Unite for Literacy

Company: Unite for Literacy

Cost: Free

Device: Web browsers on Internet capable devices

SAMR Model: Modification

Description

Unite for Literacy is a free website where students, teachers, and families can go to access free, digital books. These books can be read independently by the student, or they can have it read to them by clicking the narration button.

There are ten different categories students can use to browse books, they can browse them all, or use a search function. The site is nice and neat with little distractions. It is fairly easy to navigate. There are fiction and nonfiction books, along with multicultural books.

These books would be a great resource for early readers. The text is clear, pictures or illustrations support the text, and the content is appropriate. The narration is a great tool for those who may not be able to read these texts independently.

Differentiation

Unite for Literacy would be great for differentiation in grades K-2. While this site would likely better serve those who may be below grade level in 1-2, many students would benefit from this resource. The amount of text on each page vary from text to text, reaching many different levels of reading.

This site allows students to listen to and read along with a text or they can read it independently. This would allow students to practice building strategies and skills independently.

This resource would be great for individual, partner, or group reading. I also really love this resource because it can reach many different groups of students. These texts represent students of different cultures, abilities, and interests.

Comprehension

This resource helps support students building comprehension skills through the content. Students have the ability to read independently or follow along with the narration. Depending on students reading skills, comprehension skills can be built through listening to a text. They would not get hung up on decoding words or losing focus on memory of what they read. They would be able to focus on listening to fluent reading and focus on the text's content.

Students who read independently would be able to build their independent reading skills along with comprehension skills. Teachers could track that these students are reading and comprehending the text through different activities. Some may include recording a re-tell in SeeSaw or ExplainEverything.

Possible Downfalls

One downfall of Unite for Literacy's site is that the text does not highlight as the narrator reads it. Studies have shown that this supports building reading and comprehension skills.

Another downfall is that it does not have any ways for students to interact with the text. While students may benefit from this so they do not get distracted, it also does not offer a way for students to apply their knowledge or skills. This is where teachers would have to step in, use SAMR or the App Map, and assign an activity, possibly with technology, that would help bridge the content from this site with the student's understanding.

Unite for Literacy. (2014). Unite for Literacy [Website]. Retrieved from http://www.uniteforliteracy.com/