All Aboard

for the

Reading Ringo Dance Party!

Ready for something new to encourage students to read AND address the literacy standards set by the

Common Core State Standards? Our school has adapted a readingRINGO incentive program to do just that.

Our program has our students scrambling to read so they can participate in a Wii Dance party.

Sarah Allred and Jennifer Jackson

Braxton Craven Middle School Trinity, NC

sallred@randolph.k12.nc.us

j1jackson@randolph.k12.nc.us

Reading RINGO Program Description

How it Works:

1- Each student receives a RINGO card which they will keep in their binder. The completion date for earning a

RINGO award will be printed on the card.

2- Students read a variety of materials to have them signed off to complete a RINGO on their card.

3- There are multiple ways a student may get a block signed off on their card.

a. Take and pass the Accelerated Reader test, and show their teacher the result.

b. Have a reading conference with a teacher on the material read.

c. Complete RINGO questions (based on Fountas and Pinnell materials) for the genre which they read.

4- When a student has completed a book and done one of the activities to turn it in, he/she will ask a teacher to

check that the item is completed properly and sign off on the appropriate block.

5- To complete a RINGO, students have to fill 5 blocks either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. Once a student

completes a RINGO the Language Arts teacher should send the card to the media center to be checked.

6- When the determined completion date is reached, students who have completed a RINGO will be invited to a

party held in the Media Center. Team teachers will notify the Media Specialist which students on their team

have completed the RINGO. During the party students will play Wii Dance, have snacks, and get prizes.

7- After the RINGO reward party, students will begin on a new card.

8- Students who did not complete a card by the designated due date may continue working on the same card until

it is complete.

Additional Information

Different RINGO cards may be used each time to alternate different genres of reading materials.

ANY teacher (not just LA, and not just that student’s teacher) may sign off on the RINGO card as long as

students can meet the required proof of reading.

The RINGO questions for turning in books read will be different to match each genre. These will be on a fill

in the blank form on our webpage.

Students may complete squares by reading materials that are close to their reading level. (So if Suzie reads

on 8th grade level, she can’t fill blocks by reading 1st grade books.) This will have to be monitored by teachers

when students ask for a block to be signed off.

Students who complete a RINGO early may continue reading and marking the same card to earn additional

prizes. Completing 2 RINGO lines earns a Super RINGO. Completing 3 RINGO lines earns a Mega RINGO, and

completing the whole board earns an Ultimate Ringo.

IMPORTANT NOTE: RINGO Completions turned in to the media center after the target date will NOT be

considered for awards.

Reading RINGO: Student Flyer

READ

Each student receives a RINGO card which they will keep in their binder. The completion date for earning a

RINGO award will be printed on the card.

Students may read a variety of materials to have them signed off to complete a RINGO on their card –

reading materials should be at the student’s reading level.

RECORD

There are three ways a student may get a block signed off on their card.

o Take and pass the AR test, and show their teacher the result.

o Have a reading conference with a teacher on the material read.

o Complete RINGO questions for the genre which they read. To get to the questions, click on the link

on our school web page, or get a printed copy of the questions from their Lang Arts teacher.

When a student has completed a book and done one of the activities to turn it in, he/she will ask one of

their teachers to check that the item is completed properly and sign off on the appropriate block.

REWARD

When the determined completion date is reached, students who have completed a RINGO will be invited to

a party held in the Media Center. During the party students will play bingo, have snacks, and get prizes.

After the RINGO reward party, students will begin on a new card.

Students who did not complete a card by the designated due date may continue working on the same card

until it is complete.

Questions?

Contact your child’s Language Arts Teacher, the Media Specialist, or Lead Teacher.

BCS Reading

Student Name______________________ Lang Arts Teacher___________

R I N G O

POETRY REALISTIC FICTION

DRAMA NONFICTION

(SCIENCE) AUTOBIOGR

APHY

MAGAZINE ARTICLE

BIOGRAPHY HISTORICAL

FICTION SCIENCE FICTION

FANTASY

NONFICTION (SOCIAL

STUDIES)

MAGAZINE ARTICLE

STUDENT CHOICE

DRAMA FICTION

BIOGRAPHY REALISTIC FICTION

WEB PAGE NONFICTION MAGAZINE

ARTICLE

REALISTIC FICTION

POETRY NONFICTION

(SCIENCE) WEB PAGE NONFICTION

To attend the RINGO Party, complete by the target date

and turn in to your Lang Arts teacher. RINGO = 5 in a

row, vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.

