The 2021-22 school year is fast approaching, and our curriculum and development teams are hard at work making important improvements to Read Live. We’ve added several features and enhancements in the past few weeks. Here are some of the most important updates in the most recent Read Live releases:
Read more How can we make a difference for our students in the area of reading? What programs do we choose? How do we know these approaches will reach each student where they are? How can I help my students’ parents understand what they are supposed to do to support their child in the area of reading? These are all questions that educators reflect on regularly.
Read more Read Live includes four highly effective instructional programs designed to deliver measurable results for struggling and developing readers of all ages. We recently recorded five new webinars, providing an overview of Read Live as well as the basics for each of the four programs: Read Naturally Live, Word Warm-ups Live, One Minute Reader Live, and Read Naturally Live—Español. Check out these 30-minute presentations for a better understanding of Read Live and additional details on each of the four instructional programs.
Read more The school-to-home connection is more important than ever. The need for distance learning over the past year has created challenges for teachers, parents, and students. And, as the school year ends, we don’t want our learners to experience a “summer slide.” By having parents as partners, students who have been working in Read Live at school can have more support and continuity in their instruction. We want to share some tools and resources to help your students take advantage of reading opportunities with Read Live, even during the summer months, from home.
Read more Over the past year, we’ve added three new curriculum options and developed several new features to better support distance learning with Read Live. We’ve also updated content, added support for Google (G Suite) for Education, and developed more resources for training and support. Read Live is better than ever!
Read more Managing students' needs is always a work in progress. My latest challenge in my classroom has been to figure out the best Read Naturally Live level for my younger readers. In the past, most (if not all) of my second-grade students have seamlessly fit into the Phonics levels of stories. As they progressed, I would move them into Sequenced stories. Usually, their phonics needs would be well matched to their fluency needs in the Phonics series. These levels provided the right amount of challenge and comfort for their reading.
Read more When I first started teaching, I knew that independent reading was important. I knew I wanted to give my students the opportunity to read something on their own that they loved, but I didn’t realize the need to be specific and intentional in this practice. Because of this, I would provide time for “free reading” or “DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) Time” on a regular basis. However, it didn’t always go as planned. From time to time, I would have students flipping through pages of the book (not reading). Some students played in their desks during this time. I even had a student or two fall asleep. As a new teacher, I knew I needed to provide opportunity for more focused reading, but I didn’t know how to make that happen. I was frustrated with myself and my students.
Read more This past year has been especially challenging for teachers, students, and parents. As 2020 winds down, we’d like to thank educators everywhere for their continued dedication to student success. Your work is incredibly important and greatly appreciated. Thank you for everything you do.
Read more The latest Read Live update released on November 19, 2020 provides even greater support to educators and students using the program in a distance learning model. Check out the full release notes for more detailed information.
Read more The most rewarding part of a Read Naturally intervention—for both students and teachers—is the progress students make. By this point in the school year, you likely have several students who have made significant gains in fluency, comprehension, or both. When you notice this growth, it’s time to assess whether the student needs an extra challenge in the form of a goal or level increase. Typically, you’ll make such a change after a student has completed 12 stories at his/her current level. Here are the signs it’s time to raise the goal or level:
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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!
