Freddy's Favorites

2008 William S. Gray Citation of Merit

Featured in the June/July issue of Reading Today is a picture of TextProject founder, Freddy Hiebert, receiving the 2008 William S. Gray Citation of Merit! Congratulations to Freddy!

Posted 06/24/2008, Last Modified 06/24/2008

Pearson Connected Training Webinar

Pearson Training welcomes you to join a complimentary one-hour training sessions on text-based fluency (specifically, QuickReads) delivered in a convenient web-based format. You may join as an individual or a group. A computer with high-speed internet access and a speakerphone is required for participation. Each session will:

• Explain the philosophy
• Identify the program components
• Describe the instructional routine
• Allow time for questions and answers

Join others and learn more about QuickReads® and QuickReads® Technology.

To register for Pearson’s Training Webinars, click here.

Posted 12/12/2007, Last Modified 05/01/2008

QuickReads Video

This short video provides a comprehensive look at how QuickReads promotes reading success by addressing fluency development. Featuring scenes of students using QuickReads and comments from students, teachers, adminisitrators and QuickReads author Elfrieda H. Hiebert, the video explains the QuickReads design and presents results of early research on its effectiveness.

Posted 10/09/2006, Last Modified 12/13/2006

About QuickReads

QuickReads are exactly that-short texts to be read quickly and with meaning. The QuickReads program consists of six levels: A, B, C, D, E, and F. Each level contains three books, and each book contains 30 texts (90 texts per level). These texts support automaticity with the high-frequency words and phonics/syllabic patterns needed to be a successful reader at a particular grade level. Additionally, with topics in two subject areas: social studies and science, texts in the QuickReads program encourage meaning and comprehension. Book 1 includes texts on Civics, and Life Science. Book 2 includes texts on Economics, Geography, and Earth Science. Book 3 includes texts on History, and Physical Science.

The QuickReads program is a creative and innovative application of recent research on the nature of texts used to teach reading. QuickReads texts support automatic, meaningful grade-level reading.

QuickReads texts are written at the independent level for a grade. That means that 98% or more of the words in a text fit the grade-level curriculum. Compare this to current textbook or intervention programs where 10-15% of the words often fall outside the grade-level curriculum.

QuickReads texts are at a length that a grade-level reader should be able to read—when reading fluently—in one minute.

Benefits

• Students of ALL reading abilities read more quickly and retain what they read
• Students are equipped for ongoing success on the Reading First proficiencies of fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary
• Curriculum-embedded non-fiction texts in science and social studies are interesting and fun for students
• Instructional guidance and assessments are easy and flexible for teachers and tutors
• Design of texts and instruction is based on research and their effectiveness is validated by research

Features

• Careful balance of familiar and new words promote fluency
• Interesting content and connections across texts promote comprehension
• Grade-level appropriate texts focusing on key concepts promote vocabulary

Uniqueness

• High-frequency words make up 98% of the texts
• Hard words are repeated so students can develop meaning and word recognition strategies for hard words
• Text length corresponds to grade-level reading rate for 1 minute
• Texts are thematically grouped

Posted 10/09/2006, Last Modified 12/18/2006