Update: One Minute Reader Live is now included as a component of Read Live. The One Minute Reader iPad App has been discontinued.

Snow is still falling in much of the country, but that doesn’t change the fact that spring conferences are just around the corner. Parents (or guardians) of Read Naturally students will be eager to hear about their child’s progress in reading. This is a great opportunity for you to highlight the student’s successes and address challenges—and to emphasize the ways in which parents can support their child at home. Read Naturally offers a variety of resources developed specifically for parents.

First, consider offering parents our “fluency at home” letter, which explains how parents can use the Read Naturally Strategy of teacher modeling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring at home.

Next, because it’s never too early to start thinking about summer, you may wish to explain to Read Naturally Live parents that they can use the program at home during the summer at no cost. To determine if this option is feasible for your students, their parents, and you, please read this list of considerations. This blog post explains how to set up and facilitate the necessary training for parents. Getting an early start on this process will ensure your students can begin working at home as soon as school lets out.

Speaking of summer, this letter tells parents how they can help their child avoid the infamous summer slide using Read Naturally’s One Minute Reader program. 

You may also want to offer parents more detailed descriptions of the programs Read Naturally developed for use at home. These programs directly support what you are doing with your students in the classroom, but many parents will not know about these options unless you give them the information. Parents find these programs to be highly affordable (we offer free versions of both apps) and highly effective. They frequently express their gratitude for having the tools they need to support their child at home. Our at-home programs include:

  • One Minute Reader
    One Minute Reader utilizes the Read Naturally Strategy to improve fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary. This engaging program allows students to work independently and remain motivated by exciting reading passages, instant feedback, cool progress graphs, and more. 
     
  • One Minute Reader Books/CDs
    Each One Minute Reader book includes five high-interest stories that are the right length to encourage readers to practice without feeling overwhelmed. Each book also comes with an audio CD featuring recordings of each story at various speeds as well as all glossary words, graphs for progress monitoring, comprehension quizzes that students can correct themselves using a “joke jumble,” fun facts about the topics, and more. One Minute Reader books are written at different reading levels so readers can find the level that fits their ability.
     
  • Splat-o-Nym Vocabulary iPad App
    Vocabulary acquisition is a key component to literacy, and it has never been more fun. Students play a vocabulary word game that includes over 7,000 synonym questions, 1,000 antonym questions, and 600 meaning-from-context questions. A Lightning Round provides an exciting review. Levels 1 through 4 are included in the free version of the app, and parents can purchase all 24 levels for just $4.99.
     
  • Word Nerd Card Games
    High-frequency words account for up to 75% of the words students read. Becoming automatic with these words is a critical component of attaining reading fluency. The Word Nerd games—inspired by old favorites like Crazy Eights and Go Fish—can be used anywhere to help students develop automaticity with high-frequency words. The words on the cards are printed in the OpenDyslexic font, a special font designed to increase readability and reduce letter confusion for readers with dyslexia. (Note: Word Nerds Card Games are no longer available from Read Naturally.)

As always, please don’t hesitate to let us know how we can support you in your communication with parents. Contact us, and we can direct you toward the handouts and resources you need. We wish you a productive conference season!