Archives for May 2020

How Can I Help My Child Learn To Read?

The fact that you are here means that you have taken the first step to act. A lot of people look for 1-to-1 reading tutors or online tutors. However, with modern technology, there is no need to pay extortionate fees to private tutors unless your child has a very specific issue or is seriously struggling.

Many children just fall behind a little at some point during their studies, but can easily catch up when provided the right motivation and tools. It is a perfectly normal part of their development and not everyone develops at the same speed.

A child needs to be supported when it comes to learning to read, as without that skill other areas of schooling will suffer.

There are many parts to learning to read, from being able to sound out words to fully comprehending texts. As they grow, other reading skills such as scanning and speed-reading techniques should also be practiced.

As algorithms and AI have progressed, so have reading apps. Whereas before they were mostly reactive apps, with AI and advanced programming, advanced apps can now adjust to the individual, predict what they need, and prepare for those needs.

These advancements have been revolutionary. So, in this article, we will provide some interesting apps to help understand reading, both basic (but fun) and highly advanced. With these reading apps in your toolkit, you should have your child learning to read better in no time.

Why Are Apps Good for Reading Support?

Normal books seem dull compared to apps. Kids love using phones and tablets, whether for playing games or studying.

Reading apps play to this passion by providing interactive, colorful, and interesting ways to improve their reading skills. Apps can make use of games, illustrations, animations, quizzes, sound effects, speech, speech recognition, and more.

This all combines to make the experience more interesting, which also leads to higher levels of focus and faster results because of that focus.

Apps also never feel tired and never sleep, so support is available whenever it is needed.

Is There An App To Improve Reading Skills?

Fortunately, there are a lot of literacy apps available. Some apps focus on learners with disabilities, and most others focus on specific areas of literacy.

In order to save your scouring the web for fun and interesting apps, we have compiled a list of apps to help understand reading:

Rainbow Sentences – for sentence fluency.
Readability – for total reading support from an AI tutor, including speed, comprehension, and pronunciation. The AI also asks questions and understands spoken answers.
Spreeder – To increase reading speed.
Speed Reading – Word recognition at speed.
Peekaboo Studios – Provide grade-specific reading using a question and answer approach.
Skimming and Scanning – Provides training on how to skim/scan for information and understand texts by picking up on the key points in a game-style app.

There are of course many other reading apps available. The above focuses on different aspects of reading. However, if you would like a single app to take care of all your child’s reading needs, the next section provides exactly that.

What Is The Best App For Learning To Read?

Readability is by far the best app for learning to read. We have worked hard to make it a fully comprehensive app. Unlike most other reading apps, Readability doesn’t only focus on improving one skill area, but instead, it teaches all areas of reading via an interactive AI and an incredible amount of content.

Here are the features that put Readability ahead of most reading apps on the market:

Guides reading
Real-time pronunciation correction
Engaging content with colorful illustrations
Level appropriate
Educational content
Huge library
Comprehension checking with interactive voice-based questions
Live reports for parents to see real progress and areas of weakness
Available 24/7 on mobile devices

All of these features mean that Readability can provide similar support as a real-life tutor but at a fraction of the cost and available 24/7. You can even try a free 7-day trial.

Readability Scholarship

May 29, 2020

Readability Announces Aspiring Writers Scholarship

Reading provides an escape to new worlds, friends, and adventures. A love of reading can help plant the seeds of inspiration for young readers to grow into writers who create their own stories and books.

To celebrate these aspiring writers, Readability is sponsoring the ’Readability Aspiring Writers’ Scholarship competition, which will reward one aspiring writer with a $1,000 scholarship and the opportunity to have a story published on the Readability app.

The competition will end on June 15, 2022, and is open to all students enrolled at an accredited college or university; applicants should have a 3.0 GPA or higher. Interested applicants should submit an original children’s story (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry) with a maximum length of 750 words.

Applicants also should include a short description of their story and explain why they hope to be selected for the scholarship; the background submission should be no longer than 100 words.

The winning writer will receive a $1,000 scholarship and have their story illustrated and published on the Readability app. Readability also will feature the winner on marketing materials and on the Readability website and social media channels. Only one winner will be selected.

