During the recent ISTELive 2024 in Denver, Discovery Education unveiled Mystery Writing by Discovery Education by offering elementary educators nationwide the unique opportunity to participate in the development of its latest product through a free, year-long trial. 

Mystery Writing is a dynamic and engaging writing program designed specifically for students in grades K-5. This innovative curriculum captivates young learners with “wow!” content that not only sparks their interest but also builds their confidence in writing.

One of the standout features of Mystery Writing is its no-prep, open-and-go lesson plans, which make it exceptionally easy for multi-subject elementary educators to implement. Teachers can effortlessly provide differentiated lessons tailored to the varying needs of their students, ensuring that each child receives instruction appropriate to their skill level.

The program’s structure explicitly teaches the writing process through a series of step-by-step written, visual, and auditory directions. This comprehensive approach ensures that no young writer is left struggling with the daunting “fear of the blank page.” By featuring stories and visuals that are of high interest to students, Mystery Writing maintains student engagement and enthusiasm throughout the learning process. The inclusion of visual and auditory directions caters to different learning styles, making the lessons accessible to all students, including those who might need additional support. 

Moreover, Mystery Writing’s content is thoughtfully designed to seamlessly integrate various subjects, making learning multidimensional and holistic. Students are not only improving their writing skills but also enhancing their overall academic knowledge. 

In summary, Mystery Writing is an invaluable resource for elementary educators, providing an effective and enjoyable way to teach the writing process. Its innovative design ensures that students remain engaged, confident, and fear-free when it comes to writing. With Mystery Writing, teachers can foster a love for writing in their students that will last a lifetime.

Elementary school educators interested in claiming their free trial can visit the Mystery Writing website here. 

The post Mystery Writing by Discovery Education appeared first on EdTech Digest.

Here is the reading shelf in our bathroom. For the past month or two, I’ve been reading a few pages of G.C. Lichtenberg’s The Waste Books in there every day.

Here’s how Lichtenberg himself described a “waste book”:

Merchants and traders have a waste book… in which they enter daily everything they purchase and sell, messily, without order. From this, it is transferred to their journal, where everything appears more systematic, and finally to a ledger, in double entry after the Italian manner of bookkeeping, where one settles accounts with each man, once as debtor and then as creditor. This deserves to be imitated by scholars. First it should be entered in a book in which I record everything as I see it or as it is given to me in my thoughts; then it may be entered in another book in which the material is more separated and ordered, and the ledger might then contain, in an ordered expression, the connections and explanations of the material that flow from it.

Read more in today’s newsletter about always having a book with you.

BuddyBooks, funded through a National Science Foundation grant, helps struggling readers, such as students with dyslexia, ADHD or other reading disabilities, improve their reading skills. It works by students and a computer take turns reading passages from a book together. Since the student is reading every other sentence, it’s a lower cognitive load. That means students can read at their interest level, not their reading skill level, that they might think are “kiddie” books.

For students with dyslexia or other reading disabilities, BuddyBooks comes with over 1 million fiction and non-fiction books.

Using Natural Language Processing, the computer verifies the student has read each sentence correctly. BuddyBooks uses this assessment information to provide feedback to the student and to provide to teachers an oral reading assessment, so the teacher can quickly target their reading instruction based on the student’s individual needs. Teachers are seeing a 24% improvement in fluency when students use BuddyBooks.

For these reasons and more, BuddyBooks from ObjectiveEd is a Cool Tool Awards Winner for “Best Special Needs / Assistive Technology Solution” as part of The EdTech Awards 2024 from EdTech Digest. Learn more. 

The post BuddyBooks from ObjectiveEd appeared first on EdTech Digest.

Read 180 represents a blended learning solution meticulously designed to elevate literacy proficiency and cultivate a growth mindset in Grades 3-12. Functioning as an intervention program, it extends essential support to all students reading below grade level, encompassing those with disabilities, special education requirements, and multilingual learners, including newcomers. At its core, Read 180 aligns with the latest findings in the science of reading research, delivering an empirically grounded program that amalgamates best practices in literacy instruction.

Read 180 effectively incorporate the well-regarded Scarborough’s Rope Model and the quintessential five pillars of reading into the pedagogical approach. The program seamlessly integrates teacher-led instruction and student application software, thereby enhancing students’ proficiency across all facets of the rope model. By meticulously addressing the fundamental components of reading, Read 180 serves as a cornerstone for struggling readers, enabling them to establish a robust foundation in reading and thereby enhancing their overall reading achievements.

Within the Read 180 paradigm, students are provided with independent reading options as well as access to the student application, guiding them along a customized path aligned with their zone of proximal development. This application encompasses six distinct zones: Explore, Reading, Language, Fluency, Writing, and Success. Student progression through these zones hinges on their performance in assessments, prior application activities, engagement metrics, personal interests, and teacher insights.

The hallmark of Read 180 lies in its systematic approach to nurturing students’ literacy aptitude, commencing with a focus on phonics and culminating in the development of fluency and ultimate proficiency. For these reasons and more, Read 180 from HMH is a Cool Tool Awards Winner for “Best Literacy / Reading Solution” as part of The EdTech Awards 2024 from EdTech Digest. Learn more.  

The post HMH Read 180 appeared first on EdTech Digest.