Effective Literacy Website #3

Yoneko Kanichy

ED 638 Fall 2018  Intersession

Dr. M.N. Rivera

Effective Literacy Website #3

Reading eggs, (https://readingeggs.com.au) was created by expert educators with over 30 years of experience. It is also based on solid scientific research that enables your child the best chance at reading success.  Research has shown that phonics instruction is essential for any program that aims to teach children how to read. This program includes over 2000 online books for kids. This multi-award winning early learning resource supports your child’s learning to read endeavor with specifically designed and dedicated online reading games and activities that are easy to follow which are self-paced, and highly engaging to keep your child on-task.

ABC reading eggs enhances learning essential reading and phonics skills making it fun and easier to learn. This program uses a highly motivating sequence of online reading lessons, activities and books.  It is vital that students develop on these skills at an early age for it nurtures confidence in their reading for successful learning.

Incorporating Reading Eggs into your child’s daily routine, will definitely help to prepare them become better readers.  One of the major difficulties children can have when learning to read is understanding phonics. Failure to do so makes it impossible to become a fluent reader.

Children who are unable to link letters to their sound(s) are most likely to become struggling readers. Without an understanding of the relationship between letters and sounds, the process of reading will not be in place.

There are five essential keys to reading success in this program that unlocks all aspects of learning to read for your child.  Lessons are used in colorful animation, fun characters, songs, and rewards to keep learners motivated to promote learning.  It is completely interactive which keeps your children on task. Assessment tools are also available in the forms of quizzes to ensure that learners are starting at the right reading level.  Parents are also given access to detailed progress reports as well as hundreds of full-colored downloadable activity sheets that correspond with the lessons being taught for better understanding all aimed at successful learning in reading.

The ABC Reading Eggs sure does work and it has helped a lot of children develop and increase their reading capabilities and have become successful readers.  Successful reading is successful learning.

Effective Literacy Website # 3 - Vocabulary Spelling City

Alyssa Torres

December 27,2018

Dr. M. Rivera

IRA Newsletter Project: Effective Literacy Website #3

            Vocabulary Spelling City (https://www.spellingcity.com/) was initially created to save teachers time by automating spelling practice tests and to empower students to study independently through engaging game-based learning activities. Vocabulary Spelling City has expanded and is now a part of the Learning City family.  With the expansion of education technology products, a wide variety of study tools for developing strong vocabulary skills and best practices for effective vocabulary word instruction is now available for teachers and students. With much research, it has been proven that these are the key factors in improved reading fluency and comprehension.

            Vocabulary Spelling City provides teaching resources such as word lists and lessons, educational topics, training, and so much more. If you were to click on the word lists and lessons, you will be able to find grade level lists that pertain to your kids’ level as well as lessons in Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts. I love how the website takes you a step further and breaks down the different skills into categories. For example, if you want to focus on sight words, word families, or spelling patterns, the sight gives you that option. The site alone offers so much resources that parents, students, and educators can use whether you’re at school or at home.

            Although there is a fee for premium membership access, I strongly believe that it is well worth it. The site offers many resources and strategies that you can incorporate in your classroom or at home for all readers at different levels. With the membership, one will be able to target vocabulary instruction with actionable data, effect vocabulary retention cycle, differentiate between vocabulary, phonics and spelling instruction, create literacy centers, automated testing and grading to track student progress, and so much more.  

            Over the years, technology has evolved in the lives of our children. I love how Vocabulary Spelling City offers different resources and strategies for students in vocabulary and spelling instruction. This site will definitely help students keep up, catch up and stay ahead. If you do not have access to a computer, one can also download the application on their mobile phones so you can take it with you where ever you go. In this way you know learning is taking place and parents are reinforcing it every chance they get.

Effective Literacy Webiste #2 - Reading is Fundamental

Alyssa Torres

December 22, 2018

Dr. M. Rivera

IRA Newsletter Project: Effective Literacy Website #2

            Reading is Fundamental (https://www.rif.org/about-rif) site is committed to a well-educated America by inspiring a passion for reading among all children, providing quality content that will make an impact and engage communities by giving every child the fundamentals for success. As the nation’s largest children’s literacy non-profit, Reading is Fundamental (RIF) maximizes every contribution to ensure all children have the ability to read and succeed. This website creates needs-based content and targeted programs that align key literacy issues with proactive and measurable solutions.

