Intervention Programs
Word Warm-ups® Live
Component of Read Live
5 of 5 (369 reviews | add review)
- Phonics
- Fluency
- Spelling
- Phonemic
Awareness
Intervention Range: Beginning Reader to Adult Learner
Build mastery and automaticity in phonics, decoding, and word analysis with systematic phonics instruction and multiple opportunities for students to decode and encode words easily within Word Warm-ups Live. Audio-supported phonics and word analysis lessons allow for individualization and enable students to work independently. Students progress through three sequential levels, from reading consonant-vowel-consonant words like bat, to multi-syllabic words like precautionary.
A Component of Read LiveStudents...
- Improve word recognition.
- Learn to use word patterns to decode rapidly.
- Read words with the featured patterns in connected text.
- Decode increasingly difficult phonetically regular words.
- Reinforce featured phonics skills by spelling phonetically regular words.
Word Warm-ups Live provides...
- Differentiation for students who need additional phonics instruction.
- Motivation through graphing progress.
- Practice and systematic review to solidify learning.
- Instruction in the most common phonics, syllable, and affix patterns.
- An assessment to place students in the appropriate level and lesson.
Word Warm-ups Live develops accuracy and automaticity in decoding through a modified version of the powerful Read Naturally Strategy of teacher modeling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring. Students work on short audio-supported phonics exercises for as little as 10 minutes a day as reading warm-ups or up to 30 minutes a day as an intervention.
INTRODUCTION TO EACH SECTION
The student clicks on a picture and hears a lesson about the word or letter under the picture. This instructional step provides teacher modeling. There are multiple sections in each level, each section focusing on intervention of different elements:
| Level 1: One-syllable words | Level 2: Two-syllable words | Level 3: Multi-syllabic words | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Letter sounds Short vowels Long vowels with silent e Long vowel teams Consonant digraphs Consonant blends Vowels and the consonant r Soft and silent consonants Other vowel teams | Review Level 1 skills in compound words Review Level 1 skills in more compound words Base words not changed by suffixes Base words changed by suffixes Words with two syllables Closed and open syllables Two-syllable words with suffixes Two-syllable words with prefixes | Word parts: prefixes |
Select an Exercise
The student chooses an exercise to work in. Each section has six to nine exercises. Most exercises are word-list exercises, but each section has a story exercise.
WORD-LIST EXERCISES
If a student selects any exercise other than the story exercise, the student will see the following steps:
Look, Listen, and Respond
The student clicks a picture to hear a lesson about a featured sound, syllable, or affix. The student responds to the instruction by segmenting the featured word before reading it aloud. Then, the student clicks each of the five words to segment and reads each word with the narrator. This step helps the student learn the featured sounds or phonics patterns and provides teacher modeling.
Decode & Read Along
The Decode & Read Along step helps a student learn to decode an exercise's word list by reading the list twice. When the student chooses Start Read Along on this page, the application:
- first reads down the columns in the word list, playing a decoding animation with audio for each word; and
- then reads across the rows of the word list, pronouncing each word.
Word List
Before a timing, a student can click any word to see it divided into word parts and hear each word part, as well as the whole word. Then, the student reads the words in the exercise word list, down the columns and across the rows, clicking any word he or she doesn’t know to hear the word read. The student clicks finished and sees the number of words read per minute.
The student practices reading the word lists independently until he or she can read all of the words correctly. As the student practices many words with the featured pattern, he or she learns to decode the pattern more easily and to read the words with automaticity.
This step is the repeated reading component of the Read Naturally Strategy, which helps the student apply the featured sounds, phonics patterns, or language structure to master the words. This step also allows a student to monitor progress, the component of the Read Naturally Strategy that motivates the student to improve. The student can see the number of words read per minute (wpm) and can compare the number of words read to a rank that runs from Warming-up to Shooting Star.
