During the month of December we will continue the Superintendent's RACE2READ Challenge! Please continue to utilize Class Pass with Atlanta/Fulton Public Library and plan to attend a Class Pass workshop in the media center! We will also host the Scholastic Book Fair December 12th- 16th! Please let me know if there is absolutely anything that I can do to assist you with your literacy needs. Need help with resources for developing unit plans? Would you like me to curate resources for a particular unit you're teaching? Want to collaborate on a lesson or project? Need assistance with MyOn, Accelerated Reader, Beanstack, Class Pass or other materials to support lesson planning? Just send me a quick email @drrice@atlanta.k12.ga.us. Happy Reading!

In preparation for our January AR Celebration, this month's lesson will center around Accelerated Reader for teachers who need a refresher!

• AR is a computer program that helps teachers manage and monitor children’s independent reading practice. Students pick books at their own level and read it at their own pace. When finished, students take a short quiz on the computer. (Passing the quiz is an indication that they understood what was read.) AR gives both children and teachers feedback based on the quiz results, which the teacher then uses to help students set goals and direct ongoing reading practice.
  

• Students will read books, take AR tests, and receive incentives as they grow and earn points!

• The students on each grade level with the most AR points will win a bike!

• Teachers who fully support the program and push their students will win a Teacher Power Pack and gift card!

• Need help with developing a process that works for you in your classroom, please email me @ drrice@atlanta.k12.ga.us
  

The SEL Book of the month for the month of December is Family is a Family is a Family, by Sara O'Leary. When a teacher asks the children in her class to think about what makes their families special, the answers are all different in many ways — but the same in the one way that matters most of all. One is raised by a grandmother, and another has two dads. One is full of stepsiblings, and another has a new baby. As one by one, her classmates describe who they live with and who loves them — family of every shape, size, and every kind of relation — the child realizes that as long as her family is full of caring people, her family is special. A warm and whimsical look at many types of families, written by award-winning author Sara O’Leary, with quirky and sweet illustrations by Qin Leng.