ReadWorks - Three (outstanding!) Updated Features

ReadWorks, a free reading comprehension program, has created a new eBook feature which I love! I ran across it while I was modeling how to incorporate ReadWorks into reading centers.

Basically ReadWorks has taken some of their articles and converted them to illustrated eBooks with human voice audio (and some text highlighting).

The result is a more engaging differentiated experience for students. Everything is the same you still love about ReadWorks...you can assign the article to students, they can opt for the article versus the eBook, and there are always question sets.

The problem I ran across on student tablets was how big the eBook opens up. I've emailed ReadWorks and let them know that it is a problem.

It is not an insurmountable problem but I did have to show third graders how to change the size of their screen to accommodate a full view of the eBook.

Once students have the book open they can press play and navigate through the book and the question set.

This is a great addition to ReadWorks. To see a full list of articles that have been converted CLICK HERE.

Another great new feature is the addition of the split screen for students. Students can now, at the touch of a button, have the article on one side of the screen to reference while answering the associated questions on the other side. It is a small thing but it is so nice that students don't have to click back and forth between the article and the questions.

Yet another great new feature that I think is a game changer is the reading strip option. Students can click on this option and get a highlighted bar that they can pull down line by line (instead of being overwhelmed by a large amount of seemingly insurmountable text).

To find out more about ReadWorks offers click on their information page HERE.

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