Spellzone is for students who do not need the level of a Booster lesson intervention but would benefit from using the program to secure some spelling strategies. Our interventions are reviewed and adjusted following our mid and end of year internal testing. Spellzone progress will be monitored to ensure students are engaging and to assess impact.
Our focus is always looking to improve the spelling skills of all students in KS3. Spellzone is a complete online teaching resource which our students can complete at home. Spellzone unlocks the mystery of English spelling and adapts to all abilities. Students can work on tailored learning pathways at their own pace and on any device. Engaging with Spellzone ensures that spelling competence and confidence keeps developing to ensure that students can make good progress across the curriculum.

Spellzone has been proven to have a really positive impact on our student's development. We really appreciate your support in encouraging your child to engage with it at home over the coming months. Time spent developing spelling knowledge now will have a significantly beneficial effect on your child's success in GCSE and beyond in the future.

Getting started is easy!

Spellzone is available for use on school computers, home computers and mobile devices.

1. Launch web browser – Microsoft Edge and google ‘Spellzone’
2. Click the red ‘log in’ tab. You can then log in using your username and password.
3. A Spelling Ability Test is included as part of the spellzone resource. On completion of the test, you will be provided with a spellzone score and a 'Personal Course Pathway' which shows the units to be completed. The test is repeated at key points and the score and pathway updated according to progress made.
4. In addition to the Personal Course Pathway, you may be, occasionally, set specific tasks to be completed. These may be specific word lists to support their pathway. 
5. As well as completing any of the above, you can also play on ‘spellings games’ but this is used in addition to any work that has been set. 

Please spend 30 minutes a week on Spellzone

Reminders to use Spellzone are given by a general email/note via tutors.

At any point if a student is having any difficulties either with login, pathways or just general questions they should come to Learner Support

First News is an award winning newspaper, aimed at Key Stage 3 students.

Each week our students receive and email alerting them to the release of the latest issue of First News. They have access to a PDF copy, via the Edulink noticeboard.

Students can also access a digital copy of the newspaper, with audio function, by logging into our library website and clicking the 'Links' tab on the library homepage. Alongside the newspaper, students can access various fun/educational puzzles, a daily 'Wordie' puzzle, First News polls, FYI weekly news video and more.

More information can be found here: http://www.firstnews.co.uk/

If your child would like to receive their own paper copy of First News, subscription forms are available from Mrs Scott in the Library.

https://global-zone61.renaissance-go.com/studentportal/

Accelerated Reader is a computer programme that helps teachers manage and monitor student’s independent reading practice and improve Literacy .

STAR Reading is an online reading assessment within Accelerated Reader which is carried out 3 times a year. It has been aligned with the national curriculum to allow teachers to easily track student progress alongside the skills required in the curriculum. It reports in a number of different ways including standardised scores, percentile ranks and scaled scores.

Following the STAR assessment, each student receives their reading range/Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).  The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) suggests the readability-level range from which a student should be selecting books to support optimal growth in reading.

There are over 40,000 books on the Accelerated Reader programme with more being added daily. Students will often have books at home that have Accelerated Reader quizzes and we have a wonderful collection in our college library. 

Once a student has finished their book, they will take the relevant online comprehension quiz. This must be taken within 2 days of finishing the book. Quizzing after 2 days leads to poor quiz results as it becomes more of a memory test rather than a comprehension test. The aim is for students to try to achieve 85% or above in their quizzes as this demonstrates a good understanding of the book. If students are reading books within their reading range and quizzing within the specified time frame, this should be achievable. Differentiation is applied for every student via the level of the book.

A termly 'points' target is generated for each individual student, based on their performance in their STAR assessment. If a student achieves their target, they are usually reading the correct level book for their ability, performing well in their quizzes, working hard and spending the recommended amount of time reading each day - 20 minutes at home, in addition to designated reading time in college: 20 Minutes DEAR, 15 minutes at the start of English lessons and a 1 hour per week Accelerated Reader lesson.

The STAR assessment and quiz data generate valuable reports which are monitored closely by our Librarian/Accelerated Reader Co-ordinator and English/Accelerated Reader teachers. The reports make it easy to identify students that require intervention, students that aren't fully engaging with the reading programme and students that are ready for more challenging reading material.

Our Librarian also monitors latest quiz results to encourage 'smart choices'. 

Quiz scores of 85% or above: students are encouraged to move up in their reading range when selecting their next book to read.

Quiz scores below 85%: discuss possible reasons for the lower score to advise on an appropriate book level for a student's next read - usually moving down within their range or discussing various strategies to aid success.

