Friday, January 3, 2020

CommonLit - Effective Literacy Website Review #4


CommonLit
            CommonLit is an online reading program that includes a library of reading passages focused on increasing students’ reading and writing skills. Meant primarily for grades 3-12, CommonLit offers a collection of hundreds of short stories, poems, historical documents, and nonfiction text. Along with passages come question sets that assess comprehension skills. Teachers can assign text to classes or individual students for students to access online or they can download PDF versions for printing.
            There are definitely some great features that CommonLit offers for teachers and students. Struggling readers have access to guided reading, which allows students to have text read aloud or text in different languages. In addition, the passages include vocabulary support throughout the text. Font size can also be adjusted as necessary. Teachers can activate guided questions while students read to assess understanding. The assessment questions include higher order writing activities that increase critical thinking abilities. There is also a new student annotation tool that was recently added. Teachers can manage classes and view detailed progress reports that specify students and skills that need supportive interventions. CommonLit also provides links to paired text and related media to strengthen understanding. It is also great that there is a teacher and parent guide that is meant to support students for each lesson.
            Overall, CommonLit delivers many benefits that support literacy. Navigation and utilization are simple for both teachers and students. Plus, it is 100% free! With over 70,000 teacher users, the program has proven to be effective in improving reading mastery based on research data. I highly recommend trying out the program if you are an intermediate or secondary teacher.

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