My name is Pat Thomas,and I've been teaching for 17 years.
I started using Reading A-Z and Raz-Kids this summer. What I like most about Reading A-Z and Raz-Kids is that it provides a structure to where teachers can follow a guided lesson plan. It has level reader books for kids at their levels. It incorporates fluency every day. There's a whole category and list of books; it's all there provided for you.
What kids enjoy about Reading A-Z is the colorful illustrations of the books. The content is put in a way where it's interesting. You're talking about animals, you're talking about habitats,talking about history. So all these things trigger interest for the children.
What's great about Raz-Kids is that children have an incentive to get points from reading a book, and kids really get excited about that.
Using Reading A-Z seems to bring a light inside of the children, to where they are happy.
No longer, "Oh, we have to read," it's more like, "We get to read!" And having that piece and see the children get excited about reading, it really makes me feel good. I really like it.
