[LM_NET] HIT: Book Adventure

[Anne Hollenbeck <stmarks@AIRMAIL.NET>]

Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences with Book Adventure with me.


If this is the BOok Adventure/Sylvan site, my own children used it several 
years ago.  If I recall, the book levels seem a bit high to me.....I have 
also found errors in the quizzes, which only have ten questions.  The prizes 
were if-fy.  My children weren't too thrilled with them, but some children 
may be.  I don't recall their taking too long to get to us.  Gifts won't be 
shipped until they receive verification from an adult

I use Book Adventure in my Middle School. It is done on a
voluntary basis and I've set up my own prizes for lower point values
than they offer.  The kids seem to like it.   If you set up a teachers
account for yourself and then read the FAQ section it will answer many
of your questions.  Here is the section on points -

How many points are quizzes worth?
That depends on the grade level of the quiz. Students taking quizzes on
books for grades k-2 can earn a maximum of 100 points for a 5 question
quiz. Students taking quizzes on books for grades 3-5 can earn a maximum
of 150 points for a 10 question quiz. Students taking quizzes on books
for grades 6-8 can earn a maximum of 200 points for a 10 question quiz. 

As to whether the books are leveled correctly, I haven't found
too many problems but there have been a few books I didn't agree with. 

I have a link to book adventure on my school's website but I haven't been too 
impressed with the 10-20 quizzes I've looked at.  The quiz questions don't appear 
to be in the same order the events happen in the books, I've caught numerous typos 
and the questions are often poor quality.  I honestly haven't paid much attention 
to the reading level, the prizes or the overall reading list since we're not really 
using the site just letting the kids know it's out there

I have often found the questions to be poorly written, with spelling and 
grammar errors. I've found the wrong author's name on books.  I can't 
find anywhere to report errors.   Some of the questions are very picky 
and detail-oriented.  I do a reading challenge with 4th and 5th graders 
and use Bookadventure as a starting point with questions.  I end up 
using less than 50%  of the questions.  I can usually write much better 
ones!


I've used Book Adventure in the past with my students. Its main problem is
there are just not enough books in the system to meet the needs of an entire
school. Also, I do have a problem with the levels given to their books. 

I recommend Renaissance Place. It has made a world of difference at our
school.


Anne Hollenbeck, Librarian
St. Mark Catholic School
Plano, TX
stmarks@airmail.net

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