WriteReader in action

Introducing WriteReader into our curriculum has made a remarkable difference. From the moment we started using the platform, I witnessed a newfound enthusiasm blooming in my students. Within just a few days, they were crafting their own stories and even creating multiple books—albeit short and simple ones. The unique feature of being able to add personal pictures and voice recordings has turned the writing process into an engaging and enjoyable activity that my students genuinely look forward to.

Transformative results through daily writing

One of the standout practices we implemented was keeping a daily diary through WriteReader. This activity allowed my students to express themselves more freely while taking ownership of their words. Watching them grow in confidence as they experimented with writing has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my teaching career. It is heartening to see them embrace this newfound skill and engage meaningfully with their own ideas.

A recommendation for educators

For any teacher seeking to enhance their students’ literacy skills while keeping them motivated and engaged, I wholeheartedly recommend WriteReader. Its user-friendly interface is perfect for young learners, and it fosters creativity in ways that nurture a love for reading and writing that extends beyond the classroom walls.

Erik Nelson is an English teacher at the Chicago Futabakai Japanese School in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

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Would you like to share your own WriteReader story? We’d love to hear from you! Reach out to us at info@writereader.com.

Inspire a Love for Reading and Writing

At WriteReader, we believe in the transformative power of storytelling. World Read Aloud Day is the perfect opportunity to combine reading, writing, and sharing. By encouraging your students to write their own books in WriteReader and read them aloud to classmates, friends, or family members, you can empower them to become authors and storytellers.

Ways to Celebrate with WriteReader

Interactive Reading

Have students read a book (or their favorite book!) and then create their own book to share their understanding. They can answer questions about the story, like:

• • What do you notice about the cover?
  • What do you think the story is about?
  • Who are the main characters?
  • What do you think will happen next?

Author Spotlight

Have students create short stories or poems in WriteReader and host a “Read Aloud Hour” where they share their creations.

Family Storytime

Invite parents or guardians to join in by reading their children’s WriteReader books aloud at home.

Collaborative Storytelling

Create a class book in WriteReader, with each student contributing a page. Then, read it aloud together.

Reading aloud strengthens comprehension, builds confidence, and, most importantly, makes learning enjoyable. So, grab a story—whether it’s a favorite book or an original WriteReader creation—and let your students’ words take center stage this World Read Aloud Day!

Happy Reading (and Writing) Aloud!

Personal narrative writing

Students embarked on their journey by drafting personal narratives highlighting significant connections between their current lives and pivotal events from their past. This reflective exercise focused on “seed moments” that have influenced their values. Through WriteReader, students transformed their narratives into digital books, enriching their stories by uploading personal images corresponding to each paragraph. This approach facilitated reflection and personal growth and fostered a safe space for sharing, allowing teachers to gain insights into students’ backgrounds and tailor lessons to resonate with their lived experiences.

The intersection of art and writing

In art class, students created portraits representing their personal narratives, integrating elements from their stories into their artwork. This cross-disciplinary approach enhanced both their writing and artistic expression, illustrating the interconnectedness of their experiences. By exploring how art and writing complement one another, students discovered that creativity is a multifaceted process relevant to any field where communication and expression are vital.

Community engagement through writing celebrations

To culminate the project, students participated in a writing celebration, sharing their digital books with their parents. This event emphasized the importance of community and connection. Through WriteReader, parents engaged with their children by listening to audio recordings of their narratives or reading printed copies. For those unable to attend, we ensured that links to the digital books were shared, allowing all families to celebrate their children’s accomplishments. This celebration reinforced the significance of connectedness through shared stories, fostering a sense of community.

Documenting and record-keeping for student-led portfolios

Utilizing WriteReader, we effectively documented students’ writing and artwork, enriching their understanding of both disciplines and serving as a valuable tool for teachers in maintaining accurate records for student-led portfolios. Incorporating students’ artwork as covers for their narratives or as images with captions at the end of their digital books brilliantly showcased their work and achievements, making this project an excellent addition to their portfolios.

The power of storytelling

This experience underscored the power of storytelling in building relationships and understanding diverse journeys. It demonstrated the impact of sharing their work, instilling a sense of pride and accomplishment crucial for collaboration. Through these interconnected activities, students not only honed their writing skills but also strengthened their ability to connect with others.

Dina Hegazy is a fifth-grade homeroom teacher and K-5 Math facilitator at The American International School of Egypt—West Campus. With 14 years of experience in the classroom, she utilizes educational technology to enhance her teaching practices. Hegazy is committed to addressing her students’ diverse abilities by using technology to bridge learning gaps and foster an inclusive educational environment.

