Reading when Ready with Reading Eggs

As a class teacher I would have sworn by our education system; it was clearly allowing children to progress and achieve at whatever cost.

As a Primary school teacher and having responsibilities over KS1 I was often found in learning material and termly tracking charts for not only my own class but for others too. In essence, although quite demanding, the tracking of pupil’s in subjects like Literacy showed not only the child’s ability but also the teacher’s strengths and highlighted key lesson components that were either successful or failing. In the latter scenario you could see that the whole class were struggling with understanding and you could find other plans, techniques and activities to bridge that gap. I always found this great and allowed me as a teacher and overseer of other classes to push children to their maximum capability.

However, this faith in my once loved education system failed and disappeared when William went to school.

It was our opinion that the schooled environment and pressures asked of him were too much for his emotional maturity. Our once bright, clever and successful child had fallen behind and showed real emotional instability.

This as a parent was truly heart breaking to witness. However, once out of school, William returned to his lovely and mostly happy self and I had time to reflect on my experience as a teacher.

He showed me when he was ready to progress in subjects like Literacy and when it was appropriate to push with his reading at HIS pace.

This last year he has found his footing and has been keen to be reading at every opportunity. With this willingness to achieve it allowed me, as both parent and teacher, to find resources to keep that momentum going without creating a negative formal education that might make him regress.

When Reading Eggs approached us then to try their site I jumped at the opportunity.

Reading Eggs is an educational site that allows natural progression coupled with an engaging way to read. It was created and then developed by teachers with over 30 years’ experience and with creative designers to produce a bright and colourful online and easy to follow programme that combine fun with learning whilst tracking the progress of each child.

On joining the site it offered to test the child, in a relaxed way, to find the appropriate level to learn. The test itself is quite simple and based around the ability to read phonic sounds as well as more complex sentences. Once complete the student could progress to the learning map freely and we, as the parent and teacher, received an email to say which level they were as well as tracking information of the student’s progress.

The learning map is really engaging and allows the children to complete games to achieve “eggs” which then allows them to buy further games and items for their avatar or house. Once each map level is complete Children earn a certificate which can be then printed.

This was quickly enjoyed by William. He saw each lesson as a game and wanted to learn and play. The clever design allowed progression without making it look like a formal activity.

Personally, as a teacher and home educator, I think this is where the sites creative team has created a brilliant resource.

Reading Eggs allows the student the freedom to achieve at whatever level they are at. If they are succeeding then they can progress and maintain their knowledge at home. Yet, children who may struggle can have a boost to fill the gaps but do so through self-paced and highly engaging activities.

My Conclusion:

As a Teacher

I can see the creators have worked with educators to produce a learning tool that follows the progression of all students through their understanding of the reading process and can be an addition to learning. The tracking of each student will highlight the areas that need more attention and allow each stage to positively reinforce the individual achievements.

As a Parent

I have seen over these last 6 weeks a real boost in understanding in reading levels. As well as engagement in other literacy topics like spelling. The fact that William wants to sit and “play” for 20 minutes each day and have the enjoyment of learning is lovely to witness.

To help support parents like this, the team have agreed to give readers a FIVE WEEK free, no-obligation trial.

As a Home Educator

This site offers educational presence to achieve at a self-paced rate without creating a “schooled” setup. It can be included in tech time as well as in addition to their Literacy work. If, like me, you want your child less pressured but not sure how to do so without formal reading then the site does this in a free and engaging way.

Along with the above FREE TRIAL, Reading Eggs offer a special discount to Home Educators; why miss the opportunity?

For now, I am left with a happy and confident child who continually wants to read and a great resource to hand.

(This is a collaboration with Reading Eggs. My opinions and images are my own and I am under no obligations to give a positive review! Please see my full disclosure at the bottom of my blog)