Audio Resources: To get the full benefit of this site, please be certain that your computer audio (mp3) is functioning properly.
Screen Resolution: This site is designed for computer screens set to 1024 x 768 pixels, or higher. It will also work with screens set at 800 x 600 pixels. Screen Test
Flash Player: To play the e-book you will need the current free Flash Plugin (version 9.0 or above), available without charge from Adobe.com.
Note: the book may begin to play with older versions of the Flash Player, but some functions will not work properly.
Using the E-Book
These multimedia e-books are designed to help young children as they start learning to read. An adult may want to demonstrate how the first page works, but as quickly as possible give control of the e-book to the new reader. Help the learner understand that their job is to:
All of this is on the way to their real goal: to read the words and the page independently as they become comfortable with the material.
Young children can operate the e-books by themselves, but often they enjoy having an adult around to share in their successes.
- watch the pages, and particularly the words on the page,
- listen to what the computer says,
- and then read aloud, along with the computer.
An important part of this learning for young children is learning letter names and letter shapes, and most importantly, the sounds associated with the letters and how those sounds join together to form words. These e-books are designed to help young children build those associations quickly and easily, and to have fun doing it.
Page Turning: Page turns are click-and-drag from the outside corners of the book. Or, just click on a corner.
The page turning animations use substantial graphics resources. Most modern computers will play the page turns gracefully.
Reading the page: Inside the book, click on the play button (triangle). All of the text on the page will play. Phrases and sentences will highlight, synchronized with the computer voiceover. Each time the button is clicked, the page plays and something on the page will change color. (You can turn off this Auto Color Changer in the Color Chooser at top of the book.) Repetition will build color in the page--it also reinforces the match between print and language for the new reader.
Reading a word: The user can also click on an individual word. Move the mouse over the bottom/left of a word and you will see this wave icon. Click the mouse to open a blue pop up that animates the letters and sounds out the word.
Move the mouse over the top/right of a word and you will see this pencil icon. Click the mouse to open a red pop up that names the letters and animates the pencil strokes used to print them. This helps young children to focus on the distinctive elements of each letter shape. The letter animations will also teach the pencil strokes children use when they begin their own printing.
Coloring the page: At the top of the page in the middle of the screen is a Color Chooser Icon (paint bucket). Click on it, click on a color, and then click on any of the graphic objects on the page. The object will fill with color. The Color Chooser function will also say the name of the color. This demo version of the ebook does not have a function to save the page coloring. The colors will disappear when the book is closed.
Audio: The audio files are short and highly compressed. They should download quickly, but there may be some delay the first time a page is played.
About Book 1: The story: Mat sees a picture of a lion in a book and calls his friend Sam to come and take a look.
The book introduces the following letters: a e I m s S
Digital E-Book application Copyright © 2007-2012 Readingware LLC, Signal Hill, California.
Based on The Reading for All Learners Little Books Copyright © 2003 by Alan M. Hofmeister. Published by Academic Success for All Learners, Logan, Utah. www.ISeeSam.com. Used with permission.
The original Beginning Reading Program was developed by SWRL Educational Research and Development, Los Alamitos, California, and marketed by Ginn and Co.
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