Aacapella Read Trial

Software Release Notes

Use the link in Step 2 opposite to download
Aacapella Read from the App Store.

Although the Read Trial application is now available via the Apple App Store, it is unlisted and not available to the general public. You will not find it by searching on the App Store. The Read Trial app can only be downloaded to your iPad using the link provided in the instructions opposite.

REGISTER

INSTALL

On each iPad, use this link to install Read apps.apple.com/us/app/read-trial/id6680172169

Then login to Read using the password you created when you registered.

Please do not share this link outside of your school.

If you have a previous version installed on your iPad via TestFlight, please delete that app from your iPad, then download the new version from the App Store.

This release provides new modes that allow students to progress through three AAC stages for emergent reading and two AAC stages for decoding modes using your preferred literacy approach.

More information on these modes is included in this document.

For those who already have Read installed from the App Store, this update should install automatically if you have Automatic Updates enabled.

Go to aacapella.com and click the Register link

or click this link: aacapella.com/register

In the registration process you will create the password required to access Aacapella Read on your iPad.

Reading Modes

Aacapella Read provides six reading modes to support students at different AAC and reading levels from students beginning to use AAC whilst engaging in shared reading through to confident AAC users learning to decode and comprehend text.

Teachers have the flexibility to select a mode that aligns with both their students’ AAC and literacy needs.

Each mode is carefully designed to ensure a graduated increase in the AAC and reading demands to maximise student success.

The AAC systems in Pre‑reading 1 and Decoding 1, and Pre-Reading 2 and Decoding 2 are aligned

so that students can easily make the transition from the emergent literacy modes to the corresponding conventional literacy mode using a familiar AAC system. This allows students to put their cognitive effort into decoding and comprehending the text rather than learning a new AAC system.

Aacapella Read can be used in conjunction with the school’s existing literacy approach.

Pre-Reading 0

For students working on emergent literacy goals, this errorless mode allows students to participate in shared reading by selecting a single symbol corresponding to the current word in the text.

This mode is best suited to students who are currently at an early stage of language development and just beginning to learn to use AAC. Students at this level may not yet be using AAC to communicate expressively and rely more on a communication partner to interpret gestures, vocalisations and facial expressions or, they may be just starting to use single words (symbols).

Our recommendation is that Aacapella Read is used to model reading aloud the text using AAC for the student. Some students who are starting to use single symbols may also learn to participate more actively in the reading aloud process by selecting the single symbol presented for each word.

Shared book reading methods that develop language and foster engagement with books should be used as the text of the book is read aloud.

Examples of shared reading methods include:

AIR: attention getter, invite participation and respond (Farrall, 2020)

CAR: comment, ask, respond (Notari-Syverson, Maddox & Cole, 1999)

These techniques should be applied whilst modelling language using the student’s AAC system.

Jane Farrall provides examples of how to use the AIR technique whilst modelling language using AAC on her website:

https://janefarrall.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Shared-Reading-Share-the-AIR.pdf

Students at shared reading level 1 and early level 2 in Jane’s table are best supported with Pre-Reading 0.

Pre-Reading 1

For students working on emergent literacy goals, this errorless mode allows students to participate in shared reading, with a guided choice of 3, 6 or 12 symbols. Each word is spoken following a single symbol press.

This mode is best suited to students who are learning to understand literal language (information that is contained in the book, for example, What can you see? – the pig is in the picture so the student can easily identify the answer) and are using single words (symbols) or combining 2 words (symbols) to communicate.

Some students who are combining more words expressively (3-5 symbols) but who are not yet learning how to use grammatical markers may also be suited to this mode.

Our recommendation is that Aacapella Read is used to model reading aloud the text using AAC, whilst providing opportunities for the student to participate in the reading process using techniques such as sentence completion. Some students may also be able to read aloud the book using the pulsing symbol in the grid or share the reading aloud by reading alternate pages with a communication partner.

Students should be encouraged to engage in shared book reading using strategies appropriate for their language level several times throughout the process of reading the book.

Examples of shared reading strategies include:

AIR: attention getter, invite participation and respond (Farrall, 2020) CAR: comment, ask, respond (Notari-Syverson, Maddox & Cole, 1999) CROWD: Completion, Recall, Open Ended Questions, Wh questions and Distancing (Zevenbergen & Whitehurst, 2003)

These techniques should be applied whilst modelling language using the student’s AAC system.

Jane Farrall provides a summary table of how to use the AIR technique modelling language using AAC and additional shared reading techniques such as modelling asking a question and teaching vocabulary on her website:

https://janefarrall.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Shared-Reading-Share-the-AIR.pdf

Students with language levels corresponding to shared reading levels 2 and early level 3 in Jane’s table are best supported to engage in shared reading using Pre‑Reading 1.

Pre-Reading 2

For students working on emergent literacy goals, this errorless mode allows students to participate in shared reading. This mode adds grammatical markers to the symbol(s) corresponding to the word, with a guided choice of 3, 6 or 12 symbols.

This mode is best suited to students who understand literal language (information that is contained in the book, for example, “Where is the pig?” – the pig is in the picture so the student can easily see the pig’s and say “in the barn” using their AAC device). Students may also understand or are working towards understanding inferential language (for example, using language to comment on information or answer a question where the answer cannot directly be derived from the content contained in the book and often requires some real world knowledge e.g. “What other animals do you think could live in a barn?”). These students are also likely to be combining more than three words (symbols) expressively.

