{"id":4210,"date":"2016-07-25T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-07-25T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.rsed.org\/?p=4210"},"modified":"2017-12-04T20:48:21","modified_gmt":"2017-12-04T20:48:21","slug":"kindergartners-conquering-personalized-quests-learn-to-love-reading","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocketshipschools.org\/en\/latest-news\/blog\/kindergartners-conquering-personalized-quests-learn-to-love-reading\/","title":{"rendered":"Kindergartners Conquering Personalized "Quests" Learn To Love Reading"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Anyone who\u2019s worked to teach kindergarteners how to read knows that it can be a slippery challenge. Their squirmy bodies are full of energy, which can make it difficult for them to sit still through reading instruction, let alone through an entire text that they\u2019re still struggling to understand.<\/p>\n

But this year, my kindergarten class piloted an online learning program, eSpark, that is showing promise in holding those littlest students\u2019 attention — and in helping them make progress in reading. My students spend about 20 minutes practicing reading skills on eSpark and attempting to pass a quest. Each quest assesses one standard and has a combination of reading, questions, and video games. Before taking a quest, students are presented with a direct instruction video teaching the skill — either teachers teaching the skill via video or a song\/chant that teaches the skill — using the \u201cwhat, how, why\u201d model of direct instruction. Then students practice this skill within eSpark until they\u2019re ready to tackle the video game \u201cquest.\u201d<\/p>\n

My \u201ceSparkers\u201d can\u2019t wait for independent work time each day so they can tackle another quest, constantly asking if they can use the program — even when it\u2019s time to pack up for dismissal. This keeps them focused and on task: when they\u2019re not working busily on their eSpark quest, they\u2019re making sure their other work is done so they don\u2019t miss a minute of their eSpark time. During guided reading, students rotate through independent reading, eSpark, and reading with me at my guided reading table.<\/p>\n

My students are also captivated by the way eSpark allows them to become the teacher as they work to conquer reading standards. In order to pass a quest, students must earn at least an 80% and film themselves teaching the standard. For example, a student may be asked to segment the word \u201cfrog.\u201d They would then prepare a script that introduces themselves, explain the answer on video for me to grade and provide feedback. Watching these videos is a great way for me to see whether students truly understand what they\u2019re learning. What\u2019s more, they love watching each others\u2019 videos so much that they clamor to learn from one another in this way.<\/p>\n

My students\u2019 excitement and enthusiasm about eSpark is paying off. We receive weekly updates from the program on how they are doing. In the first week, 13 out of our 56 kindergarten students were still working on their first quest. Each week, that list of names shortened, and by our fifth week using eSpark every single student had mastered at least one quest — representing one reading standard — that week by scoring an 80% or higher. Since then, every student masters at least one standard each week, which is raising our reading achievement scores and fostering strong, curious readers who are eager to take on greater challenges.<\/p>\n

In addition to the benefits for students, the pilot has helped me as a teacher. eSpark has cut my prep time for guided reading in half: by providing most students access to text and questions that are already targeted right at that student\u2019s current reading level, I no longer need to prepare books and aligned worksheets for the whole class. Instead, I am able to focus my prep time on figuring out ways to reach my toughest students individually and in small groups.<\/p>\n

While the program is able to target students individual learning goals, it also builds upon the classroom foundation I\u2019ve established — one full of rigor, personal investment and fun! We\u2019re excited that our school\u2019s transitional kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade students will continue to use eSpark next year, and hope other Rocketship schools will get to try it out as well.<\/p>\n

\n


\nLauren Berry is a humanities kindergarten teacher at Rocketship Redwood City Prep and she has been teaching with Rocketship for three years. She is a Bay Area native who was raised by generations of teachers from Redwood City. Lauren is a proud USC grad who strongly believes that “confidence is key.”<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

What have you found helps you learn new things? \u279f @RocketshipEd<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anyone who\u2019s worked to teach kindergarteners how to read knows that it can be a slippery challenge. Their squirmy bodies are full of energy, which can make it difficult for them to sit still through reading instruction, let alone through an entire text that they\u2019re still struggling to understand. But this year, my kindergarten class…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":12126,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"table_tags":[],"tips_for_teachers":[],"class_list":["post-4210","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personalized-learning"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nKindergartners Conquering Personalized "Quests" Learn To Love Reading<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rocketshipschools.org\/en\/latest-news\/blog\/kindergartners-conquering-personalized-quests-learn-to-love-reading\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Kindergartners Conquering Personalized "Quests" Learn To Love Reading\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Anyone who\u2019s worked to teach kindergarteners how to read knows that it can be a slippery challenge. 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