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Read Naturally Software Edition
Setting Up the Program
To set up a Read Naturally SE program, you need to plan a schedule, choose a setting, and gather the necessary materials.
Planning a Schedule
It is best to set up sessions at least three times per week in blocks of 30 minutes or more; five days per week is best. One direct way to increase the amount of time students spend reading is to schedule more sessions. The more practice your students get, the more quickly they will improve.
As you prepare your schedule, keep in mind that Read Naturally SE is best implemented with a student-to-teacher ratio of no more than eight students per adult. Not all of the adults need to be teachers. Teacher-trained educational assistants, parents, or other adult volunteers can help run a Read Naturally Live program.
Choosing a Setting
You can use Read Naturally SE in a variety of settings, depending upon where computers are available, such as a classroom, media center, or computer lab.
Gathering Materials
Since Read Naturally SE is a computer program, it eliminates the need for many of the accessories that are required for Read Naturally ME, such as cassette or audio CD players, timers, reading guides, pencils, graphs, and paper copies of the stories. For Read Naturally SE programs, the following materials are required or recommended:
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Computers Since students read the stories at computer workstations, you need a workstation with sound capability for each student. For detailed requirements for the computers, see the Read Naturally SE v2 system requirements. |
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Headphones Headphones are very important for ensuring that students hear the audio of the story clearly. Headphones can also be used to reduce the sounds of the other students reading along. (Computers with sound capability have headphone jacks.)  Order headphones |
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Level CDs (stand-alone installations only) For each SE level, there is one CD that contains all of the stories for that level. For stand-alone installations, the appropriate CD must be in the computer's CD drive while the student is working in that level, so you need to make the appropriate level CD available to each student. We recommend labeling the spine of the CD albums to indicate which levels are included. For network installations, the stories and student results are stored on the computer that hosts the SE server software. As a result, students do not need the level CDs. Students can use Student Stories from any computer that is connected to the network and set up with the SE client software. If you have a school license, multiple students can work in the same level at the same time. |
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Read Naturally SE Answer Guides The Read Naturally SE Answer Guide includes the answers to the open-ended questions for all of the SE levels. The computer automatically corrects the multiple-choice questions, but you need to correct the open-ended questions during the Pass step. If multiple people will be checking the students' answers, you can either make the Answer Guide available in a central location or order additional copies for each teacher and assistant. Order more Read Naturally SE v2.1 Answer Guides Print the Read Naturally SE v2.1 Answer Guide |
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Read Naturally SE Posters You can hang a poster that lists the Read Naturally SE steps near the computers where students will work. The poster helps students understand the process and includes helpful tips for using the Read Naturally SE Student Stories application. Order Read Naturally SE posters |
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Student Folders Folders are optional for students using SE, but students can use them to hold copies of the stories, awards, results, and other paperwork. Order folders |