For additional prizes: Super RINGO = 2 RINGOs, Mega

RINGO = 3 RINGOS, Ultimate RINGO = whole board

Target Completion Date May 24, 2013

Reading RINGO Questions

Directions: Select the set of questions which match the genre (type) of book you read and answer them on a separate sheet of paper. All questions

must be answered accurately in order to receive credit on your RINGO board. You may also answer the questions online by clicking on RINGO on the

school webpage.

Science Fiction or Fantasy

1. Book title and author.

2. Who is the main character? List 3 words that describe them and evidence from the text that proves this description.

3. What is the setting of the story? (where and when)

4. List 3 details from the text that helped you identify the setting, and include the page number the details were on.

5. What is the point of view of the story? (who is telling it) How do you know this?

6. What is the main conflict (problem) in the story, and how is it resolved?

7. Describe the climax of the story (most exciting part) and tell what page numbers it was on.

8. Is this novel science fiction or fantasy? What evidence from the text proves that it is science fiction or fantasy?

9. What is the theme of the story (author’s message)? What evidence from the text makes you think that?

10. Summarize the story in no more than 3 sentences.

Realistic Fiction

1. Book title and author.

2. Who is the main character? List 3 words that describe them and evidence from the text that proves this description.

3. What is the setting of the story? (where and when)

4. List 3 details from the text that helped you identify the setting, and include the page number the details were on.

5. What is the point of view of the story? (who is telling it) How do you know this?

6. What is the main conflict (problem) in the story? How is the main conflict resolved?

7. Describe the climax of the story (most exciting part) and tell what page numbers it was on.

8. What connections can you make between the characters, setting, and problems in this story and those in other stories or in real life?

9. What is the theme of the story (author’s message)? What evidence from the text makes you think that?

10. Summarize the story in no more than 3 sentences.

Historical Fiction

1. Book title and author.

2. Who is the main character? List 3 words that describe them and evidence from the text that proves this description.

3. What is the setting of the story? (where and when)

4. List 3 details from the text that helped you identify the setting, and include the page number the details were on.

5. What is the point of view of the story? (who is telling it) How do you know this?

6. What is the main conflict (problem) in the story? How is the main conflict resolved?

7. Describe the climax of the story (most exciting part) and tell what page numbers it was on.

8. Describe at least 3 ways the period of time in the story is different from the present time.

9. How is the time period the story is set in important to the story being told?

10. Could this same story happen during the present time? Why or why not?

Biography and AutoBiography

1. Book title and author.

2. Whose life is the book about and when did they live?

3. Is it a biography or autobiography? List 2 things from the book that help you figure that out.

4. What was this person famous for?

5. What dreams did this person have?

6. Who was the biggest help to this person in reaching their goals? What is some evidence of this from the book? (include page numbers)

7. Do you feel this person struggled much to reach his or her dreams? What is some evidence of this from the book? (include page numbers)

8. What would you consider a turning point in this person’s life? Why?

9. What connections can you make between the people and events in this person’s life and those in other books you have read about or know in

real life?

10. Choose 3 adjectives that describe this person and give evidence from the text that explains why the words fit them. (You can NOT use weak

words like nice, smart, pretty, strong, and so on.)

Magazine Article Questions (The magazine article must be at least 2 pages to count.)

1. Magazine title, date, volume number, and issue number.

2. Article title and author.

3. In 1 or 2 words, what is the topic of this article?

4. In one sentence express the big idea (main idea) the author has written about the topic.

5. List three to five facts the author uses to develop the main idea, and tell which paragraph number each is from.

6. List 5 key words that a reader must understand from the article. Define each word, tell what paragraph number it is from, and explain why it is

important to the article.

7. What was the author’s purpose in writing this article and what evidence helps you know that?

8. What type of people might this article interest and why?

NonFiction/ Informational Questions

1. Book title, author, and publishing date.

2. In 1 or 2 words, what is the topic of this book?

3. In one sentence express the big idea (main idea) the author has written about the topic.

4. List three to five facts the author uses to develop the main idea, and tell which page number each is from.

5. List 5 key words that a reader must understand from the book. Define each word, tell what page number it is from, and explain why it is

important to the book.

6. What was the author’s purpose in writing this book and what evidence helps you know that?

7. Describe how this book is organized.

8. Give an example of how headings and subheadings help you find information in this text.

9. Explain how reading this book might be useful to someone.

10. Will the information in this book still be valid and useful in 10 years? Explain why or why not.

Poetry Questions Student must answer these questions for 3 poems from the book to get credit.

