One of the most powerful motivators I have found in kindergarten is setting word count goals with AR. If you aren't familiar with AR, it stands for Accelerated Reader, through Renaissance Learning. AR has its haters, but I strongly feel that what is done WITH AR in classrooms is the problem and not the platform itself. Quick explanation: kids read books and take comprehension tests on the computer. I have over two decades of reading success with my kids and AR is a huge part of that.
AR keeps track of words read through a report you can run. Starting in January (you can start sooner if you teach older students), I start a "Word Count Club." Once students get to that word count for the month, they write their name on a poster (a real fancy piece of plain construction paper) and earn the monthly award. As soon as I show students where AR tells them how many words they just read in their book they get so excited. They will tell me "I got 100% and read 272 words!" Plus they practice reading numbers, so bonus! The majority of kids can make it into "the club" with effort. Struggling or nonreaders can take tests on books read to them, books they listen to on Epic Books, etc. It's some extra work on the teacher, but trust me, the ends justify the means. Last year I had several kids reading 3,000-4,000 words a month. Some were over 12,000 consistently. All that practice is what I think is the missing link for tremendous growth in student achievement in American education. This is my forever soapbox!
You can purchase a packet of 15 different awards on my TpT store for $1.50 by clicking here. Thank you for supporting my small business.
Sample Awards:
