Fast ForWord Reading Programs

Software For Struggling Readers

After completing at least one cognitive Fast ForWord program, most Gemm Learning students move to Fast ForWord Reading, a series of reading programs for struggling readers to fill in their unique reading skill gaps.

These reading programs are designed specifically to eradicate bad habits (such as word skipping) or weaknesses (such as spelling and vocabulary) as well as accelerate reading comprehension by training your child to think while reading, a challenging skill for struggling readers who, prior to Fast ForWord, have had to work hard just to decode the text.

Overview
The Fast ForWord Reading programs, Levels 1-5, loosely correlate with grades. Reading 1 and 2 have exercises to build fluency, spelling and language structure, while Reading Levels 3 and 4 and progress through reading comprehension to exercises that build critical thinking and inferential skills. Reading 5 is appropriate for grades 8 through adult.

Program Descriptions

The Fast ForWord reading programs are for struggling readers of all ages. The levels are only loosely correlated to grade level. Reading Level 5 is far advanced beyond a 5th grade reading level. Almost all Gemm students complete at least one Fast ForWord reading program before graduating.

Fast ForWord Reading Level 1

Reading Level 1 -- for K to 2nd graders -- works on early foundational skills such as vocabulary, phonemic awareness, spelling and reading accuracy in sentence comprehension. It uses simple sentence completion exercises to help develop critical thinking skills while reading. It combines a left to right eye tracking exercise with essential sight words to build capability in both areas. Each exercise is engaging, hosted by its own colorful character. Children are able to work through the material at their own pace. The primary goal here is help the struggling reader develop reading fluency.
Fast ForWord Reading Level 1

Fast ForWord Reading Level 2

Reading Level 2 -- for 2nd to 4th graders -- builds on the work on fundamentals in Reading Level 1. The spelling element of the program moves from phonics to spelling rules. The sight words include unconventional spellings and the reading comprehension exercises continue to progress. This program completes the reading fluency work in Fast ForWord.
Fast ForWord Reading Level 2

Fast ForWord Reading Level 3

While Reading Level 3 uses a 4th to 6th grade vocabulary, it is a challenging program and the starting point for most adolescents and adults. It takes the thinking-while-reading skill development up a notch with Twisted Pictures, an exercise requiring the student to choose one out of four similar sentences to describe a complicated picture, and Hog Hat Zone that has missing words in sentences pulled from the classics. It also introduces an exercise that builds metalinguistics, a dexterity with language -- rhyming, seeing the nuances -- required for higher level thinking, often an under-developed skill in struggling readers.
Fast ForWord Reading Level 3

Fast ForWord Reading Level 4

Reading Level 4 -- for 4th to 7th graders -- is a smooth continuation of Reading Level 3. It has follow on exercises for the main Reading Level 3 themes with a stand out grammar exercise to help round out student syntax and grammar skills, a common weakness in struggling readers.
Fast ForWord Reading Level 4

Fast ForWord Reading Level 5

Reading level 5 is a challenging reading program for 7-8th graders through adult. It is an open ended program that pushes reading and thinking skills as far as they will go. It has comprehension and passage completion exercises that work on critical thinking, drawing inferences and abstract reasoning -- higher level reasoning and thinking skills required in reading and writing. While the entire reading series works on reading comprehension with metacognition it is a focal point of Quack Splash and several other exercises in Reading Level 5.
Fast ForWord Reading Level 5

Each Fast ForWord reading program takes 4-8 weeks, depending on the student's reading skills and session length; 30, 40 or 50 minutes. Young readers who are struggling to get started in reading will take longer, particularly in the early, cognitive skills phase of our program, before moving to the Fast ForWord Reading series.