[Source: Reading Rockets]

by June Berhmann

For some students, hearing passages aloud is enough for them to understand the content. For those learners, human and/or electronic readers keep them involved with learning across the curriculum. Sometimes those learners combine an audiobook and keep a printed copy in hand or on their lap. They also do well if the assigned text is converted to an accessible digital format that runs on their computer or mobile device. But other students struggle with those choices. They need text that is simplified.

Same Content, Simplified Text

Here is a cool tool that supports students who struggle with the complexity of the language used at their grade level. Snap&Read Universal, a product from Don Johnston, Inc., simplifies designated text and on demand it reads the text aloud. This is personalized learning for students who would otherwise become lost during their instruction. The tool has been upgraded several times since it was first introduced.

Simplifying text used to be left to teachers, teaching assistant, volunteers, and parents. The process of reducing the reading level took hours. (Trust me, I know.) Snap&Read is a read aloud accommodation, says Ruth Ziolkowski, the company’s president. Best of all, it works with the Chrome browser on Mac, Windows, and Chromebooks supporting:

Read the Rest of this Article on Reading Rockets