All submissions from the competition will be the intellectual property of Readability. Applicants relinquish all copyrights to any story submitted through the competition. However, writers will be given credit if their story is selected for publication in the Readability app.

Interested in submitting your story?

3rd Grade Reading Comprehension: Letters, Lexile® & Book Lists

May 28, 2020

Third-grade ushers in many educational milestones. This may be the first year that children take MAP tests or other state assessments. Multiplication facts are often introduced in third grade, too, and many kids will begin memorizing those ‘x’ facts. Your child’s 3rd grade reading comprehension also may be challenged as longer books or stories are introduced. Many children often begin reading chapter books in third grade!

However, parents may discover that while their child can read these longer stories, they may have trouble following along in the book as the chapters progress and the plot evolves.

As literacy expectations shift from simple text with easy-to-grasp plots to books with more complex story arcs and detailed character development, the gap between proficient readers and those who are falling behind may start to widen if reading comprehension issues aren’t identified early.

When it’s clear that a child’s third-grade reading comprehension has become a struggle, parents have a few options.

The first option for many is to meet with the child’s teacher and discuss concerns. Sometimes additional help may be offered through specialized reading programs. Or maybe parents may find that their child isn’t behind at all (sometimes parents have much higher scholastic expectations).

Reading Comprehension Grade 3: What’s the Lexile®?

A child’s teacher may be able to provide detailed information about a child’s reading abilities. Often, schools will administer reading fluency tests to understand each child’s appropriate reading level. This helps administrators and teachers know which books will be best suited for each child. One of the most common reading benchmark tests is Renaissance Star Reading®.

Parents may receive a print out summary of their child’s Star results. Typically, results will include a percentile rank in relation to peers at the same grade level. A score of 85 percent would mean that the child scored better than 85 percent of other children in the same grade level.

Star scores also sometimes resemble another familiar literacy number: the Lexile®. However, the numeric Star score doesn’t translate to a child’s Lexile® (although, it could turn out to be the same number). So what is Lexile®? Lexile® is actually the Lexile® Framework for Reading. This is a range of numbers that help designate the reading level. These numbers can be a bit confusing, although they are often presented with a grade-level equivalent to help parents understand the Lexile®/grade correlation.

Lexile® also helps parents find the right book for their child. Need suggestions? If you know your child’s Lexile® number, you can enter it and receive a list of appropriate books! The tool on Lexile® ‘s site also lets you search by the lettered reading level, too (we’ll touch on that below!).

What’s the average Lexile® for third grade? The range for a typical third grade at the end of the year (spring) is 645 to 845.

3rd Grade Reading Comprehension: How to Decipher a Child’s Lettered Reading Levels

Renaissance Star Reading® may be a popular test used to gauge reading levels, but it isn’t the only tool teachers utilize in helping to understand reading proficiency. Another popular test is the Benchmark Assessment Systems (aka BAS). This test is a bit more in-depth and usually involves the child working one-on-one with the teacher. Parents may see the results of the test reported as a letter representing a specific reading level.

The lettered reading levels correlating to third grade are N, O and P. So, typically, a child should be at a level N in the fall and advance to level P by the end of the year. However, some children may be below or above this range.

If a child falls too far below this range, a parent may be concerned. Some parents may start to worry if a child scores just one letter behind what’s appropriate for the grade level. As a parent, if you’re upset about the result of any test, reach out to your child’s teacher and don’t be afraid to request additional testing or inquire about reading intervention programs.

The Ultimate Third-Grade Reading List

At home, parents should read with kids often to help gauge and increase reading comprehension. One of the best ways to work on story understanding is to read to a child and ask them questions about the plot and characters. Or have children read aloud, and, at the end of each chapter, discuss what happened and the actions of characters.

Here are some great and fairly easy to read books – by Lexile®–that are perfect for third graders:

Cassie’s Word Quilt (420L)
Chester (480L)
Field Trip Mysteries: The Teacher Who Forgot Too Much (480L)
Once I Ate a Pie (430L)
The Candy Corn Contest (490L)
Take Away Three (490L)
Into the Forest (510L)
Missing (510L)
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing (470L)
Double Fudge (530L)

Reading Comprehension Grade 3: Use a Reading App to Help Improve Comprehension

If struggles are identified, parents also can utilize reading apps like Readability at home to help boost comprehension and proficiency. Readability features Interactive Voice-Based Questions and Answers (IVQA), which serves as a virtual tutor to help a child improve reading comprehension. Parents can keep track of their child’s progress with the Parent Dashboard; this provides insight at reading fluency and also tracks the amount of time the child has spent on the app.

