Hooray! An Effective Technology Reading Center!
What is your favorite reading center? I know for my students it is the technology reading center! So it is my job to ensure that screen time is meaningful and effective! There are so many amazing apps and websites out there to help our little learners become better readers. How do we choose! I am going to share my favorites with you and how I manage my technology reading center with my 2nd graders. I also have FREEBIE for you!!
My Favorite Websites for Technology Reading Center
- Freckle– I LOVE THIS WEBSITE!!! This is pictured above it used to be called Front Row. On this website, students take a pre-test which determines their reading level and specific instructional needs they need to work on. Then students get to pick from a variety of topics so that what they are reading is of interest to them. They answer comprehension questions and do a variety of activities in order to earn coins. These coins can be traded into gear for their avatar. Freckle provides SO much data and information about students’ progress and performance on the activities.
- Get Epic! – This amazing website offers a variety of reading materials at the students level! They can also pick based on their interests. It provides progress monitoring for teaching on each student.
- Read Theory– I love that this website is self- adapting for students’ needs and based on their progress. It is perfect for comprehension practice. I love that it includes fiction and non-fiction options! It provides a lot of data analysis for teachers to monitor how their students are performing.
- Spelling City- This website is great for students to practice spelling, vocabulary, and sight words. Teachers can enter their own lists of words so students can work on exactly what their focus is for that week! This is also a great way to differentiate for different reading groups.
Management in Technology Reading Center
- I have my students complete two 15 minutes centers each day. When they have the technology center, they are at that station both centers for one day. I did this after learning that 15 minutes to log on a tablet and get started does not leave enough meaningful learning time on the website.
- My four groups each have one day Monday- Thursday that is their tablet day. I leave Friday as a make- up day. This allows for students to be able to make up the technology time if they missed it earlier in the week. I found students were really upset if they were absent or pulled out on their technology day so this was a good way to proactively respond to those concerns.
- After our shared reading, I pick three students to wear Helper Necklaces. When I am with my guided reading group, students need to ask 3 before they can ask me, especially for a technology issue. So the necklaces dictate who the students need to ask if they are having a problem. The necklaces not only allow me to promote leadership in the classroom but I also get to pick students I know will be able to help solve problems.
- Computer Log- On Cards FREEBIE!!! These save everyone’s sanity for a successful technology reading center. I fill out these cards for each of the websites or apps that we use in our classroom. I then put the cards in bags or print them on colored paper organized by group. A student is the leader and is chosen to hand out these cards at the start of the technology reading center. This easily tells students which activity they will be doing and has all their information right there for them! Even when they “know” their log in, I continue to pass out their cards just in case! Click the picture or button below to get the FREEBIE!
Using a technology reading center in your classroom is also beneficial because students are able to understand how to use the tool independently and they are able to practice more at home!
Read more about how I run my reading centers:
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