            RIF begins with books and continues with resources, activities, and professional development for educators, parents, and literacy volunteers that ensure that reading turns into a journey of opportunity for all children.  This website alone offers thousands of free digital resources tied directly to the book’s children love and books that teachers use on a daily basis in their classrooms. As you navigate through the website, you will find different categories that are very user friendly such as different reading collections, resources, and tools that can use. One category that really caught my attention was the tools section. In the tools section, you are able to find activity calendars, puzzle creators, literacy trackers, and so much more. Having these resources are very beneficial to incorporate into the classroom.

            The Reading is Fundamental site displays a very positive impact around the world. I love how the site believes that every child deserves an opportunity to own books, learn how to read, and obtain the fundamental building blocks to achieve their highest potential. I strongly believe that literacy opens doors and allows every child the chance to live their own journey. The site encourages everyone that visits the site that any donation given will help provide books and literacy programs to children across the nation.

            Overall, I would definitely recommend this site to my peers and other educators around the world. The sites beliefs and overall mission is the driving force to help all children around the world in one way or another. The resources and tools offered from Reading is Fundamental makes the site very beneficial to its users to obtain lessons plans, literacy trackers, read alouds and videos, and so much more. Reading begins at the earliest stages of development. In doing so, we must do our part and educate our children and read to them daily.

Effective Literacy Website #1 - Reading Rockets

Alyssa Torres

December 19,2018

Dr. M. Rivera

IRA Newsletter Project: Effective Literacy Website #1

            Reading Rockets (http://www.readingrockets.org/literacyapps) is a national multimedia literacy initiative that offers information and resources on how young kids learn to read, explains why many students struggle, and how an adult can help in one way or another. Reading Rockets creates and disseminates free, evidence-based information about reading through three major services: PBS television programs, online services, and professional development opportunities. This website alone provides free resources about teaching children to read and helping kids who struggle in this particular skill. On top of that, you’ll find hundreds of articles on teaching reading, classroom strategies, in-classroom videos, parent tips in 11 different languages, video interviews with top children’s book authors, a daily news service, and so much more.

            Reading Rockets provides courses and free professional development for teachers. Reading 101: A Guided to Teaching Reading and Writing is a self-paced course for pre-K to grade 3 teachers which presents important information and strategies that teachers can use in the classroom to help their students to become skilled readers and writers.  Teachers have the opportunity to watch free webcasts and hear from national experts at any time as a form of professional development.

            The website’s homepage is very user friendly that breaks down the major components into classroom strategies, reading basics, looking at writing, courses, literacy apps, and so much more. As you click on each component, it brings you to another page that gives you a wide variety of information that can be used in our classroom daily. The website also features a list of reading topics from A-Z, how to teach reading, and most importantly how to help our struggling readers.

            Over the years, technology has evolved in the lives of our children. I love how Reading Rockets provides apps for all children to include children with dyslexia, ADHD, and autism spectrum disorder. For me, I feel to include all children is a big plus because it leaves no child left behind. Overall, Reading Rockets is a great literacy website that all teachers will enjoy especially in the primary level. As we prepare our students for the future, we must continue to look for new and innovative strategies to help all learners in our classroom succeed.

Effective Literacy Website #2

Yoneko Kanichy

ED 638 Fall 2018 Intersession

Dr. M. Rivera

IRA Newsletter Project: Effective Literacy Website #2

Starfall Education Foundation, a publicly supported nonprofit organization is a website that teaches Basic English reading and writing skills for young children. The focus is on preschoolers, and kindergarteners. Founded in 2002, Starfall educates children how to read by using games and phonics. Starfall Education Foundation strives to create a safe and playful environment for all children. 

