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As summer draws to a close, teachers and students everywhere are gearing up to begin a school year unlike any other. Task forces across the nation are pondering the question of how to meet students’ educational needs while also keeping the public safe. These leaders cannot rely on precedent to guide them—pandemic schooling is a brand-new reality. However, Hurricane Katrina is one event in recent history that can provide clues about how to resolve the learning losses caused by a long-term disruption in regular schooling.

Read Naturally founder Candyce Ihnot continued her work with students in the Read Naturally reading lab at Faithful Shephard School this past school year. When schools moved to distance learning, Candyce met with Read Naturally Lead Teacher Sarah Voelbel to develop a plan. Their priority was to keep students engaged and to ensure the students could continue building their reading skills. Candyce and Sarah’s plan to combine Read Live and Zoom worked out better than expected. Below, Sarah shares her reflection on the experience.

Addie M. is our May Star of the Month. She is a sixth-grade student at Stanley Middle School in Lafayette, CA. Addie didn't let the start of distance learning prevent her from improving her reading skills.

Distance-learning fatigue has likely set in for everyone by now. As summer break draws closer, it can feel even harder for teachers and students to stay focused. But we owe it to our students—now more than ever—to make these last few weeks count. Allow the Read Naturally team help you out with a bunch of free resources. These resources can easily be sent to students to complete at home.

Every year around this time, we like to provide educators with resources to help their students combat the Summer Slide in reading. This year, students are also facing a potential “COVID Slide” due to the extended disruption of typical classroom learning. The collision of the COVID Slide into the Summer Slide might sound like, well… a bit of a disaster. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be.

What day is it again? Is it still April? All I know for sure is that the novelty of distance learning officially wore off weeks (or has it been months?) ago. Many of us are struggling to give structure to days that feel endless. Our children are looking to us for guidance, which feels a bit like the blind leading the blind. Nobody knows quite how to navigate our new reality.

Distance learning is a challenging new reality for most of us. You and your students likely need extra support during this time, and Read Naturally is here to help. Many of our solutions can be effectively implemented at home to ensure your students continue to make progress in reading.

In these uncertain times, students everywhere will benefit from familiarity and consistency. We are so grateful that our most popular program, Read Live, can be used in a distance-learning model to provide this kind of support.

As a web-based program, Read Live is ideally suited for use in a distance learning model. Of course, nothing can replace the learning that happens when students interact personally with their teacher. However, there are times when distance learning is the best, or only, option.

Unexpected school closures are difficult for educators, parents, and students. It’s especially stressful under the rapidly developing COVID-19 situation. We understand the difficulty you’re facing, and we are available to support you however we can. Read Live does allow for students to continue working outside of school. You can enter parents as Read Live Assistants allowing them to conduct timings, choose remedial actions, and pass stories.

Make Your Student a STAR!

Read Naturally Star of the Month​Share your student’s success story—nominate him or her for our Star of the Month award. Win a Barnes & Noble gift card for the student and a Read Naturally gift certificate for your class!

pointer Submit a Star-of-the-Month entry

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