Written Language Immersion

ACR Academy has implemented a new reading program developed by Dom Massaro of the UCSC psychology department. His cutting edge program utilizes Ipad technology to introduce children to a new way of learning to read. The ipad application he developed takes well known children's books and turns them into a digital story in which the words are read aloud to the readers. The text is presented in a large font that is touch sensitive, so that the children can interact with it themselves. This system is called “technology assisted reading acquisition” (TARA). The skill level of the application changes depending on the learning needs of the child, and these levels can accommodate infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The objective is for young children to learn to read naturally, and without direct instruction. Learning to read at such a young age can help children thrive in their later schooling. This program is free and optional, but requires written parent/guardian permission.

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