Category Archives: Comprehension Improvement Tools

How Reading Fluency Helps in Academic Grades

Reading fluency is an essential skill to master. It is the ability to read precisely, smoothly with an impeccable speech expression. With multiple benefits of reading such as increased mental ability, emotional intelligence & communication skills; it also uplifts the academic performance of a child. Let us delve deeper to understand how reading fluency helps in academic grades.

Builds Coordination Between Recognition & Comprehension

Fluency in reading helps to build a strong coordination & connection between word recognition and understanding. It allow students to comprehend the text without have to read it multiple times. This saves a good amount of time and empower children to learn their lessons within a lot less time. Moreover, it makes learning process more convenient & smooth.

Increased Focus & Retention

Reading acumen & academic outcome is strongly interrelated. With good reading skills, a student is able to utilize his focus to grasp knowledge and develops deeper understanding of the written text. Children tends to build efficacy to pay attention, retain information and engage into silent reading. Their concentration doesn’t get diverged; as for a fluent reader, reading becomes more of an organic & spontaneous process.  Furthermore, it helps to polish cognitive skills of a child, thereby expanding the dimensions of his/her mental capabilities.

Builds Confidence

Competency in reading is one of those skills which boost confidence in children. It empowers them to present themselves with conviction. By adding wings to their zeal, they feel encouraged to achieve more in academics.

 Enhanced Expression of Speech

With a good command over reading, a child is more likely to develop a better expression of speech. They become better in explaining things & facts, which eventually prepares them to be a part of debate and declamation competitions. A clear speech with rich expression is a skill which brings a lot of positive outcomes in academics as well as in life in general.

All these factors eventually contributes in acquiring good academic grades & performance.

 See-N-Read provides affordable, research-based and classroom-tested methods and devices to improve reading, thinking and learning. We offer reading and instructional tool for PCs, colour tags study recall system, memory mark, a quick & advanced reference guide to improve spelling and vocabulary, support for struggling writers & readers, efficacious reading strategies and diverse innovative & users proven reading solutions to enhance the reading fluency.

You can visit us at 2533 Sutton Lame, Aurora, IL 60502-9461. For further information and details, fill the contact form available at our website.

Tips on Improving Concentration while Reading

Reading stimulates intelligence and strengthens analytical abilities of human mind. It unfolds various facets of intellect and helps to design an effective trajectory for mental energy. Let’s go through some efficacious strategies and tips to improve concentration while reading.

  • Identify & Improve Metacognition Skills

    It is important to consider the fact that every brain is wired differently. People have variable approaches towards learning and different cognitive processes. Reflect and identify strengths and weaknesses of your learning process explicitly. Plan, evaluate and monitor your learning mechanism and be aware of the efficient ways to do so. Metacognitive awareness helps to recognize ways to improve concentration and factors which are acting as hindrances in your reading experience.

  • Dedicated Corner

    Dedicate a calm and separate corner for reading to avoid mental nudges. Cut down all the distractions especially messengers and email notifications to create a seamless learning flow. By making a solitary spot for reading, your brain will start to recognize that space and will automatically prepare itself to concentrate. Make sure to set a correct and comfortable sitting posture to make reading more engrossing.

  • Mental Exercise

    Invest few minutes to flex your mental muscles. Play crossword puzzles, chess and various other memory games to improve concentration level significantly. One can also practice meditation to declutter the mind and achieve higher levels of concentration.

  • Take Breaks

    In order to increase productivity, it is quite necessary to rejuvenate mind, eyes and body. Take short breaks in between to relax and refresh the mind. Step outside and get some fresh air or just have something to hydrate yourself. These few steps boost efficiency of brain and helps to accelerate concentration levels.

  • Motivation

    Find reasons or factors which trigger the motivation for reading. Follow the lead and keep yourself motivated. Often times people just lose their zeal for reading; in such cases try to find inspiration or set some rewards to cheer yourself.

  • Reading Goals

    Set a specific reading target and channelize your actions to achieve the desired goal. A specific goal directs the focus to comprehend and absorb knowledge. It helps to employ required senses to enhance the reading ability and concentration.

  • Tools & Devices for Annotation

    People often use techniques like highlighting the text or jotting down some notes etc to annotate the text. While this may be quite useful in some ways, it can also lead to wavered focus. Try to use innovative techniques like memory marks, colour tags etc to ensure a smooth reading experience. Such tools and devices are specifically designed to minimize distractions and bring concentration in place.

