Anderson Ponapart

IRA Newsletter Project: Effective Literacy Website #2

            My second Effective Literacy Website is www.readingbear.org (reading bear).   Reading bear was an American website containing free phonics and vocabulary activities and it is free.  The aims of reading bear are from ages 4 to 7.  Users can either register to monitor progress or use the site without logging.  Learners can use to learn letters, vowel sounds, watch video, and many more.  I belief that this site can help slow learners and struggling readers to learn the concepts needed in reading.  This program also provides pictures and quizzes.

            Reading Bear was the first free reading program online to teach beginning readers concepts and vocabularies by introducing all the main phonetic patterns of written English.  They spent a big time putting together 50 presentations, covering more phonemic principles and over 1200 vocabulary times. 

            In each presentation, a video or an interactive slide show was introduced in which they introduced one or few related topics on phonic rules.  Presentations in this program are introduced in seven different versions.   In the fullest version, they sound out a word slowly and quickly, then blend it slowly, and finally blend it quickly. As sounds are pronounced, the corresponding letters are highlighted. Then they display a picture illustrating the word, show a sentence and finally show a video illustrating the sentence. Presentations give this treatment to around 25 words, though some have more and some have less. The result is a thorough yet painless introduction to phonics principles, while at the same time teaching vocabulary. There are many other features, which they encourage you to explore by clicking on our Getting Started page.  The projects are free and you can contact St. Charles Place Education Foundation or Walt Henry @whenly@memphis.edu.

            Reading Bear combines matched text and audio with pictures and videos to show the student how each letter was sounded out and what words mean correctly.  They hope, “unlock the mystery” of reading for young students both in terms of phonics and comprehension.

            Steps to follow when using Reading Bear, Reading Bear can be used in a whole class setting but to make it capable, use Reading Bear individually.  Follow the following steps when using Reading Bear:

1.      Introduce Reading bear to the student.

2.      Start the first presentation and choose “sound it out slowly”, asked student to read it.

3.      Play the “sound it out slowly” again with the “can you read this? This should not be difficult because the words are blended slowly for the students and all the student has to say the words.

4.      If the students can sound it out slowly with no difficulty, move on t. the sound it out quickly.

5.      Once the students can sound it out quickly, move to the “let me sound it out”

6.      If the students can read the words, try the audio flashcards for quick review.

7.      Then try the quiz, be sure to review and do quizzes over older word set aside.

8.      If he students mastered the rule, move to the next presentation.

9.      To learn more about READING BEAR, VISIST WWW.readingbear.org/ to learn the concepts and uses of this program.