The purpose of this site is to offer transparency for our Leander ISD community regarding the instructional materials utilized in Secondary ELA classrooms.
What Grows Readers?
Reading Wellness: The act of building the dispositions, attitudes and skills of reading so that we are all our best reading selves, empowered to think, act, and find joy in our reading lives.
- Explore a variety of genres and topics.
- Engage with a wide range of ideas that ignite their curiosity and expand their understanding of the world around them.
- Expand their cultural knowledge of people and places different than their own.
- Find time and space to get into the reading flow.
- Interact with texts to deepen comprehension.
- Set reading goals and make decisions independently.
- Develop a plan for what they are going to read next
- Talk about their reading with others.
- Recommend books to their friends and family.
- Reflect on how a book has affected their head and their heart.
- Revel in their reading risks and growth.
Types of Reading Experiences in Secondary ELA Classrooms
Students self-select texts, read, and monitor comprehension. Students can expect to write about and discuss their independent reading texts with their teacher and classmates. Teachers provide independent reading time in class and confer with students about their reading. Students continue their self-selected, independent reading outside of school as well. Students engage in independent reading all year during every unit of study. Ideally, students always have an independent reading book (or two) that they are reading during class as well as outside of class. “The goal of independent reading as an instructional practice is to build habitual readers with conscious reading identities.” (NCTE, 2019)
Student-led book clubs are an instructional strategy that allows students to select books to read with a group of peers. During book clubs, students meet in small groups at scheduled times to discuss a book that they have all read or listened to. Through sharing their thinking, they build a richer understanding than any one student could gain from independent reading alone. Using the district-provided book club selections and existing campus collections, teachers determine the books that students can choose from for book clubs. Students preview titles, participate in book tastings (ex. preview the book, table of contents, inside cover, back cover, chapters, and read a paragraph or page near the beginning), and review the Awards and Reviews document with parents or guardians prior to choosing their top choices. Teachers match students with their choice books and create book groups. Students read their book club books, practice and apply skills using their book club books, and discuss with peers.
All students read the same core work together to analyze and practice skills utilizing the same text for discussion. A core work may vary in length from shorter pieces (ex. excerpt, poem, scene, short story, essay, article) to longer pieces (ex. play, novel, memoir, nonfiction). These works may come from textbooks, instructional materials, or the whole-class text-approved list.
Secondary ELA Instructional Materials
- McGraw Hill Texas StudySync (online access) Grades 6-12
- Units of Study Reading & Writing (gr. 6-9) by Lucy Calkins and TCRWP
- The Language of Composition, 3rd Edition (AP Language)
- Literature & Composition, 2nd Edition (AP Literature)InThinking (IB)
- Scholastic Scope (gr. 6, 7, 10)
- Scholastic Upfront (gr. 8, 11, 12)
- Scholastic Choices (gr. 9)
- Lapham’s Quarterly (AP Language, AP Literature, IB)
- Book Clubs (approved list below*)
- Whole Class Text Study (approved list below)
- Classroom Libraries (Middle School & High School) & School Libraries
Lexile Levels & Literacy
Graphic Novel Research
Definition: a graphic novel is a “full-length” (esp. science fiction or fantasy) story published in a comic-strip format. –The Oxford English Dictionary
Independent Reading and Young Adult Literature Research
Independent reading is a routine, protected instructional practice that occurs across all grade levels. Effective independent reading practices include time for students to read, access to books that represent a wide range of characters and experiences, and support within a reading community that includes teachers and students. Student choice in text is essential because it motivates, engages, and reaches a wide variety of readers. The goal of independent reading as an instructional practice is to build habitual readers with conscious reading identities. (NCTE, 2019)
Young Adult Literature is targeted to an age 12-18 audience and serves as a transition from children’s novels to adult literature. Young adult literature gives youth the opportunity to see their lived experiences reflected in literature. Common themes related to YA include friendship, first love, relationships, and identity.
- Independent Reading from the National Council of Teachers of English
- The Value of Young Adult Literature
- Embracing Diverse Perspectives in Young Adult Literature
Interview with Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop, Professor Emerita of Education at The Ohio State University, on the importance of students seeing themselves reflected in books as well as the importance of learning about those who have had different experiences than your own.
Ted Talk presented by children’s book author/ illustrator, Grace Lin.
Parent Communication & Resources
Sample Book Club Parent/Guardian Communication
Additional Parent/Guardian Resources
- As a parent, how can I engage with my child about their reading?
