This app works like an online science textbook written for multiple reading levels. The comprehensive text ensures that every learner in the class understands what is being taught. Automatic feedback shows educators and guardians the amount of progress made and how much work still needs to be done. Teachers can tailor their classes following the Common Core Standards. The text focuses on vocabulary building and assimilation.

Website: https://www.rocketlit.com/

What Users Love About the App

“This product provides a solution for my dyslexic students. They are now able to listen to a piece and text and follow along. They are also able to see highlighted text to help them. I love that the students can’t tell what their reading level is just by looking at it. The art and the way the articles are written are engaging for students who find science or social studies boring.”

“It does a really good job of changing the text complexity to match the student’s reading level. It does not change the appearance of the page between text levels, so students working side by side would not be embarrassed to be seen reading something at a lower reading level than the student next to them.”

“The idea that a science-supported product actually takes into consideration the different levels of reading abilities is simply mind-blowing. It seems like that should be a no-brainer, but it has been a long time coming. The articles can also be used to meet the emphasis on informational reading, so a single product can be applied to cross-curricular uses, meaning more bang for the educational buck.”

“I am impressed that this program makes science content accessible to students of varying academic levels. It’s great that students won’t be able to identify the levels of other students based on the way the website looks. The diagnostic capabilities make this program able to be personalized for all students.”

“It was great to see a resource that meets students at different levels, while they are in a set a grade level (Example: Teaching 8th grade, but you may have students read at a 6th-grade level). And when the student masters a level, they have the opportunity to move on.”

What Users Dislike About the App

“It would help to build in search terms involving NGSS standards. Articles can be found by topic, but a searchable alignment would be key. It would also help if teacher reports gave data on standards mastery, not just percentages on individual articles.”

“It would be great if:
1) There was a highlighting tool or note-taking feature (or some other way for students to manipulate the text, think close reading!)
2) There were math content articles as well
3) The reading comprehension questions could be read aloud
4) There was a way for students to review questions missed (i.e. the program would show the evidence in the article for where an answer to a question could be found.”

“It would be a plus if the diagnostic were designed so that it could be run at different times during the semester, allowing students to move up in the complexity of language as their reading levels increase. Also, the ability to generate and print representations of student levels and progress (which helps justify the program to admin) would be a real plus.”

“I have several suggestions for this program. 1) Add history! This is an area that my kids really struggle with, especially on state testing. 2) Allow teachers to select the reading level for a student when they want to, as sometimes we need to practice reading materials that are on grade level—this is what they will be seeing on their state tests. 3) Add the read-aloud function for all levels. This would allow those students who are practicing (at the teacher’s discretion) a higher-level text to have it read for them. This will help prep them for state testing. I want them to feel successful after the test!”

“One of the MAJOR things I would improve to make this product better is to have resources for bilingual students. We have students who will come to the states from a different country. They may know a few English words but 80% of the time they don’t know anything. Another thing I would change is to have added feature texts. The articles are kid-friendly(which I love) but they also need to look at the “BIG” picture. Most science articles will have diagrams or data tables to help them understand the concept. Students need to be exposed to this as well.”