We want students at First Lutheran to be excited about reading. The FLS library has more than 10,000 books. Students attend a  library day each week, when the librarian reads a story (usually pertaining to something they’re studying in class) and they are given time to check out books. Students are always allowed to come into the library during open periods to return and check out new books.

In the middle school, Accelerated Reader tests are a part of students’ literature grades. Accelerated Reader is a way of testing reading comprehension on the books students read and to encourage students to read more. Students take a STAR test, a diagnostic test that shows their reading ability and which book level they should be reading. The librarian then assigns students an Accelerated Reading goal based on that score.

Students in the lower grades use Accelerated Reader not for a grade, but as an incentive to read and take tests. For every test a student takes, he or she receives a small price from the treasure chest (K-2) or a piece of candy (3-8). As students meet particular goals they receive larger prizes, such as bookmarks, ID tags, pencils, and all the way up to gift cards.

The library hosts two fundraisers each year, Scholastic Book Fairs, to raise funds to buy new books for the library, Accelerated Reader tests, parties, and prizes.

Accelerated Reader