Project Read has a new superpower: it can generate free decodable texts that are aligned with the UFLI program scope and sequence. This is not the first time that I’ve blogged about Project Read. I am a fan of Project Read because it is a free to use ai decodable text generator. I love the fact that this tool is free because it means that Project Read is dedicated to making reading accessible to all.
Recently, Project Read released a new feature: it can now generate decodable texts that are in alignment with the objectives of the UFLI program. This new feature made me whoop with joy. (That’s right, I am a whooper.) The University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) created a literacy instruction program for classroom teachers that is easy to use, effective, and inexpensive. The program is called UFLI Foundations. This program is making it possible for classroom teachers to bring their literacy instruction in line with best practice. By best practice I mean literacy teaching practices that are proven to by effective based on the body of scientific knowledge that we have about how the brain learns to read. The teachers that I know who use UFLI Foundations report that it has changed their practice in the very best way. They say that the rate of students experiencing reading failure has dropped significantly since they began using UFLI Foundations. UFLI Foundations provides teachers with a lot of resources, but some teachers say that they have a need for more decodable texts for their students. Thankfully, Project Read has stepped in to answer that call.
When I tried out Project Read’s Decodable Stories Generator for UFLI objectives, I found it very easy to use. There was really no way for me to get confused because the layout of the webpage is clutter free. I used the first of two drop-down menus to choose the UFLU program. I used second dropdown menu to choose Objective #72 from the UFLI scope and sequence. Objective #72 relates to lessons about some of the exceptions to the closed syllable rule (-ild, -old, -ind, -old, -ost). Here is the text that was generated:
The text that was generated is great in the sense that it focused on exceptions to the closed syllable rule and it is a story. However, this passage is not something that I can simply download, print, and use. The reason is because it contains some ‘unfair’ words. There are words in the passage such as “happy” and “named” that contain syllable types that have not yet been taught in the UFLI progression. This means that I would need to rework the passage a little by substituting the unfair words for fair ones so that the text is completely decodable for my students.
As you can see from the blurred-out picture, Project Read also has an image generator function. When I clicked on the picture, it told me that the image generating feature gets unlock if I share Project Read with a friend. I understand that Project Read wants to increase their membership, but I don’t like them putting strings on their tool in this way.
To sum up, there is great value for literacy teachers - and therefore for students - in having a Project Read function that generates decodable text that is in alignment with UFLI Foundations program objectives. The generated text is not perfect because it contains some unfair words and it is annoying that the image function is locked unless you help Project Read advertise their platform. However, neither of these criticisms is a dealbreaker for me. Even though I must make a few changes to the generated text, it takes a lot longer when I create decodable text on my own. Not having access to an image doesn't matter to me. I only show my students pictures after they have read a text (so that they are working on their decoding skills - not their guessing skills) so I would rather not have a picture in the body of the text anyway. If I want to provide a picture. I can get a picture that is in the public domain from pixabay.com I remain a fan of Project Read and I'm glad that they have aligned their generated text to match the UFLI Foundations objectives.
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