Delving into the realm of early literacy and language development, it becomes increasingly important to have tools that not only engage young minds but also effectively bolster their reading and vocabulary skills. This is where Reading Bear, a project of WatchKnowLearn.org, plays a pivotal role.
Designed as an interactive and visually stimulating platform, Reading Bear offers a unique blend of phonics-based presentations, quizzes, and review activities, all aimed at enriching the learning journey of young readers. With a focus on children aged 4-7, the site stands out as an invaluable resource for educators and parents alike, seeking to nurture foundational reading skills in an engaging, comprehensive, and accessible manner.
As we explore the intricacies of Reading Bear, it becomes clear how this tool can transform the traditional approach to teaching phonics and comprehension, making the process not only educational but also enjoyable for young learners. Given its importance in helping kids and students develop their reading, I added it to the list of the best reading websites for kids and students.
There are various ways Reading Bear can help you in your teaching. You can use it as a classroom supplement for phonics program to help students practice and further develop their decoding and comprehension skills.
Reading Bear can also be used as a classroom supplement for a whole language program to help with the introduction of systematic phonics or as a resource for remedial work.
While kids of all ages can benefit from reading resources offered by Reading Bear, most of the materials provided in the site were designed with children ages 4-7 in mind.
The site does not require registration to access its materials, however, registered members are able to track the progress of their presentations, see which parts they have watched and how many words mastered. Also, members are able to save their quiz scores. Teachers can create accounts for their students using the ‘sub-accounts’ feature.
How does Reading Bear work?
The way Reading Bear works is simple: Each presentation tackles a number of phonics rules. ‘a word is sound out slowly and quickly, then blend it slowly, and finally (after an optional prompt) blend it quickly.
As sounds are pronounced, the corresponding letters are highlighted.’ After this phonetic drill, a visual illustration of the word is presented followed by an explanatory video showcasing the usage of the concept or word in a sentence.
Reading Bear activities
Each presentation comes with seven choices. The first three choices constitute ‘intensive teaching’ modes and are :
- 1. Sound it Out Slowly: This is ideal for students who have no clue what the phonics rule in question is about. Words are sounded out slowly so the learner can internalize their pronunciation.
- 2. Sound it Quickly: This is the next stage after learners are familiarized with the phonics rules. Words are sounded in a faster way with no slow blending version.
- 3. Let me Sound it Out: Now that students have practiced sounding the word and have become familiar with its pronunciation, they get to test their phonetic knowledge. Words are presented and students are asked to say them.
The other two presentations are especially useful for review activities. These are:
- 4. Audio Flashcards: Students can use them to review the words in a passive way.
- 5. Silent Flashcards: These are useful for self-quizzing. Students try sounding out words and if they fail they can click the cards to have them sounded out.
The final two presentations are useful for advanced readers. They contain vocabulary items and irregular words that have not been introduced in the early stages of Reading Bear. These are:
- 6. Audio sentences: Offers a ‘Karaoke’ style presentation where whole sentences are sounded out.
- 7. Silent Sentences: This is useful as a review activity for students who ‘are ready to try to read whole sentences’.
How much does Reading Bear cost?
Reading Bear is free of charge and can work on both mobile and desktop versions.
Final thoughts
Reading Bear emerges as an exceptional and comprehensive tool for fostering reading and vocabulary skills in young learners. By seamlessly blending over 50 presentations with interactive quizzes and review activities, Reading Bear provides a robust platform for students to grasp phonics principles and enhance reading comprehension.
The educational journey it offers, enhanced by rich visual illustrations and a wide array of vocabulary, is particularly designed with children aged 4-7 in mind, making it a valuable resource for early education. Its versatile use as both a supplementary tool for phonics and whole language programs and as a remedial resource underscores its adaptability in diverse learning environments.
Moreover, the inclusion of audio and silent flashcards introduces a dynamic learning experience that caters to different learning styles, from passive auditory learning to active engagement and self-quizzing. This blend of learning modalities not only facilitates vocabulary retention but also boosts confidence in language skills.
The added convenience of being free and accessible on multiple devices, along with features like progress tracking for registered members, makes Reading Bear an indispensable tool in the realm of educational resources for young readers.