Spelling
The student spells five words from the word list. The student listens to a word and sentence about the word and attempts to spell the word. Then, the student clicks Show Me to see if her spelling of the word is correct or if any changes are needed to make the spelling correct. The student gets full credit if she can spell the word correctly on the first try.
Phontastic
While the student waits for the teacher to do the pass timing on the word list and spelling words, the student reviews skills in a game format. All items in the game are clickable to support students’ varying needs and support growth in phonemic awareness, phonics, and word analysis. Requiring that the student attain a certain number of points while waiting (e.g., 10) is a good idea.
Pass Timing
The teacher listens to the student read the word list. To pass, the student must read all the words down the columns, then across the rows, at or above the student's wcpm goal rate with three or fewer errors.
Graph of Pass Score
A graph of the hot-timing score shows the student’s score in red along with the rank the student attained.
Pass/Review Work
The teacher reviews the student’s work in this exercise with the student and assigns any remedial options.
STORY EXERCISE
If a student selects the story exercise, the student will see the following steps:
Read Along
The read along gives students a chance to read words with the featured phonics patterns in connected text. Ideally, students work through the story exercise after completing the word list exercises.
The student reads along quietly with a recording of a passage that contains words with the featured sounds taught in the section. The read along provides the teacher modeling component of the Read Naturally Strategy, which models correct pronunciation and helps the student learn new words and master others.
Practice
The student practices reading all or part of the story independently a set number of times chosen by the teacher. In Word Warm-ups Live, this reading isn’t timed, and there’s no fluency score. In Word Warm-ups, the purpose of the story is to have students read words with the featured phonics patterns in connected text.
Quick Quiz
The student completes a modified cloze question about the story. Each answer choice uses a featured sound from the section and provides another opportunity for the student to use the featured patterns in connected text. Responding to the text also holds the student accountable for meaning.
Phontastic
While the student waits for the teacher to do the pass timing on the Story and Quick Quiz, the student reviews phonics skills in a game format. All items in the game are clickable to support students’ varying needs and support growth in phonemic awareness, phonics, and word analysis.
Pass/Story Review
This activity provides an opportunity for the student to apply the featured phonics elements in the context of a story. You may have the student read all or part of the story; modify your expectations based on what you know about the student.
Pass/Review Quick Quiz
The teacher can review the student’s responses to the quiz and offer guidance in how to correct errors. This page has a dropdown to show either the student’s responses or the correct answers. The student has the opportunity to correct the answers if the teacher assigns this option on the Remedial page.
Word Warm-ups Live is a component of the Read Live platform—a subscription program that is licensed per student. Teachers can reassign licenses if students leave the program.
A printable phonics assessment helps a teacher decide whether students should use Read Naturally Live, a specific level of Word Warm-ups Live, or both programs for students needing decoding intervention. A student must be placed in a level of Read Naturally Live in order to work in Word Warm-ups.
A student works through the sections in the Word Warm-ups Live student program, and the teacher manages the student's progress in the Word Warm-ups Live teacher program.
STUDENT PROGRAM
Word Warm-ups Live includes access to 69 exercises in nine sections of Level 1, 68 exercises in eight sections of Level 2, and 48 exercises in seven sections of Level 3. Each section has six to nine exercises and focuses on intervention for different phonics elements or word analysis:
| Level 1:One-syllable words | Level 2: Two-syllable words | Level 3: Multi-syllabic words |
|---|---|---|
| Letter sounds Short vowels Long vowels with silent e Long vowel teams Consonant digraphs Consonant blends Vowels and the consonant r Soft and silent consonants Other vowel teams | Review Level 1 skills in compound words Review Level 1 skills in more compound words Base words not changed by suffixes Base words changed by suffixes Words with two syllables Closed and open syllables Two-syllable words with suffixes Two-syllable words with prefixes | Word parts: prefixes |
Word Warm-ups Live scope and sequence
Key activities include:
- Word lists of words with featured patterns
After receiving direct instruction in the featured phonics elements, affix, or word analysis of each exercise, the student practices reading the word lists to develop decoding skills and automaticity in reading the words. - Spelling activity
The student spells five words from the word list to link the decoding and encoding of featured phonics patterns, deepening the student’s mastery of both reading and spelling skills. - Story exercise and Quick Quiz
A high-interest, nonfiction story in each section provides the opportunity to read words with the featured pattern(s) in connected text. The student demonstrates an understanding of the story during a Quick Quiz.
