Why Word Lab Works |
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The text-based activities you will see were selected based on their dual value as proven
teaching tools for word knowledge and opportunities for improving comprehension skills.
Students really enjoy the activities. This is in great part due to the self-pacing, variety of choice, and individualization that computerization of the activities is able to provide. Thanks to this technology, teachers can provide learning experiences based on what students actually need to know (as in differentiated instruction) and provide feedback, choice, and variety in about a third the amount of time it takes without computer assistance. Teachers select how many choices of activities each student must complete (from 4 to 11), establish mastery levels on an individual basis, select appropriate book choices to match individual reading levels, and receive a variety of assessment data from the administrator portion of the program. The instructional design features of the program provide intervention, systematic review, instructional scaffolding, and integration into literature experiences and student background knowledge. In its first year of use, the test classroom showed gains of 2.2 years in reading levels with struggling readers making greater gains of 2.6 according to the Gates McGinitie and STAR tests. Use of the program requires adapting your schedule so that students with a greater need for improved vocabulary and comprehension spend more time using the program than those who can improve these areas naturally through their daily SSR. To see examples of schedules teachers have adopted in their balanced reading programs, click here. In these ways, you can avoid its being an "add-on" to everything else you do. Best wishes, and we hope you will consider our free piloting opportunity! You may contact us at carla@logixlab.com. Carla and Richard Kessler |