For parents who feel that their child also could benefit from more intensive reading instruction, try Readability for free for seven days! All stories on Readability are designed to meet the reading needs and abilities of each child; as they progress, so does the program! Reading books with children and utilizing apps like Readability could help your child improve comprehension and become a more confident reader.

Essential Apps That Help You Improve Your Reading Speed

May 27, 2020

Many new readers struggle with reading quickly and smoothly. Being able to improve your reading speed will lead to better reading fluency and reading comprehension. Children often get practice and guidance with improving their reading speed at school. With so many school closures across the country, many children who are struggling with reading are left without any appropriate reading instruction to help them improve.

However, you can still help your child improve their reading skills using reading apps to supplement their learning. These reading apps that help you improve your reading speed are great to use in addition to a regular reading program.

How fast should I be reading?

Reading speed is the number of words you are able to recognize per minute and the percentage of comprehension of the material. The average reader can read 250 words per minute with 60% reading comprehension. The top readers can reach 1,000 words per minute with 85% comprehension.

Improving reading speed can help your child understand reading materials better and faster. It will help them to be able to get through school work faster and more efficiently in the future.

How do you improve reading speed?

Improving reading speed is relatively easy to learn, especially for young children. Children, in general, learn things quicker and better than adults, so improving your child’s reading speed can be done easily at home.

According to a speed-reading instructor, George Stancliffe, there are four key components to speed reading:

Natural vision – being able to see more than one word at once. Natural vision means to extend just seeing three or four words when you look at a passage. You should be able to see lines of words.
Visualization – picturing the story in your mind as if it is a movie.
Relax – being relaxed when reading and visualizing. Many people read with intense concentration, but Stancliffe encourages them to focus on relaxing to get maximum visualization and concentration.
Daily Practice – exercising discipline and practicing speed-reading every day. Practice makes perfect!

These key factors can help your child learn not just to improve their reading speed but also to improve their reading comprehension and learn to read thoughtfully. Of course, discipline alone can make it difficult for children to be motivated to read.

Especially now, children are more distracted than ever and leaning on digital devices. If you find your child has increased their screen time, you can at least make their time on their tablets educational by downloading some reading apps that can help them improve their reading speed and skills.

What apps improve reading speed?

Improving reading speed takes practice, but using some reading apps can help with enhancing the skills needed to speed read.

Readability – Readability is a great app for general reading practice for your child. Most importantly, it will improve reading speed because it essentially works as a private reading tutor for your child. Through A.I. and speech-recognition, the app listens to your child read and gives them instant feedback for error correction. The app also gives you a progress report so you can see your child’s progress.
Sight Words – A huge part of improving reading speed is building vocabulary. Sight Words helps your child increase their vocabulary so that they are able to recognize more words quickly. The app uses word games and fun graphics to keep children engaged and having fun while they learn.
Chicktionary – Chicktionary is another reading app that uses games to help your child learn new words. In the game, your child must arrange the chickens to spell the words correctly. This cheeky, fun game will make your kids laugh as they learn.
Spreeder – Spreeder is a great app to help improve reading speed for both children and adults. You can input any text into the app and set the pace of the reader. The app will then play the text word by word as a video so you can see how quickly you are able to read each word to understand the full sentence.
Read Eye – This app is a similar reading speed app as Spreeder. You can input any text you like and it will play it across the screen so you can see how slow or quickly you are able to read the text.
Reading Trainer – This speed reading app works by first measuring your current reading speed. The app gives you a text to read and times you while you read it, then you must answer a short quiz about the reading to see how much you understand the reading. This is a great app to not only measure how quickly your child recognizes words but also their reading comprehension.

Improving your child’s reading speed during this time can be a simple way to keep them on track with their learning. Using these reading apps like Readability, they can learn to be a better reader while having fun at the same time. Reading has never been more fun and easy!

