Reading

The Benefits of Gamification

Gamification is about involving game elements in non-game contexts. There has been a lot of research about how gamification can be beneficial in education in order to help motivate and engage children in their learning. 

By making education more interactive and fun, the educational outcomes can be far better. Gamification encourages children to think about their own learning process and discover how to progress at their own pace. It also helps to develop problem-solving skills, creativity and collaboration among students. Rewards in the form of points or leaderboards can motivate children to push themselves further in their learning to ensure they hit the next milestone in the game. 

Gamification in the National Read Aloud Challenge
At the National Read Aloud Challenge, we know it can be near impossible to encourage children to read over the summer break. Understandably, they just want to spend their time having fun and enjoying the sunshine. In order to combat this, we have made reading fun and engaging through using gamification. Your children won’t want to stop!

From hitting various milestones and gaining certificates to appearing on a national leaderboard, the National Read Aloud Challenge has carefully curated different ways to make reading exciting and competitive but also meaningful and constructive, even for those reluctant readers.

Children can compete against other children their own age, children in their regional area and other children in their school. Schools within a multi-academy trust can also compete against each other!

We don’t do things by half!
The National Read Aloud Challenge not only incorporates gamification into the challenge but children can actually win some prizes, including vouchers and signed books. Not only that, schools also have the chance to win a FREE trip to London for an awards ceremony hosted by our brand ambassador Clare Balding, MBE! 

Enrol your school now and let the games begin!

www.readaloudchallenge.co.uk
#BeProudReadAloud

Posted in Insights, Reading, Team Fonetti

Be Proud Read Aloud!

Reading aloud is a powerful tool for children of all ages to improve their literacy skills. Not only does it help them learn new words and concepts, but it also supports children with language development, encourages critical thinking and stimulates creativity. 

Benefits for All
Reading Rockets explains that, ‘Reading aloud is the foundation for literacy development.’ The act of reading aloud can be especially beneficial for young children who are just learning to read. It helps them build a strong foundation in language by introducing them to new words, sentence structure, and other important elements of writing. Reading aloud also allows kids to practise their pronunciation and learn proper pacing when speaking or telling stories. Additionally, it provides an opportunity for them to practise their memory and recall skills, as well as cultivate a love of books and stories.

For older children who are already capable readers, reading aloud provides an opportunity for them to further develop their language and comprehension skills. It allows them to practise fluency in both speaking and reading, which can help strengthen overall literacy skills. Additionally, it encourages critical thinking and enhances understanding of concepts as they must actively pay attention to the story, analyse information, and form opinions.

Lifelong Readers
Reading aloud is an invaluable tool for children of any age to improve their literacy skills and become lifelong readers. Consistent, quality interactions with books can make all the difference in a child’s life and set them up for success! From early language development through to critical thinking and comprehension skills, reading aloud is an important skill to help children become lifelong learners. As such, it’s important for parents/caregivers to make reading aloud a regular part of their child’s daily routine.

The National Read Aloud Challenge
The National Read Aloud Challenge is on a mission to encourage more children to read aloud confidently and independently over the summer break and aims to reduce reading regression that inevitably occurs during the holidays. Reading aloud is a vital skill all children benefit from however it is something that makes a lot of children (and adults!) feel anxious. 

We are determined to help children enjoy reading aloud and realise what a joy it is to use their voice to tell a story. 

The National Read Aloud Challenge uses  Fonetti, the Read Aloud App, to succeed in this mission. Fonetti allows children to read aloud independently with no adults needed at all. Children can make errors without feeling as if they are being judged by their peers or adults and receive instant, constructive feedback making them progress with their reading. Fonetti feels like a friend and children feel supported by the app.

Sign up now and be proud to read aloud!

https://www.readaloudchallenge.co.uk/

Posted in National Read Aloud Challenge, Reading

Fluency in all its Glory!

Fluency in reading is an important skill for success in school and in life. Fluency is the ability to read accurately, quickly, and with expression. It helps students comprehend what they are reading more effectively and enables them to spend less time decoding words and more time understanding the content. When students can read fluently, it encourages them to become engaged readers who explore different genres and topics.

Break it Down
The EEF explains how the development of fluency in reading can be broken down into three distinct skills: accuracy, automaticity and prosody. 

