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STUDENT LESSONS
Reading Skills Frequently
Asked Questions (FAQ)
How does the Reading Skills for Adults program work?
What platform and system requirements are required for using the Reading
Skills stories?
What are other requirements?
What internet browser and internet connection are required?
What screen resolution is required?
Can I fill out the pre-reading and writing assignments on-line.
How do I time the stories?
Are all 3 readings sound files the same for each story?
If I am at the third reading, can I go back to the first
reading?
Can I print any page?
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How
does the Reading Skills for Adults program work? |
| Each story has 7 pages |
| |
Pre-reading: Students
answer questions about the topic of the story and read definitions
of words that are used in the story |
| |
First Timed
Reading: Students read as much of the story as they can in
one minute. They will mark how many words they read. |
| |
First Reading:
Students read out loud while the story is read to them. |
| |
Second Reading:
Students read out loud while the story is read to them.
|
| |
Third
Reading: Students read out loud while the story is read to
them. |
| |
Understanding
and Writing: Students answer comprehension questions and
write a paragraph about some aspect of the story. |
| |
Final Timed
Reading: Students read the story to a
teacher who is listening for fluency and noting any errors while
being timed for one minute. Students mark on their graphs
how many WCPM (Words Correct Per Minute) were read. |
Top
What platform and system requirements are required for using the Reading
Skills stories?
Reading Skills can be used with both Mac and PC platforms. They will work
with virtually any operating system on either platform. For the PC, a
Pentium class processor with 128 MB of RAM is recommended. For the Mac, a
G3 processor or higher with 128 MB if RAM is recommended.
Top
What are other requirements?
To hear the sound files, you computer must have either Windows Media Player or
QuickTime. It is recommended that PC users use Windows Media Player 9 or
10 and Macintosh users use QuickTime 6 or 7.
QuickTime is a free program available here:
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/win.html
Windows Media Player is a free program available here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/AllDownloads.aspx?displang=en&qstechnology=
Top
What internet browser and internet connection are required?
The Reading Skills stories have been optimized for Internet Explorer but will
work with any browser that is capable of playing streaming audio. A
broadband internet connection is highly recommended. Dial-up connections
will work but will be very slow when downloading the sound files. The
results may not be acceptable.
Top
What screen resolution is required?
Reading Skills pages require a minimum of 800 x 600 screen size. If you
use a higher screen resolution like 1024 x 768, you will be able to see more
content on each page. If you use a higher resolution, when you open a
story, you can click on the maximize box to enlarge the window.
Top
Can I fill out the pre-reading and writing assignments on-line.
At this point in the project, you cannot fill out the writing assignments
on-line. You will be required to print those pages and answer the
questions by hand.
Top
How do I time the stories?
The stories can be timed with a mechanical timer or they can timed with a timer
on your computer. A good timer which you can download free on the Internet
is called Minute Timer and is available at the link below. You can
download the timer, install it, and use it for the 1-minute timings. At
the end of one minute, a pop-up window appears on the screen telling you that
your time has expired.
http://www.pc-tools.net/win32/mintimer/
Top
Are all 3
reading sound files the same for each story?
In the first group of stories (Levels 1 - 4.5), the sound files for each
story are read at different speeds. The first story is the slowest
reading. The second story increases the reading by around 10 percent over
the first reading. And the 3rd reading increases the reading by another 10
percent.
In the second group (Levels 5-8), all three
reading sound files for each story are at the same speed.
Top
If I
am at the third reading, can I go back to the first reading?
You can always go back to a previous page by pressing the Backspace key on the
keyboard,
Top
Can I print any page?
You can print any page by choosing Print from the File menu or by pressing
CTRL-P.
Top
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