05 Mar

New Reading Comprehension App

Our latest in-development learning tool is an app that focuses on reading comprehension.  The problem we’re trying to solve is low level readers who are able to successfully read all the words in a sentence but upon reaching the end are unable to understand the meaning behind the words.  Since reading comprehension is not an innately fun activity, we’ve been brainstorming ways to make it into more of a fun, interactive, game-like activity.

Our solution is fridge magnets.  The app will display a refrigerator with a sentence laid out in fridge magnets.  Within each sentence there will be an extra word that doesn’t make sense in the context.  Students will need to read the sentence (or tap the words to hear the sentence, depending on the level setting) and figure out what magnet needs to be dragged out for the sentence to be coherent.  This way we’ll be able to help kids not only practice reading and sounding out words, but they’ll need to focus on actually understanding what they read in order to successfully navigate the app!

The app will be divided into levels based on common core standards and targeted word lists divided by grade.  The lowest level readers will be able to tap the words to hear them, or be able to hear the full sentence read aloud to see if it matches their own attempts.  As the difficulty levels increase, the ability to hear the words will disappear and the necessary vocabulary will grow.

Fun illustrations and animations will complement the interesting and funny sentences the app presents.  And a simple scoring system will be added so the kids feel a sense of accomplishment as they finish their activities and progress through the levels.

We’re pretty excited about it, and the initial framework has been coded up.  The only problem now is balancing development of this tool while maintaining and adding to the six other apps and games we already have up and running!

Exciting times.

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