  • Accuracy refers to the ability to recognise words quickly and accurately; this is achieved by developing basic phonemic awareness and decoding skills. 
  • Automaticity is reading words automatically. It enables appropriate reading speed and should feel effortless. Automaticity requires accuracy.
  • Prosody is the ability to read text with intonation and emotion; this is accomplished by having children vary their voices as they read aloud using different volume, smoothness and pace. Prosody requires accuracy and automaticity. 

These three skills are essential for building fluency in reading and helping students become more confident and proficient readers. Fluency supports comprehension and as the EEF states, ‘fluency is sometimes described as a bridge from word recognition to comprehension.’ By providing students with meaningful reading experiences, they can be encouraged to practise their fluency skills and become avid readers. With dedication and practice, fluency in reading can help students grow and succeed.

Read to Succeed 
In order to ensure students are reaching their full potential in reading fluency, teachers and parents should provide ample opportunities for children to practise and develop these skills. Activities such as interactive read aloud sessions and timed readings can help build accuracy and speed. 
The DFE states in The Reading Framework 2022 that ‘reading engagement is not possible if children struggle with the basic mechanics of reading. Fluency and enjoyment are the result of careful teaching and practice.’

Fabulously Fluent with Fonetti
Fonetti has partnered with the National Read Aloud Challenge to ensure children have the chance to develop their reading fluency over the summer break. It is such a crucial skill that needs to be practised in order to be a successful reader. 

Children will have access to hundreds of books on the Fonetti in app library for free to practise their fluency over the holidays. They will receive instant, constructive feedback so they are making progress all while having fun.

Enrol your school now!

https://www.readaloudchallenge.co.uk

Posted in Insights, National Read Aloud Challenge, Reading

How To Prevent The Summer Slide And Keep Children Reading

Summer reading regression, otherwise known as the ‘summer slide’, is described by Twinkl as, ‘The trend of students “sliding backward” in their reading abilities during the summer months.’ It is something that educators and parents show concern about year on year. 

Summer Reading Regression
The summer holidays are in no doubt a time for children to relax and spend time with family and friends, but it is also a time where education is often pushed to one side. Like many things in life, reading is a skill that needs to be continuously practised in order to maintain the standard to which it once was, and short bursts of reading regularly is what is recommended to keep kids on track. 

The summer reading regression occurs when children do very little reading or no reading at all over the summer holidays. Children who don’t read over the summer lose about 20% of the reading gains from the previous academic year and, according to scholastic, ‘it takes on average 4-6 weeks for students to catch up on lost progress’. Lower income families experience the ‘summer slide’ at a greater amount due to lack of resources which widens the literacy gap further.

Put the Brakes On
We need to put the brakes on the ‘summer slide’ and make sure children don’t slip backwards, no matter their background. Working together with families is crucial to ensure that they feel supported. Parents need to be made aware of the summer slide but also given solutions to help them prevent it. If we know families don’t have the relevant resources at home, we need to provide them with what is necessary in order for them to succeed. 

Aswell as engaging the parents and educating them on the ‘summer slide’, we also need to make children excited about reading over the holidays. Considering the children are on their summer break, we need to think creatively to make reading engaging and fun. 

Below are three tips to get children excited about reading over the summer:

  1. Let children choose their own books. It is important that children feel they have ownership over the decision of the book they are reading and that they have the chance to choose one that they are interested in. If the book seems slightly too easy/hard, don’t worry! We just want children to enjoy what they are reading over the summer – any reading is better than no reading
  2. Include some games. Children love games! By involving games in education, children forget that they are learning and are focused on getting to the next stage in the game. It is the perfect way to keep children engrossed in books. 
  3. Incorporate technology. These days, children appear to be more tech-savvy than adults and can’t get enough of using technology. Why not make screen time productive and get children reading on tablets? 

The National Read Aloud Challenge 
The National Read Aloud Challenge is the perfect way to encourage children to read over the summer. Not only is the challenge completely FREE and provides children access to hundreds of books, it also incorporates games and prizes to motivate the kids. All our books are available on tablets so children can spend their screen time on something educational. 

Our aim is to reduce summer reading regression by making children love reading! We don’t want reading to be a chore, we want children to enjoy picking up books and experiencing the joy of being engrossed in a story. 

Put the brakes on the summer slide and enrol your school in the challenge! 

https://www.readaloudchallenge.co.uk

Posted in National Read Aloud Challenge, Insights, Reading

5 Top Tips for Kicking off the National Read Aloud Challenge Successfully!

The National Read Aloud Challenge aims to reduce reading regression over the summer as well as enhancing a love for reading. We want all children to return to school in September as confident, excited readers. 

