Kentucky Academy of Technology Education

Microsoft Reader

Instructional Illuminations

Are you looking for an instructional tool to help enhance students' reading abilities? Microsoft Reader is just what you need. Best of all it is a free download from www.microsoft.com.

Microsoft Reader enables you to download free or purchased eBooks to read or listen to on your desktop computer, personal computer, or handheld device. Although the program was originally created to simply enable you to read a book on your computer, its uses in the classroom go far beyond basic reading.

Microsoft Reader is a tool that can be used for students with disabilities, average performing students, as well as gifted students. It has a Text-to-Speech mode which will read the book out loud using a digitized voice. Students can follow along with the digital voice as the words are highlighted when they are read. Word recognition is often a problem when students are reading a piece that is challenging for their reading level. By downloading the Encarta Pocket dictionary to the Microsoft Reader library, students can click on a word they do not recognize and the definition will be displayed on the screen. The Microsoft Reader (RMR) add-in for Microsoft Word enables you to convert any Word document into a Microsoft Reader format eBook in just a few simple steps. Students and teachers can make their own eBooks. Performing research is a task many students have difficulty with doing. Using the annotation features in Microsoft Reader, students can highlight, bookmark, and make notes within the text creating virtual note cards. These are just a few of the features that make Microsoft Reader an instructional tool that every teacher can use.

Microsoft Reader and the Microsoft Reader Add-In are two FREE tools that will make reading easier, more fun, and interactive for your students.

Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941

Core Connections

December 7, 1941--"a day that will live in infamy" Japanese troops staged an all out attack on the American Naval Base at Pearl Harbor Hawaii. When the attack ended over 2400 soldiers had been killed and 8 American battle ships were sunk.

The attacks on Pearl Harbor cemented a divided United States into action and President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a declaration of war. The Japanese had opened the door and World War II was under way.

The significance of the Pearl Harbor attacks is undisputed in American history. The United States ultimate victory in this war and its emergence as a world power has shaped international politics forever.

Sequencing of Events

Core Connections

by Jamie Felts, Mayfield Independent Schools

The sequencing of events can be used for any subject and in any classroom. It simply means putting content into the most logical order. Students even in early elementary should start learning about sequence of events. Putting objects in order and events in a story should be a priority even at a very young age. Sequencing can and should be addressed in multiple subjects.

In reading, sequencing requires students to consider why events happened when they did. Students need activities such as putting sentences in order using familiar stories such as fairy tales, as well as new stories. Older students should learn to be able to read and logically order the events in the story.

In science, sequencing could be addressed by studying pictures of very young animals or plants by putting them in order from youngest to oldest. In completing science experiments, students must know the correct procedure for the results to be accurate.

In math, students should be able to put numbers in order from least to greatest, greatest to least, and also find a number that is missing from a series. Order of operations is a key concept that must be understood to be successful in the math classroom.

The Intel Education Company uses an online teaching tool known as "Visual Ranking" to teach older students how to order and prioritize items in a list. It also allows them to analyze and evaluate information to make informed decisions and builds higher level thinking skills.

Sequencing helps students make sense of information and helps them look for ways to create information that is less confusing. Graphic organizers are also a valuable tool for teachers to use in teaching order of events.