Here at Focused Ed we are always interested in and looking for the latest and greatest apps that can help students learn!  Whether it is an app best utilized in a classroom setting, tutoring situation, or homework help we are interested and you better believe we will try it, use it, and let you know what we think!
The first app we are reviewing for you is One Minute Reader!  Below you will hear our thoughts on cost, usability, effectiveness, special features, and a few other tid-bits! 

Application: One Minute Reader...where do I even begin?  I cannot put into words, or rather...there is no real word great enough to describe this app, so we will go with FANTABULOUSERIFIC! 
Cost:  $-$$  You can download a free version or a low-cost version.  However, once you begin to use this app, you will discover that in order to have access to multiple stories within a given book level, you will need to purchase individual books for a small fee.  Another option is downloading an entire level of books for$19.99 which would be best for someone working with multiple children in order to get the most use for the price.
Purpose:  The focus of this application is Fluency.  Being a fluent reader is a struggle for many kids of all ages and stages of reading development.  In order to gain deeper comprehension of a text, a reader must be able to read that text fluently.  This app is 100% focused on allowing children to practice fluency in a fun and entertaining way while also providing feedback to be shared with anyone that has a vested interest in the child's progress.  Results can be emailed, messaged, downloaded, etc. 
Usability:  We have used this application during tutoring sessions with multiple children in a variety of grade levels and ages.  This application is easy to navigate and has written as well as oral directives to guide the user.  There are a few pages located at the beginning of the app that offer help, a table of contents, and placement information.  The placement information guides the instructor/educator as to how to determine the best starting place for a child using this program.  This app walks the user through every function and option in an easy-to-understand format.
Features:  The main features in this app are listed below:
Placement:  This feature allows the instructor/educator to determine how to go about finding the best starting point for a child needing fluency practice.
Levels:  This feature is where you will find a variety of reading levels to use with the student(s).  Each book within a level contains multiple short stories, however only 1-2 in each book are included with the application, but the rest are available to download for a  small fee.  
Within each book you will find the following functions, all of which the application keeps track of in order to include in the feedback/results:
    -Cold Read-This function gives the student a 1-minute time limit to read the 
    selection without any background or preview time.  This will give you a more 
    exact idea of the child's ability to read a new text fluently. 
    -Read Along-This function reads the story aloud to the student.  The student has
    the option of clicking on highlighted vocabulary words in order to gain a better
    understanding of difficult words in the text.
    -Read Alone-This function gives the child 5 chances to read the text aloud while
    a one-minute timer counts down.  When the child is done reading, they are shown
    how many wpm (words per minute) they read.  They are then given the option of
    saving that "read" as their top attempt or trying again (up to 5 times).  It saves 
    the child's score on each read.  
    -Quick Quiz-This function allows students to answer comprehension questions 
    about the text in order to gauge their level of understanding of what they've 
    read.  My favorite part is that it allows the students to go back into the text
    to review their answers and ensure they can find text evidence to support the
    answer choice they select...a teacher's dream! 
    -Word Scramble/Game/Joke:  At the end of each quiz question, hints are given to
    the child to use towards a joke, game, or word scramble associated with the 
    text.
    -Results:  The results are given to the children instantly1  A thermometer tells 
    them how "hot" they were and what their best attempt at fluent reading of the 
    text was.  These results are a great visual and can be emailed, messaged, down-
    loaded, etc.

Overall, this application is an app that is worth the cost and should be a MUST on any parent or teacher's phone or device!  Children of all ages can benefit from this application and the skill-practice it provides!
-Brenna Newman

When a child or teenager regularly reads a passage well but "can't remember what is said,” we know that he is using an inefficient strategy for comprehension.
Dianne Craft


One of the most puzzling situations a homeschooling mother finds herself in is when she has a child who can read the words in a book but cannot answer the questions or tell her what has just been read. These moms frequently hear the phrase “I don’t remember” when queried about the reading material.

When working with bright, hardworking fourth- through eighth-graders in my reading class, I often had students who were experiencing this particular reading difficulty. I realized that these students were not proficient at converting the words they were reading into a “movie” in their head, as the rest of us do when we read. They were merely doing “word calling” much of the time. I found that “movie making” was a skill that could be developed in them, using an easy fifteen-minute-a-day exercise. This exercise did not involve paper or pencil but only the use of the brain.

“Word calling” is a left-brain auditory task, while creating a picture or movie of those words is the responsibility of the right-brain hemisphere. I merely showed them how to create a seamless flow of words to pictures as they were reading. You can do this at home, very easily.

Converting Words to Pictures


When a child or teenager regularly reads a passage well but “can’t remember what is said,” we know that he is using an inefficient strategy for comprehension. He often is trying to remember the exact words he read, rather than converting the words into pictures. Whether he is reading for recreation or information, he must change the words he reads into images in his mind. The more these images involve the senses (sight, sound, smell, feel), the greater will be the comprehension of the passage.

Daily Training Sessions


The following steps can be used with a student to develop his ability to change the words he hears or reads into pictures for good comprehension. You will be surprised how fast his comprehension skills will improve after just a few weeks of these “training sessions.”

This method works well with one child or a group of children or teenagers.