Sharing stories of gratitude and joy

Encourage students to create their own holiday books filled with gratitude and joy. Using our image bank and customizable templates, they can write about their family traditions, favorite holiday memories, or wishes for the coming year. Adding personal touches, like audio recordings or hand-drawn illustrations, makes their books truly special.

Looking ahead

As we close the year, encourage students to reflect on their growth and set goals for the future. They can create “My Year Ahead” books in which they share hopes, dreams, and aspirations. This activity not only inspires a sense of purpose but also reinforces the importance of storytelling in personal growth.

Holiday Wishes and Happy New Year!

As the holiday season fills the air with warmth and joy, we at WriteReader want to express our heartfelt gratitude for being a part of our journey this year.

Whether you’re creating stories with your students, exploring new ways to inspire literacy, or simply sharing the gift of learning, your dedication makes a world of difference.

We wish you a holiday season filled with happiness, creativity, and cherished moments with loved ones. Here’s to another year of empowering young learners to become confident storytellers!

Happy Holidays and a wonderful New Year!

– The WriteReader Team

Boosting student proficiency with Access test preparation

Each year, my students take the Access test, which assesses their language proficiency. Utilizing WriteReader has provided them with the opportunity to practice essential skills that are crucial for success on this test. One of the most notable benefits has been observing the improvement in their typing proficiency, as well as their ability to search for and incorporate appropriate visuals into their writing. Additionally, students have been able to develop meaningful dialogue within their stories, enhancing their overall writing quality.

Building confidence through digital sharing

Perhaps one of WriteReader’s most transformative aspects is the ability for students to print or share their books digitally. This feature has significantly boosted their self-confidence, as they can showcase their work to peers and family members. The enthusiasm my students exhibit when discussing their books is a testament to the effectiveness of WriteReader’s engaging platform.

Time-saving and research-backed benefits for busy educators

As an educator managing multiple grade levels and responsibilities, WriteReader saves valuable time that can be better spent on instruction and individualized student support. Rather than dedicating hours to creating presentation materials, I can focus on enhancing student learning experiences.

Existing research strongly supports the efficacy of technology-based tools in improving writing development for English language learners. Multiple studies indicate that educational technology can significantly enhance learning outcomes, particularly in writing—an essential component of overall language acquisition. By using digital platforms and multimedia resources, educators can effectively engage and support students in developing their writing skills.

Enhancing engagement with interactive learning

While studies indicate no significant differences in reading comprehension between digital and paper formats, the interactive nature of digital platforms like WriteReader enhances student motivation and engagement. My experience with WriteReader has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly for bilingual students, as it fosters an engaging learning environment that supports language and literacy development. I highly recommend integrating such digital tools to better address students’ unique needs and support their journey toward language proficiency.

Ms. Al-Takriti
ELL Educator
Mokena Intermediate School
Illinois, US

Why is co-teaching valuable?

Co-teaching brings colleagues together, ensuring everyone is on the same page, and all students’ work is kept in one place. This continuity is crucial, no matter who the student is working with. Everyone stays in the loop.

It also means every student has a digital portfolio that all co-teachers can access. This portfolio is a treasure trove of work samples that help with formative assessment and tracking student progress. It gives everyone involved insights into the type of instruction each student needs, and multiple people can provide feedback. These digitally stored samples of students’ literacy development are always accessible, helping with assessment and reporting. By sharing our expertise, we’re also sharing the workload.

Who can be co-teachers?

You can add up to three co-teachers to every teacher account. One teacher can be added to multiple classrooms but still count as one co-teacher. Think about including:

• School librarians
• ELL teachers
• Job-share partners
• Buddy class teachers
• Reading intervention teachers
• Integrated technology teachers
• Learning assistants or resource teachers
• Speech & Language Pathologists (SLPs)
• Other classroom teachers in your cohort or learning community
• Long-term substitute teachers

How can co-teachers support student learning?

Co-teachers can log into WriteReader to help with:

• Cross-curricular content
• Assessment
• Editing and providing feedback
• Creating book templates
• Launching or completing curriculum projects
• Assisting with reading, spelling, vocabulary, and writing
• Modifying assignments to meet individual needs
• Analyzing student writing to guide their own lessons

How to add co-teachers

Here’s how you can add co-teachers to your WriteReader account:

1. Log into your WriteReader account. (Note: If you use Google Classroom, co-teachers are automatically imported.)
2. Click on “Students” (next to “Books”) on the blue toolbar at the top of the screen.
3. Click the blue Add (+) button in the Co-teachers section.
4. Type their email address in the pop-up box and click “Invite.”
5. The co-teacher will receive an invitation email with a link.
6. The co-teacher clicks the link in the invitation email, which will lead them to a page where they should either:
   • Log in with their existing account, or 
   • Create a new account with the invited email address if they don’t already have one.
7. Once the co-teacher is logged in or has created a new account, they can access the class.

