Reading offers learning, entertainment, and opportunities. It is one of the most vitally important skills an individual develops in their lifetime. That is why Reading Horizons is thrilled to announce the release of its v5 software for use at home. This updated software offers struggling readers ages 10 to adult the tools they need to develop the invaluable literacy skills they have a difficult time grasping.
In this video clip Reading Horizons home use specialist, Jeri Graybill, discusses her excitement for the relief the release of this program will bring to struggling readers:
Why do you think is it important for struggling readers to learn to read?
51 Comments
Shannon
Reading is THE most foundational tool needed for all other areas of learning! Those who struggle will unlock a world of easier learning once they master reading skills! We've seen it with our kids.
Shanna
I can read fluently- however, I do not read for enjoyment. I need to. One of my children, a 12yr. old, struggles. She is dyslexic and is home schooled. I think it is vital for struggling readers to be comfortable and confident in their reading skills. Not only is it critical life skill, it has social implications.
Dawn siddens
My son just started the trial and we are excited about this new tool to help him with reading. Reading is so important in his development in all classes during his education, and everyday tasks
Tricia
Everyone was made with the ability to think and choose what they believe. A struggling reader who can not read facts and fun things will never reach his full ability to know about the world. And I feel it is important for everyone to gain the knowledge and have the freedom to choose what he believes by being able to read.
margaret
Reading help increase self-esteem and self confidence. It takes them places they have never been. etc. to other countries, other periods in time and creates a sense of knowing YES I CAN, YES I CAN.
Rhonda Mathis
Access to the world of knowledge depends on whether or not a student is able to read fluently and with understanding. Being able to succeed in today's world and to become gainfully employed depends largely on how well a person can read and write. Struggling readers lose their chance for success when they are unable to break the code of the printed word. These students deserve a chance at life! Let's teach them to read!!
Sarah Cox
It is important for struggling readers to learn how to read because it is difficult to have a positive and successful educational career without knowing how to read. Everything revolves around it. My son is at the point where his self confidence is low because he is starting to notice that things that most of the other kids can do easily are difficult for him. And it all comes back to the fact that he is a struggling reader. I would love for him to have a positive school experience like I did and we are working hard to get it that way. But it is a long hard road when reading doesn't come naturally to you.
Nancy Jessup
For struggling readers, reading builds confidence and brings joy and laughter into their lives. When they read with someone, it is a means for socializing in a positive way where the child gets to express his ideas and to learn with a positive role model (teacher, parent, etc.). Reading also allows them to learn about the world around them and to build ways to express themselves verbally.
Kristie Zubko
V5 for 5 Days Reading is important for EVERYONE. How can you function in the world without it?
Sheila Richardson
Reading is a skill that one can use to build their lives upon. If one wants to unlock the secrets to having a good life without spending a dime all they need to learn is how to read. Reading can enrich the individual a struggling reader not only in how to read the printed word ,but reading can produce an individual that can change the world into a much better place. Teaching a student to read allows them to have a pathway to learning more skills that develops them an inquistive person.
rose
For the struggling reader, everyday situations are a challenge. When others his age are able to read, it causes frustration and embarrassment. Simple things like not being able to read the instructions on a worksheet or the badge requirements in his Scout handbook present an opportunity for public failure. Becoming a proficient reader creates confidence and opens up endless possibilities for learning about the world around him.
Jennifer Espinoza
Reading is essential for success in all other subjects. If you are a struggling reader you are probably struggling in every subject. When a student has mastered reading he or she can not only do better in every area, there self esteem goes up, and they can enjoy the wonder of a good book without it being a chore.
Kristi B.
Those with reading difficulties encounter numerous situations daily that cause them to suffer embarrassment, frustration, ridicule, and hopelessness. Having 2 dyslexic children, I want to protect them from those situations, so we keep pressing forward, working hard to improve their reading skills. My 12 year old wants the confidence that comes with more fluent reading. My 9 year old wants to be able to open any book and know she can read it!
Kyu Cho
English is my second language. So, it is hard to read well as like an native speaker. I thought I read well. However when the native speaker heard my prononciation, the native speaker said it was wrong. Then I thought it was hard to read well. Even though I can try well through the program.
Sarah Bastian
As a homeschooling mom of three very different children, I am excited to see the release of this product. As I have mentioned many times to my children learning to read is like having a key that unlocks so many different areas of life. Not only are you able to read and enjoy the books and topics you love, but you also gain self-confidence, self-esteem, and a sense of accomplishment in yourself and what you are capable of. My oldest son is a struggling reader, and I recognize that until he masters reading, the daily struggling he has really is pervasive and dampens his love for learning.
