A PowerPoint Presentation

1. A PowerPoint Presentation

2. Background • Developed and used in schools across North America for over 10 years • Hawker Brownlow has versioned it for Australia, rewriting stories and adding Australian content • CARS (Comprehensive Assessment of Reading Strategies) • The assessment portion: Pretest, diagnose strengths and weaknesses of each strategy, level placement • STARS (Strategies to Achieve Reading Success) • A prescriptive reading series: instruction based on the results of the CARS Plus series to address gaps • Provides differentiation, explicit teaching and student data

3. What is it? A 10 level program (P-H) that allows you to identify and teach twelve reading comprehension strategies: • Finding the Main Idea • Recalling Facts and Details • Understanding Sequence • Recognising Cause and Effect • Comparing and Contrasting • Making Predictions • Levels P and AA focus on 6 strategies: • Pre-reading, listening skills, visual, teacher-guided • Level A focuses on 8 • Levels B–H focus on all 12 • Finding Word Meaning in Context • Drawing Conclusions and Making Inferences • Distinguishing Between Fact and Opinion • Identifying Author’s Purpose • Interpreting Figurative Language • Summarising (Distinguishing between Real and Make Believe in levels B and C)

4. What are the benefits? • Comprehensive program that allows you to: • Diagnose student comprehension • Instruct to the level of their ability • Benchmark their progress • Assess their achievement • Provide differentiated instruction • Create structure and continuity • Ability for the program to follow the child from Foundation to Year 9 • Facilitate instructional planning • Make recordkeeping easier with online scoring management system

5. What Does it Look Like?

6. Student Books • CARS Plus Student Book contains: • Student pacing chart • 5 pretests, 5 benchmarking tests and 5 post tests (40 minute lessons) • STARS Plus Student Book contains: • 12 Strategy Lessons • Each ‘lesson’ is broken into 5 ‘parts’: modelled instruction, modelled practice, guided instruction, guided practice and independent practice • Each ‘part’ takes one class to teach, so a single strategy ‘lesson’ takes five days • A 4-page review after every three strategy lessons • A Final Review: • 12-Page review of all strategies: 4 reading passages, 48 multiple-choice questions

7. Teacher Guides • CARS Plus Teacher Guide includes: • Definitions of strategies • Three teacher assessments • Pretest, post test and benchmark answer keys • NOTE: Has no lessons • STARS Plus Teacher Guide includes: • Suggested Lesson Pacing Chart • Step-by-step instructions on how to guide students through lessons including (NEW to STARS Plus!): • Strategy Bookmarks • Reproducible answer form • Completed answer form • Lesson objectives • Introducing the strategy • Model the strategy • Tips • ELL Support • Genre focus • Teacher’s Corner • Reteaching • Connecting with Literature

8. How Does it Work? • Download the Free Level Placement Booklet to assess which level your students are at • Less than 6 correct go down a level, 6-10 stay there,11 or more correct go up a level • Order the CARS & STARS Plus books for your desired level • Note: Each level has a student and teacher guide. • Take the 5 pretests from the CARS Plus book to see where your students’ skills are in terms of the 12 strategies • Work through the STARS Plus books throughout the year • Administer the 5 benchmark tests during teaching STARS Plus to monitor progress • If students are struggling with a reading strategy, have them work on the specific Focus book OR if they are excelling, have them work on the Extensions books • At the end of the year, take the 5 post tests in the CARS Plus book to see how much the students have progressed.

9. Assessment • The CARS Plus book contains the following assessments: • 5 Pretests • Five tests to be taken as soon as possible to fit in with school schedule • Use this data when teaching STARS Plus strategies • 5 Benchmark Tests • To be done at your discretion throughout the year with STARS Plus • Corrected orally with the entire class • 5 Post Tests • Assesses the results of the students • Great for parent-teacher interviews and to show student progress • The STARS Plus program is the instruction portion, however it also contains: • A review after every three strategies • A final review at the end of the book

10. STARS Plus Lesson Format Each of the 12 lessons is broken into 5 Parts: • Modelled Instruction: “Think About the Strategy” • Guided Instruction: “Learn About the Strategy” • Modelled Practice: “Check Your Understanding” • Guided Practice: “Build on What You Have Learned” • Independent Practice: “Prepare for a Test”

11. Focus on Reading Additional Resources • Focus books help to reinforce reading skills and differentiate instruction with concentrated practice on a single strategy • 6 books: one for each of the higher-order strategies: • Understanding Main Ideas and Details • Understanding Sequence • Recognising Cause and Effect • Comparing and Contrasting • Making Predictions • Drawing Conclusions and • Making Inferences • 20 lessons in each book • Great for remedial help and more practice for specific strategies

12. Extensions in ReadingAdditional Resources • Extensions Books are for students who are excelling in all strategies. It offers them more practice and extends the depth of their understanding • IMPORTANT NOTE: In the CARS & STARS Plus program, students do not move up a level if they are doing well. They further build on their knowledge of the strategies with Extensions. • Extensions are available for levels A-H • Other related resources that also focus on the 12 reading strategies: • ALC (Assessing Levels of Comprehension) • BLC (Building Levels of Comprehension)

13. CARS & STARS Online: Reports and Assessment A holistic approach. Save time and get results! • Teachers enter student results • Automatically analyse student performance for each strategy • View detailed reports by individual or class • Print paper-based reports • Great for parent teacher interviews or for passing on to the student’s next teacher • Online program for students coming soon!

14. Associated Products CAMS & STAMS is the same program re-designed for mathematics. • CAMS (Comprehensive Assessment of Mathematics Strategies) • STAMS (Strategies to Achieve Mathematics Success) • SOLVE (Practice) C-H • Includes Interactive Whiteboard Lessons for levels C-H

15. Next Steps Download the Free Level Placement Guide from the website to get started! Contact a Sales Rep: QLD: Karen Hofmann • 0439 889 190 • qld1@hbe.com.au Head Office: • 2/47 Wangara Rd, Cheltenham VIC 3192 • 03 8558 2444 • orders@hbe.com.au • NSW: Judy Morrissey • 0414 424 160 • nsw1@hbe.com.au