My original request was this:
I am attempting to write quizzes for titles for which there are
none
available.
How do you find the number of words in the book? Count them all?
Also, if you do count the words, do you include captions, additional
information at the back, etc.
Where do you find the reading level? Titlewave?
Do you have any advice on any other steps involved?
There are no AR quizzes available for the books I am working
with, and the distributor of these particular books told me that there
will be none. So, if I wanted quizzes, I would need to write them
myself.
These are the responses I received:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I estimate the word count. This is where the Point Value is assigned.
Like 500 for a picture book and 2000 for a chapter book, etc.
I get the reading level from www.renlearn.com if they have a quiz
available and if not there titlewave.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
A lot of times, I will use the Perma Bound catalog to find what AR
points
and reading levels the company sells them for, then adjust the word
count to
match those. I find about 5,000 words for one point
generally--sometimes a
little less for those upper level books because the syllabication is
higher.
Then, I may look at other books by the same author or look on Amazon
for
suggested age group.
I do anything I can to avoid doing the math--it takes about 45 minutes
per
book if you use the formula that came with our materials. I find I put
in
5-10 quizzes per month. That way, no student can say, "I can't find a
book
I like on the AR list."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you go to the Renaissance Learning website, they show how to get a
word count.
http://www.renlearn.com/ar/overview/atosanalyzernon-textsamples.asp
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You can just use the renlearn site for everything (if they have the
quiz)-just click on the Order quizzes tab as if you were going to
purchase from them.
For ones not on renlearn, they have a suggested formula to estimate the
number of words in the book. The link is not that easy to find on
renlearn, but here it is.
http://www.renlearn.com/ar/overview/atos.htm
If they don't have a quiz, you can submit some text for them to
compute. One time I submitted the text for their ATOS analyzer, and
never did get an answer. Then I just looked for a comparable book to
figure the ATOS. You don't have to figure the number of points' as long
as you type in an ATOS and # words, it computes the points.
There is also the AR test-sharing group. We only share teacher-made
tests, nothing copyrighted. Everything is on the up and up. Usually,
the quality of the tests is good, but not always (I find too many with
picky details.) When I write quizzes, I try to think back to what the
main points of the book were.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I try to find a page in the book that is the average size...looking at
beginning chapter pages, ending chapter pages, etc. I count the number
on that page and multiply by the number of pages. If I see a lot of
half
pages, I try to count them and adjust the number of pages in a book.
I then try to select another average page and I type it into a Word
document. If I have set up Word correctly, after I run spell check,
the
program will display a reading level. I look at that and then compare
it
to the listing in Follett's Titlewave, Perma-Bound or other major book
vendor.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I know when we have written tests, the word number isn't something we
worry
about as far as accuracy because we don't use that info in any way; we
type
in a number until it reflects the correct points(you click on the
questions
tab and then back--you probably already know this but if you have any
questions, feel free to ask). To get these correct points, we look at
other
books by the same author, or a similar author, comparable vocab and
number
of pages etc. For reading level we look at Alliance Plus/Follett,
similar
authors again, internet/public library online catalog, or even just
type a
paragraph into Microsoft Word--it gives you the reading level when you
do
your spelling/grammar check.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Your AR manual has a couple of pages on how to create the quiz. You
might check Amazon because sometimes they enter a grade level audience
in their descriptions. For word count, I would count one page then
multiply by the number of pages. It's only approximate.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When I had to make up tests, I went to the Renaissance Learning
website
(parent site of AR). I looked up the book and then manipulated the
word
count to come up with the same number of points that Renaissance
Learning
had. I used RL's reading levels to finish writing the tests.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Something I commonly did when entering teacher-made quizzes was use
Titlewave to get the level and points. I would input the level and
then
estimate the # of words until the points came out right. The AR
manual
tells you how to count & estimate the number of words and level, but
why
re-invent the wheel?
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I count words on an average page and multiply by the number of pages
for
a word count estimate. 1000 is minimum, so picture books are
generally
1000.
Titlewave is a good source for reading level.
Based on these two, the points for the book will be automatically
entered.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I count a whole page and a half page and multiply. If there is an AR
quiz
available, you can take that level. You can go into Titlewave or
Perma
Bound. Sometimes, you just know by those who have read it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I usually use this site:
http://src.scholastic.com/ecatalog/default.asp?UID=924624B18B3341B1A2E8CDA6811DCFD5&subt=0&Test=NA
1. Type in the title of the book
2. If they have the title - click on the blue title and it will bring
up the information on the book - Lexile level, word count, reading
level, etc.
(WORD COUNT is usually at the bottom of the page)
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Renaissance Learning will determine the RL and the # of words for you
if it is not already an AR title. I believe this is the link for the
ATOS analyzer -- http://www.renlearn.com/ar/atosanalyzer.htm The last
time I did this it took about 24 hours to get the results.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
count the number of words in an average sentence--or in 5 average
sentences, then mulitiply the average number of words by the number of
lines on the page (roughly adding short lines together so that I'm only
multiplying by the number of complete sentences). I take the number of
pages in the book and subtract blank pages and 1/2 pages. I don't
include captions or appendices.
If it's a really short book, I let word count figure it out for me.
I find the Fleisch Reading Level in the Microsoft Word program. You
can set the option to figure out the reading level. I type in 3
passages of at least 10 lines each and average the reading level of the
three passages to come up with the reading level.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I type a page of the book in word - I try to find a page that has more
words than some might have, then to a spelling and grammar check. At
the
end of that it will tell you the reading level and how many words were
on
the page. I just multiply that by the number of regular pages in the
book.
LaDonna Meuschke, Librarian
Cole Camp R-1 School
500 S. Keeney St.
Cole Camp, MO 65326
meuschkel@colecamp.k12.mo.us
Phone - 660-668-4427, ext. 348
Fax - 660-668-4703
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