As per requested, The Waterford program has been used in my classroom since the first week of school. At the beginning of the program I projected the program on a screen for all students to see what the program will look like and how to maneuver through the program. I have found this to be helpful in general for students. It is very helpful to those students that may have never used a computer. Many students have such a challenge with using a mousepad. It takes them a few tries to understand it as they are more familiar with today's touch screen technology.
A concern I have with this program is it is only offered in English. I have several students that are newcomers and I understand their frustration with not wanting to complete the program daily. I feel that offering both languages would allow for better success to less-then-confident students. In kindergarten, everything is new to students. Many ESOL students have not gone to school, preschool, day care prior to kindergarten. The program can be overwhelming to someone with very limited English. For those with Limited English, the speaking requests of the program is very fast and does not offer multiple examples of expectations. This period can take several weeks for these students to feel confident completing the daily program. I know with use of the Waterford program and what I am instructing in guided reading groups my studnets are growing daily and working hard to become successful readers.
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