Embrace collaborative teaching

There’s no need to go it alone. By bringing other teachers into our planning and teaching practice, we grow as educators and amplify our efforts to serve our students best.

Fostering positive self-identity and self-awareness

Children’s positive self-identity is nurtured through recognition and praise of their unique traits. Caregivers should create opportunities for children to showcase their strengths. Fostering self-awareness about their role in the world can contribute to developing pro-social behaviors. This lesson plan suggests various activities to help instill positive self-identity and self-awareness in young children, along with ideas for developing writing skills connected to the Language Arts curriculum.

Activities

Digital Storytelling with WriteReader

• • Personal Pages: Have students create pages in WriteReader, each dedicated to a different aspect of their lives. Pages could include “My Family,” “My Favorite Activities,” “My Hobbies,” “My Dreams,” etc. Encourage students to add pictures and write a few sentences about each topic.
  • Interactive Elements: Integrate audio recordings through the app where students can narrate their stories or share anecdotes. This adds a personal touch and allows them to practice speaking skills.

• • Collaborative Stories: Pair students up to create a “Buddy Book,” where they interview each other and write a page about their partner. This activity promotes listening and empathy.

Creative Art Projects

• • Self-Portraits: Have students draw or paint self-portraits. They can upload these to their WriteReader books as illustrations for their stories or take pictures of their drawings in the app.
  • Vision Boards: Students create digital or physical vision boards that showcase their goals and aspirations for the year. These boards can be incorporated into their WriteReader books as pages about their future dreams.

Interactive Class Activities

• • Show and Tell: Organize a show-and-tell session where students bring an item representing something important about themselves. They can write about the item in their WriteReader book and explain its significance to the class.
  • Merged Classbook: Have each student create a book about themselves, which can then be merged into a single book and displayed as a class book. At the year’s end, students can turn it into a yearbook with everyone’s accomplishments added!

• • Classroom Map: Create a large classroom map where students mark a spot representing their favorite place (e.g., their hometown, a park, or a travel destination). They can write a short description of why it’s special to them and include it in their book.

Technology Integration

• • QR Codes: Generate QR codes that link to students’ WriteReader books. Display these codes around the classroom or school so that peers and parents can scan and read each other’s stories.
  • Flipgrid Videos: Using Flipgrid, have students create short “All About Me” videos. They can introduce themselves and share fun facts. Embed the Flipgrid links in their WriteReader books for an interactive experience.

Sharing the learning

After the students have written their books, you can print or share them digitally. This can be done through a digital presentation or a gallery walk where students can read and comment on each other’s books. Children can engage in shared reading with other students and adults.

If you decide to print the WriteReader books, you can place them in book bins for read-to-self times or as an option for home reading. A third option is to create a binder with QR codes. Students can use iPads to scan these codes to read each other’s books over and over.

Extension activities

Encourage students to share their WriteReader books with their families and invite family members to leave comments or contribute to the stories. You can also make the “All About Me” books a living project where students can add new pages throughout the year as they grow and experience new things.

Customization and growth

Similar to our other lesson plans, this one is customizable. First, download the plan to your computer and input relevant information within the fillable fields, such as regional standards, modifications, and assessments. Speaking, reading, and writing offer abundant opportunities to aid a child in developing positive self-identity and self-awareness. We hope your young learners will enjoy learning and creating their “All About Me” books while advancing their social-emotional skills!

Here’s how media library specialists can use WriteReader to inspire and engage student authors:

• Empowering Creativity: WriteReader allows students to take ownership of their stories, giving them the tools to express themselves creatively. Whether they’re writing about their favorite topics, illustrating with images, or using the voice recording feature, students can bring their ideas to life in a way that feels personal and meaningful.
• Building Literacy Skills: As students craft their stories, they naturally enhance essential literacy skills, including vocabulary, phonics, and comprehension. WriteReader’s interactive features, such as text-to-speech and speech-to-text, provide additional support, helping students at different writing stages develop their reading and writing abilities.

• Creating a School Book Fair of Student-Created Books: Imagine hosting a school book fair where students create all the featured titles. Library media specialists can organize an event showcasing the stories written by students using WriteReader. This not only motivates students to write but also fosters a sense of pride and accomplishment as they see their printed books shared with peers, teachers, and parents.
• Encouraging Collaboration: WriteReader is an excellent tool for collaborative projects. Students can work together to create class books on various topics or themes, which can be displayed in the school library or during special events. This collaborative approach strengthens teamwork and helps build a community of young authors within the school.

Watch a 1 min video on how the books are published and showcased at a local library.

By integrating WriteReader into your media library programs, you can help students discover the joy of writing and the excitement of becoming published authors. Hosting a book fair of student-created books is a fantastic way to celebrate their creativity and hard work while promoting literacy and a love for storytelling.

