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Correct initial placement is crucial to success in Read Naturally Strategy programs (Read Naturally Live, Read Naturally Encore, Read Naturally ME, and Read Naturally GATE). Placing a student involves determining the appropriate level, goal, and series. You must select a combination of level, goal, and series that will challenge but not discourage the student. The reading material and the goal need to be difficult enough to require the student to practice reading the story several times to reach his or her goal. However, the level and goal should not be so difficult that the student gives up because of frustration.
Stories are grouped into levels based on their difficulty. Levels range in difficulty from a first-grade reading level through an eighth-grade reading level. Read Naturally assigns stories to levels based on several readability formulas. Because a struggling reader can rarely make a full-year leap as he or she progresses, levels are available at almost every half year.
The goal is the number of words a student must read correctly in one minute to pass a story. The goal must be high enough to require the student to practice several times but not so high that the student becomes frustrated.
For many of the levels, you have a choice of series. Regardless of the series you choose, the primary purpose of the program is to build fluency in developing and struggling readers. Some series focus on other areas of instruction in addition to fluency. The following series are available:
Series | Description | Levels Available | Formats Available |
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Sequenced | The Sequenced series is the core intervention series and is appropriate for any developing or struggling reader. This series spans through an eighth-grade reading level. The Sequenced materials build fluency and also support comprehension and vocabulary growth. | 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.6, 5.8/6.0, 7.0, 8.0 | |
Phonics | Like the Sequenced series, the Phonics series is primarily designed to build fluency and support comprehension and vocabulary growth. However, the Phonics series also provides supporting word lists and activities that focus on the decoding of featured phonics patterns. | 0.8 (short vowels), 1.3 (long vowels), 1.8 (blends/ digraphs), 2.3 (R-controlled), 2.6 (short vowels), 2.7 (long vowels) | Read Naturally GATE (levels 0.8, 1.3, and 1.8 only) |
Idioms | This series is designed to provide a native English speaker or an English language learner an opportunity to learn common American idioms as he or she works on reading fluency and comprehension. The stories include extra audio and vocabulary support. | 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 | |
Español (Spanish) | Each Spanish story is a translation of the corresponding story in the Sequenced series. A student whose first language is Spanish can work in the Spanish version first to gain an understanding of the story content and vocabulary before working through the story in English. Teachers also use these stories to support a student who is learning to read in Spanish. | 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 4.5 |
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Resources for the Blind & Visually Impaired | Read Naturally offers resources that enable a blind or visually impaired student to take advantage of the Masters Edition Sequenced and Phonics series. A special CD for each level provides story files compatible with Duxbury and Braille2000 software, and PDF and text files for creating large-print versions. | Sequenced: 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0, 5.6, 5.8/6.0, 7.0, 8.0 Phonics: 0.8, 1.3, 1.8, 2.3, 2.6, 2.7 |
The principles are the same for placing students in all of the Read Naturally Strategy programs. However, the specific procedures are unique for each program:
Please let us know what questions you have so we can assist. For Technical Support, please call us or submit a software support request.