The Microsoft Immersive Reader is a tool that implements proven techniques to improve reading and writing for people regardless of their age or ability.
Overview
In partnership with Microsoft, Discovery Education is working to integrate Immersive Reader across our platform. Currently, teachers and pupils can find the Immersive Reader icon in our content creation tool, Studio. Because STEM Connect and Health and Relationships resources are built in Studio slideshows, this Immersive Reader feature can also be found there.
This inclusive education tool gives more pupils personalised access to their curriculum, optimizes teacher time, and improves learning outcomes. Immersive Reader can help improve reading comprehension by:
- Increasing fluency for English language learners or readers of other languages
- Helping to build confidence for emerging readers learning to read at higher levels
- Offering text decoding solutions for pupils with learning differences such as dyslexia
- Provided translation of words, or the entire text into over 60 languages (over 40 of them can be read aloud)
| Feature | Proven Benefit |
| Enhanced dictation | Improves authoring text |
| Focus mode | Sustains attention and improves reading speed |
| Immersive reading | Improves comprehension and sustains attention |
| Font spacing and short lines | Improve reading speed by addressing "visual crowding" |
| Parts of speech | Supports teaching and improves writing quality |
| Syllabification | Improves word recognition |
| Real-time translation | Helps dyslexic non-native speakers with reading |
Accessing Immersive Reader
For more information about our content creation tool, Studio, explore these articles.
When viewing and editing a Studio board or slideshow, pupils and teachers can find the Immersive Reader icon on the right side of the screen. A module will open with the text from the lesson. From here, pupils and teachers have a few options.
Features & Functionality
Read Aloud & Picture Glossary
The read aloud feature allows you to modify the speed and voice gender for the read aloud feature. As the text is read aloud, words are highlighted to support learners as they move through the text.
Additionally, you can click on words throughout the text to bring up a menu to allow you to hear the individual word read aloud as well as see a picture representation for the word.
Text Preferences
From the right-side panel, the text preferences section allows you to change the text side, increase or decrease spacing, change the font, and modify background and text colour.
Grammar Options
To support reading and writing, additional grammar options are available. Pupils and teachers can break words into syllables as well as mark parts of speech by both colour and labels.
Reading Preferences
To support growing readers, the line focus tool allows you to narrow in to a single line, set of 3 lines, or a set of 5 lines. The line focus moves with the read aloud.
In addition, the text can be translated into different languages (around 60 options!). Pupils can choose to translate an individual word by clicking on the word or translate the entire document. 40 of these language can also be read aloud with the read aloud feature.
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