iReadBetter
True or False: Children are taught by others how to read.
True or False: The elements of written English are the 26 letters of the alphabet.
True or False: Learning how to read means memorizing how thousands of words are spelled.
True or False: Remembering a bunch of rules is essential to understanding phonics.
“False” is the correct answer to each of the above, and we have created an app that proves it. In fact, iReadBetter provides children with a fresh, new entry into the demands of written English.
Back in the middle of the 20th century, a brilliant mathematician and educator, Dr. Caleb Gattegno, invented an approach to literacy, named "Words in Color," through which learners quickly become aware of four amazing facts:
- We actually teach ourselves how to read.
- The elements of written English are best understood, not as the individual letters of the alphabet, but rather as “signs,” which correspond to the forty or so spoken sounds of English, often represented by surprising letters or combinations of letters. For example, you sound the /oo/ in flood like the /u/ in “up,” the /i/ in “onion” like the /y/ in “yes,” and the /ch/ in “chorus” like the /k/ in “kite.”
- By combining in various ways just a handful of “signs,” color-coded according to how you sound them (so, for example, the /t/ at the end of “past” is colored the same as the /ed/ at the end of “passed”), the beginning reader can decode and correctly spell thousands of words, with only a minimal need for memorization.
- By noticing consistencies and inconsistencies (e.g., “stove,” “cove,” “wove” and “grove,” but not “move” or “love”), you can learn rapidly, while avoiding overly simplified and often misleading phonics rules.
With iReadBetter, children everywhere have access to the world’s first digital version of Gattegno’s Words in Color program, including his Word Transformer, Gap Game, Transformation Game and Infused Reading. Those innovations provide a unique opportunity to enter the world of reading and spelling with self-assurance and clarity about the true nature of the challenge.
Currently available, for free and with no in-app purchases, on Apple's app store for play on an iPad.