Tech Tools that Support Reading Instruction & Reading Online: Collaborative, At Level, Reading Discussions

This is Part 3 in a blog series about using Tech Tools that Support Reading Instruction and Reading Online.   In this post, I will refer to Part One, where we found leveled text and made it digital in Google Docs.   Once this text is digital, in Part Two,  I shared techniques for students to close read digital text.  Now, finally, in this part of the series, I will share techniques for students to have online collaborative conversations around these leveled texts.

Once the text is in Google Docs, you, the teacher, has the ability to share it with groups of students.  These could be students in a guided reading group.  BY sharing with right for Comments Only, you could add a teacher comment for a reading prompt.  Students can then use the comment feature to answer and discuss the prompt you have given.  If students need to have the ability to highlight text, I refer you to Part Two of this blog series, for techniques to do that.  

Share your thoughts and experiences with using Google Documents and digital text to support reading instruction with your students.  

Tech Tools that Support Reading Instruction & Reading Online: Close Reading Digital Text

In Part One of this blog series, I shared online resources to help you and your students find text that was at their reading level.  The next step is giving students the ability to close read and analyze that text online, as well.  Here are some strategies:

1.  Find a save a leveled passage from a website.  

• If the text is a website or in html format, copy it from the webpage, open a new Google Doc and paste it in the Google Doc.
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• If the text is a PDF, save it on your desktop, then in Google Drive, click on the NEW button and choose File Upload.  Then, right click on the file and choose Open With.... Google Docs.  

• With the passage open in Google Docs, click on the Format Menu and select Clear Formatting  This will remove the pdf format and allow you to edit and work with the text.  
• Now your document is student ready.  Share it with them as you would share any document.  Make sure they have editing rights of their copy.
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Highlighting & Annotating Text in Google Docs
There are many different ways to highlight and annotate text within Google Docs.

Option 1





Students are able to use the highlight digital text using the highlighting tools within Google Docs.  







Option 2

Go to the Add ons menu within your Google Docs and add the Texthelp Study Skills add-on.  This add-on gives added functionality over the basic highlighting within Google Docs in that it also allows you to collect your highlights into a separate document for in-depth analysis and processing.  

Once you have added it, you will go to the add-ons menu within Google Docs and choose Texthelp Study Skills, Show Highlighting Tools.

Option 3
An additional option in the Google Apps store is the Read & Write tool bar.  It provides some very nice reading and writing support for Google documents and while not all are free to students, all are free to teachers.  Click here to sign up for this free to you tool!  Follow the Here's how it works directions!



When it is installed, the toolbar will show up in the Chrome address bar, at the end , like this.....  If the Read & Write icon does not show up, the website does not support this tool.



When in a Google Doc, the toolbar tab will appear at the top of your Google Docs window like this.....
If the Read & Write tab doesn't show up, this document does not support these tools.


In the teacher version, you will have not only highlighting tools, but also other tools that help students with reading online text.  Watch this video to learn more.  


To get this Chrome Browser extension, click here.....  Remember, while a full function version is free to teachers (click here to apply for free) it is free in a limited function to students and there is a cost for students to have access to the full functioning tool.

Click here for Part Three of this Blog Series: Online, Collaborative at Level Reading Discussions

Share how you have your students do a close read of a digital text?  Have you found tech tools that work well for this purpose?

Tech Tools that Support Reading Instruction & Reading Online: Finding Leveled Digital Text

Since reading is critical to learning and so much learning and information can be found online, we need to find ways to blend reading and online tools that enhance reading instruction.  I then think of Google Apps and the power of that. How can we wrap all of these together?

PART ONE

First, I am not a reading teacher, but I would guess that giving kids text that is at or within their reading level is important, and I know that all kids read at different levels. How can we find online text that is at the reading level of individual students?

In Part Two of this blog series, I will share Google tools that will allow students to open these passages in Google Docs so that they can have digital conversations and also do digital close reads of the passages or text.

Here are a few places to look:

Google Search by Reading Level ~  Levels are classified as Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced.

ReadWorks.org ~ a great teacher resource where you are able to find leveled passages, that can be searched by keyword, grade, lexile level and range, and skill.  There are literary and informational text passages.  

BadgerLink Research ~ many of the Badgerlink resources have the ability to sort by lexile level.  To search by lexile, you will need to get into the Advanced Search Options.  They look something like this:

Rewordify ~ free, online tool that is ready to use with no installation. Helps takes complicated text from websites and make it simpler for students.   Does not necessarily set it to a specific reading level, but does take difficult text and make it easier for students to read and understand. Watch this video about Rewordify with students.  Watch this video to show you how to create a library of reading for students online.

Newsela ~ this is a great site that has leveled news articles in multiple categories.  A great site that meets students informational text reading needs.

DOGONews ~ a text based current events site at appropriate reading levels for students in grades K-8.  Includes vocabulary, standards alignment, comprehension questions, and critical thinking challenges.

Click here for Part Two of this Blog Series:
 Close Reading Digital Text

Do you have any favorite sites that allow you or students to search
by reading level?
Share here!