Parents can monitor their child’s progress towards their Accelerated Reader targets by logging into the linked parents site, Home Connect. Parents can also sign up to receive automated email updates each time their child takes a book quiz or STAR assessment.

Accelerated Reader has helped highlight the importance of reading for pleasure and progress, more than quadrupled the number of library books our students borrow, and helped build a healthy and successful reading culture within our college.

For all queries related to Accelerated Reader or Home Connect, please contact Mrs Scott, Librarian & Accelerated Reader Co-ordinator.

Lexia is for students who do not need the level of a Booster lesson intervention but would benefit from using the program to secure some reading strategies. Our interventions are reviewed and adjusted following our mid and end of year internal testing. Lexia progress will be monitored to ensure students are engaging and to assess impact.

Our focus is always looking to improve the reading skills of all students in KS3. Lexia Power Up is a complete online teaching resource which our students can complete at home. The programme is written for adolescent learners and builds and develops skills in vocabulary development, grammar and comprehension through targeted reading practice. Engaging with Lexia ensures that reading competence and confidence keeps developing to ensure that students can make good progress across the curriculum as reading requirements in all subjects becomes more challenging.

Lexia has been proven to have a really positive impact on our student's development. We really appreciate your support in encouraging your child to engage with it at home over the coming months. Time spent developing reading now will have a significantly beneficial effect on your child's success in GCSE and beyond in the future.

Getting started is easy!

1. Using a desktop or laptop computer, open web browser Microsoft Edge and google www.lexiapowerup.com Please note that mobile devices are not supported.
2. The first time you use Lexia Power up at home you will need to enter a teacher’s email - the email to use is lexiasupport@pe94at.com . You can then log in using your user name and password.
3. The first time you use Lexia Power Up you will sit a placement test. It is extremely important that you take your time, focus and listen carefully to instructions to ensure that you are set on the level most appropriate to support and extend your knowledge in all three areas

Please spend 30 minutes a week on Lexia Power Up – start with the reading comprehension section and when this is completed follow on with the grammar and then word study sections

www.pearsonactivelearn.com

Students are required to complete several tasks online through the Pearson Active Learn website, based on the topics that have been taught over recent weeks.

Students have been issued with their login details.

Students are encouraged to ask for help if it is needed.If there are any IT issues at home the work will need to be completed at school during social times.

Browser support:

• Internet Explorer 9 and higher
• Firefox 3.0 and higher
• Google Chrome
• Safari 4.0 and higher

Tablet compatibility:

EdexcelGCSE Mathematics 9–1 works on the tablets listed below.

Tablets running iOS 5.1 and later: iPad 2.0 and later, iPad Air, iPad Mini.

Tablets running Android 4 and later: Samsung Galaxy Tablet and other android tablets with 10-inch display.

ActiveLearn works best on these devices using Chrome or Firefox rather than the standard browser.

The Nexus-7 and other 7-inch tables are not supported.

Recommended software to make full use of our resources:

• Adobe Reader 8 and higher
• Adobe Flash Player v10 and higher
  Latest versions of Adobe software are available at

Microsoft Office 2003 and higher (and compatible alternative)

Support for ActiveLearn

https://app.readingcloud.net/?theme=blue&customerid=U021146

Bringing Casterton College Library to every student's home. Students can search, view and reserve books in our fantastic library collection, view Accelerated Reader book levels, manage their library account, keep track of overdue books, view past and current loans, write book reviews and recommend books to friends, view author videos, access links to First News, Accelerated reader sites, puzzles and more. 

Student login details are:

Username: Personal college email address

Password: Date of birth in eight digits, without any punctuation, e.g. June 24^th 2002 = 24062002.

https://global-zone61.renaissance-go.com/studentprogress/my-goals-6-plus

Home Connect is the parent site linked to their child's Accelerated Reader account. 

This site allows parents to view their child’s progress towards points targets and view the scores achieved in all book quizzes completed by their child. 

Parents can also sign up to receive automated email updates each time their child takes a book quiz or STAR assessment. Once logged in, click the '

Home Connect Login: Use your child’s Accelerated Reader login details to log into Home Connect - they are the same. 

https://www.arbookfind.co.uk/Usertype.aspx

This website allows students to check whether a book is on the Accelerated Reader programme and if it is, book level information will be included.  

Books from our college library already have the Accelerated Reader information inside the front cover but this site is particularly helpful if a student wishes to read a book from home, local library etc.

Advanced search can be used to view books in various categories, within a student's reading range - useful for finding new and exciting books to read next.