Three years of long hours, new ideas, and improvements is paying off: Reading Horizons finally gets to celebrate the release of the NEW Reading Horizons v5 software! This post is a continuation of a 5 day post series focusing on 5 different features of Reading Horizons v5 software.

Day 1: Lessons
Day 2: Library
Day 3: Pronunciation Proficiency Tool
Day 4: Vocabulary Tool
Day 5: Administration System

To ensure that students are provided with sufficient practice with Reading Horizons v5 unique marking system, the new software provides a vocabulary database of over 10,000 terms.  This extensive list helps students develop vocabulary while practicing decoding skills. The Vocabulary tool may be used at any time during the program and contains vocabulary relating to the skills that are being taught in the lessons.

Reading Horizons v5 Vocabulary Lesson Manager

The Vocabulary Tool relies on the goal of Reading Horizons v5 being more student-focused.  The program insures student improvement by adjusting to student performance.  The number of terms the student must complete in this section is determined by student performance on the lesson material of Reading Horizons v5 software. Students who perform poorly in the adjoining lesson will be required to complete additional vocabulary terms. Administrators can also adjust settings to determine the number of terms a student must complete.  
The student experience in the Vocabulary section includes: hearing each word pronounced, defined, and used in context sentences; seeing alternative forms of the word shown, with an additional sentence showing that term used in context; and seeing several words illustrated with graphics.

Words are organized as:

• High Frequency Words
• More Words
• Nonsense Words
• English for Special Purposes Words (optional)

Terms fall into 5 categories:

• School
• Business
• Medicine
• Hospitality
• Travel

In order to pass of vocabulary terms students must properly decode the number of words they are assigned using Reading Horizons marking system. This helps students become familiar with likely and unlikely sequences of letters and learn how to break words down into syllables.

This is an example of the material provided for each term in the Vocabulary section of Reading Horizons v5

Students also have the option to record themselves pronouncing the term and compare their pronunciation to the narrator’s. This option is especially beneficial to ELL (English Language Learners) students. To further assist ELL students, administrators can also enable foreign language support in this section.

As students learn to enjoy increasing their vocabulary they can also use the search feature to find words in the database that interest them. This will help students expand their vocabulary and understand how words are decoded.

Video

The following video of Reading Horizons Reading Specialist, Shantell Berrett, discusses the teacher feedback she has received on the vocabulary component of the new Reading Horizons v5 Software:



Question

Answer the following question in the comment section of this blog:

In the video clip Shantell Berret discussed the Vocabulary Tool on the new Reading Horizons v5 software. From reading this post, how do you think this tool will most benefit struggling readers?

Be sure to visit the blog again tomorrow to learn more about the improved Administration System of Reading Horizons v5. The Administration System further adds to the concept of creating a more student-focused reading program.

Students can also build their vocabulary through the use of Reading Horizons, Lemons for Literacy Vocabulary Game: Lemons for Literacy

For 26 years Reading Horizons has helped struggling readers of every age and every background. Now with the release of the NEW Reading Horizons v5 software, this program has the strength to help even more students learn to read! This post is a continuation of a 5 day post series focusing on 5 different features of the new Reading Horizons v5 software.

Day 1: Lessons
Day 2: Library
Day 3: Pronunciation Proficiency Tool
Day 4: Vocabulary Tool
Day 5: Administration System

Reading Horizons v5 software is effective for English Language Learners (ELL) because of the program design as well as the new Pronunciation Proficiency Tool. As previously discussed, Reading Horizons v5 software is effective in teaching the fundamentals of reading. The same fundamentals ELL students need to learn to be able to effectively learn to read.

Lesson and Passage Narrations

ELL students often need additional support when learning to read English because it is not their native language. To support these students Reading Horizons v5 provides narrations and texts of the Lesson Summaries in the student’s native language. These narrations help ELL students ensure they understand the key concepts taught in each lesson.

The following languages are currently available:

•    Mandarin Chinese
•    Japanese
•    Spanish
•    Haitian-Creole

This screen shot uses a Language translation (green area) to describe the material in the lesson

Also, the new v5 software provides English narrations of each reading passage in the Library portion of the software. This feature helps ELL students improve pronunciation and grasp the English language by hearing the narrator’s voice intonation and word stress throughout the passage.

PRONUNCIATION PROFICIENCY TOOL

To help ELL students adjust to the English language and improve their pronunciation, Reading Horizons has created the Pronunciation Proficiency Tool. This tool is an improvement from the ESL Say tool found in prior versions of the software.

Pronunciation Video Footage

The Pronunciation Proficiency Tool presents video footage of a mouth pronouncing each sound in the English language. These video clips provide ELL students with a visual to mimic when trying to grasp proper pronunciation. 

