● Every 2 pages is one track.
→ It’s easy to go back and listen to a certain page again. (Track numbers are on the CD insert.)
● Good sound effects ♪
→ Makes the audio more fun for the kids!
● Easy to understand when to turn the page!
→ Turn the page when the chime sounds.
- Have students listen to the CD while reading the book. They can pause the CD and repeat. They can also try to shadow the audio and say it at the same speed with the same intonation.
- You can have one CD and book for each student. They can do the reading for homework or during class time. You can set up a library for students to borrow the books and CDs. (Some schools have set up borrowing systems like a library, where they keep track of the student’s name, the date borrowed, and the due date for the materials. Some have also made library cards for their students.)
- During the next lesson, the students can read the story to the teacher and/or the entire class. If they read the story well, they can get the teacher’s signature for that book on a reading chart. The reading chart has three levels per page. Once students completely read through three levels, you can staple a new reading sheet in front of the completed one. Great for students to keep track of their own reading progress!
> Springboard Reading Chart is here!
How to use the level chart: Challenge students to read all of the books in each level. Write the name of the level they are working on at the top of that section. Each of the 8 books in a level is labeled with a letter from ‘a’ to ‘h’. So, for example, if a student reads book ‘d’ well, sign the square for book ‘d’. Once they have your signature in all eight squares, they are ready to move up to the next level! You can also use stickers or stamps or write the date in place of a signature, if you’d like.
This chart was first introduced by Matthew-sensei during APRICOT Plaza in 2009. Other teachers who started using the chart with their students gave the following feedback. “Using this chart really improved my students’ motivation! They are completely different!” Please try it out!
Springboard is the fantastic literacy program from Macmillan Education Australia, the PRIMARY PUBLISHER OF THE YEAR 3 years in a row. It is designed for children who are considered “at risk” for reading. In order to engage children who may not like to read, the content is varied and interesting, and the language starts very simple, gradually getting harder. A strength of the series is that it builds students’ reading confidence. Being able to read a book, and then complete an entire level makes students think, “Yay! I could read!” This feeling of accomplishment makes them want to keep reading.
Springboard is sold in level packs; each level pack has 8 books: 3 factual and 5 fiction.
Ways you can use Springboard:
▶ Every lesson I have 15 minutes of Reading Time. Students do not worry about words that they do not know, but keep practicing reading. They’ve been getting better and better as they get used to reading. Now, the 5th grade students can read one Level 15 book in 15 minutes! (N-sensei, Osaka)
▶ I use Springboard as a text. We check on words that the students do not know and read the books slowly. Springboard is a series of picture books, so when students take the books home, it is easy for their parents to understand what we are doing. Now students are studying Level 5, preparing for Step Test (Eiken) level 4. (K-sensei, Aichi)