Janet
Although learning can happen without reading, the ability to learn independently is greatly hampered. My daughter suffered a near drowning in a car accident when she was 17 months and the resulting brain injury has greatly reduced her ability to read. We use recorded books and read with her and for her everyday and she has a real joy of knowledge and of learning even though this is so difficult for her. She is a very interesting case because her brain fatigues very quickly. To watch her go from being able to read fluently at almost grade level (grade 7), to not being able to read at all within about 5 minutes is a very powerful example of the importance and the wonder of being able to read. She goes from complete independence to needing to have someone with her to make sense of the information around her. Reading is not only important to learning. Basic life skills need reading. From grocery shopping, to navigating through towns and cities, to figuring out bus schedules, even sometimes finding the toilet in a public place - not all toilets are marked with the universal symbol of man and woman, to filling out forms, to taking medications, most of life is explained through the written word. And lets not forget the ability to afford to life live above the fringes of society requires money, which is nearly impossible to make if you are unable to read. The experiences with my daughter makes me very afraid for those people who struggle with reading. For someone with lots of support and reassurance that her inability to read is due to an injury, albeit an invisible one, it is still very difficult to cope within society at times. I have watched other children without such supports and my heart goes out to them.
Jodi Turner
I see an overwelming need to for my struggling reader to be able to read to sustain his self confidence. As he gets older I see a direct correlation between his reading ability and his self confidence. When he feels more confident in his reading he is happiers, and enjoys success in other areas of his life. When he lacks this conficence, we see his whole mood change. This also affects other areas in his life in a negative way.
Jennifer
Teddy Roosevelt said (and I paraphrase) that there is no such thing as functional illiteracy: if a person is illiterate, they are not functional. It is difficult for those who read well to imagine the frustration and despair regularly felt by those who struggle to read or who can't read at all. Illiteracy closes nearly every available door to jobs, to teaching children, and to interacting with the world in a meaningful and satisfying way. Literacy is a vital skill to have in today's fast paced and increasingly electronic world, and really does unlock the world for people.
ZERENA BOYER
I have two daughters with Reading Disorders. One is in her second year of college and the other a senior in HS. They both have struggled academically because of their below grade level reading. In the 17 years of reading problems we have or they have experience every reading program out. What we have learned that they cannot stop working on their reading and can keep improving it. I am excited about this new V5 program because they can keep working on their reading skills on their own time. My daughter both say that now they are only taught strategies to comprehend but still need to improve their decoding and fluency so reading is not so difficult and more enjoyable.
Paula Lee Bright
Such a question! It is absolutely the most important thing for a struglling reader to accomplish. A child who can't read soon learns that she is excluded from "the club" of "almost everybody else." A terrible thing for self-image. Can you imagine the pain? Seeing everyone succeeding,but not you? Reading is the key to a rich and rewarding life. It's needed at the doctor, at the store, on the street, on a bus. It surrounds us. To miss out on one of the biggest keys to the future is a tragedy. I spend my whole life trying to help struggling readers, one child at a time. Godspeed to all of us who do. It's a grand calling.
susan walters
Reading is essential for accessing knowledge independently. It provides us with endless possibilities for our lives.
Cheryl
We pulled our boys (3rd and 4th grades) from public school this year because our youngest has been struggling with reading, along with other reasons. But I felt that he wouldn't be able to do the 3rd grade word load in the amount of time given. He says reading is too hard and thus causes a lack of motivation. I know that if he can overcome this he will have so much more confidence in himself and not feel inadequate. I've noticed situations where he avoided interaction if reading was involved. Also, for him to read well means being able to do all the things he wants to do throughout life which is what every good parent wants for their children.
Judy
It is so important for struggling readers to become sucessful. I can see the pain and frustration in the face of my grandson who is struggling with dyslexia. He will need this skill to gain back his confidence and not be at a disadvantage as he progresses through his teen years.
Tonya Cable
I think it's important for struggling readers to learn to read because it's needed in every area of learning. My son is dyslexic and has struggled every year in school. He isn't confident and that carries over into other areas of his life. I would love to find something that would work for him so that he could do as well as other children his age.
Angelle
Reading is the key to learning. If you can read you can learn anything. That's why it is so important to learn to read.
Nola Hiatt
Reading is fundamental to everything we do. Those who don't ever really get it down will always feel nervous & inadequate. With the right help, like this program, everyone with a desire to learn can do it.
Sharon
Learning to read is so important for those struggling with it for many reasons. It gives them a sense of pride in overcoming a great challenge. It provides a pathway to a better job or stronger education. At the most basic level, learning to read is a vital life skill that is used from ordering food at a restaurant to finding your way in an unfamiliar city. Reading is a neccessity in our society.
Sandra
V5 for 5 days Reading is essential in our society to function as an adult. As a child, to struggle with reading, has such an impact on self esteem and personal confidence which if not altered carries on into adulthood.
T Williams
Why is it important for a struggling reader to learn how to read? So they'll not have to struggle. Not just with reading, with everything.... I taught a kid once who didn't even enjoy using the computer. I mean, what kid do you know doesn't like using the Internet?? He didn't because he couldn't read - the URLs, the directions, captions, etc., etc. School/life is not as enjoyable if you're a struggling reader.