- If you want your learner to be a reader, emphasize and model the importance of reading by …
- Surrounding yourself with books
- Drawing attention to what you read
- Bringing something to read everywhere you go
- Reading together often
Book Clubs Awards & Reviews
Student-led book clubs is an instructional strategy that allows students choice, voice, and motivation in reading. Students select books they wish to read with a group of peers. Students prepare for group meetings by reading agreed-upon pages. (Literacy Learner) Through discussion and sharing thinking, students build a richer understanding than any one student could gain from independent reading alone. (Fountas & Pinnell Literacy Blog)
In English Language Arts, students have the opportunity to participate in book clubs. The Awards and Reviews provide a preview of the district provided book club selections including a book summary, industry awards, professional reviews from organizations such as Booklist, Kirkus Reviews, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly, Horn Book Guide, and Library Media Connection, and a summary of the commentary from participants in the Leander ISD CCAC Comprehensive Literature Review for each title.
In order to support the implementation of new TEKS and new curriculum, these titles were purchased to utilize for book clubs and to add to the existing collections already available on campuses. Campuses have the discretion to include additional titles from the campus book room that are highly matched to the intent of the unit of study.
Middle School (Grades 6–8) Book Club Lists, Awards & Reviews
High School (Grades 9-12) Book Club Lists, Awards & Reviews
Additional Book Club Resources
- What are Book Clubs? Though this article’s audience is elementary teachers, the authors’ points apply to middle and high school book clubs as well.
- What is the difference between Literature Circles and Student-Led Book Clubs?
- The Nuts and Bolts of Book Clubs from A Guide to the Reading Workshop: Secondary Grades by Lucy Calkins & Mary Ehrenworth (chapter 13, page 142)
- Leander ISD Counselor Process to Support Secondary ELA Students During Book Clubs: If a student is impacted by reading material, counselors can provide additional supports.
- As a parent, what if I do not want my child to read a specific title during book clubs? Prior to launching book clubs, teachers communicate with parents and guardians the book club choices and share the Awards and Reviews. Teachers establish a process for parents to opt out of a title.
Community Curriculum Advisory Committee (CCAC)
The Community Curriculum Advisory Committee (CCAC) is a group of LISD parents, teachers, principals, students, business and community members who gather with the primary function to advise on the written, taught, and tested curriculum, related instructional resources, and potential new programs and courses. During the 2020-21 school year, the CCAC convened a subcommittee, the High School ELA Comprehensive Literature Review, to review HS ELA student book club reading choices and advise about appropriate course placement.
Reviewing Instructional Resources
If you are concerned after you review this material, please complete the Request for Reconsideration form. Once received, one of our employees will review your request and reach out about next steps in the reconsideration process. If we have not heard back within two weeks, we will assume you no longer wish to file a formal complaint.
|Title||Review Committee Meeting Date||Outcome|
|Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi||Dec. 10, 2021||The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in the English II book club and classroom libraries.|
|Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison||Dec. 15, 2021||The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in 11th- and 12th-grade classroom libraries, as well as high school campus libraries.|
|Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery: The Authorized Graphic Novel by Miles Hyman||March 3, 2022||The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in high school libraries.|
|Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson||March 21, 2022||The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in both high school libraries as well as the audiobook on Sora (high school only).|
|The Handmaid’s Tale: The Graphic Novel by Margaret Atwood & Renee Nault||March 24, 2022||The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in high school libraries.|
|Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson||March 30, 2022||The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in middle and high school libraries as well as the ebook and audiobook on Sora.|
|Y: The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan||April 5, 2022||The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in high school libraries.|
|The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez||April 13, 2022||The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in high school libraries as well as English II choice book clubs.|
|The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed||March 31, 2022|
April 19, 2022
|March 31: The committee vote resulted in a tie for the high school library, online ebook and audiobook access for high school students. A second reconsideration meeting will be held, repeating the process with a new committee.|
April 19: A second committee with a new group of 8 volunteers voted and recommended retention of this book in high school libraries.
|None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio||March 23, 2022|
April 20, 2022
|March 23: The committee vote resulted in a tie for the high school library, online ebook and audiobook access for high school students. A second reconsideration meeting will be held, repeating the process with a new committee.|
April 20: A second committee with a new group of 8 volunteers voted and recommended retention of this book in high school libraries as well as the audiobook and ebook on Sora (high school only).
|V for Vendetta by Alan Moore||April 28, 2022||The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in high school libraries.|
|Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez||April 29, 2022||The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in high school libraries.|
|Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes||May 4, 2022||The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in high school and middle school campus libraries; English IV choice book clubs; and English II and English IV upper classroom libraries.|
|I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez||May 10, 2022||The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in high school campus libraries, ebook and audiobook access on Sora (high school only) and English I choice book clubs. The committee voted to remove audiobook access on Sora for middle school students. There was a tie regarding retention of the Spanish version of the book at the middle school level.|
|What We Saw by Aaron Hartzler||April 11, 2022|
May 16, 2022
|April 11: The committee vote resulted in a tie for English I choice book clubs and English I & English II lower classroom libraries. A second reconsideration meeting will be held with a new committee, repeating the process for English I choice book clubs and lower classroom libraries.|
The committee voted and recommended retention of this book in English III & English IV upper classroom libraries, high school libraries as well as the ebook on Sora.