See-N-Read offers economical & ingenious solutions to enhance your reading experience. We render reading and instructional tool for PCs, memory mark, a quick & advanced reference guide to improve spelling and vocabulary, dedicated support for struggling writers & readers, colour tags study recall system, effective reading strategies, research-based methods and devices to build undeviated focus. Beside from being helpful in raising concentration levels, See-N-Read also encourages people to be reading enthusiasts.

You can visit us at 2533 Sutton Lame, Aurora, IL 60502-9461. For further information and details, fill the contact form available at our website.

How To Encourage Kids To Read

The best way to grow a reader is to encourage the habit during the early years. Like any other habit, reading also takes time and patience to grow as an activity that a child looks forward to if done the right way. If your child struggles with reading or simply does not seem to be motivated enough to read often, you may consider using some reading tools to simplify the process.

If you are looking for some ideas to encourage your budding reader, here are some great tips:

  • Set Aside Time: Set aside specific time everyday for reading with your child. Discipline and consistency in doing so will help in establishing the habit. All you need is as less as half an hour of peaceful time away from gadgets.
  • Read-Aloud: If your child is just beginning his journey of reading, spend some time reading aloud books of his level and interest. This practice will help your child develop new vocabulary, form a connection between spoken and written words and improve attention.
  • Use Reading Tools: Consider using reading tools designed to helps readers improve reading speed and comprehension. See-N-Read is an online platform that specializes in a variety of reading and learning tools for readers of almost every age-group. The tools offered help in improving eye movement, concentration, vocabulary and more.
  • Create a Place to Read: Get creative and create a cozy spot for your child to read daily. Keep lots of books in this spot, provide enough lighting, make it comfortable and keep it distraction-free! The key is to make this space look and feel inviting for your child.
  • Chose the Right Books: Getting the right books for your child is critical to creating enthusiasm for the habit. For beginners, invest in books with exciting stories, bright and vivid imagery and interesting characters. Refrain from sticking to books that appeal to you as a parent and choose books that are easy to read and of the right level for your child’s age.
  • Be a Role-Model: Kids are easily influenced by adults in their lives. To foster a life-long love for reading, practice the habit yourself and do so in front of your child as much as you can. Talk to them about the books you read, take a book with you when you step out of the house, invest in a magazine subscription, etc.
  • Visit a Library: Your local library is a great resource for your child and can be monumental in helping him be a voracious reader. Libraries offer books of various genres and reading levels. Regular access to a wide array of books, a peaceful environment and observing other readers may encourage your child to adopt the habit sooner than later!

To know more about reading and learning tools, visit See-N-Read, 2533 Sutton Lane, Aurora, IL 60502-9461 or call at 630-236-5592. You can also visit its website at www.see-n-read.com

Time-Saving Tools for Reading Faster

Reading is a skill that can be improved at any age with the help of the right techniques and tools. Using reading tools helps in improving speed, concentration and comprehension. The tools are beneficial for children and adults with learning difficulties or for those who simply want to get better at the skill. At See-n-Read, we provide a variety of classroom-tested and research-based reading tools to enhance spellings, reading speed, memory and academic vocabulary. Our tools are made of non-toxic, bpA, lead, phthalate free materials.

Listed below are some tools that help in improving reading skills:

  • Reading Strips: Reading strips help the reader to reduce word and line skipping. The tools also reduce pattern glare without affecting the context. Using this tool makes it easier for the reader to read in chunks and effectively sweep over the content without losing focus. Over time, using a reading strip improves comprehension and fluency.
  • Memory Mark: The Memory Mark tool makes it easy for the reader to underline, highlight and make notes without losing focus. This improves the reader’s understanding of the subject being read and is beneficial for learning new words, phrases and ideas while reading. The tool is beneficial for fatigued and struggling readers as the can re-read without moving the reading tool from the place they left it at while reading. The tools works best when used with grade books, standardized tests, math worksheets, printed documents, workbooks, legal briefs, etc.
  • Electronic Reading Tools: This tool consists of a shapeable and moveable ReadBar that is surrounded by a transparent area for better screen visibility, less eye strain, screen glare and minimal visual distractions. The tool makes it easier for teachers to present information in a class by highlighting text and improving data entry accuracy. These tools help readers to improve their accuracy while reading websites, spreadsheets, standardized tests and on-screen documents. It is a great tool for reducing eye fatigue and can be modified, shaped and resized to suit the user’s environment and needs.
  • Spelling and Vocabulary Tools: These are reference guides for improving writing skills and academic vocabulary. Writers can easily look for the right spelling of a word by searching for the first letter of the word on this reference guide. It helps writers use smarter words while writing. The resource provided by See-n-Read helps readers find the right spelling of over 300 American English words. It consists of a 40-page booklet that has commonly used words, misspelled words and special interest words.
  • Study Recall System: These systems help readers to read systematically while organizing and retrieving key information. A color-based approach is used to find the main idea from the information being read. This helps in differentiating between important information and extra information. It saves the time of a reader and also supports retention, learning and comprehension.