Tongue Animations

The Pronunciation Proficiency Tool also includes animated tongue placements. These animations show ELL students the movements their tongue should make in order to create the sounds of the English language.  

This is the visual which presents the tongue animations of the Pronunciation Proficiency Tool

Letter Formation Animations

To help students see how letters should be formed, the Pronunciation Proficiency Tool provides animated letter formations. 

Record and Compare Capabilities

As illustrated, the Pronunciation Proficiency Tool presents many features which help students see proper pronunciations, but the tool also allows ELL students to hear proper pronunciation.  The tool allows students to record their own pronunciation and compare it to a narrator’s pronunciation. This helps a student know if their pronunciation is accurate or if they still need improvement. This feature requires that students are equipped with a microphone. 

Video

This is video of Reading Horizons ESL Director, Heidi Hyte, and her thoughts on how Reading Horizons v5 can assist ELL students:

Question

Answer the following question in the comment section of this blog:

In the video clip Heidi Hyte discussed the Pronunciation Proficiency Tool and the benefits of the program design in assisting ELL students. From reading this post, which feature do you think will be most beneficial for ELL students?

Be sure to visit the blog again tomorrow to learn more about the Vocabulary section of Reading Horizons v5 software and to see a video clip from Reading Horizons Reading Specialist, Shantell Berrett.

Three years of long hours, new ideas, and improvements is finally paying off: Reading Horizons finally gets to celebrate the release of the NEW Reading Horizons v5 software! This post is a continuation of a 5 day post series focusing on 5 different features of Reading Horizons v5 software.

Day 1: Lessons
Day 2: Library Component
Day 3: Pronunciation Proficiency Tool
Day 4: Vocabulary Tool
Day 5: Administration System

The Library component of Reading Horizons v5 software is the NEWEST aspect of the program.  This new feature was added as an effort to help students transfer Reading Horizons emphasis on decoding skills into comprehension and fluency in everyday reading situations. Without a doubt the Library component will help students in their quest to learn to read!

Reading Horizons v5 Software Library Lesson Manager

Presents Extensive Range of Topics

The new Library component of Reading Horizons v5 accomplishes its task of transferring reading strategies into everyday reading situations through over 225 reading passages in 15 different genres.

Here is a list of the genres and a corresponding passage:

•    Animals- Piranhas
•    Culture- "American Idol"
•    Earth Sciences- Tornadoes
•    Fact or Fiction?- Vampires
•    Famous Firsts- Dolly, the Cloned Sheep
•    Famous People- Elvis Presley
•    Famous Places- Mount Rushmore
•    Health- Stress
•    Nature’s Mysteries- Hiccups
•    Overcoming Obstacles- Leonardo da Vinci
•    Space- Rockets
•    Sports- The Olympic Games
•    Sports Heroes- Lance Armstrong
•    Technology- Laser Eye Surgery
•    World Leaders- Mohandas Gandhi

When creating the passages, the Curriculum department kept each individual student in mind. Students are not required to read every passage, they are instructed to select passages which are the most interesting to them. By allowing students to select passages which appeal to them they have more motivation to sincerely try to read a passage. 

Provides Reading Practice

Aside from providing motivation for students to make a real effort in reading, the Library also provides practice. Practice is necessary for anyone trying to change their habits and learn a new skill. The more time an individual invests into using a particular skill the more natural and second nature that skill becomes. The Library component of Reading Horizons v5 will make reading a more natural process for students. 

One of Reading Horizons v5 Library Passages

Ensures Progress

To ensure students are truly gaining effective reading comprehension and fluency skills, each passage is timed and followed with a series of reading comprehension questions. In order for students to pass off a reading passage they must answer the questions with the percentage set by the administrator.  

To view selected reading passages with corresponding comprehension questions, visit: http://www.readinghorizons.com/solutions/materials/samples/reading-library-samples.aspx

Testimonial

One of Reading Horizons customers, Mike Feeney, the Clearfield Job Corp Coordinator, reviewed the new Library component and expressed: “The Library you've added is fantastic. This is just the component we have needed to bridge the gap [for struggling readers].”

Video

Here is a video clip of Reading Horizons Reading Specialist, Shantell Berrett, discussing the benefit of adding the new Library component to Reading Horizons v5:

Question

Answer the following question in the comment section of this blog:

In the video clip Shantell Berrett discussed the benefit she sees in adding the new Library component to Reading Horizons v5.  From reading this post, what are your thoughts about this new feature?

Be sure to visit the blog again tomorrow to learn more about the English Language Learners (ELL) components of Reading Horizons v5 and the new Pronunciation Proficiency Tool.

