Learning in Quarantine: 5 Ways to Use Reading Eggs to Keep Instruction On Track

As COVID-19 cases in elementary buildings accelerate this school year, we can expect to experience a revolving door of students moving in and out of quarantine. In the face of this challenge, educators across the country are asking themselves, “How do we keep students learning and minimize the risks of students falling behind?”

This is where educational technology becomes paramount as your backup learning generator when class is no longer in session. Specifically, let’s take a closer look at five ways that Reading Eggs—Edmentum’s three-in-one learn-to-read program featuring Reading Eggs, Reading Eggspress, and Fast Phonics—can be used during these unexpected instructional interruptions.

1. Encourage Daily Reading

Daily reading correlates to countless benefits, including improved language skills, stronger focus and concentration, and even memory improvement. Students who read often and widely get better at it over time. Although not all students will have access to physical books (or feel comfortable visiting the public library this school year), you can encourage daily reading from home through the Reading Eggs Library.

Featuring over 2,500 fiction and nonfiction texts, the Library allows students to select books that interest them, write book reviews, complete comprehension quizzes, and earn Golden Eggs in the process. Organized by genre and Lexile® level, this area is perfect for learners at any skill level!

2. Provide a Sequenced, Scaffolded Path Toward Success

The crux of the entire Reading Eggs program lies in its carefully sequenced content design. From a centralized Reading Eggs My Lessons area, pre-K–grade 2 students complete a placement test, and they are set forth on a learning path aligned to their abilities to build automaticity and reading muscles over time. Similarly, Reading Eggspress offers a placement test and lessons area for grades 2–6. Fast Phonics currently includes a sequenced lessons area focused only on systematic, explicit phonics instruction supporting early readers and those in need of additional reinforcement.

When students are sent home from school unexpectedly, there’s already a just-right instructional plan in motion that they can continue accessing. Best of all, because Reading Eggs begins at an absolute emergent reading level and mixes in a healthy dose of fun and games, even your youngest learners can work on it independently and find success!

3. Try Out the Reading Catch-Up Program and Other Offline Resources

Just as impressive as the online learning components, Reading Eggs offers a robust series of offline materials. If you’re nervous about increased screen time with students stuck at home, printable worksheets and activities may be the perfect fix!

Start by checking out Reading Eggs’ summer catch-up program. This 10-week guide supports students as they transition to grades 1–4. For each week, students will find day-by-day guidance (perfect for 10 days in quarantine) featuring fun-filled online learning activities to complete in Reading Eggs, combined with carefully selected printable activity sheets to help boost reading and literacy skills.

Additionally, Reading Eggs offers hundreds of literacy printables to support phonics, grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and even handwriting. Build your own custom, at-home packet for students to work on each day while at home, or utilize prebuilt packets available to you. You might even consider awarding a small prize associated with turning in the completed packet when it’s safe to return to school again.

4. Take Advantage of Assignments

Assignments in Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress are a great way of ensuring continuity of learning, while allowing you the flexibility to set expectations tied to each day or week that learners are away from the classroom. Design your own assignments to meet the differing needs of each student and address qualms of learning loss recovery simultaneously.

In addition to helping close skill gaps, assignments can help your students preview upcoming content in your prescribed scope and sequence. Assignments are easy to schedule in advance, and students will be alerted of the due date as soon as they log in.

5. Leave Room for Fun!

There’s a reason that students ASK to PLAY in Reading Eggs! Entering this game-like reading world is like hiding broccoli in the brownies—students don’t even know they’re learning, but they don’t want to stop! The engagement elements inside of Reading Eggs are topnotch, and it’s this program attribute that is particularly helpful when students are at home with a million and one distractions at arm’s reach that don’t include completing schoolwork.

Encourage students to complete any number of reading lessons or read a new Library book, and they’ll start earning Golden Eggs or other in-program currency that will keep them coming back for more. Additionally, students will find avatars hatching, treasure chests unlocking, and their online world leveling up as they build more literacy skills. The incentives feel endless, and the learning will too!

Interested in learning more? Check out 5 Tips for Planning Your Time in Reading Eggs Effectively, including a sample schedule you can implement in a pinch. Additionally, if you need support getting your Reading Eggs program up and running, check out our Getting Started Resources page.

And don't forget to register for our upcoming webinar, Quick Solves and Technology Tips for Quarantine Success.