We would love to support you if you are interested in creating a book fair at your school or local library. Feel free to reach out to support@writereader.com.

#LibraryLife #StudentAuthors #Literacy #EdTech #WriteReader #SchoolBookFair #CreativityInSchools

The Role of Early Writing in Literacy Development

Writing is more than just a way to communicate—it’s a tool that helps children understand and engage with the world around them. Early writing activities, such as storytelling, composing short sentences, or simply writing their names, foster creativity, build confidence, and improve fine motor skills. Research shows that writing supports reading development by helping children recognize letters, understand letter-sound relationships, and learn new vocabulary in context.

When children are encouraged to write early, they develop a sense of ownership over their learning and are likelier to see themselves as competent readers and writers. This is particularly important for achieving the broader aims of literacy education: empowering individuals, enhancing personal and community development, and fostering inclusive, sustainable societies.

How WriteReader Supports Early Writing and Literacy Development

Key Sounds and Speech Synthesis: WriteReader offers tools that support letter recognition and phonics, such as key sounds and speech synthesis. When children type letters, they can hear the corresponding sounds, helping them connect letters with their phonetic values. This feature is particularly effective for emergent writers who are just beginning to understand the relationship between letters and sounds.

Multimodal Learning: WriteReader integrates writing with visuals, such as images and drawings, helping students build connections between written text and visual context. This reinforcement is crucial for developing comprehension and vocabulary.

Personalized Feedback: WriteReader allows teachers and parents to provide tailored feedback directly on the child’s digital book, creating a supportive learning environment. This personalized guidance fosters a growth mindset and encourages ongoing improvement in writing skills.

Speech-to-Text Feature: The platform’s speech-to-text functionality allows young learners to speak their ideas out loud and see them transformed into written text. This feature supports students who may struggle with typing or handwriting, ensuring that all children can express themselves and build confidence in their writing.

Diverse Language Support: WriteReader supports multiple languages, making it an inclusive tool for English Language Learners (ELLs) and students from various linguistic backgrounds. This ensures that literacy development is accessible to all.

Ideas to Celebrate International Literacy Day with WriteReader

Here are a few ways educators and parents can use WriteReader to celebrate International Literacy Day:

1. Create a Phonics Storybook: Encourage students to create a storybook using the key sounds and speech synthesis features. This activity helps them practice letter-sound correspondence while developing their own narratives.
2. Interactive Word Walls: Use WriteReader to build a digital “word wall” where students add new vocabulary words they learn. Incorporate speech synthesis so students can hear the correct pronunciation and see the words in context. The “word wall” can be shared through a reading room.
3. Digital Storytelling Projects: Have students use the speech-to-text feature to dictate and illustrate their stories.
4. Collaborative Class Book: Create a merged class book where each student contributes a page, writing about a shared theme, like “What Literacy Means to Me.”

Join Us in Celebrating International Literacy Day

This International Literacy Day, let’s celebrate the power of early writing in building strong literacy foundations. By leveraging tools like WriteReader, we can inspire a love for writing, support diverse learners, and contribute to a more literate world.

Ready to get started? Sign up for a free account at WriteReader and explore our resources to help your young learners become confident writers and readers!

Elementary school principals face the dual challenge of improving literacy rates and supporting the diverse needs of their students, particularly English Language Learners (ELLs). Students arrive at different writing stages with varying levels of preparedness, making it challenging to ensure every student develops strong foundational literacy skills.

The challenge for elementary school principals

For principals, the challenge lies in finding innovative solutions that engage all students and make learning enjoyable and effective. This is where WriteReader steps in. WriteReader is an MITSolve award-winning educational platform designed to boost literacy through a unique approach: empowering students to become authors of their own stories.

WriteReader offers a research-based and innovative solution by transforming traditional reading and writing exercises into a dynamic, creative process. The platform enhances engagement and builds confidence as they progress through different writing stages. This method encourages frequent practice, which is essential for improving reading and writing skills.

Supporting diverse learners: A tailored approach for ELL students

ELL students particularly benefit from WriteReader’s adaptability, as it allows them to practice all language domains—listening, speaking, reading, and writing—through storytelling that is meaningful and relevant to their experiences. The platform supports dual-language features, enabling students to write in their native language and gradually incorporate English, making learning more accessible and inclusive.

The impact on your school

By integrating WriteReader into your school’s curriculum, you equip teachers with a powerful tool that meets students where they are, helping them achieve literacy milestones while supporting their diverse learning needs. WriteReader not only improves literacy rates but also fosters a sense of ownership and pride in students as they become confident writers.

Here is a short overview of how WriteReader can help elementary schools.

Teachers can create a free account and get started in minutes, and schools can request a discounted quote anytime by reaching out.