1. Book title, poem title, and author.

2. In 1-2 words describe the topic of the poem.

3. Describe the format of the poem. (Ex. rhyme, rhythm, stanza, lines, etc)

4. What type of poem is this, and how can you tell? (Ex. lyric, ballad, Haiku, shape poem, diamante, etc)

5. List 5 words or phrases from the poem that are examples of imagery and the line number they are from (hint- think your 5 senses).

6. Describe the mood of the poem and give evidence from the text that proves it.

7. What message is the poet trying to get across? What evidence in the poem leads you to believe this?

8. Find and record 2 example of figurative language used in the poem – include the line number the examples are found in. (Ex. simile, metaphor,

personification, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, alliteration, etc)

Drama/ Play Questions

1. Play title and playwright.

2. Who is the main character? List 3 words that describe them and evidence from the text that proves this description.

3. What is the setting of the story? (where and when)

4. List 3 details from the text that helped you identify the setting, and include the page number the details were on.

5. What is the point of view of the story? (who is telling it) How do you know this?

6. What is the main conflict (problem) in the story? How is the main conflict resolved?

7. Describe the climax of the story (most exciting part) and tell what page numbers it was on.

8. Describe the mood of the play and give evidence from the text that proves it.

9. What is the theme of the story (author’s message)? What evidence from the text makes you think that?

10. Summarize the story in no more than 3 sentences.

11. Describe how reading this play is different than if you had watched it being performed. Give at least 3 differences.

We also created a Google Form to collect

the answers to the questions.

Check out a sample of this at:

http://bit.ly/XiBnOo

For a tutorial on using Google Forms in

the classroom, check out: https://sites.google.com/site/teachertechtutorials/googleapps#TOC-Google-Forms

Party Time!

This is what has worked for us; adapt to fit your school’s needs.

We typically have 2 parts to our RINGO Dance Party: dance time and snack time.

Dance Party:

We set up in our Media Center two “dance floors.” Each has a Wii (brought from home), projector,

screen, a Wii dance game, and a speaker system. We tell students which version of Wii Dance is

at each dance floor so they can choose their preference. A teacher uses the controller to select

the songs and students just dance (they don’t need a controller for this). It is easiest to manage if

you only allow a teacher handle the controller and song choices. Turn the music up loud and the

lights down to make it more fun. Also, the students LOVE it when the teachers dance too!

Snack Time:

We set this up separately in our cafeteria. PTO volunteers come and pop popcorn in our big

machine. Students get popcorn and sodas provided by the PTO, and just enjoy time hanging out.

This is also where we pass out any Super or Mega RINGO prizes.

Divide and Conquer:

Depending on how many students you have to qualify, you may need to split groups up and do the

reward at different times to accommodate the number you have. We usually do 2 groups. One

group starts with Snack Time, and the other starts with Wii Dance, then after 20 minutes we flip

flop.

Super, Mega, and Ultimate Prizes:

We make prize bags. Each level up gets more/better items in their bag. We use items we got free

from Book Fairs, items donated by our local Communities in Schools, and things donated by

parents. We use pencils, stickers, posters, paperbacks, pens, notepads, and any other dollar

store type items that students like.

Other Options:

You might also considered doing a BINGO game with academic vocabulary where all students

could get prizes in place of the Wii dance time. If you can get someone to donate some bigger

prizes (like an iPod shuffle, iTunes card, eReader, etc) you could have a drawing where students

get an entry for each RINGO they complete.

RINGO Connections to Common Core Literacy Shifts

Common Core Literacy Shifts

Building knowledge through content-rich nonfiction and informational texts.

Reading and writing grounded in evidence from the text.

Regular practice with complex text and its academic vocabulary.

How does RINGO address these?

RINGO encourages students to read from a variety of genres.

The RINGO board has 13 nonfiction/informational blocks out of the total 25.

The questions for the texts encourage students to focus on the information shared in the text and how the author chose to organize and format the information.

The questions (fiction and non-fiction) require students to refer back to evidence in the text in their answers.

Questions also encourage students to consider vocabulary used in the text and the effect of the vocabulary usage.

The program also allows teachers the flexibility to differentiate based on student reading levels in order to push students to engage with text that is appropriately and increasingly complex. College and Career Readiness Common Core Reading Anchor Standards

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1 Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.2 Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.3 Analyze how and why individuals, events, or ideas develop and interact over the course of a text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.4 Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.5 Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6 Assess how point of view or purpose shapes the content and style of a text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.10 Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.