To know more about the reading tools provided by See-n-Read, you can visit www.see-n-read.com

Why Is It Important To Learn Spellings?

Sharpening spelling skills at an early age sets the foundation for success in many areas of life. An individual with mastery over spellings is more likely to have a successful career and excel at other frontiers of life.  

Listed below are some benefits of learning spellings:

  • Improves Communication Skills: Good spelling skills improve communication skills in most forms of communication like emailing, letter-writing, social media, etc. Correct spellings add more gravity to the message you are putting across and people are more likely to take your message seriously.
  • It Helps With Reading: Spelling and reading are inter-related too; if you can spell well, you can read easily and seamlessly. A strong hold on spellings improves reading speed and boosts vocabulary.
  • Help Develop Literacy: Confident spellers are on a better footing as far as other aspects of learning are concerned. They are not only able to read and comprehend texts better but are well-equipped with language tools to help them express their ideas better.
  • Impact Employment Opportunities: A resume without spelling errors has far higher chances of getting you a job than one with sporadic spelling errors. It is easier to skim through and has higher chances of being accepted.
  • Helps In Academics: Accurate spellings improve a child’s performance during schooling years and beyond. Such kids have better chances of getting higher marks in assessments as their work not only looks impressive to the examiner but also casts the impression of a serious and hardworking student.
  • Language Proficiency: Correct spellings are the foundation of any language. If your spellings are strong, your mastery on the language is guaranteed. So, if you are trying to be proficient at any language, start with mastering the spellings.
  • Improves Writing: Writing is a skill that is required at school, at the work place, for formal communication and more. The first step towards improving writing skills is to work on spellings. A strong grasp on spellings will help you write confidently, faster and impressively.
  • Boosts Concentration: Mastering spellings helps in improving concentration levels as there are fewer distractions due to misspelled words. By spending less time on checking spellings and making corrections, one is able to focus on the task at hand and produce better results.
  • Casts A Good Impression: When looking for jobs or even during work interactions at work, those with strong spelling skills cast a positive impression. A person with a strong hold over spellings is perceived as a well-educated person with strong command over the language.

See-n-Read Reading Tools offers tools to help readers improve their spellings. For more details on importance of learning spellings, visit 2533 Sutton Lane, Aurora, IL – 60502, or call at (630) 236 – 5592.

Tips To Improve Learning Problems In Kids

Early discovery of learning disabilities in kids can help in developing optimal strategies to improve them. Children with learning disabilities require social and emotional support to work through the challenges. Such positive reinforcement can help ensure that they emerge with a strong sense of self-worth, confidence, and determination to improve their learning problem.

Tips To Help Kids With Learning Problems:
• Take Charge Of The Kid’s Education: Parent’s role in the child’s education is very important. They should take an active charge and make note of tasks they can do to help the child in the learning process. It is important for them to be good observers and keep focus on their child’s learning patterns.

• Identify How The Kid Learns Best: Every kid, even the one without a learning disability, has a unique style of learning. A child can be a visual learner, an auditory learner, or a kinesthetic learner. Figure out how he learns the best and take steps to ensure that his style of learning is reinforced during the study.

• Think About The Kid’s Success In Life: For kids with learning problems, self-awareness and self-confidence are very important. Ask the child to list his strengths and weaknesses to identify potential problems. For people with learning disabilities, being proactive also involves self-advocacy and the willingness to take responsibility for choices. Children with learning problems may need to work harder and longer because of their disability. So, talk with the child about problem solving and how to approach problems in life. Perseverance keeps a child focused despite challenges and failures.

