FAQ

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What is Jamestown Reading Navigator?
Jamestown Reading Navigator is a reading intervention program designed specifically for middle and high school students. Jamestown Reading Navigator is based on the latest research in adolescent literacy and over 30 years of experience in reaching adolescent readers with the popular Jamestown Education print series. It is designed to accelerate growth in reading fluency and comprehension skills to help struggling students catch up to where they need to be.

Highly motivating online and print-based content written exclusively for middle and high school readers
Direct, explicit instruction in reading skills and strategies in an interactive web format targeted to each student’s current reading level
A strong focus on non-fiction and content area reading strategies needed for success in all subject areas
ELL support, including content area vocabulary and academic English
Ongoing progress monitoring and a robust reporting system to allow you to track results for individual students, classes, and schools
Professional Development and teacher support tools to help you effectively implement a reading intervention program in your school

What research was used to develop the program?
Jamestown Reading Navigator aligns with the new Reading Next report from the Alliance for Excellent Education. (Reading Next: A Vision for Action and Research in Middle and High School Literacy, a Report to Carnegie Corporation of New York, 2004) This groundbreaking report outlines fifteen “Key Elements” of effective literacy instruction for adolescents, covering instructional models, content, formative and summative assessment, professional development, and school infrastructure and leadership elements. Bringing together years of research in adolescent literacy, it is the document that will be used to define effective programs for adolescent literacy for the next several years. Jamestown Reading Navigator is built around the Key Elements defined in this report.

The full report can be accessed at: http://www.all4ed.org/publications/ReadingNext/ReadingNext.pdf.

What grade levels and reading levels are covered by Jamestown Reading Navigator?
Jamestown Reading Navigator is designed for students in grades 6-12 who are reading 2 or more reading levels below their actual grade. They will be placed in one of four program levels depending on their current reading level.

Trek 1: Reading levels 1-2 (including phonics and decoding skills)
Trek 2: Reading levels 3-4
Trek 3: Reading levels 5-6
Trek 4: Reading levels 7-9+

What are the program components?
Jamestown Reading Navigator includes both online and print instructional materials. The main program features include:

Jamestown Reading Navigator Online: An interactive web-based reading intervention program that provides diagnostic assessment, online content and assignments, ongoing progress monitoring, and direct instruction and modeling of good reading skills. Each Trek includes between 4 and 8 units (Quests), with 4 lessons (Journeys) per unit.
inClass Reader: Print books for additional offline reading practice and collaborative book discussion groups. Each leveled book (for Treks 1-4, listed above) includes a variety of engaging selections tied to a central theme (“Guiding Question”). Content includes magazine articles, stories, interviews, and graphic novels. 75% of the content is non fiction. Online quizzes are available for each of the reading selections. 32 selection each for Treks 2 and 3; 16 selections for Treks 1 and 4.
inTIME Magazines: Additional reading selections in an engaging magazine format. Two magazines for each level for Treks 2-4 in English; one for each Trek 2-4 in Spanish.
Teacher Support materials: Comprehensive Teacher Resource Guide contains complete instructions for using the program in an easy-to-use binder format. Teacher guide is included for inClass Reader Anthologies and inTIME Magazines.
Professional Development: Professional Development packages can be tailored to district needs.

How does Jamestown Reading Navigator work?
When students start the program, they are given an initial online diagnostic test that places them into one of four levels: Trek 1 (Reading levels 1-2); Trek 2 (Reading levels 3-4); Trek 3 (Reading levels 5-6); or Trek 4 (Reading levels 7-9+). Each Trek is designed to provide scaffolded instruction in a “gradual release” model that moves students from a highly structured environment with explicit instruction towards more independent reading.

The online program is designed to allow students to work independently. Each Trek is divided into units (Quests), and each Quest has multiple lessons (Journeys). The Journeys are tied together by a central theme or guiding question (e.g., “When is change good?”), and the selections for each Journey are all tied to this unifying idea. Treks 2 and 3 each have 8 Quests. Students must complete 32 out of 48 possible Journeys for each Trek, or 4 Journeys per Quest. Treks 1 and 4 each have 4 Quests. Students must complete 16 out of 24 possible Journeys for each Trek, or 4 Journeys per Quest. Multiple selections for many of the skills within each level allow students a great deal of choice as they move through the program, while ensuring that all skills are covered.

The inClass Reader Anthologies are designed for independent reading practice and small group discussion. The books are divided into units that correspond to the units in the online program, using the same guiding questions or themes. There are 4 selections for each unit, all tied to the unifying theme. Students must complete at least 2 selections from each unit and take an online quiz on their reading. In addition, the Teachers Guide provides lesson plans and ideas for leading small group discussions around each of the selections or around the Guiding Question for the Quest.

inTIME Magazines are designed to encourage additional independent reading. A Teacher’s Guide provides lesson plans and ideas for using the inTIME Magazine articles.

