How to Read this BookBuilder Book
This BookBuilder Book is designed to be accessible to a diverse range of learners by embedding the following UDL supports into the text:
TextHelp Toolbar
The TextHelp Toolbar appears at the top left of every page. To hear the text read aloud, select the first icon and then click anywhere in the book to start reading. Or, to hear individual sentences, select the text you want to hear and click the green triangle. Use the square button to stop reading. Text-to-speech benefits students who are struggling readers, English language learners, and students who simply enjoy hearing text read aloud.
Spanish translation
The TextHelp Toolbar also features a Spanish translation button. Click the bottom icon for a definition in Spanish. This feature supports students who are English language learners as well as native English speakers who may be learning Spanish and want to increase their vocabulary.
Multimedia glossary
Words that are underlined with a dotted line are words that have been included in a multimedia glossary. Click on the underlined word for a definition. You can also access the glossary at any time by clicking the "ABC" icon at the top left of every page. The glossary benefits students who are struggling readers, who are English language learners, or who have limited background knowledge on the subject.
Coaches
You will notice coaches at the bottom left of every page. "Tom Summarize" provides a summary of the content in everyday language. "Judy Connect" encourages students to connect to other articles and concepts that are discussed in the course.
Student response areas
On several pages, student response areas appear at the bottom right. These response areas help students connect concepts to their own experiences in schools. To collect all of your responses into one document, you can click the “View My Responses” button at the bottom of the page. You can then print your responses or download the text version. Be sure to bring your collection of responses to class as they will be useful to our discussion. You can also feel free to use the student response areas for any notes that you wish to take.
Captions and long descriptions
For every image, there is a caption as well as a long description. These features benefit readers with visual impairments who are using a screen reader to access the text and accompanying images. These features also benefit all readers by highlighting the critical features of the images.