Our recommendation is that Aacapella Read is used to model reading aloud the text using AAC, whilst providing opportunities for the student to participate in the reading process using techniques such as sentence completion. Students may also be able to independently read aloud the book using the pulsing symbols in the grid or share the reading aloud by reading alternate pages with a communication partner.

Several times throughout the book students should be encouraged to engage using shared book reading techniques appropriate for their language level such as:

AIR : attention getter, invite participation and respond (Farrall, 2020)

CAR: comment, ask, respond (Notari-Syverson, Maddox & Cole, 1999)

CROWD: Completion, Recall, Open Ended Questions, Wh questions and Distancing (Zevenbergen & Whitehurst, 2003)

These techniques should be applied whilst modelling language using the student’s AAC system.

Jane Farrall provides a summary table of how to use the AIR technique modelling language using AAC and additional shared reading techniques such as modelling asking a question and teaching vocabulary on her website:

https://janefarrall.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Shared-Reading-Share-the-AIR.pdf

Students at shared reading levels 3 and 4 in Jane’s table are best supported to engage in shared reading using Pre‑Reading 2.

Decoding 1

For students working on the conventional literacy goals of decoding and comprehending the text, this mode allows the student to decode the word and then choose the corresponding symbol from a grid of 3, 6 or 12 symbols, with error correction. Each word is represented by a single symbol – there are no grammatical markers in this mode.

Students can sound out unfamiliar words to assist with decoding. There is also a symbol learning process to support students to learn symbols representing words.

Aacapella Read provides a library of decodable readers and a book list outlining the target phonemes and graphemes within each book so that teachers can make appropriate book selections for each student. Teachers can use Aacapella Read in conjunction with the literacy approach they are currently implementing within their school.

Decoding 2

For students working on the conventional literacy goals of decoding and comprehending the text, this mode allows the student to decode the word and then choose the corresponding symbol(s) from a grid of 3, 6 or 12 symbols, with error correction. This mode adds grammatical markers to the symbols, enabling students to indicate their knowledge of plurals, possessives and verb tenses.

Students can sound out unfamiliar words to assist with decoding. There is also a symbol learning process to support students to learn symbols representing words.

Aacapella Read provides a library of decodable readers and a book list outlining the target phonemes and graphemes within each book so that teachers can make appropriate book selections for each student. Teachers can use Aacapella Read in conjunction with the literacy approach they are currently implementing within their school.

Choose your starting point

The starting point for each student will depend on their current literacy goals and should also reflect their current language and AAC capabilities.

You can dive into any mode and then follow one of our suggested pathways (see next page).

You may also want to move between modes with the same AAC system (e.g. Pre-Reading 1 and Decoding 1) depending on your literacy goals for your student. For example, you may use the Pre-Reading 1 mode during shared reading tasks or to pre-learn book specific vocabulary/symbols for a new decodable reader and then move back to Decoding 1 when your goal is for the student to independently decode and comprehend the text.

If you are working with a student reading more advanced texts, we would suggest using Decoding 2, as the more complex AAC system allows them to demonstrate their knowledge of grammatical markers.

If you are starting to use Aacapella Read with a student who is already decoding advanced readers, you may want to consider reading simpler texts initially. The aim of this is to build their knowledge of the AAC system in Aacapella Read using books with a smaller amount of vocabulary, and build student confidence by fostering early success.

Choose your Pathway

There are many pathways that students may take when using Aacapella Read. We outline here two typical pathways. Students can commence using Aacapella Read at any point along the pathways.

The key difference in these pathways is the level of complexity of the AAC system the student is using at the point where students transition from the Pre-Reading modes to Decoding modes.

For students commencing with the decoding modes, the advantages and disadvantages of entering at each entry point (Decoding 1 or Decoding 2) also need to be considered. Both pathways have advantages and disadvantages and these need to be considered in relation to each student’s individual language, AAC and literacy instruction needs.

Choose your Pathway

Pathway 1

Students move through the Pre-Reading modes and become familiar with a more complex AAC system using the errorless Pre‑Reading 2 mode prior to transitioning to the Decoding 2 mode.

The advantage of this pathway is that there is no new AAC learning required when students start using the Decoding 2 mode. Students can focus their cognitive effort on decoding. The complexity of the AAC system in this mode also means that once students advance to more complex books they already have the ability within the AAC system to indicate the grammatical markers such, as plurals, possessives and verb tense.

For some students though, consolidating the language and AAC demands of Pre‑Learning 2 and Decoding 2 may create an undesirable delay in transitioning to a decoding mode. An alternative pathway to cater for students who require an option to learn decoding with a less complex AAC system is outlined on the next page.

Choose your Pathway

Pathway 2

Students move from Pre-Reading 1 to Decoding 1 so that they can learn to decode and comprehend books whilst still consolidating their language and AAC abilities. This pathway has the advantage of enabling students to start decoding early decodable readers without waiting to consolidate their language and AAC skills.

As the decodable readers increase in complexity and begin to contain grammatical markers such as plurals, possessives and tense markers, a decision will need to be made about whether a student continues to decode these texts using a key word approach in Decoding 1 or makes the transition to Decoding 2 so that they can demonstrate their knowledge of these grammatical markers.

For some students pairing learning the meaning of these grammatical markers with their appearance in the text in decodable readers may provide an opportunity to consolidate this knowledge and work towards transitioning them onto the Decoding 2 reading mode.