For 26 years Reading Horizons has helped struggling readers of every age and every background.  Now with the release of the NEW Reading Horizons v5 software, this program has the strength to help even more students learn to read! Each day this week I will post content, video, and screen shots highlighting one of the features of the NEW Reading Horizons v5 computer software.

Day 1: Lessons
Day 2: Library
Day 3: Pronunciation Proficiency Tool
Day 4: Vocabulary Tool
Day 5: Administration System

Effective Strategies

The new Reading Horizons v5 software uses 68 lessons to teach students ages 10 to adult, the basics of reading. The lessons are designed to teach students the skills they need to build a solid reading foundation which will support successful reading in the future. Some examples of these lessons include:

•    Lesson 17: Special Vowel Combinations
•    Lesson 38: Many Jobs of Y
•    Lesson 54: Digraph Words with Plural Endings

One of Reading Horizons v5 Lessons in Progress

The lessons in Reading Horizons v5 software use a marking system which is unique to Reading Horizons products.  This marking system teaches students the skills they need to sound out (phonetic skills) and break down (decoding skills) the words in the English language.  Here are examples of some words which have been marked with this system:

5 Phonetic Skills

2 Decoding Skills

Student-Centered

In order to increase the effectiveness of the lesson material, Reading Horizons v5 takes a more student-centered approach than previous versions. Because many students learn at a different pace, administrators can now choose between three different student placement options: emerging, basic, and accelerated. These placement options will help teachers and administrators cater the lesson material to each individual, enhancing the success of each student.

Lesson Manager for Reading Horizons v5

Reading Horizons v5 responds to student needs by allowing students to personally adjust the following settings:

• Narrator- Male or Female voice
• Volume control
• Background color*

*Students who struggle with reading can benefit from changing the appearance of the screen, especially those with Visual Processing Disorders.

The new v5 software also caters to student needs by administering 6 chapter tests which evaluate each student’s strengths and weaknesses.  Based on student performance on chapter tests, the software adjusts the lesson tracks to provide additional help when needed or less material when a student reveals he or she firmly grasps a concept. 

By taking a more student-centered approach, Reading Horizons v5 lessons will positively improve the attitudes of students. Students will feel productive because they are not forced to spend time where they clearly do not need additional help. Because the program has become more flexible it can better respond to individual needs and help them feel successful and empowered.

Video

This video highlights Reading Horizons President, Tyson Smith, thoughts on the new v5 computer software lessons:

Question

Answer the following question in the comment section of this blog:

In the video clip Tyson Smith discussed the features of the v5 lessons which he is the most excited about.  From reading this post, which feature are you the most excited about, interested or intrigued by?

Be sure to visit the blog again tomorrow to learn more about the feature new to Reading Horizons v5: the Reading Library.

It has been an exciting week for Reading Horizons. The culmination of almost 3 years of hard work, new ideas, and improvement has finally paid off: Reading Horizons v5 is now available!

The blog has been abandoned for the past few days as the last finishing touches were put into place but now everything is completed! It is exciting to see everything come together and to see the final product. The reading program has a new look, new features, and new capabilities, but it still relies on the same effective methodology of all of Reading Horizons products.

Reading Horizons has helped struggling readers for over 26 years and with the release of Reading Horizons v5, the impact of the program will continue to grow. Next week the Reading Horizons blog will be hosting a special series of posts titled: v5 in 5 days, which will take an in-depth look at the 5 key features of Reading Horizons v5 software. 

Of course the method of the program hasn’t changed; however, Reading Horizons v5 makes a large stride in improving the program. The biggest improvement is the increased focus on each individual student. Reading Horizons v5 is much more student-focused than previous versions of the program. Administrators have increased options to cater the program to each individual student’s pace and skill.

Reading Horizons v5 serves many diverse markets including: elementary and secondary reading programs, schools needing a Response to Intervention (RTI), Special Education programs, English Language Learner (ELL) programs, Adult Reading and Literacy Centers, after school reading programs, correctional facilities, and any institution striving to improve the reading skills of struggling readers.

Reading Horizons v5 will provide an impactful program to serve all of these markets. It will be exciting to see the impact this program has on struggling readers across the nation and in some sprouting international markets.

Celebrate this great achievement with Reading Horizons by visiting the blog each day next week for: v5 in 5 days! By responding to questions in the comment section of the blog, participants will be entered into a drawing for a free giveaway at the end of the week! 

Feel free to add comments on this post as to what you would like to see covered in v5 in 5 days! Any feedback will be considered and possibly implemented. 

For immediate information on Reading Horizons v5 visit: www.ReadingHorizons.com/v5/

To read Reading Horizons press release on the NEW Reading Horizons v5 reading program, click here: "Reading Horizons Sprints Miles Ahead by Releasing Reading Horizons v5"