Starfall's founder namely Stephen Schutz never seized to forget his childhood as a struggling reader. Because of this deficit in him he was naturally motivated to create a resource to assist children with the same background. After two years of dedication and development, the website opened on August 27, 2002. The concept of this website was to create an environment "Where Children Have Fun Learning to Read^™." Starfall offers assistance to the public completely free of charge. Starfall developed and expanded to become a fully developed kindergarten English and Language Arts curriculum and a comprehensive pre-K curriculum. Throughout its development and expansion, the Starfall’s offerings have grown in the number of songs, books, and mathematics activities extending to second grade. Its low-cost membership program extends the free content for enjoyment to include delightfully animated songs, mathematics, and reading activities spanning from pre-k to second grade.

Further advancing into 2012, Starfall expanded and began providing its activities as apps for mobile devices. Starfall is now a popular place where just any child can learn reading and mathematics through exploration.

Stephen Schutz’s wife Susan, a teacher in New Jersey and New York City in the 1960s is a passionate educator. With the passion for education and fifteen years of full support, the Polis-Schutz family donated their full interest to this Foundation. With the family’s love and support for education, their oldest son, Jared Polis, also developed the passion for education where he also served on the Colorado State Board of Education (2000-2006).  He also founded two other educational non-profits.

Starfall creates free and low-cost experiences whereby children can successfully learn through exploration. On the Starfall website and in Starfall classrooms, while children are learning, they do have fun in an environment of collaboration, astonishment, and games. Children are positively reinforced assuring their confidence, intrinsically motivated, and most importantly successful readers.

Effective Literacy Website #1

Yoneko Kanichy

ED 638 Fall 2018 Intersession

Dr. M. Rivera

IRA Newsletter Project: Effective Literacy Website #1

Reading Rockets, launching young readers! (http://www.readingrockets.org) is a national multimedia literacy initiative which offers information and resources on how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how we can assist them with their unique needs. Their goal is to bring the reading research to         life — to spread the word about reading instruction and to share "what works" so parents and educators can understand and utilize for enhanced learning.  Reading Rockets is known for its best research-based strategies to teachers, parents, administrators, librarians, childcare providers, and anyone else involved in helping a young child become a strong, confident reader. 

Teaching reading is a complicated task…so much so, that reading expert Louisa Moats titled her influential article about the skills and knowledge educators need to teach reading well "Teaching Reading IS Rocket Science." That's how Reading Rockets got its name!

In 2016, the Reading Rockets project received the David M. Rubenstein Prize, the top honor in the Library of Congress Literacy Awards program.

Reading Rockets creates and disseminates free, evidence-based information about reading through our three major services: PBS television programs, online services, and professional development opportunities.

The website is use-friendly providing research, guides, videos, blogs, and resourceful information for parents, teachers and the rest all aimed at successful reading.  The fortune of information provided on this site makes it easier to follow enhancing learning. I strongly recommend the usage of this site for its robustness for a better tomorrow. 

Effective Literacy Review #4: Reading Eggs

Merlihse Isiel

ED638-Fall Intersession

Dr. M. Rivera

IRA Project: Effective Literacy Review #4

Reading Eggs

The Reading Eggs website (https://readingeggs.com) is another effective literacy website that I have done a review on. It is a reading website of resources for teaching kids how to read. From curriculum for teachers, to tips for parents, you may find resources on this website.

A program on the website is called the ABC Reading eggs provides variety of phonemic awareness activities that immerse young readers in nursery rhymes, listening skills, sound play an alphabet books. The ABC Reading eggs program uses a number of strategies to increase reading fluency. It models fluent reading of all books, encourages the rereading of a text and uses a number of activities that increase reading comprehensions. It also provides focused literacy skill lessons that cover the three core skills which are spelling, grammar and vocabulary. There is software that uses the comprehension levels which are discussed on the comprehension part to help students both develop and be able to assess their reading comprehension.

There is an article of the phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and vocabulary, comprehension which explained by the authors that reading can be taught and effectively learned when instruction is given in a structured, programmatic way. There is wide variety of activities of each topic that comprised of teaching reading effectively.

For the ones teaching 1^st graders to 3^rd graders, this website is for you as you modify your reading lessons. I highly recommend you to visit this website for resources of teaching reading in your classes effectively and with the activities provided to engage the learners in the love of reading. There is more to what I have preview to us about the Reading Eggs website. If you visit the website, there are also links to variety of activities that will surely engage our kids to love reading.