May 16: A second committee with a new group of 8 volunteers voted and recommended retention of this book in English I choice book clubs, along with English I and English II lower classroom libraries.
Community Questions & Public Interest
2020 Technology & Instructional Materials Adoption (TIMA): English Language Arts Grades 9–12
Approximately every 10 years, the State Board of Education and the Texas Education Agency review and revise the state standards – the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills – that are taught in Texas public schools. As part of that process, the State of Texas undergoes the adoption of new instructional materials in cycles called proclamations.
In Spring 2020, we adopted new instructional materials for secondary English Language Arts (ELA) according to Proclamation 2020 as outlined below:
- State Adoption, Fall 2019
- Board Approved Framework for the Materials, March 2020
- Materials Ordered, Spring 2020
- Implementation, 2020–21 School Year
- English Language Arts and Reading, English I–IV
- ELA Electives
- English for Speakers of Other Languages I and II
- English Learners Language Arts, 7–8
What is the Board of Trustees’ role in the selection of instructional materials?
A board shall select instructional materials in an open meeting as required by the Texas Open Meetings Act, including public notice. 19 TAC 66.104(a)
The Board of Trustees was presented with the framework for selecting ELA instructional materials along with the recommended resources for adoption during the March 12, 2020 Board meeting and was approved at the March 26, 2020 Board meeting.
How did we select these books?
Leander ISD developed a new English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum aligning to the new state standards and provides guidance for teachers. As a part of the new curriculum for our students, we created two book club reading opportunities for each high school ELA course, and 15 titles for each book club unit were selected and vetted by the Curriculum Design Team: a group of curriculum specialists, general education teachers, special education teachers, ESL teachers, instructional coaches, and librarians. The 15 titles include a wide range of reading levels and topics.
Unfortunately, the Spring 2020 review process occurred during the time we closed our buildings, staff was working virtually, and we were not allowing non-essential employees in the buildings due to COVID. As a result of this unprecedented time, we chose not to purchase and mail copies of every book title to each teacher to read and review. We recognize this was an important piece of the process we missed. By over-relying on written professional reviews from publishers, common sense media, library journals, etc. and not utilizing the trusted LISD lens to make these decisions, we failed our community. We acknowledge some books containing passages that raised concerns from students, teachers, parents, and community members made it through this flawed vetting process and for this we apologize to our students, families and community for this breakdown in trust and the process.
What are Student Choice Book Clubs?
Students select their book from the book club list. Teachers may suggest titles based on a student’s interests and reading level, but ultimately the student owns the choice. Parents are also offered an opportunity to review books prior to students selecting titles. This process has been tightened through the CCAC work this Fall/Spring. With approximately 15 book club titles in each unit, the titles represent a variety of reading levels to facilitate independent reading, as well as a variety of topics, voices, and cultures. Supported by the teacher and a “book club” of peers reading the same title, students will read, respond to, analyze, and critique the title they have selected. This work takes place in book club discussions, student-teacher conferences, writers’ notebook entries, and written analyses. Students participate in one student choice book club each semester, running approximately ten to fourteen class sessions each.
Do the TEKS require Graphic novels to be taught?
The TEKS call for multiple genres and analyzing graphic features, however, Graphic novels are not specifically mentioned in the TEKS:
- Multiple genres: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts‐‐genres. The student recognizes and analyzes genre‐specific characteristics, structures, and purposes within and across increasingly complex traditional, contemporary, classical, and diverse texts. The student is expected to analyze characteristics of multimodal and digital texts.
- Author’s purpose and craft: listening, speaking, reading, writing, and thinking using multiple texts. The student uses critical inquiry to analyze the authors’ choices and how they influence and communicate meaning within a variety of texts. The student analyzes and applies the author’s craft purposefully in order to develop his or her own products and performances. The student is expected to evaluate the author’s use of print and graphic features to achieve specific purposes.