Extensive audio support includes:
- Audio directions for each step of the process.
- Audio lessons in the introduction to the section and in a Look, Listen, Respond format.
- A paced recording of the story that models correct pronunciation and expression.
- Pronunciation of words in the word list or story when clicked.
- Auditory signals that indicate if a student's responses to the spelling or quiz items are correct or incorrect.
Structured instructional process includes:
- Automated steps built around teacher modeling, repeated reading, and progress monitoring.
- A wait-time activity to improve phonemic awareness, phonics and decoding skills, as well as word analysis skills.
Computerized scoring and reports include:
- Calculation of word list fluency scores.
- Automated correction of modified cloze questions and spelling items.
- Graphs and reports showing student performance.
TEACHER PROGRAM
Set up of account for district, building, classroom, staff, and/or students include:
- Enrolling staff and students.
- Licensing students.
- Support for ClassLink and Google login using G Suite for Education.
Management of student programs includes:
- A printable placement test.
- Easily customized options for individual students.
- Word list or spelling reports.
- Printable exercises, reports, and awards.
Online documentation includes:
- Step-by-step instructions for working in the software
- Training videos that explain how to set up the software and work with students in the program.
ONLINE RESOURCES AND TECH SUPPORT
To help you implement Read Live successfully, Read Naturally provides free web resources and tech support.
Learn more about Read Naturally's online resources and tech support
Word Warm-ups Live is an integrated component of the Read Live platform.
- Word Warm-ups Live Word List Graph
This report shows a student's words correct per minute results for completed word-list exercises, based on the most recent attempt. - Word Warm-ups Live Spelling Graph
This report shows the number of words a student spelled correctly on the first attempt for each spelling activity. - Word Warm-ups Live Exercise Details report
This report shows a student's detailed results for a word-list exercise. - Word Warm-ups Live Student Level report
This report describes students' work across all the sections and exercises in one or more levels.
Word Warm-ups Live is an integrated part of the Read Live platform. All Read Live licenses enable full access to the Word Warm-ups Live curriculum as well as access to the Read Naturally Live curriculum, One Minute Reader Live curriculum, and Read Naturally Live-Español curriculum.
Customer Reviews
Candace Leighton Feb 27, 2025
I have seen such an improvement in my students who have consistently used Read Live. The program is teacher and student friendly. The passages are all very interesting to the students and keeps them coming back for more. I love the data mentor feature and have found it to be accurate for changing a student level.
Ashley M. Jan 17, 2025
Annette Ivens Dec 9, 2024
My 8th grade Reading Itervention class adopted the Read Naturally Live program as a replacement to the mishegoss that HMH created by re-configuring their Read180 software program. I was hesitant at first to use the Read Live program, as rumoors that "it was used years ago" and "it just wasn't a good program". Not knowing if that was true or not, I signed up for the FREE 60 day "test-drive", and was pleasantly surpised at how easy it is the use, and how engaging and focused the material is. My students have been successful using it, constantly growing with each intervention period, and one of my students was actually selected as the Read Naturally's "Star of the Month" for December! Their customer support has been very helpful, and they have additional opportunities via live webinars or tape webinars (which I can view with a busy teaching schedule). The program is highly-affordable, and a great addition to my 8th grade classroom.
