reading

Reading results: Kindlers vs. non-Kindlers

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon Final reading assessment data is in from the Oakland Kindle classroom, and I’m pleased to announce more encouraging results.

The teacher with whom I worked had two sets of students, one of which participated in the Kindle Classroom Project.

The Kindlers raised their reading scores by an average of 1.9 grade levels.

The non-Kindlers raised their reading scores by an average of 0.9 grade levels.

By no means am I ready to write up these results and try to publish them in the Harvard Educational Review. The sample size is not big enough, plus I need to take some basic research classes before deeming anything statistically significant.

Even so, I am pleased.

In addition, I’m hoping to do a more sophisticated study next year with all 60 Kindlers. Are there academic-type people out there who could help me create a little study? Please let me know! favicon

Big reading results for Kindlers in Oakland

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon I’m happy to report that Kindlers in the Oakland classroom are taking their end-of-year online reading assessment, and their reading skills have improved a huge amount. On average, they have read 13 books and gone up 1.8 reading grade levels since October.

Here are some highlights:

Kindler StevenSince the program began, Steven has read 10 books. Kite Runner and Freedom Writers Diary have been his favorites. His reading level has gone up more than 4.5 grade levels, from 8.3 grade equivalent in October to 12.9 in May. Congratulations, Steven! (Yes, you read that correctly. Steven was a bit below grade level at the beginning of the year. Now he reads at a beginning-college level.)

 

Kindler JasminJasmin has also done very well. At the beginning of the year, her reading level was 5.4. After reading 18 books this year, her score is now 9.7. In just eight months, Jasmin has jumped 4.3 grade levels and is now prepared to read grade-level texts. Good work, Jasmin! Her favorite books this year were Perfect Chemistry and Water for Elephants. (She also added a mustache to her Kindle case.)

 

Kindler TameraTamera began the year already an advanced reader, scoring 11.2 on the first test in October. Now she’s at 11.9, or the 82nd percentile. She has read 20 books on the Kindle (and another 10 physical books from the library). Her goal is to read another 20 books this summer. Tamera’s favorite author is Jessica Sorensen, and she has read all of her books, including The Vision and The Underworld. Keep it up, Tamera. Your love of books is inspiring.

What do you think, loyal readers? Pretty impressive, don’t you think? It gets me thinking: Maybe it would be a good idea to let some (or all?) students to keep their Kindles over the summer. After all, summer learning loss is real, especially among urban students. A few articles I’ve read suggest that reading five or more books over the summer can prevent students from falling behind.

We’ll see what happens with the summer idea, but right now, I’m just happy with the results. When students read a lot, and when they get to choose what they read, and when they’re a part of an environment that celebrates reading, many good things can happen! favicon

reading

Don’t worry: Physical books aren’t dead

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon For all of you out there who are worried that the physical book will disappear, please read this recent article from Time Magazine.

According to reporter Matt Peckham, sales of physical books did, in fact, decline in 2012 — but only by 1 percent. Fiction physical books, on the other hand, rose 3 percent.

Children’s books — which don’t render well on the screen — enjoyed the greatest growth in physical form.

But if you’re not convinced, here are a few photos of my students reading real, actual, physical books. Full disclosure: Some of these photos are of former students, and it’s entirely possible that they’ve migrated completely over to e-readers since I taught them. But I don’t think so! favicon

reading/technology

Bye, bye, books? Young people prefer screens.

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon A study from the United Kingdom reports that young people aged 8 to 16 prefer reading text on screens rather than in print.

Does this mean that the book is dead?

And is the Kindle Classroom Project speeding up this process?

The National Literacy Trust surveyed more than 35,000 young people, and 52 percent said they liked reading on screens. Only 32 percent preferred paper, with the remainder having no opinion or stating they didn’t like to read at all. (I wonder what the results would be had the researchers asked American youth.)

The study didn’t investigate whether young people are reading more or less overall. Some say that the rise of Kindles and tablets has led to the demise of books, while others contend that e-readers offer teenagers a chance to reconnect with books.

That debate will no doubt continue, but for the 49 students who participate in the Kindle Classroom Project, the answer is a pretty easy one. On average, students in the program have read 13 books since January (one semester). Last school year (two semesters), before the project, they read an average of five books.

I don’t hope for the destruction of books. But something has changed in this generation. Screens are everywhere. It’s time that we meet young people where they are and invite them to read how they want to. favicon

Another $1,000 donation: DSW has done it again!

Posted on by Mark Isero

favicon A huge roar emerged from the offices of the Kindle Classroom Project last night when I received an email from DonorsChoose letting me know that DSW from Saratoga had made a $500 donation.

That $500 donation — the largest amount that DonorsChoose is matching this week as part of its Teacher Appreciation promotion — instantly doubled to a whopping $1,000.

This $1,000 donation marks the second major gift from DSW. Read about the first $1,000 donation last December.

Isn’t this amazing? Isn’t this slightly crazy?

I am astounded. I am intensely appreciative.

Thank you, DSW! Your contribution continues to encourage me to think bigger about what’s possible. I am no longer thinking small.

For example: Why stop at three classrooms (my current goal for next year)? Why not try to distribute Kindles to every ninth grader at a school?

Also: Why not proceed seriously to achieve classroom library mirroring, where every title on the Kindles has a physical counterpart on the shelves?

And one last thing: Why not think of making the Kindle Classroom Project into a full-fledged nonprofit organization?

All of these are reachable dreams because of this latest large donation. Thank you again, DSW! favicon