Elisa Balbuena - ILA Newsletter Weekly Project: Effective Literacy Website #7

Elisa Balbuena

ILA Newsletter Weekly Project: Effective Literacy Website #7

            Literal (https://literalapp.com) is a reading website and mobile application that contains a vast library of books, ranging from classic literature to modern popular fiction. However, there is a twist: all the books are formatted like social media chats, with the dialogue, narration, and even stage directions becoming chat bubbles. Literal is a fun and engaging way for students to read literary texts that they may otherwise find inaccessible.

            Literal revolutionizes the way literature is presented to students. In today’s day and age, many students are more inclined to pick up their phones and chat with each other or browse through social media than they are to pick up a book and read (especially without being assigned). Literal meets these students halfway by providing key literature that they can read in a manner they are used to. Through Literal, students are provided full, unabridged books in the form of a social media chat. Each book they read is presented with its own reinvented or reimagined cast, but students can take matters into their own hands and customize the cast themselves. This gives them some control over their reading and learning and raises student connection and engagement.

            Literal also provides many scaffolding and accessibility tools that are available to students. As they read, students can control the speed at which the text appears and moves. They can either control the scrolling themselves or set it to automatically scroll at a speed of their choice. They can also control the speed at which the text is “typed” in the chat bubbles to match their personal reading speed. If students click on a chat bubble, many options pop up on the side. Of these options is the ability to join in on a discussion about that line of text or add notes or annotations to look back on later. Additionally, students can pull up a definition of a difficult word in the chat bubble or translate the text into a different language. There is also an audiobook option that is perfect for students with certain learning disabilities who need to have the text read out loud.

            Teachers can engage even the most reluctant of readers with Literal. The platform allows teachers to track student progress as they read through different texts. Literal also integrates seamlessly with Learning Management Systems like Google Classroom and Clever, so bringing students onto the platform is easy. Within each class, teachers can create small groups for a shared reading or literature circle experience. Texts on the platform are listed with Lexile levels, making it easy to find and assign various books to students and differentiate instruction. Teachers can also check student comprehension with formative assessment features built into the text.

            Literal brings a fresh and engaging way for students to read books that they otherwise might not. Many students may find reading, especially reading classic literature, to be a daunting experience. Literal works to change that mentality by presenting the books in a way that students are more familiar with and can become more engaged by. Because of all the features available on the platform and the innovative way students can access the literature, Literal is an amazing literacy tool to use in the classroom.