Follow these five tips to ensure your school is set up successfully to make the most of the challenge!

1.School Community
Encourage children, parents and teachers at your school to be on board with the challenge. If you secure the support from the whole school community, they will naturally work together to keep the reading momentum going. 

  • Talk to children about the challenge in assemblies and during classroom time.
  • Remind your staff about the challenge during staff meetings and in the staff room.
  • Keep the parents involved by posting about the challenge on social media and sending out the letters we have provided.

2.Materials and Resources
Use the National Read Aloud Challenge resources available on your school’s personalised webpage. We have created these so that your workload is kept to an absolute minimum. You are provided with an assembly presentation, parent letters, posters & flyers, a staff information presentation and so much more! Make the most of the resources to promote the challenge!

3.Dive into the App
Explore the app so you are familiar with it. You will feel more confident when talking about the challenge if you have taken the time to get to know the app the children will be using. You might also want to have book discussions with children and recommend some books that you have seen on the in app library. The more book talk, the better!

4.Praise, Praise, Praise
Praising children who have signed up to the app is a great way to encourage other children to get involved. Celebrate the class who has the most children participating, congratulate children in assembly for signing up and thank parents for getting their children involved. Everyone loves a bit of praise (even the parents)!

5.Check in
Not all children will have access to a tablet at home. Check in with those children and give them the opportunity to take part in the challenge while they are still at school so they feel involved.

Remember, if you have any questions about the challenge, please use the ‘get in touch’ link and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

Enrol your school or register your child now!
www.readaloudchallenge.co.uk
#BeProudReadAloud

Posted in National Read Aloud Challenge, Insights, Reading

The National Read-Aloud Challenge goes live!

The National Read Aloud Challenge: Empowering Kids with Fonetti’s Award winning Voice Recognition Technology

At Fonetti, we believe that reading is an essential tool for learning and personal growth. That’s why we are thrilled to announce our support for the National Read Aloud Challenge, a groundbreaking initiative that encourages children across the UK to read aloud during their summer break. With Fonetti’s voice recognition technology and the challenge’s fun activities, we are confident that this program will help kids develop their reading skills while having a blast. In this blog post, we’ll explore the details of this program and its benefits for children and parents everywhere.

Discover what the National Read Aloud Challenge has to offer! A free summer programme for children across the UK, running through the months of June, July and August. The challenge: incorporating Fonetti, our innovative voice recognition technology, into your child’s reading routine

Reading aloud provides a plethora of benefits. Children can enhance their pronunciation, comprehension, and vocabulary, essential skills for personal and academic success. More than that, this engaging activity sparks a love for books and learning that lasts a lifetime. With the National Read Aloud Challenge, kids can start their school year with confidence, curiosity and verbal fluency.

Fonetti is thrilled to be a part of this initiative, proudly offering our technology for free to children. Our award-winning app uses cutting-edge voice recognition to guide and support early readers, allowing them to read independently whilst receiving valuable personalised feedback and encouragement.

By incorporating Fonetti into the National Read Aloud Challenge, we are taking a significant step towards realising our mission of enabling young learners to achieve their full potential.

In conclusion, the National Read Aloud Challenge is a fantastic opportunity for children to enjoy reading and improve their skills during the summer months. By using Fonetti’s voice recognition technology, kids can receive instant valuable feedback and support as they explore new books and stories. We encourage parents and teachers everywhere to participate in this program and share the joy of reading with the next generation. Let’s make this summer a time of learning, growth, and fun!

Posted in National Read Aloud Challenge, Insights, News, Reading

Children’s Book Week 2022

Children’s Book Week is an annual celebration of books for young people and the joy of reading across the USA, and it’s important to us as we have loyal fans in The States.

Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the USA. Every year, young people across the US participate by attending events at schools, libraries, bookstores, celebrating at home, and engaging with book creators both online and in person.

Bringing a joy to reading is at the heart of what we do. Some children have their love of reading already – and we build on it. Others haven’t found a connection with reading yet, and so the interactive nature of the books on Fonetti, alongside immediate visual feedback and in-app rewards make it more exciting and more engaging.

#HowDoYouBook
#BeProudReadAloud

Posted in News, Literacy, Reading

How Reading Challenges Help Children Improve Literacy and Confidence

In the UK we’re lucky to have a number of different literacy initiatives to encourage children to read.