Step 1: Parent/Teacher Reads a Passage Aloud


Choose material to read to the child that is interesting and very descriptive. Standing in front of him as you read to him, have the child sit upright and keep his eyes upward, creating a “movie” in his mind. You can pretend that you are looking at the projection screen in a movie theatre to further aid him in his “movie making.” Read a sentence or two aloud. Then ask him a few questions until you are sure he is seeing the pictures of the words you read, in detail.

For example, this is how your training session might look if you are reading aloud a passage about a beaver. Your first sentence you read may be, “The beaver is the largest rodent in North America.” Stop reading, and point to the imaginary screen, and say, “On our screen, let’s draw a quick sketch of North America. Now put the beaver on that map.”

Your next sentence in this passage will read, “An adult beaver weighs from 35–70 pounds.” Stop reading and point up to the imaginary screen and say, “Now, use the ‘zoom lens’ of your brain camera and write ‘35–70’ on the beaver’s coat. Let’s use white paint to do this. Is your paint dripping? Oh well, he’ll wash it off soon.”

The next sentence in the text will be, “Because of its large lungs, a beaver can remain submerged in water for fifteen minutes.” Stop reading and look up at the screen and help the child see this in his head by saying, “Now we need to change our scene. Let’s make a picture of a pond, with beavers around it. Do you see it on your screen? Now have one of the beavers slip into the pond. See him down on the bottom of the pond. Picture a large clock next to him. Have the hands of the clock move from 12:00 to 12:15.”

As you do this training, instruct your child how to “move” his pictures and “freeze” them when he wants to notice something. You both will have great fun with this!

When you get to the end of a passage you’re reading, instruct your child to “rewind” the movie, to answer some questions about the passage. As you ask the questions, direct his gaze upward as he reviews his “movie” for the answers. This is the exciting part. Your child will be amazed at how easy it is to answer the questions.

Whether he is reading for recreation or information, he must change the words he reads into images in his mind.

Step 2: The Student Reads Aloud to You


After your child has demonstrated proficiency in converting words to pictures as he hears them, he is ready to read the words himself while creating his “movie.” Select a reading passage that is easy for him to read so that he can concentrate on making pictures rather than sounding out new words. Repeat the process you used before, stopping him after he has read a sentence or two, to ask him some questions about his “movie.” Direct his gaze upward to see what he just read. Be sure he gives you detailed pictures. As this becomes easier and his recall becomes more accurate, you can increase the number of sentences he reads before you ask questions.

Step 3: The Student Reads Silently


When your child is successfully reading aloud while making good pictures in his mind, you can have him read a passage silently, asking him to stop every few lines or so, and asking him to tell you about the pictures he has made. If the pictures are detailed and accurate, you can have him read to the end of the passage uninterrupted. At the end of the reading, have him “rewind” his film and tell you all that he has read. You will be surprised at the things he remembers! His “words to pictures” process will soon become automatic. The upward eye movement will soon be unnecessary for the storage and retrieval of reading material.

Remember: No pictures=No answers; Few pictures=Few answers; Great pictures=Great Answers.

This strategy is simple but very effective. Expect to see great changes in the comprehension and retention of reading material in your children.

Email your short questions to Dianne at this address: craft@ecentral.com.


Dianne Craft has a master’s degree in learning disabilities. She speaks widely at homeschool conventions across the country. Her books, Brain Integration Therapy Manual, Right Brain Phonics Program, and her DVDs, Understanding & Helping the Struggling Learner, Teaching the Right Brain Child, Smart Kids—Who Hate to Write, and The Biology of Behavior have helped hundreds of families remove learning blocks in their struggling children at home. Visit her website, www.diannecraft.org, for many articles on children and learning and to download her free Daily Lesson Plans for the Struggling Reader and Writer.

DISCLAIMER: This information is not intended as medical advice. Everyone is encouraged to make their own health care decisions, with advice from qualified professionals.

  Have you ever thought about what your life would be like if you didn't know how to read?   Many adults do not read for enjoyment, but reading is a part of our every day life. 
     As a child I remember asking my 3rd grade teacher why I needed to know how to "do math"....as I got older and math got harder, I still asked "why do I need to know how to do Geometry?"  I'm not sure how I use geometry in my daily life now, but I'm sure I use it somehow, in some way.  However, never once have I asked "why do I need to know how to read?" or "Why do I need to have to think about what I read when I read?" I just do. 
    From the time I was a small child my mom always read to me, and I watched my mom and dad read on a daily basis, whether it was their Bible study, a book for enjoyment, a cookbook, or a book to my brother or I.  Literacy was instilled in me from the time I was old enough to know what a book was.  I even remember wanting to sit on my training potty and read my Snoopy book, reading has just been a part of my life for as long as I can remember.
    We live in a BUSY world, do you take the time to just read?  Whether for your own enjoyment or to your child?  20 minutes a day with your child and a book will make a HUGE difference in their view of literacy.  Books bring a new world to life, I challenge you to spend 20 minutes a day with your child and a book...no stress, just encouraging them to enjoy the time with you!  If they are a beginning reader, turn it into a game, hunt for sight words, don't watch the clock, don't practice fluency, just enjoy the 20 minutes together, getting lost in a book, or two!