Title: Software Focus on Reading/language Development
Abstract: The acquisition of good reading and writing skills is the most important ability a student can attain. Although educational software should never be considered a substitute for books, several programs can give novice readers extra help and practice. Some programs can help teachers assess students' reading skills, while some can provide vocabulary lessons or writing practice. Since students learn to read at different rates, many programs are customizable and adaptive to the individual's skill level. The following programs can nicely supplement classroom instruction. Beginning readers will find it helpful to be familiar with concepts of narration and written communication. The Little Planet Literacy Series for grades preK-3 is aimed at students with varying ability levels, including students with very limited literacy skills. With this program, students working alone or together accomplish a series of tasks revolving around the context of a single Students revise the anchor story and share their own stories, strengthening their reading and writing skills. The program uses a five-step instructional model to ensure students' comprehension. Students first watch a video story, then go through a sequencing exercise to put the story elements in proper order. In the next step, students retell and write their own stories based on the anchor story. Once their original stories are completed, students can print and publish their own stories. A Teacher Management tool allows educators to customize the program with custom words, class lists, student reports, and preferred storyboard characteristics. The software offers a variety of reading experiences, with the goal of stimulating rich discussions among students and teachers. Software may be especially compelling to youngsters when it employs beloved children's stories. Edmark's Stories & More series is designed to optimize children's comprehension and reading aptitude by stimulating prior knowledge, promoting the recall of text, and increasing learning opportunities through the expansion of story ideas. Each Stories & More program has four sections. The first, Starting Off, introduces children to the story's setting through activities. Next, Story Time presents the story and lets children practice recalling the story events. Thinking About helps students make connections between written descriptions and illustrations, and the Going Beyond section encourages children to integrate their creativity and experiment with word placement and sentence structures. The programs use classic children's books to help students learn. Stories & More: Animal Friends is for early learners (K-1), and includes spoken narration that allows even nonreaders to benefit from the story. Words and phrases are highlighted on the screen as they are read aloud, helping children see the connection between spoken and written words. Stories & More: Time and Place is for children grades 2-3, and also features spoken narration. Record and playback options allow students to interact verbally within the program. Most educators agree that reading and writing are best learned conjointly. Read, Write & Type is an interactive program designed to develop children's reading, writing and typing skills simultaneously. The 40-lesson adventure helps students use phonics to link reading and writing. The program lets students hear, say, see and type hundreds of words, reinforcing the multiple ways in which beginning readers learn words, and helping children acquire essential abilities. Once students learn to link 40 sounds with their keystrokes, they can build any of the over 5,000 words in their personal vocabularies. Meanwhile, they develop touch-typing skills to help them get their thoughts on paper quickly. The program aims to enable young children to write their ideas without having to search for the proper keys. Read, Write, & Type! …
Publication Year: 2000
Publication Date: 2000-08-01
Language: en
Type: article
Access and Citation
AI Researcher Chatbot
Get quick answers to your questions about the article from our AI researcher chatbot