Supporting struggling readers
For students who have difficulty learning to read the step to "reading to learn" can be insurmountable. Providing written material in an auditory formal can make all the difference to them. When the student can control that access and not wait for a "live" reading by the teacher, they can take a more active role in their own learning.
Two options for independently listening to the written word are:
Two options for independently listening to the written word are:
- Recorded by a live speaker
- Text read by a computer using synthesized speech/ A computer can sometimes have underlining of the words or sentences as they are read which can encourage attention to the material and reinforce decoding skills.
TEXT READING RESOURCES
ON THE IPAD
iOS, the operating system for iPad, iPhone etc has built in some text reading ability. Follow the link for details on how to use this. PREMIER LITERACY SUITE
Special educators within JCISD have access to this multifaceted accessibility aid. Built into the suite is a toolbar with a text reader that can handle websites, Word documents, PDFs etc. Contact an AT Coordinator to learn more about accessing this resource. |
Does your local district already have Read:OutLoud? This simple-to-use and affordable text reader makes it easy to provide access to electronic books the included web browser makes written material on the internet accessible.
NATURAL READER
A free resource to download to your computer which will read etext using Microsoft voices. A paid version will give you additional features and nicer voices. WEB BROWSERS Many web browsers such as Chrome and Firefox have an etext reader built into them. |
when special education students can't read the textbook
For students with an IEP there are a variety of resources which may help them access the curriculum. Follow this link to learn more about which resources are appropriate and available to your students. Don't forget to explore the resources listed on this page, which are available for all students!