. I am hoping that I can let the
kids "buy" things this next week. I don't have any help, so I have to
squeeze it in as best I can. I thought I would set things out on a few
tables, label the items, and invite a few children in at a time to make
their selections. Since most have not accumulated a lot of points, I
expect that this time we will be dealing mostly with small items and that
a number of kids will want to save their points for later in the year.
**************************
From: kassona@destiny.esd105.wednet.edu
Rather than spending their points in a store, our AR students are rewarded
when they get to certain preset levels with celebration parties -- i.e. they
spend so many points to come to the party. At the party, we have simple
door prizes -- paperback books, posters, etc. -- which the students have the
chance to win in a weighted drawing. For example, for every 5 points, they
get a chance, so students with the most points have more chances of winning
a door prize. Not every student wins a prize, of course, but they all had a
chance to win one. In addition, all of them had the fun of attending our
reading celebration parties. Other incentives are inclusion on the All-Star
Reader bulletin board, certificates presented by the principal in front of
the student's class, free sundae at Dairy Queen, lunch with the principal,
etc. I am working in a very large primary school, so at the moment, we have
approximately 150 first and second grade students who were recommended by
their teachers as independent readers participating in the AR program. We
find these incentives work great for motivating students without having to
resort to the hassle of an AR store.
*************************
From: BETSYinATL@aol.com
This is my first year doing Accelerated Reader as well and so I did not get
my Reading Store going until October. Our entire school is participating in
Accelerated Reader (800 students), so I needed to come up with a lot of cheap
items for our Reading Store. The items and way I give them out are as
follows:
Pass test at %
60% Bookmark made with Ellison die cutter (no cost to us)
70% Small candy cane (purchased after Christmas), small
rainbow eraser that can be placed on a pencil
(Raymond Geddes catalog), or a bookmark from the 60%
category
80% Item from candy jar, bookmarks (not Ellison this
time), two different kinds of cap erasers for pencils
in neon colors (Raymond Geddes catalog), or any 60% or
70% item
90% Pencils, pencil grips, animals erasers (Raymond
Geddes), or any 60%, 70%, or 80% item
100% Mechanical pencils or a sports eraser (Raymond
Geddes), or any 60 - 90% item.
Our candy jar is by far the most popular prize or incentive in our reading
store. I went to Kroger after Halloween and Christmas and bought many bags
of candy at half price or lower. I plan to purchase more candy after
Valentine's Day and Easter and that should take care of the year. The
other items were purchased primarily from the Raymond Geddes catalog. I
keep all items in plastic containers on a library cart.
The containers are labeled 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100%. After a student
passes a test, he/she selects an item that they want based on what % they
passed their test. Thus, they receive their prize immediately and this has
worked well for me. I don't have to enter points used on the computer this
way.
My budget for the year is $300 for the Reading Store and I am using the
program with 7th and 8th grade students. The items range from one cent each
(candy canes) to 10 cents each (mechanical pencils and sports erasers). My
cost for an item determines which % category it is given. If you would like
the 800 phone number for the Raymond Geddes catalog, let me know. I am at
home right now and my catalog is at school.
*************************
From: Denise Burke <dburke@tenet.edu>
Our school has had the Accelerated Reader program for approx. 3 years.
The AR Store is run by our Parent Teacher's Association (PTA). The ratio
they use to determine point value is to assess one penny per AR point.
Items available in the store include: penny candy, pencils, erasers, toy
airplanes, costume jewelry, small stuffed toys (all kinds of toy type
items), and gift certificates to area stores, amusements, etc. The PTA
raises money through various fund raising projects such as book fairs,
honor/memory book library donations, Market Day, and business sponsorships.
The AR store has been very successful here!
Carol Burr burrc@ten-nash.ten.k12.tn.us
Goodlettsville Elem
514 Donald St
Goodlettsville, TN 37072
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