Session Description: Reading comprehension is a cornerstone of ELA, and AI can provide pivotal support for readers at all levels. This session will introduce AI tools that adapt to individual students’ comprehension needs, offering personalized exercises and feedback. Learn how AI can diagnose reading challenges and tailor interventions, helping students navigate complex texts with confidence. Discover strategies to implement AI in your reading instruction, transforming struggling readers into successful, engaged literary explorers.

I am super excited to be presenting again for BER. Welcome to your outsourced memory for today’s session. Not sure what outsourced memory is? No worries, you simply haven’t learned about outsourced memory and transactive thinking YET! But we will get to that shortly. Please feel free to follow along here as we go through this session. Please feel free to share this resource with others, and if you have questions, or would like to share something with me, feel free to email me.

Have You Met Aitana Lopez?

Here are a few things you should know about about Aitana.

Dancing Plague of 1518 Yeah, but how do I share it? In your LMS, Google Classroom, or Google Sites. What about Quizzlet flashcards for vocabulary?

Tools and Techniques

1. Differentiating Readings Differentiating readings involves tailoring texts to meet the diverse reading levels of students. Tools like Text Compactor and Rewordify can simplify complex texts, making them more accessible. Additionally, providing multiple versions of the same text at different reading levels ensures that all students can engage with the material meaningfully.
2. Vocabulary Tools with Quizlet allows teachers to create custom vocabulary sets and interactive study tools. Students can use flashcards, games, and quizzes to reinforce vocabulary learning. This strategy supports personalized learning, as students can study at their own pace and focus on words they find challenging. Quizlet also tracks progress, helping teachers identify areas where students need additional practice.
3. Reader’s Theatre involves students in reading scripts aloud, which enhances reading fluency, comprehension, and engagement. This strategy promotes expressive reading and helps students understand character perspectives and dialogue nuances. It also encourages collaborative learning and improves public speaking skills.
4. From Youtube to Reading Passage in a Click YouTube Summary with ChatGPT & Claude is a free Chrome Extension that lets you quickly summarize YouTube videos, web articles, and PDF you’re consuming. Use this extension to save time and learn more quicker. YouTube videos, web articles, and PDF summarization functions are powered by ChatGPT (OpenAI), Claude (Anthropic), Mistral AI and Gemini.
5. Microsoft Teams Reading Progress helps assess students’ reading fluency by recording their reading sessions, providing personalized feedback, and tracking progress. Teachers can analyze performance data to tailor interventions and support individual student needs.
6. ReadTheory offers personalized reading comprehension exercises and adaptive quizzes. It adjusts the difficulty level based on student performance, providing an individualized learning experience that helps improve reading skills over time.

Reading Images and Documents

Fact or Fiction Challenges

1. The Great Emu War: In 1932, Australia faced an unexpected foe – emus. The birds were causing chaos in Western Australia, leading to a military operation against them. Despite the use of machine guns, the emus proved surprisingly resilient, and the birds emerged victorious.
2. The Dancing Plague of 1518: In Strasbourg, France, a woman began dancing in the street, and within a month, hundreds of people had joined her, dancing for days without rest, leading to numerous deaths. The cause of this dancing mania remains a mystery.
3. Tarrare, the Insatiable Eater: In 18th century France, a man named Tarrare had an appetite so voracious he could eat a quarter of a cow in a day. His inexplicable condition led him to consume everything from stones to live animals, and even, allegedly, a human heart.
4. The Rain of Fish in Honduras: In the city of Yoro, an unusual meteorological phenomenon occurs annually known as “Lluvia de Peces” (Rain of Fish), where fish are found on the ground after heavy rainstorms. Scientists believe tornadoes or waterspouts may pick up the fish from rivers and drop them over the land.
5. The Green Children of Woolpit: In the 12th century, two children with green-tinged skin mysteriously appeared in the village of Woolpit in England. Speaking an unknown language and refusing all food except beans, their origin remains a subject of speculation and wonder.
6. The Toxic Lady: In 1994, Gloria Ramirez was admitted to a California hospital with severe health issues. Hospital staff treating her began fainting and experiencing symptoms of poisoning when exposed to her blood and body. The cause remains a controversial mystery, with some suggesting toxic fumes were released from her body.
7. The Phantom Barber of Pascagoula: In 1942, a mysterious figure known as the Phantom Barber would break into homes at night in Mississippi, not to steal, but to cut the hair of sleeping occupants. The bizarre motive behind these break-ins was never fully understood.
8. Cleopatra’s Needle and the Curse of the Pharaohs: When the ancient Egyptian obelisk known as Cleopatra’s Needle was transported to London in the 19th century, it was rumored to bring a curse with it. Stories of bad luck and bizarre incidents followed, part of the larger myth of the curse of the pharaohs that affects those who disturb ancient Egyptian tombs.
9. The Zone of Silence: Located in Mexico, this desert patch is known for its peculiar properties, including non-functioning radios and compasses, and is often compared to the Bermuda Triangle. It’s said that meteorites frequently fall in the area, leading to speculation about magnetic anomalies.