{Review} One Minute Reader

 I was very blessed to receive a copy of the One Minute Reader app through Mosaic Reviews.  One Minute Reader is an Apple-based learning program that focuses on helping a child's ability to read fluently and confidently. {This program can also be purchased in a printed version.} As a child becomes a more fluent and comfortable reader, they are then able to master other subjects and skills.

This app is a perfect fit for my 9-year-old. After watching her older sister just fly through reading with ease, she struggled a bit and lost some confidence in her ability to read well. We worked hard and improved her reading skills. Even after she knew how to read well, she still lacked confidence in her reading skills. When she was given a new book to read, if she came upon a hard word or name she would often freeze. It would be hard, she wouldn't want to try. She would assume she couldn't do it and it would get pretty emotional some times.  I knew she could do it, but pulling up her own confidence level was pretty tough.

This app has done wonders for her read aloud skills, her vocabulary skills and her sight reading. 
Here is the way it works.

First, your child takes a placement test. You can do this on the free version of the app.

Once a reading level is chosen, the student can start reading books! There are five stories in each of the categories. 

Alyssa loves doing her reading on the couch. Isn't that part of the fun of homeschooling?

The first step after choosing a book is the cold read. This is the most challenging for Alyssa, as there are names and usually vocabulary words that she isn't familiar with. The app times them to read for one minute. After the minute is up, she tapped on the last word she read and the app shows her what her "cold timing" was. It tells her exactly how many words she read in one minute.

The next step is reviewing any unfamiliar vocabulary words. They are lit up in a bright blue color for the student to click on. A pop-up box lists information about the word that is also read aloud. The word is properly pronounced, the definition is read and an example sentence is given.

Third, the story is read aloud for the student. This helps them to hear the difficult names and words but also to hear intonation and inflection that makes for a good reader. The student is encouraged to read along with the audio as they are following along with the highlighted sentences.

After the read aloud, the student gets to read the story again. They get five chances to beat their best score. This is called their "hot timing." Alyssa only read this Barbie story one time during her "hot timing" round, but for some of the other stories she would read until she got over a certain number she wanted to beat.

After their "hot timing", there is a comprehension quiz. The answers to the quiz slowly reveal the answer to a riddle or joke at the bottom of the screen.  When your student finishes the quizzes for each of the five books in each unit, they should get the full answer.

 There is also a vocabulary word crossword puzzle. Again, it's one puzzle per unit so they may only know a few of the words after the first book.

The stories in this program were all very interesting and well written. They varied from the history of Barbie to stories about bugs to heroic animals. We really enjoyed reading them!

This program has been a great help for my 9 year old and her confidence in reading. Her "cold timing" scores have gotten better and better. She is much more willing to sit and read to her younger sisters, as she feels more confident that she will be able to read clearly. This app is definitely not just for homeschool children. I think it would be a great program for public school kids that might be having some trouble reading to do at home with mom or dad or grandma. Although the app is designed to allow the student to work independently, I enjoyed doing this with my daughter. It was fun to watch her scores improve.

If you want to read other moms reviews of One Minute Reader, head over to the Mosaic Reviews page!