Teaching reading to students with cognitive disabilities requires an individualized and differentiated approach to address their unique learning needs. Digital Reader provides high-quality and supportive learning opportunities for all students.
Appropriate Text
Students with cognitive disabilities need access to appropriate text, which can be quickly and easily curated by teachers.
When adding, reviewing, and editing students, teachers are able to set a student's Instructional Level. This will determine the initial levels of books that are available on the student's bookshelf.
By default, the initial bookshelf reading levels will be set to two levels below the Instructional Level. This will provide students with a selection of books that are appropriate for independent reading.
For more information about determining the appropriate bookshelf levels.
If particular areas are identified as needing more focus, individual books can be made available to students. From a student's Bookshelf menu, teachers can filter for books based on specific criteria, for example, grade level and phonics focus. Teachers can preview the books and then make the books available to the student through their assignments, book bag, or bookshelf.
Scaffolding
Reading Adventures combines phonics and phonemic awareness activities that support text reading, and book introductions to familiarize learners with new vocabulary, language structures, and background knowledge. This self-paced journey provides students with cognitive disabilities with the scaffolding needed for successful independent learning.
Phonics Adventures allows students to independently practice phonics skills that they have already been taught through fun activities, including building and manipulating words and reading high-interest decodable texts. This feature provides students with three randomized and system-generated books selected for the student based on their Phonics Adventures Focus.
When editing students or from the Independent Tracks tab, teachers are able to set a student's Reading Adventures Level or Phonics Adventures Focus.
Progress Monitoring
Teachers can monitor and review how students' are progressing in their Independent Tracks. The Activity Feed allows teachers to review the results from the interactive quizzes for each Reading Adventures or Phonics Adventures journey for ongoing progress monitoring about the student's understanding of the text.