The CCAC book review teams reviewed several resources to gain a better understanding of the intent and purpose of using graphic novels in high school:
- Graphic novel unit of study designed to help CCAC members understand the learning outcomes in the English II graphic novel unit of study.
- Graphic novel hyperdoc created to support CCAC members evaluating the graphic novels to understand the role graphic novels play in reading and writing.
What are we currently doing to address this situation?
We asked the Community Curriculum Advisory Committee (CCAC) to vet all high school English Language Arts student choice book club selections. Our teachers are not using book club titles until they have been thoroughly reviewed through the rigorous CCAC process.
We have assigned a team of Continuous Improvement Facilitators from various departments (outside of language arts) trained specifically for this type of activity, to lead the work in the CCAC meetings. Currently, more than 200 parents, community members, educators, and additional campus representatives including counselors, librarians, instructional coaches, principals/APs are engaged in the vetting process. Each volunteer chose whether or not to participate with each review cycle resulting in a different group of volunteers for each review cycle. The committee is vetting all 140 book club titles added to our existing collections, by grade level and unit of study, throughout the fall and spring semester. The vetting process encompasses reading each title, discussing in small groups, assessing each book based on specific criteria, and making recommendations to keep, remove, or pull a title pending further review.
The CCAC page has a detailed set of review cycle summaries and recommendations. We have completed seven cycles and are currently working through the eighth. We have completed the review of 105 book titles through this process. Those details are posted on our CCAC webpage, as will the results of additional review cycles.
What is the process of assigning volunteers books to review?
Each CCAC volunteer was randomly assigned one or two titles to read per cycle. Random selections were based on when volunteers signed up to participate in the CCAC process. For example, the first person to sign up read book 1, the second person to sign up read book 2, and so on. After the random assignments were made, the groups were checked to ensure no singular book club group was made up of only volunteers from one feeder pattern or had volunteers who were all in the same role (parent, librarian, teacher, etc.).
What is the criteria used to vet the books?
- Vetting and Review Criteria (established by CCAC Continuous Improvement Cycle #4 March 2021):
- Diversity: Exposes students to new ideas, perspectives, and experiences; students see themselves in the books
- Student Appeal: Variety of reading levels and topics
- Literary Merit: Awards, positive professional reviews, compelling characters, exemplary author’s craft, and storytelling
- Alignment to Curricular Goals: The text matches the unit focus and can be used to teach the English Language Arts skills specific to the unit of study
- Student Navigation of Text, Topics, and Themes: Is the content sensitive? Is the content age-appropriate? Can the book stand on its own without needing a lot of supplemental adult support? Will students understand what is going on?
- Based on the criteria listed above, the volunteer assigns the book one of the following ratings and has an opportunity to comment if there are concerns or further advisement is needed
- Keep as Selection: Adequately Meets Criteria (listed above)
- Keep, but may require advisement (commenting available)
- Concerns in this area sufficient to consider removal from the book club list (commenting available)
The results of each review cycle for the Board and community will be posted on the CCAC web page under the Review Cycles Summary & Recommendations section
What are the next steps?
The Board formed a policy committee as part of a comprehensive review of the district’s policies. Policy concerning curriculum adoption is included in this districtwide review. The administration will bring policy proposals through this subcommittee of the Board before a recommendation is brought to the entire Board. After listening to the concerns from our community, our administrators are currently working on drafting verbiage for board policy providing additional guidance for the selection of instructional resources including books for the assigned courses. As part of this policy review process, the district will continue to meet with stakeholder groups to shape possible revisions. In the case of curriculum adoption, this will include the CCAC.
What is the district doing as a result of concerning discourse amongst community members and this issue of books and instructional materials?
Our district administration balances the private and individual rights of our community members with the operation of our schools and programs. We hear and see the discourse and discussion in our community about the high school English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum. The actions of individuals in our community targeting others on social media and with the delivery of inappropriate mail are totally unacceptable. As a community, we owe it to each other to treat one another with respect and dignity.
We want everyone to feel included in the discussions around their schools and our students’ learning. We appreciate you sharing your concerns and share your concern about parents feeling welcomed to speak in our public board meetings and other public forums.
All volunteers in Leander ISD agree to our Volunteer Guidelines when registering for service each year. The registration process allows us to do a national background check on our volunteers and the guidelines provide rules and procedures for supporting our schools. If a volunteer violates our guidelines, the action and possible removal of the volunteer or adjustment to their volunteer role will be determined by the leadership in place in the roles where they serve. For example, a volunteer who serves on a committee may be removed from a role at the decision of the committee’s membership and district or school leaders facilitating the committee.
