Two Websites for Learners with Disabilities

Often teachers look for tools to help reach those students who are struggling. There are many different tools available out there to help reach all students at their level. Two websites that I have found to be helpful in reaching all students are SpellingCity and ReadWorks both are easy to use and have a feature to reach students at their levels.

Does spelling/vocabulary always give you a problem? SpellingCity is a great tool not just for students with disabilities, but for all learners. SpellingCity lets you either select a Spelling or a Vocabulary list from predetermined lists, or create your own lists. I love this feature because I take the words from our vocabulary books and create a list using their weekly words. Students are then able to learn their spelling or vocabulary words through engaging online activities.

As the teacher, you can either assign students different activities to do or let them explore the activities themselves. One of my favorite activities is the Initial Sound Speller and the SillyBulls that helps students learn to spell and sound words out.

ReadWorks is one of my go-to websites and has recently had some fantastic updates. There is now a digital version on the website where you can create student accounts and have students read and respond to questions at their level. As the teacher, you can create student accounts either by having students sign in with their Google accounts or creating your roster. You then can assign students reading passages based upon their reading levels and have them respond to questions about those passages. There is also a section where you can have the students review the vocabulary of the passages. Another fantastic feature to the new mobile website is that certain books are currently available in audio format–an incredible feature to students with disabilities as it will read them the passage. Just think about how great this tool can be to those students who struggle with reading.

If you have not checked out the Article a Day, that is another great feature for ReadWorks. The best part is you can find an article at your student’s levels. Just make sure you know your students’ Lexile Levels. If your school does not use Lexile, there are many charts that you can find online that will help you convert the levels. Looking for Paired Texts to go along with certain topics? Guess what ReadWorks also offers. You can find texts to go with almost any topic and once again find them at the proper level for your students. When you get a chance make sure you do check out ReadWorks to help your students who not only struggle but those students with learning disabilities.

There are many more tools that can be used to help reach students of all learning. Make sure to check out Using Technology to Engage Students With Learning Disabilities for other great tools and tips to reach all learns.