A Stable Beginning: MaxScholar: Reading Intervention Programs ~ a TOS review

Tuesday, June 19, 2018

MaxScholar: Reading Intervention Programs ~ a TOS review

We are in the thick of our summer learning studies and part of it includes daily reading time. I like to have our kiddos catch the reading bug at a young age. Light the fire young so to speak so I am a huge fan of free reading at our house for at least 20 minutes a day. While for most of my children this is not a “chore” a few do not enjoy reading time. That’s why I was excited to be able to review the Reading Intervention Programs from MaxScholar with McKenzie and Micah.

MaxScholar was created to help students who have Dyslexia, learning disabilities, ADHD, processing problems, or for those who are just struggling to learn to read. The program is completely online and is based on the research methods of the Orton-Gillingham approach, the Lindamood-Bell Process©, and other phonics and reading comprehension strategies that offer systematic, multi-sensory learning.

Reading Intervention Programs {MaxScholar Reviews}

Mikayla, my 10th grader has used this program in the past to help with comprehension so I was excited when we were offered to review it again. This time around, McKenzie, my 3rd grader, and Micah, my JrK’er, each used the program. Like last time, we received full access for one year to the Reading Intervention Programs which include:

MaxPhonics ~ based of the Orton-Gillingham method this is a multi-sensory program that prepares 3 to 7 year old’s for reading.

MaxReading ~ improves reading comprehension and introduces students to the concepts of summarizing, highlighting, and outlining in 13 levels. There is a placement test to see the best level to start with.

MaxWords ~ build vocabulary through reading and word parts knowledge all the while learning word parts and improving spelling. Learn prefixes, suffixes, Greek & Latin word roots, spelling rules, and syllabification.

MaxVocab ~ a dictionary with thousands of entries, definitions, and games to build the students vocabulary.

MaxMusic ~ play fun learning games while strengthening reading skills and learning music.

MaxPlaces ~ explore the world and check for reading comprehension with multiple choice questions.

MaxBios ~ meet famous people from the past and present from all over the world with these biographies.

My son, Micah, who is 4 is in the beginning stages of reading and he spent the majority of his time working on mastering letter recognition. After taking the placement test he was started at the very beginning of the program. The placement put her just where I know that he needed to start as he only knows the letters of his given name. Using this online program 2-3 days a week with him has been an enjoyable experience for both of us. I am still learning his learning style but I feel he gravitates towards online learning programs. The only issue he had specifically with this program was when it was time to trace the letters. Using the mouse to do this was difficult for him. Then in the middle of the night, you know, when I do my best thinking and brainstorming I thought to have him use the program on his iPad. Yes, that made the tracing so much easier for him!

McKenzie used the program 2 times a week also and focused on reading and vocabulary. She was placed into Level 3 and I think the placement was just the right challenge for her. She has since progressed to Level 4. She doesn’t necessarily enjoy reading for pleasure at this time because she would rather be flipping upside down. However, it is necessary so she completes her lessons without much complaint. She has enjoyed playing the games within the program. I have no complaints with her playing the games either as she is learning in the process. She found the word search game to be challenging as it included words backwards and she was not use to that format. The Hangman game was her favorite game overall.

Overall, I am truly happy with both of my kids MaxScholar progress. It has served us well over the course of the last few weeks as a great supplement to our summer learning. The changes to the program include a more streamlined experience as well as the graphics have been updated. The site is easy to navigate even for my son. I think all the changes, bit and small have made the program streamlined and easy to use for kids and adults alike. Both McKenzie and Micah will continue to use this reading program through the end of our subscription.

Be sure to check out what my CrewMates thought of this program also by clicking the banner below!