The Reading Agency, for example, have their regular Summer and Winter Reading Challenges that encourage children to read books they’ve borrowed from the library.

There are numerous writing challenges –  from writing book reviews through to short stories. Indeed, we’ve run a number of Young Authors’ Competitions, which have resulted in amazing stories and poems being published on Fonetti, and inspired other children to believe in their creative writing abilities too.

Competitions are a great way to get some people to take action. Some like the idea of winning, while others like the idea of improving their performance.(1)

The Fonetti interactive reading format is engaging for both enthusiastic and reluctant readers alike, so, by combining it with the compelling aspect of a competition, we believe more young readers will be inspired to read, to read more, and will progress, wherever they are on their reading journey.

The India Reading Challenge brings the benefits of English language reading practice (alongside public recognition and prizes) to children across India, and the Summer UK Read Aloud Challenge does much the same for children in the UK.

(1) Franken B, Brown D, 1995, Why do people like competition? The motivation for winning, putting forth effort, improving one’s performance, performing well, being instrumental, and expressing forceful/aggressive behavior, Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 19, Issue 2, August 1995, Pages 175-184
https://doi.org/10.1016/0191-8869(95)00035-5

Posted in News, Reading

Fonetti’s Helping to Tackle Summer Reading Regression!

As children across the UK start their summer holidays, it is important for parents and carers to be aware that reading and learning regression can occur while pupils are out of school.

In simple terms, reading regression is when a student loses reading accuracy, fluency or comprehension skills due to not reading regularly during the school break. After so much disruption over previous years, it’s important that we all try to minimise the regressive impact of time away from school, so that as pupils return to school in September/October, they’re able to make progress.

Encouraging reading and literacy activities over the summer can help to prevent reading regression. This includes reading for fun or reading aloud with family members, as well as engaging in online reading resources such as books, articles and audiobooks. There are also games and puzzles that pupils can take part in to help with reading skills.

To do our part, we’ve launched the Summer UK Read Aloud Challenge, to encourage children to read aloud on their tablets, to  maintain the momentum of the previous term, and keep up their practice. There will be rewards for top readers to keep them motivated over the 5-6 weeks.

It’s just one of a number of preventative measures that teachers, parents and carers can put in place, to help their students succeed in reading over the summer holidays, which will then support them into the new school year.

For more information on reading regression prevention, teachers can visit the National Literacy Trust‘s website for advice and reading resources.

Posted in Reading, Insights

Fonetti launches Enid Blyton Stories on Fonetti

Hachette Children’s Group, one of the largest children’s publishers in the UK and publisher of author Enid Blyton, as well as owner of Enid Blyton Entertainment, has teamed up with Fonetti, in order to upload a selection of Blyton’s stories to the Fonetti library.

This is the first time ever that Enid Blyton has been part of a digital literacy platform.

Enid Blyton is one of the world’s best-selling children’s authors with sales of her books in excess of 500 million copies, translated into over 40 languages. In the UK she sells more than one book a minute and many of her books have been adapted into films and TV series.

As well as being regularly voted the UK’s best-loved author, according to UNESCO, Enid Blyton is the most translated children’s author in the world.

Children will be able to access the Blyton stories, which are grouped into three collections: Summertime Stories, Animal Stories and Magic and Mischief Stories, with each bundle of stories costing £7.99.

They are available in the Fonetti app now.

Kim Antoniou, CEO, Auris Tech;

“We are delighted to be able to offer our Fonetti readers these stories, from one of the best loved children’s authors of all time.”

“Literacy is the cornerstone of every child’s life. Without it, children (and adults) are held back at every stage. The ability to read is a vital life skill and the Fonetti App aims to promote reading, particularly reading aloud, and language skills to children from 4 to 9 years of age. Being able to offer Enid Blyton titles, alongside our many other authors, will help us to enhance and grow our reader base.”

Karen Lawler, Head of Brand Strategy and Licensed Content, Hachette Children’s Group added:

“We are delighted to be working with Fonetti to help ensure even more children have access to Enid Blyton’s world-famous stories. Fonetti’s ability to recognise children’s words as they read aloud has the potential to build reading accuracy and fluency. Enid Blyton’s stories have been used to develop literacy skills for generations of children, so we felt it was the perfect fit.”

Posted in Reading, Authors, News