How long does it take to complete the Jamestown Reading Navigator program?
Jamestown Reading Navigator is student directed, and individual students will work through the program at their own pace and comfort level. However, in general, teachers can expect students to work through about one Trek in a semester course. On average, students can expect to complete 2 Journeys every week, or a Quest every 4 weeks.

How is Jamestown Reading Navigator implemented in the classroom?
Jamestown Reading Navigator is designed to be flexible. Schools can develop an implementation model with varying degrees of emphasis on student-directed and teacher-directed learning, or varying amounts of time spent with online or print-based activities. Our Professional Development can be tailored to help schools implement an instructional model that works for them. This allows Jamestown Reading Navigator to be used in a variety of situations, from a comprehensive daily pull-out class, to an after school tutoring environment, to independent student-directed learning during a study hall or free class time.

How much computer time is required for Jamestown Reading Navigator?
The web-based program provides direct instruction in reading skills and strategies, modeling of good reading practices, and ongoing progress monitoring. It is a core component of the instructional model. The comprehensive instructional model assumes an average of 180 minutes of computer time per week, either in daily 45 minute sessions or two 90-minute blocks per week. This will allow students to progress through an average of 2 Journeys per week (one Quest per month).

Alternative models of program use can also be utilized if daily computer time is not available. In this case, it will take longer to work through the computerized lessons and units. For example, if schools allow students to have two 45 minute blocks of computer time each week, students can complete a Quest in about 9 weeks. Teachers would devote more class time to the print components, including group discussions and writing assignments in this model, or bring in other outside print resources. Jamestown Reading Navigator is still a highly effective when used as a supplement to other in-class instruction, though it may take longer to see progress.

Can students access the Jamestown Reading Navigator online program outside of school?
Yes. The web-based program is available 24-7, from school, home, library, community center, or anywhere else students can access the Internet. They can stop lessons at any time and log in later to complete them. This allows them to easily start a lesson during school time and finish it later at home or at the library.

Who is the consultant team for Jamestown Reading Navigator?

Mark R. Shinn, Ph.D.
Mark R. Shinn is a Professor of School Psychology at National Louis University, Evanston, IL, and serves as Chief Scientist for AIMSweb, a formative assessment system He is a nationally recognized Curriculum-Based Measurement (CBM) expert. He taught school psychologists and general and special educators for 19 years at the University of Oregon.
Kimberly Lawless, Ph. D.
Kimberly Lawless is Associate Professor of Educational Technology in the department of Curriculum, Instruction and Evaluation at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her research focuses on the comprehension of digital text and teacher beliefs about the effectiveness of technology in the classroom. Currently, Dr. Lawless is the lead principal investigator and project director for Project TITUS, funded by the Preparing Tomorrow’s Teachers to Use Technology program, and Project TRUST, funded by FIPSE. Both of these projects seek to enhance the integration of technology into diverse urban settings in meaningful ways.
Edward B. Fry, Ph.D.
Edward B. Fry is Professor Emeritus of Education at Rutgers University, where he was director of the Reading Center for twenty-six years. Dr. Fry is known internationally for his Readability Graph, which is used by teachers, publishers, and others to judge the difficulty of books and other materials. He is the author of the Reading Teacher’s Book of Lists, now in its fourth edition, from Jossey-Bass.
Douglas Fisher, Ph.D.
Douglas Fisher is Professor of Language and Literacy Education at San Diego State University and the Director of Professional Development for the City Heights Educational Collaborative in San Diego. He was the recipient of an International Reading Association Celebrate Literacy Award as well as a Christa McAuliffe Award for excellence in teacher education.
William G. Brozo, Ph.D.
William G. Brozo is Professor of Literacy in the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. He serves on the editorial review boards of Reading Research Quarterly, Reading Research and Instruction, and the Journal of Aolescent & Adult Lieracy. As an International Development Division-International Reading Association consultant, Dr. Brozo travels regularly to Macedonia, where he provides technical support to secondary teachers.

How is Jamestown Reading Navigator connected to the Jamestown books?
Jamestown Reading Navigator is a new program, separate from the existing print materials from Jamestown. All of the content has been newly created for Jamestown Reading Navigator. However, we have drawn from the Jamestown team’s expertise in creating engaging, relevant content for adolescent readers in creating this program. Just like the Jamestown books, Jamestown Reading Navigator has a strong focus on non-fiction and content-area reading. High-interest articles and stories have been written to appeal to an adolescent audience.

The existing Jamestown books can be purchased separately to be used as supplemental reading material by students in the program.

The McGraw-Hill Companies

The Jamestown Reading Navigator

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