Beth Linenberg Nov 6, 2024
Michelle was a huge help in getting us back up and running as we have several new faces since first using Read Live and her level of patience was appreciated. We hope to watch other tutorials to best use the full spectrum of tools available and also connect our teaching staff to help the team support our EL students with language acquisition and comprehension along with fluency/accuracy.
Charity Di Liberti Nov 1, 2024
Jennifer K. Oct 24, 2024
Read Naturally Live is an excellent program for developing reading fluency. I have used it for over 10 years as a station in my support setting. The program provides a visual representation of how practice affects their reading rate. Additionally, the comprehension questions help me identify the specific skills that require direct instruction. I would highly recommend it as part of a robust reading program. Also, the customer service is phenomenal. Christy has been so accommodating and responsive. I am so appreciative of the whole team.
Jeffrey Turner Oct 9, 2024
I have used your programs with Special Education students in self-contained classrooms. They were motivated by their progress and enjoyed discussing their stories with others. I have always spoken highly of your programs and recommended the programs to other districts.
Renee Saxon Oct 7, 2024
We've been using Read Naturally Live for 3 years in our intervention program and have seen amazing growth in our struggling readers. The program is designed to be easily accessable to students and teachers, while having depth and breadth of instruction to keep students challenged as they grow in oral reading and comprehension. Our program has "graduated" many students back to their regular classroom as they reached grade-level fluency. Read Naturally Live is a wonderful tool to have in your intervention tool kit!
harvey Sep 26, 2024
Very patent and supportive
Sanya Bottrall Aug 14, 2024
My students thrive year after year with this program. I utilize a reward system to keep the motivation and excitement alive. My middle schoolers are seeing their progress and are proud of themselves and even clap for their friends when they achieve goals. If you fire it up before launching it and utilize the training videos for yourself and for your students (as a class), you will love it too! Keep it alive and it'll happen
Rebecca R Aug 6, 2024
I am a special education teacher and have used Read Naturally for the past 7 years. It is a wonderful reading tool and my students and I have seen a lot of growth in reading achievement. It is also a confidence booster, as my students are eager to read to me when they are ready to pass a story/lesson.
Stacey B. May 29, 2024
The nonfiction sequential texts in Read Live are generally very engaging, especially the ones about animals and strange historical events like the Molasses Flood. The students get a chance to see what a fluent reading pace sounds like and then can improve their reading pace significantly on their hot-timings--seeing how much their score improves is very motivating for them. Overall, I'm seeing at least a 30-word improvement per minute over the course of the year. I only see my students 3x per week for 15 minutes each session, so they've been able to do about 12 stories -- two are still in the same grade level they started in. With more time each week, I'm sure they'd improve even more. Read Live hits key strands of reading -- vocabulary, background knowledge, comprehension, and fluency. Students can work on vocabulary while they wait for the teacher to do their hot timing, they can go back and redo parts of the assessment before passing, and I can differentiate easily for each student. My students all enjoy coming to me and working hard in Read Live to meet or exceed their goals.
Denise G May 29, 2024
Read Live is such a good program. It does need a teacher to work with the students, but it also helps build their independence.
Denise G May 29, 2024
Denise G May 29, 2024
Denise G May 29, 2024
Denise G May 29, 2024
Jessica A May 23, 2024
Read Live has helped my students gain more confidence with independently reading, thus helping their overall reading fluency scores. My favorite feature of Read Live is the Read Aloud, my students’ favorite part of Read Live is seeing their practice scores. I would recommend Read Live to others because it helps struggling readers with fluency, and also puts them on their level.
Jillian C May 22, 2024
Read Live has helped my struggling readers grow with fluency, decoding, and comprehension. I would recommend Read Live to others because it helps students read and understand their reading. I love EVERYTHING about Read Live!
Roxann May 22, 2024
Many of the students using Read Live are from other countries and struggling readers. Now they are learning to read and comprehend. I would recommend Read Live because the stories are engaging and relatable.
Please let us know what questions you have so we can assist. For Technical Support, please call us or submit a software support request.