I would like to give credits to the authors/owner of this website for providing us the resources we need when teaching and understanding reading.

Effective Literacy Website #4

Mary Jean Sumbang

ED638-Fall Intersession 2018

Dr. Rivera

IRA Newsletter Project: Effective Literacy Website #4

Unlock the power of PBS LearningMedia (https://guam.pbslearningmedia.org/) PBS LearningMedia is brought to you by PBS Guam. Where you’ll be able to create a free account to gain full access to the website. In this website you’ll be able to save and organize resources, see state standards, manage classes and assignments, puzzles and quizzes, sync with Google Classroom, and create or view many lesson plans that are readily available. PBS Guam and PBS have also curated FREE standards-aligned videos and interactives.

In PBS Education they believe that the greatest teachers ignite a love of learning and a sense of possibility that motivates students to reach their full potential. This site is definitely for the teachers. You’ll find new opportunity to engage with your students and inspire them with a range of exciting new resources. PBS Kids and Learning Media have amazing resources for the classroom, ideas for out of school activities, teaching tips, toolkits and more. Many of the most popular kids programming have apps and games to extend the fun of learning.

I feel in using this resource you can spice up the classroom with some different types of curriculum. Trying something new every month with the students just to make sure we’re up to date with fresh ideas and are not doing the same thing over and over. When you join the PBS Teachers Community you’ll stay up to date on the latest blog posts, content, tools, and more from PBS Education!

You will also find “Voices in Education, helping students find their voice” it encourages students to find their voice and use it to express their thoughts and opinions. I firmly believe that the use of voice is a fundamental skill that will help to achieve any life goal. In our society today, now more than ever, students need to not only know what they want in life but be able to state it in the proper forum to the appropriate people to make that wish into a reality. Digital media literacy is the key to voice in the classroom. In digital media, this helps students find their voice and express their thoughts and individuality through and beyond a text.

Effective Literacy Website #4: Reading A-Z

Gerilyn Ilao
ED 638 Fall Intersession 2018
Dr. M. Rivera
IRA Newsletter Project: Effective Literacy Website #4

Reading A-Z (https://www.readinga-z.com/) is an online product that delivers the resources and tools teachers need to improve the reading skills of every students at every learning level. The website has an abundance of engaging developmentally appropriate leveled books that range from fiction to nonfiction books at different reading levels. The books come in a printable and projectable format, making it easy to share with students, and it comes with a collection of supporting resources to help them further practice on their reading skills. Teachers are able to access hundreds of resources of different categories for targeted reading instruction.

With this website, teachers are able to assess their students reading level by using benchmark books and running records; align the students to their reading level so to meet the needs and interests of the child; provide practice for the students with printable and projectable books; and provide the students with a variety of resources, such as leveled readers, poetry books, alphabet materials, high frequency word books, shared reading, literature circles, and many more.

Here are the following reasons as to why teachers love Reading A-Z: 1) it is correlated with the Common Core Standards, which makes it easy for us teachers to see what level the student is currently at and where they need to be, as well as to match the reading level so the student is not struggling as much; 2) it is affordable; it will start you off on a two week free trial and after the free trial it is $109.95 a year, which is equivalent to about $9 a month; and 3) going into detail on the resources, it provides reading lessons, decodable books, reader’s theatre scripts, reading worksheets, and assessments. It also has fluency passages to improve reading rate, accuracy, and expression.

You are able to access resources of different categories of targeted reading instruction such as key reading skills, foundational skills, 21st Century/Common Core, ELL, Spanish and more world languages, instructional uses, and assessments. These categories, as mentioned already, provide the necessary materials needed to assess, align, help students to practice on their reading needs.

Once you sign up for an account, you are able to store whatever resources you find suitable for your classroom into your personal file. You are also able to manage your students’ reading activity and growth using another related reading program, Raz-Plus. It also provides teachers with access to resources on using the website, including professional development webinars.

Overall, I feel that any teacher would benefit from using Reading A-Z. It has everything that a teacher needs to help those students who struggle with reading. I have to say that this website really impressed me with the amount of resources they have, and I will definitely look into incorporating this in my classroom.