I recently came across two sites that would be useful in the lower primary classrooms for reading lessons.
SIGNED STORIES
This British site contains a collection of free animated stories. Each story is read, signed and also has the words down the bottom of the page for students to follow along. There are hundreds of popular children’s stories available in a range of genres and the site is growing all the time. While this site was created for hearing impaired children and their families, it has many uses in the classroom. The videos can be paused to focus on particular teaching points. The fact that the story is read aloud also means that students can independently “read” a more difficult text than they would be able to on their own. Click here to check it out.
READING IS FUNDAMENTAL: LEADING TO READING
Although this site is publicised as being for children age 3 to 5, I believe it is a valuable resource for students up to Grade Two. It contains a collection of stories, songs and games. The animated stories highlight each word as it is spoken which makes it easier for students to read along. The story can be paused to focus on teaching points. The collection of stories for school age children is limited at this stage although I expect it will continue to grow. The site is very easy for non-readers to navigate as each option is spoken when you hover your mouse over it. Click here to check out Leading to Reading.
My students are captivated by signed stories. They have a great time trying to sign along with familiar stories.
This is a cool site. I think I have some teachers in the district that will find this fun to use in class. Thanks for the find and share.
I think these would be wonderful sites to share with parents to use with their children over the summer to encourage reading. I was amazed by the number of stories available on Signed Stories!