• Emphasize Healthy Lifestyle Habits: Learning involves the body as well as the brain; so, the child’s eating, sleeping, and exercising habits maybe even more important than you think. If kids with learning disabilities are eating right and getting enough sleep and exercise, they will be better able to focus, concentrate, and work hard. In addition to healthy physical habits, kids also need encouragement to have healthy emotional habits. It is important because they might be frustrated due to the challenges presented by their learning disability.

See-n-Read Reading Tools provide various online products and tools to help improve learning problems in kids. Easy to improve intervention methods are provided to help kids enhance their learning skills.

Ways To Ensure That Digital Tools Are Transforming Education

One of the most transformative effects of digitalization can be seen in the education/learning department. Digital tools such as computers, smartphones, interactive white boards, cameras, online learning and reading products, etc. have made learning engaging and effective. However, in order to realize the full potential of digital education and integrate technology into learning activities, there are certain strategies that should be implemented.

Following are the ways with which the effectiveness of digital tools can be ensured in the current education system:

• Collaboration: For digital tools to be effective, there should be a way with which students can collaborate and share what they have learnt as a means of providing feedback to each other. Learning activities should be designed in a way that enables students to use digital tools and explore a topic with other students across the globe. Shared screen collaboration encourages students to work together for a common goal, think critically and interact with their peers.

• Questioning: Questioning is an intrinsic part of the learning process that should be integrated into digital tools to facilitate exploration and get answers for deep questions. Students should be trained to evaluate online resources and websites when looking for answers. They should be encouraged to ask questions and share their findings in the process.

• Connection: Digital tools can be transformative when used as a means of connecting and sharing information with others even after school is over. When students have an authentic audience in the form of listeners, readers and viewers interested in their work, they feel motivated. Teachers can create an online platform/community for students to share their suggestions, ideas, or queries at any time.

• Communication: Online seminars and webinars are effective digital learning tools that rely on two-way communication between a teacher and student. However, for their optimal utility, a teacher should be skilled at keeping students engaged and interested in the class by asking questions or seeking their opinions on a point.

• Creation Tools: These tools are used to encourage students to showcase their understanding of a lesson/activity in the form of storytelling, video or voice recordings. However, for them to be effective modes of sharing, they should be enhanced with features that make them seamless to use.

• Learning Experience: When using technology, a teacher should prioritize the learning experiences of students for effectively harnessing their curiosity to discover new things and explore topics of interest. For instance, to get them excited about an online class, the teacher can ask them to do some online research beforehand and reward them for their efforts in digital research.
See-n-Read Reading Tools provides effective reading and learning tools. The tools help students in transforming their reading and learning skills. To know more about ways to ensure that digital tools are transforming education, visit 2533 Sutton Lane, Aurora, IL – 60502. You can also call at (630) 236 – 5592.

How Reading Aloud Increases Comprehension

Reading aloud can provide children with an opportunity to learn phrasing of sentences and develop fluency in English. It also helps to increase a child’s interest in reading and nurture his creativity. When a child reads aloud, his comprehension skills automatically improve as he gains knowledge about phonics and word building. However, the process should only be carried under supervision to ensure that the child gains the maximum benefit out of it.

A student with good comprehension skills will be able to easily read and understand the text by identifying the words mentioned in the passage. This improves his literary caliber and helps him to enjoy reading. Certain reading tools can also be used to improve comprehension and learning skills, subsequently increasing fluency.

Reading aloud can increase comprehension in the following ways:

  • Improved Retention: Reading aloud helps to form visual and auditory links in our memory pathways. This helps us to remember things in a better way and eventually improves comprehension skills. When you read aloud, you can clearly remember most of the words and also increase your vocabulary.
  • Helps To Build Connections: While reading out loud, you can make instant connections between the words in the book and real life. You connect to similar real life stories and experiences that organize things in your mind. This leads to better retention and enables you to read faster as they recognize words.
  • Sounding Out Words Becomes Easier: Reading aloud technique makes it much simpler to sound out words. With correct guidance, individuals are able to pronounce the word correctly. However, comprehension skills may improve only if there is phonemic awareness and alertness. A student can easily break down words and then identify common letter sounds while reading.
  • Improves listening and reading skills: When reading aloud, you are easily able to identify grammar and also learn the sentence structures. When you are able to read efficiently, you expand your interpretative skills. Identifying the written word is very beneficial when you want to understand passages and answer questions related to it.

See-N-Read Reading Tools are designed to increase comprehension and reading skills in people of all age-groups. They enhance focus on the line being read and reduce word/ line skipping while reading out loud. For more information, call at (630) 236 – 5592.