Alisa
Reading is a survival skill. Those who struggle to read, miss out on so many things life has to offer, whether it be reading for information or reading for enjoyment. As a former professional educator (and now mother of four), I am approached often by parents of struggling readers who don't know where else to go. Their public school resources have not been able to help them. I always recommend Reading Horizons. This home-use V5 software will facilitate that learning for those older children who still struggle!
Joni Huff
Reading is the single most important door to knowledge. Ignorance can only be stopped by teaching people to not only read but want to read.
Mark Peters
Society reads...! There are no limits to what reading can do, and how important it is to read. All through life we read something of great importance everyday, whether it is leisure, job, medical, or whatever! Reading is important just like breathing air...
Suzanne Rock-Stierle
V5 for 5 days! What a great program you have! I feel grateful that you created it and that it is helping so many kids and adults! Suzanne
Karylee Grubaugh Bonta
I have always loved reading, and I can't imagine my life without it. I've done literacy tutoring and tutoring in grade school. It's painful seeing how limited people's lives are when they struggle to sound out words even in a simple news story. This program impressed me when I was first introduced to it, and I am impressed with the improvements that have come with the computer age.
Natilie Moore
When you learn to read, the world opens up to you. I would liken it to having one of your senses impaired. If you can't read you can function in the world to a degree,but you can't enjoy the wonderful privileges reading provides like choosing your own meal at a restaurant, pursuing subjects that interest and excite you, watching a foreign film, understanding the thoughts and ideas of the brilliant minds in history. Reading is more than fundamental, it's a privilege too that everyone should enjoy.
Penny Williams
Reading unlocks the door to learning. If you can read well, everything else can be learned from a book or other resource.
Margaret Lane
If you can't read you can only guess what it says and more times than not you would be wrong and learn incorrectly. My grandson needs this program, but they can not afford it and we can not either. I pray he is given the opportunity to learn to read before he is any older. He is 10 now and struggling. We sent him to Sylvan, but it really didn't achieve as much as we expected.
Margaret Lane
I would give the cd to my daughter for her son that is having a struggle learning to read. He has trouble understanding what he has read so it's hard on all of them. This cd would make a big difference in his future.
nakesha
Reading is the most important subject a person can learn without reading You can't be successful in any other area of your education.
Anjii
I've been reading since I was 2, and it's always been one of my favorite things to do. I have an extensive collection of books in my home, for myself and for my kids, and want to do everything I can to make reading a lifetime enjoyment for them, rather than a frustrating chore. I'd love to try this program!
Sheila Boutwell
Reading fluently makes reading enjoyable.
Jackie
Reading is so important and you dont know it until you witness the struggles that these children go through when they are unable to read. My son has dyslexia on the severe side. His inability to read has affected him and myself so much. He is so far behind. Without reading skills he is unable to write do math or pretty much perform in everyday situations with out his mother their to read and tell him everything. He has completely lost his independence. They lose their self esteem and friends and then are labeled. It is heart breaking that these children suffer so much at a young age and with out the proper tools to show them how to overcome these hurdles they will forever be lost in this world.
Teri H.
Reading is the key to learning. As the mother of a learning disabled teenager, it is my greatest fear that my son will never know the joy I feel every time I open a book. I still remember as a child how I couldn't wait to get off to myself to start my new adventure, I even loved the smell of books. That is what I want for my child--a new adventure every time he opens a book.
Robert A
Struggling reader can do anything if only they can read.And because they do not how; they have become helpless. They need a method to know to read, that is the main key for struggling reading.
Martha Appleby
Reading is vital for understanding and knowledge. Very limiited on your job choises without good reading skill.
Ronna Baron
Sounds like a good program
A. Jeffers
Those who have trouble reading often struggle with low self esteem and wont excell to their potential in school and careers.It is critical to get help for struggeling readers as early as possible.
Kristin Farlow
Struggling readers will have self esteem issues in others areas, as well as the simple task of reading and learning other subjects. As my son has struggled from just starting to learn to read and then a new system in the UK and in a few months back again to the USA, we have ached for him and wanted him so badly to have the skill which comes so easily to those around him. He has developed a Scottish accent over 4 years of schooling here...along with being taught different phonics at school and home, he has been the equivielent of a second language learner. Vowels are not pronounced the same in the UK as they are in the USA, and such confusion has led to more than frustration. Struggling readers will continue to guess and rush through things and eventually end up with negative consequences without learning to properly read. I pray something like V5 can help us.
Sally Andrews
Struggling readers suffer daily from the knowledge that they are not able to perform like their peers. Learning to read takes that away and instead the now-successful reader finds a whole new world available and accessible to him/her. They realise that they are just as capable as anyone else of becoming an independent learner.
Connie Costello
Reading is fundamental to learning about the world around us. Without reading we miss out on the most basic living skills. For those who can learn to read fluently it opens up a whole world of learning and adventure.
Disa
As ESL, it's not easy to have exact pronunication. The programme is great and tell us more about the phonics and that improves our reading and speaking.