Bring Reading Alive

Read Live by Read Naturally is a unique online reading intervention program in which students model the expression of excellent narrators instead of practicing reading word by word. It targets reading accuracy, comprehension, and oral reading for Grades 1-8, and because it is a Web-based application, it can be used at school and home. Before students read their selected passages within a level, which Read Live helps teachers to select, they review keywords, examine the story title, and look at a picture to try to predict what the story is about. They read the story with and without a narrator, and as they do, they can check the meanings of words they don’t know. As students read on their own, their work is timed, which encourages them to reach goals for the speed of their reading. They can try readings over and over as they work independently to increase speed and comprehension. Online quizzes include both multiple-choice and open-ended questions. Teachers need to check final readings with the students and to evaluate the open-ended comprehension questions. This means that the program probably works best with small groups. If students are Spanish speakers, they can begin the program with native Spanish narrators and transition to English gradually. There’s a 60-day free trial available for testing the program to see if it is right for your students. Note: Without the oral reading component, Read Live is available for Grades 9-12 and adults.