LANGUAGE! Live offers more for struggling readers than any other product. Proven foundational and advanced reading intervention. Peer-to-peer instruction. Literacy brain science. A captivating modern, digital platform for grades 5–12. All in one affordable solution. More is possible
Grades K-5 blended literacy intervention
Grades K-5 online reading practice
Grades 4-12 print literacy program
Grades K-12 writing program
Grades 4-12 literacy intervention
Grades Pre-K-5 adaptive blended literacy instruction
Grades 6-12 adaptive blended literacy instruction
TransMath® Third Edition is a comprehensive math intervention curriculum that targets middle and high school students who lack the foundational skills necessary for entry into algebra and/or who are two or more years below grade level in math.
A targeted math intervention program for struggling students in grades 2–8 that provides additional opportunities to master critical math concepts and skills.
Empowers students in grades K–8 to master math content at their own pace in a motivating online environment.
Inside Algebra engages at-risk students in grades 8–12 through explicit, conceptually based instruction to ensure mastery of algebraic skills.
Developed by renowned literacy experts Dr. Louisa Moats and Dr. Carol Tolman, LETRS® is a flexible literacy professional development solution for preK–5 educators. LETRS earned the International Dyslexia Association's Accreditation and provides teachers with the skills they need to master the fundamentals of reading instruction—phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, writing, and language.
Online professional development event is designed for preK to college educators interested in improving student success in reading and writing
Literacy solutions guided by LETRS’ science of reading pedagogy, the Structured Literacy approach, and explicit teaching of sound-letter relationships for effective reading instruction.
NUMBERS is an interactive, hands-on mathematics professional development offering for elementary and middle school math teachers.
Best Behavior Features Elements to Create a Happy, Healthy School Environment
Look to ClearSight to measure student mastery of state standards with items previously used on state high-stakes assessments. ClearSight Interim and Checkpoint Assessments include multiple forms of tests for grades K–high school.
Reliable, Research-Based Assessment Solutions to Support Literacy and Math
Enhance early reading success and identify students experiencing difficulty acquiring foundational literacy skills.
A companion tool for use with Acadience Reading K–6 to determine instructional level and progress monitoring.
Assess critical reading skills for students in grades K–6 and older students with very low skills.
Assess essential pre-literacy and oral language skills needed for kindergarten.
Predict early mathematics success and identify students experiencing difficulty acquiring foundational math skills.
Give educators a fast and accurate way to enter results online and receive a variety of reports that facilitate instructional decision making.
A brief assessment that can be used with Acadience Reading K–6 to screen students for reading difficulties such as dyslexia.
A new, online touch-enabled test administration and data system that allows educators to assess students and immediately see results, providing robust reporting at the student, class, school, and district levels.
Research-based, computer-adaptive reading and language assessment for grades K-12.
Unparalleled support for our educator partners
We work with schools and districts to customize an implementation and ongoing support plan.
Get Started
Customer Support
Grades 5-12 blended literacy intervention
Flexible literacy professional development solution for preK–12 educators.
Focused on engaging students with age-appropriate instruction and content that supports and enhances instruction.
Reading intervention for grades K–5.
At Voyager Sopris Learning®, our mission is to work with educators to help them meet and surpass their goals for student achievement.
About Us
Contact Us
News
Conferences and Events
Careers
eLibrary
LANGUAGE!®
LANGUAGE! Live®
LETRS®
Literacy Symposium
RAVE-O®
Reading Rangers
REWARDS®
Step Up to Writing®
TransMath®
Vmath®
VmathLive®
Voyager Passport
We Can
by Margo Gunsser on Apr 24, 2019
Learn More About LETRS
Raise your hand if you’ve ever racked your brain for ways to motivate a particular student or group of students. OK—hands down.
As educators, we understand motivation is the key that unlocks learning. That’s true for all of us, no matter our age. If we’re not motivated to do something, we procrastinate. When we finally get started, completion may take longer because the task doesn’t seem valuable and we lack motivation.
The same is true—perhaps even more so— for students. They may not recognize the intrinsic value of learning. Therefore, it’s up to us to motivate them. And motivation comes in many forms, for different ages and grade levels. Countless articles and blogs have been written about student motivation—some general and others targeted toward different grade spans such as primary, upper elementary, and secondary.
Before drilling down to those grade spans and thinking about detailed strategies, let’s ask ourselves three overarching questions. Answers to these questions may help set the stage for motivation and student success—at any grade or level.
Though most students won’t admit it, they want parameters. Parameters offer a sense of comfort, order, and consistency. However, it’s not enough to generalize as in, “I expect your best behavior in my class.” “Best behavior” is open to interpretation—specific expectations are not.
Recently, I spent one instructional period in an eighth grade math intervention class. Posted on a chart in the front of the room was a bulleted list of three expectations, including:
The day’s lesson was conducted with intensity but with warmth and good humor. Teacher/student mutual respect was obvious. While the teacher assisted some students individually, several other students assisted peers.
Later that day, when I met with the teacher, I asked about the list and all the behaviors I observed as subsets of the three expectations. She explained that she had presented her expectations the first day of school, discussed them at length in class, and reinforced them until they became part of what she referred to as “muscle memory.” Did everything run smoothly every day? Doubtful—it IS middle school after all. But many more class periods were successful than not.
Praise is an important part of motivating students but it’s essential to be thoughtful in its use so it doesn’t become trivial. When praise is offered to the same degree, and as often, whether the achievement is great or small, it becomes less meaningful.
So, instead of thinking about frequent, copious amounts of praise as the way to motivate, think about degrees of praise set around targeted expectations. Here’s an example using the eighth grade math class previously discussed.
The three bulleted points were expectations set from the beginning of the school year. Lavish praise isn’t needed for students remembering to bring homework and a pencil to class. However, it may be appropriate to offer special praise to any student who took time to assist and share knowledge with another student when the teacher was already engaged with someone. That praise serves a dual purpose. It recognizes the student’s grasp of content and it demonstrates appreciation for the student’s initiative, both of which further motivate a student.
“What!?” You’re already saying. “Content is the reason for school. Student mastery of content is how I’m judged in my job.”
You’re correct. Content IS critical and an end result of education. But to help students master content, we need to consider instructional best practices such as recognizing/accommodating different learning styles and providing differentiated instruction as needed. Many teachers of young students do this as a matter of course but, as secondary teachers, we may need to be reminded that it’s equally important at our levels.
Incorporating these strategies at every grade level could make students feel more confident and successful which, in turn, might mitigate negative classroom behaviors that arise when students have difficulty with the content. In short, if we use strategies that focus on teaching the student, the content might come a lot faster.
It is this: When planning classroom structure and instruction, think about “Big Picture” strategies that apply to all grades and content areas. Then, the specifics will fill in naturally.
Margo Gunsser is senior implementation coordinator for Voyager Sopris Learning®. Her 10 year tenure, has allowed her to collaborate with a variety of districts, schools, and teachers as they implement Voyager Sopris Learning intervention programs.
Prior to joining Voyager Sopris Learning, Margo worked for several core educational publishers and children’s trade book publishers. Her classroom experience includes teaching all content areas at the elementary level as well as focusing on ELA instruction at the middle school level.
Margo’s master’s degree in Educational Leadership and her work with teachers and students across the country has grounded her in the belief that all children can achieve success through appropriate educational settings, relevant and carefully selected materials, and, most importantly, dedicated teachers who are knowledgeable in research and trained in best educational practices.
Margo resides in New Jersey with her husband, son, and one lazy cat.
Add your email here to sign up for EDVIEW 360 blogs, webinars, and podcasts. We'll send you an email when new posts and episodes are published.