What Is Reading Comprehension?

May 26, 2020

Your child’s teacher may have told you that your child struggles with reading comprehension. What is reading comprehension? This refers to the ability to understand what we read, and comprehension impacts how we relate to a story and its characters.

Reading comprehension is how we interpret a story and understand its meaning. When a child has a mastery of the comprehension element of reading, then all the ‘wh’ questions can be answered. The who, what, when, where, why (and how) questions all tie into character motivations and the story’s unique plot twists.

Why is Reading Comprehension So Important?

Some parents may find that their child can decode with ease. They can read anything, so they must have a wonderful grasp of reading, right? Yes, and no. We have to master all the components of reading before we truly become proficient. Decoding and understanding the sounds of words is essential to reading.

Yet, if a child reads a page but cannot describe what happened or why then comprehension could be an issue. Or maybe the child just became distracted and wasn’t fully engrossed.

How would a parent know if reading comprehension is a struggle? Reading with your child can help you to better gauge their understanding of a story. Ask questions throughout the story and encourage your child to try to explain the actions and feelings of a character. The more questions you ask, the better you can ascertain your child’s mastery of reading comprehension.

How Can Parents Improve Their Child’s Reading Comprehension?

If you discover that your child is struggling to understand a story, there are a few ways to help boost reading comprehension. However, if your child is really struggling, you may wish to facilitate a dialogue with your child’s teacher.

Additional support may be available in the classroom setting, or your child’s teacher may have unique resources to send home for enrichment. Open communication between parents and educators is essential because it really does take a village to raise a child.

What can parents do at home to help children who struggle with comprehension? The best advice is to read with a child and ask them questions. Parents also can utilize reading apps to help provide additional support at home; Readability features integrated AI technology that assists children throughout their reading journey. Stories are leveled to fit each child’s individual needs and to ensure that text is neither too difficult nor too easy.

What More Can Parents Do To Boost Reading Comprehension?

The best ways that parents can help boost a child’s reading comprehension is by reading with a child, asking questions during storytime, using enrichment materials from school, or downloading a reading app for additional instruction. Special reading programs also may be available during class instruction.

Yet, reading is so much more than just decoding and interpreting words. Reading opens up new worlds and experiences. Reading enriches our minds. The act of reading should be fun!

A great way for parents to ensure that all reading is enjoyable is to help a child embrace the adventure. While educational tools are essential to boost reading comprehension, parents can certainly think outside the box to create a remarkable and wonderful reading environment for their children.

Instead of sitting at a table, on a bed or the couch, take the reading adventure elsewhere. Here are outdoor reading spaces to bring stories to life:

In your backyard by a tree
In the garden (for fairytale adventures!)
Under the stars with a flashlight (for stories related to space and the universe)
By a campfire or a fireplace (for scary stories!)

Where we read may help us visualize the setting and backdrop for the stories. A unique environment also may help children relate more to characters or to the plot. Sometimes reading in a new space also helps reset the mind and helps make reading feel not so much like homework.

Take a Story Field Trip

When you’re reading a story or book with your child, consider taking a reading field trip related to the adventure. Every book has unique and fun adventures, and many can be safely recreated to help step into the minds of the characters.

In “From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler,” the characters ran away from home to live (for a brief time) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Those living near the Big Apple can pay the museum a visit to retrace some of the adventures of the book. Not a New Yorker? Take kids to your city’s art museum or any museum. Talk about the book, too! Find a fun or unique plot point and create a related field trip for your child. If the book takes place in outer space, consider visiting a science museum or planetarium.

Reading comprehension is essential for a child to become fully proficient in reading. Decoding may help children identify individual words and read simple sentences, but comprehension is necessary to fully understand the story and a character’s motivations.

Help children at home with enrichment activities, reading apps, and by reading together and discussing the book. Take field trips to help children develop a deeper appreciation for the story by experiencing pivotal plot elements and exploring paths similar to the characters.

If your child needs additional instruction and enrichment to help boost reading comprehension, download Readability to see if the app works for your child’s needs. Parents can sign up for a free 7-day trial to test drive this unique program!

