Supported Text

What is supported text?

“Electronic text that is modified or enhanced in ways that are designed to increase reading comprehension and promote content-area learning”
--Anderson-Inman and Horney (1997; 1998)

Eleven forms of supported text

• Presentational resources
• Navigational resources
• Translational
• Explanatory
• Illustrative
• Summarizing
• Enrichment
• Instructional
• Notational
• Collaborative
• Evaluative

Read an article with examples of supported e-text.

Text Reader Software

There are three types of readers:

1. Strategic readers use reading strategies and read at or above grade level
2. Reluctant readers can read any material but have text comprehension difficulties and few reading strategies.
3. Remedial readers read several grade levels below peers, limited vocabulary and few reading strategies

"Text readers help students attend better to their reading, reduce reading distractibility, read with less fatigue, read for longer periods of time, and read faster to complete reading assignments in less time."
--Hecker, Burns, Elkind, Elkind & Katz, 2002

Text Reader Software:

• Kurzweil 3000 by Kurzweil Education Systems

• Read&Write Gold by TextHELP