Accelerated Reading Program Creating 'Millionaire' Students at Augusta Elementary
There are some very wealthy students at Augusta Elementary.
This school year, students at Augusta are participating in an accelerated reading program to encourage reading on their own.
For each word students read, they earn that much “money” from the “Library of Awesome Readers.”
The students are rich in words as they steadily increase their word count by taking and passing AR tests.
To celebrate the word counts this year, students earn one 25,000 word count bill for every 25,000 words they read.
To keep track of how much they have, they are given money wraps. At each milestone, 250,000; 500,000; 750,000; 1,000,000, these dedicated readers earn a book to keep.
Millionaires at Augusta are celebrated with “READ” magazine covers to display at the library along with an announcement to the school with confetti cannons and parents in attendance.
As of the beginning of December, there are four students at Augusta who are millionaires, and there likely will be a steady increase in millionaires as the year continues.
The four current millionaires are sixth-grade students
Charlotte Tolle and
Grace Gargrave and fifth-grade students
Lucas Howell and
Kolten Lause.
To bridge the gap of word counts for the lower grades versus the higher grades and to keep them engaged, first through third graders will have lower word count goals to earn books.
Students of all grades look forward to updates on their word counts and filling their envelopes displayed outside the library with more money.
Augusta Elementary Principal Dr. Mary Robertson launched the program last school year. Kristy Rowe, Augusta Elementary Library Paraprofessional, has taken it over this year.
“The AR program has been essential in the motivation and monitoring of our students’ independent reading,” Robertson said. “Our students love to read independently because we have made it a top priority in our building. Mixing reading and a little fun has been the critical components in the success we are seeing. The library has become the heart of our school and we wouldn’t have it any other way.”
See the pictures below of the four millionaires with their magazine covers at Augusta Elementary.
Augusta Elementary “millionaires” who have reached one million words read this school year as of early December. From left are Lucas Howell, Grace Gargrave, Charlotte Tolle and Kolten Lause.
Lucas Howell
Kolten Lause
Charlotte Tolle
Grace Gargrave
