KidBiz300 by Martha L. Perez

In the article KidBiz300 Martha Perez, an eighth–grade ELL teacher, writes about the challenges that she faces trying to find material that her students, which have different likes and dislikes and who read at a different level, will like. Her main challenge is motivating her students to read. She has been using a web-base-program called kidBiz300 which “motivates [her] students to read… [and] engages them in leaning about what’s happening in our world.” The program “differentiates reading instruction for grades 2-8,” allowing each student to move at their own pace. Each current event is writing at different reading levels, freeing the teacher from having to find appropriate reading material for each student and having students left behind because the material is not at their reading level. Once in the program students are prompted to respond to a short prompt, then they read the article (which includes audio support), and then their comprehension and vocabulary are assessed. This program offers students immediate feedback, and it also adjusts their reading level depending on how they did on the quiz.

Question 1: What is beneficial about this program for students?
Answer 1: The program allows students to learn in a safe environment; they are reading at their reading level and don’t feel any anxiety trying to catch up to their classmates. The material is current so they may already have some knowledge.

Question 2: How can the teacher help those students that still need more help?
Answer 2: Since the student’s results can generate reports that the teacher can then assess, he/she can determine which students still need more help. The teacher can supplement the program with worksheets that help the student and he/she can talk to the student about the areas that are presenting problems for the students.