Read Naturally is proud to announce its newest assessment and intervention program, Read Live, was named a finalist for the 2011 EdTech Digest Cool Tool Awards. The products, services and people that made the list of finalists are innovative, respected and outstanding cool tools, leaders and trendsetters moving education forward into the 21st century. We are thrilled that Read Live made the list!
Read more Read Live Tip #5: Do you know what to do when students don’t pass a story?
To pass a Read Naturally Live story, each student needs to read the story at his or her goal rate, make three or fewer errors, read with appropriate expression, answer the quiz questions correctly, and meet the teacher’s expectations when retelling the story. If a student does not successfully complete one or more of the criteria for passing, you will be taken to the Pass/Remedial Actions screen to decide the best course of action. Remedial actions can be selected for each pass requirement a student does not meet.
Read more Congratulations to Star Student Hailey J. from Somonauk, IL! Hailey a fifth-grade student at Somonauk Middle School. Hailey’s teacher, Lynda Harrington, had this to say about her:
Read more Read Live Tips #4: Are your students completing the cold timing step independently?
Read Naturally recommends that for the first few stories a teacher is present to conduct the cold timing with students and coach them through the process of identifying their errors. Once students have proven they can accurately identify their errors, individually release them to conduct their cold timings independently.
Read more Are you familiar with the Frank Sinatra song “My Way”? If you are anything like me (and Mr. Sinatra), you really like the idea of doing things your way! It may even be one of the reasons you decided to teach. We, as educators, like having our own rooms where we make all the decisions. Ok, I’ll admit it: I am a bit of a control freak! Although I am a big believer in personal choice for most things, when it comes to Read Naturally, using the program as it’s intended is imperative for success.
Read more Read Live Tip #3: Have you taught your students how to complete the steps in Read Naturally Live?
Students need to be trained in how to successfully complete the steps independently. Lesson plans in the Read Live User Guide can help in teaching the steps to students. You should walk through the entire process with the students twice. The first time you will demonstrate each step of the program as the students watch. The second time students will walk through the steps one more time as a group with each student at his or her own computer working in his or her own materials (series, level, and goal).
Read more Ginger Rogers is one of our dynamic and inspirational presenters. She received her master’s degree in education from Texas A&M University and has worked as both a teacher and an instructional coach. She has also served as a mentor to undergraduate pre-service teachers and has published articles on reading assessment and reading fluency. For the past three years, Ginger has taught summer school at the Holy Cross Anglican School (HCAS) in San Pedro, Ambergris Caye, Belize. She shares some of her experiences with you, our readers, below.
Read more We always welcome questions about best practices with your Read Naturally program and how to make sure you are implementing your school’s program correctly. Many of the questions we get are about the passing step. Here is a quick roundup of some of the most frequently asked questions.
Read more Read Live Tip #1: Are you correctly placing your students in Read Naturally Live?
To maximize student improvement, it is critical that you use the Read Naturally Live placement process to place each student. Do not attempt to use the results from other reading assessments (including Benchmark Assessor Live) to designate a placement level for students. By using the Read Naturally Live placement process, you will place each student with a level and goal that will be challenging enough to accelerate reading improvement but will not be so difficult that the student becomes discouraged.
Read more Congratulations to star student Jaden M. from Maynard, MA! Jaden was nominated last spring as a fifth-grade student at Fowler School. Jaden’s teacher, Rosemarie Kessler, had this to say about Jaden:
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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!
