CARS & STARS Online is a digital reading comprehension program based around the repeated application of twelve core reading strategies to make students better readers who can analyse and interpret any text at a high level of understanding. The multi-level program is designed to be entirely paper-free, with all student answers being entered directly into the software, and results being instantly recorded and corrected automatically, requiring no teacher marking.
Because CARS & STARS Online is completely digital, it is just as easy to use at home as it is at school. While this has been particularly useful during the upheaval of recent years, and the repeated need for teachers and students to work from home, there are several advantages to using CARS & STARS Online in a physical classroom setting too.
Here are three of our top tips for using the STARS module of CARS & STARS Online effectively in the classroom. These tips are all designed to harness the power of explicit teaching and can also be utilised – with a bit of rearrangement – via distance learning as well.
Firstly, dividing students into groups based on their current reading level in the program gives every student peer support when answering questions. This can be done more easily in a physical classroom by simply separating these students into visible groups but can also be achieved during videoconferencing for distance education.
Secondly, group discussion – more simply done in a physical classroom but just as achievable digitally – helps solidify learning for all students, regardless of reading level or progress. Because the reading strategies that CARS & STARS Online is based upon recur across every level, discussion is relevant to all students even if they are on very different levels.
Thirdly and finally, the new Focus Reading module can be set for students as homework or extra classroom work for additional study in the core strategies, and the detailed program guides for STARS offer support for every teacher while providing hints and tips for explanations, introducing concepts and stories, and further ideas.
If you are interested in learning more about the CARS & STARS Online subscriptions and how they can help children to achieve better results, then sign up for a free trial to be an integral part of your child’s reading success.
