Active reading and writing practice

A closer look at our reading platform

• Close Reading

  The built-in highlighter, shapes tool, and drawing brush encourage close reading, allowing students to identify evidence, make connections, and mark-up key photos and illustrations in ways not possible with shared physical texts or e-book subscriptions.
  
  Teachers can view students’ comments and respond in the text, providing a quick formative assessment opportunity.

  

• Active note-taking

  Students can use sticky notes to annotate as they read, writing comments, documenting theories, asking questions, identifying connections, and more. A journal is available for longer responses or teacher-assigned writing projects.

  

• Citing evidence

  A citation creator embedded within each student’s journal helps them learn the importance of citing sources and using proper formatting.

  

• Graphic organizers

  Twelve graphic organizers are available to help students gather and arrange their thoughts around specific reading comprehension skills before, during, and after reading.

  

• Written response

  Within Assignment Creator, teachers can assign students writing tasks along with a target word count, time goal, checklist of instructions, and more. An optional peer review setting allows students to see and comment on each other’s work.

  

• Reading out loud

  On our reading platform, students can record themselves reading books out loud, then listen to themselves and self-assess both their miscues and their strengths as readers. Students can also compare their recordings to the natural-voice audio narration to improve pronunciation, especially with words they haven’t seen before.
  
  Teachers can listen to student recordings to get deeper insights into their students’ reading progress.