9 Unique Strategies for Helping Kids Learn How to Read

May 25, 2020

Helping kids learn how to read is a dynamic process that’s different for each child, but keeping your kids on track can be done with just a few minutes each day.

In fact, it’s easier than ever to incorporate reading into anyone’s daily routine, especially with all of the time we’re spending at home. Did you know that you can use your favorite mobile devices to enhance the lesson with cutting-edge learning tools like Interactive Voice-based Questions & Answers (IVQA™) and artificial intelligence?

Here are some tips and activities that anyone can use to improve the learning process for early-stage readers.

1. Set a Consistent Study Schedule

More than most of us, children are creatures of habit. They enjoy routine and feel comfortable with things they can expect and understand. The same can be said for activities like studying and doing homework.

While there will surely be days when your child does not want to sit for a reading session, sticking to the same schedule will get them used to reading being a part of their daily routine.

If they’re using a reading app, you can determine the best time to study by looking at their usage reports. Experiment with the time of day and duration of each lesson, then take a look at the data to see their progress.

2. Communicate Throughout the Story

As you’re reading with your children, be sure to talk about the key points in the story to keep them engaged. Discuss the characters, such as who is the protagonist and who is the antagonist.

Some other topics to talk about might include:

What settings are discussed in the story?
What is the main goal of the primary character?
What is the child’s favorite part of the story?
How does the child infer that the story will end?

3. Ask Questions

Your young reader might breeze through the books they already know, but they might get caught up on new words and characters as more stories are introduced to them. Asking them questions before, during, and after the lesson will prompt them to think about the material more deeply.

Repetition is one of the best ways to engage a child’s memory, and asking your child about the story will give them added exposure to character names, unfamiliar words, and new concepts from a different perspective.

4. Read TO Your Child

Reading aloud is an important part of any reading plan, but reading to your children can also help them sharpen their skills.

Even if your child isn’t an auditory learner, listening to you piece the words and sentences together will help them make sense of what they’re reading. It also gives them an opportunity to take in the meaning of the story since they won’t be focusing on sounding out words.

5. Be a Good Listener

Just like listening to the story will help your kids gain a deeper understanding of the story, listening to your child read will help you to keep track of their progress.

Like anyone, your child wants to feel heard and connected with. When you’re reading together, they might be feeling nervous or vulnerable – especially in the early stages. Let them know that you’re there for them to guide them through the process by showing a sincere interest in their comments, predictions, and questions.

6. Encourage Writing Practice for Reading

Writing is proven to improve reading skills in young children, and it’s another way to add some variety to your lessons.

Start by selecting words and small phrases for early readers, or give your more advanced readers a prompt for an essay reflection or summary. Prompting them to think actively about the story they’re reading will help them gain full immersion, which is likely to speed up the learning process.

7. Use a Reading App to Help Your Children Learn

If your family has been affected by the recent stay-at-home orders amidst COVID-19, your kids have probably been spending more time with technology than ever before. From homeschooling to entertainment, kids are even more glued to their devices. So, why not use this as an opportunity to make learning fun for them?

Reading apps are affordable, easy-to-use platforms that provide your child with a dynamic library of content that’s appropriate for their individual reading level.

Effective reading apps listen to your child’s voice in real-time and respond to their cadence and accuracy to help them identify where improvements can be made.

Not only is your child more likely to WANT to read when they’re using a reading app, but they’ll also get more out of each lesson with the added support and resources available.

8. Incorporate Your Child’s Interests

It’s no secret that children are more likely to do something that’s good for them if they like doing it, not because they know it’s beneficial. Reading is no different and is often seen as a chore like anything else.

Stories that include your kid’s favorite characters, places, or themes will have them looking forward to reading time.

9. Be Flexible

While it’s important to get your kids used to a set schedule for reading practice, it’s also important to understand that some days are going to be better than others. Children are human just like us, and sometimes won’t be as cooperative or enthusiastic about their learning plan.

Understand that your child may become frustrated, bored, or uninterested but that doesn’t mean that they aren’t learning. Go at a pace that’s comfortable for them, and remember to be patient.

Learning how to read is a process full of highs and lows with any child. Help your young reader make the most out of their experience with these helpful tips. To expedite the process, search for their favorite stories using our interactive reading app.