For Immediate Release: August 30, 2017
Ready, Set, Read! Students Head Back to School with Personalized Literacy Technology in the Classroom
LightSail Education bolsters library with more diverse books on its digital literacy platform
(NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 30, 2017) – As the 2017-18 school year begins, more students than ever will be using digital devices in the classroom and many of them will log into LightSail to support their growth in reading and literacy.
LightSail is a digital literacy platform dedicated to increasing reading achievement among K-12 students. Students reading on LightSail are presented seamlessly with a tailored library of content in English and Spanish that matches their abilities. Students are assessed in real time with embedded questions about content and vocabulary and their libraries adapt as they grow. Teachers have their own dashboards to monitor student performance and can add their own assessments, further personalizing learning.
To keep young readers engaged in topics that interest them, LightSail has added a selection of new, exciting, and diverse content across a range of Lexile levels, a leading literacy measurement standard, to its library offerings for the upcoming school year. The recent additions to the LightSail Education library (and corresponding Lexile measure) include:
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (590L): In this poignant novel by author Angie Thomas, the protagonist, Starr Carter, navigates two worlds: her poor home neighborhood and the fancy prep school that she attends. Everything changes for Starr when she witnesses something that is all too common for young men and women of color in the United States of America. How will Starr navigate this tense social and political time?
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (700L): Roshani Chokshi’s breakout novel dives head first into the world of Indian myth and legend. This strong, female-centered novel follows Maya – cursed from birth – as she uncovers the secrets of Akaran and herself.
Camo Girl by Kekla Magoon (600L): Set in the Las Vegas suburbs, this book by Kekla Magoon tackles two age-old struggles of young-adulthood: identity and popularity. How does Ella navigate being the only black girl in school (and a nerd to boot) when a new, and extremely popular, black boy named Bailey joins her class and wants her to abandon her best (and extremely weird) friend?
Totally Joe by James Howe (850L): Author James Howe takes us through the life, struggles, lessons, and coming out of Joe Bunch via his assignment to write an “alpha-biography” — essentially the story of his life from A to Z. Through this journey, Joe begins to understand himself, and the way he fits into his school, family, and group of friends.
The Night Parade by Kathryn Tanquary (760L): Saki Yamamoto has to spend her summer in her grandmother’s ancestral village instead of the fast-paced city of Tokyo with her “friends”. In Kathryn Tanquary’s standout novel – which mixes Japanese folklore and teen angst – Saki must learn to appreciate tradition and think more of others than of herself with the help of some mythical beings along the way.
In addition to LightSail’s premium content offerings, LightSail readers have access to more than 6,000 included texts, with classics like Shakespeare’s Macbeth plus brand new series from children’s e-book publisher Antares Reading. The 13-book Adventure Girl series (written at 650L) takes readers around the country with Tilly, a young adventurer who hikes the Appalachian Trail, goes fishing in Alaska, caving in Kentucky, and is always up for trying new experiences. For younger students, the 10-book Chip the Dog series (written at 250L) is about a fun-loving talking dog who learns important life lessons in each installment.
In places like Gurnee, IL, Van Buren, AR and Long Island, NY, students will continue the momentum they built up during the last school year reading on LightSail. Some students will be returning to the classroom having used the platform throughout the summer, like in Newark, NJ, where 162 summer program students read more than 2,800 books during three weeks. A study by Johns Hopkins University found that students who read at least 30 minutes a day on LightSail during the summer return to school ahead of expectations.
New this fall, LightSail schools will receive LightSail Launch Boxes, which are full of resources to support teachers and classroom materials like posters and stickers to get students excited about reading, in preparation for LightSail’s second national reading challenge, The LightSail Launch Challenge, starting on October 2nd.
About LightSail
LightSail is the adaptive reading platform that helps students, classrooms, and school districts exceed their literacy goals.
LightSail students get access to personalized libraries filled with thousands of engaging, just-right texts to choose from. Our award-winning solution embeds in-text assessments that motivate students to increase the volume of their reading along with the difficulty of the texts they choose.
LightSail teachers get real-time access to meaningful data about student reading behavior, comprehension, and growth so they can provide the necessary guidance to enhance learning and encourage a love of reading. For more information, visit lightsailed.com.
Posted on 8.Aug.17 in News