Volunteers have first amendment rights and their involvement with the district does not prevent them from exercising free speech. While we hope a person would use their free speech to continue a productive dialogue, we do not have the authority to infringe upon that right.
Thank you for partnering with LISD as we strive to continuously improve our systems and processes. We pledge to continue listening to community feedback and making necessary adjustments.


15 Principles for Reading to Deaf Children
The ultimate authorities in reading to deaf children are deaf adults. Comparative studies of deaf children with hearing parents and deaf children with deaf parents show that deaf children with deaf parents are superior in academic achievement, reading and writing, and social development (Ewoldt, Hoffmeister, & Israelite, 1992). Hearing parents and teachers can learn from the read aloud strategies used by deaf parents. The following 15 principles have been identified based on research that examined deaf parents and deaf teachers reading to deaf children:
- Deaf readers translate stories using American Sign Language
- Deaf readers keep both languages visible (ASL and English)
- Deaf readers are not constrained by the text
- Deaf readers re-read stories on a storytelling to story reading continuum
- Deaf readers follow the child's lead
- Deaf readers make what is implied explicit
- Deaf readers adjust sign placement to fit the story
- Deaf readers adjust signing style to fit the story
- Deaf readers connect concepts in the story to the real world
- Deaf readers use attention maintenance strategies
- Deaf readers use eye gaze to elicit participation
- Deaf readers engage in role play to extend concepts
- Deaf readers use ASL variations to sign repetitive English phrases
- Deaf readers provide a positive and reinforcing environment
- Deaf readers expect the child to become literate
Deaf readers translate stories using American Sign Language
When it comes to reading stories to deaf children, one of the most prominent dilemmas is whether to sign the stories in ASL or in a manual code developed to represent English. Parents and teachers worry that if they don't sign every word in English word order, the deaf children will not pick up on the English in the text. However, a look at research on how deaf mothers and fathers read to their children makes it clear: they use ASL to read the stories to their children (Lartz & Lestina, 1995; Mather, 1989; Schick & Gale, 1995; Whitesell, 1991). A study by Schick and Gale (1995) noted that children found stories told in ASL more interesting and engaging.
Deaf readers keep both languages visible (ASL and English)
Although deaf readers use American Sign Language, they also place great importance on the written English of the text. Deaf parents demonstrate this when they read to their deaf children by keeping the English print visible while they interpret the story in ASL (Akamatsu & Andrews, 1993; Lartz & Lestina, 1995; Mather, 1989; Schleper, 1995b; Stewart, Bonkowski, & Bennett, 1990). This allows the children to look freely from parent (ASL) to the book (English), making sense of both. In one reading session, a deaf child interrupted his mother to ask, "Where does it say that?" The mother traced her finger along the part of the story that she had just signed. The child looked from the page to his mom, back to the page again, then looked again to his mother and with a nod signaled that he was ready for her to proceed with the rest of the story. Researchers have observed deaf parents frequently calling attention to text in a story, then signing, then pointing again to the text to help the child connect to both languages. In related research, Mather (1989) observed a deaf and hearing teacher read stories to deaf students in a classroom. One primary difference observed by the two readers, both fluent signers, was that the hearing teacher did not keep the text visible while signing a story to her class, while the deaf teacher did.
Deaf readers are not constrained by the text
Erting (1991) observed a deaf teacher reading the story Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells to a group of preschool children. This, translated from ASL, is what the teacher signed:
Daddy is busy. So, Nora goes over to see Mommy, taps Mommy, and says, Mommy. But Mommy has to pick the baby up and burp the baby. Maybe the baby has to burp. So she is patting him on the back. Nora tries to get Mommy's attention, but Mommy is busy with the baby.
This is what the text on the page said:
Jack needed burping.
Obviously, the deaf reader has elaborated extensively on the text. The other information comes from the illustrations, from what has happened in the story thus far, from the underlying theme of the book, and from the needs of the deaf children who are enjoying the story. The reader helps build the background knowledge necessary to understand the story. This tendency to elaborate on the text has also been observed in deaf mothers (Andrews & Taylor, 1987). This suggests that when reading to deaf children, parents and teachers need not be obsessively concerned about knowing each and every word within the text, but should place higher priority on conveying the story.
Deaf readers re-read stories on a "storytelling" to "story reading" continuum
Like their hearing counterparts, emerging deaf readers enjoy having the same story read over and over to them. Trelease (1995) explains that this is a natural and necessary part of language development.
"These rereadings coincide with the way children learn. Like their parents, they are most comfortable with the familiar, and when they are relaxed, they're better able to absorb. The repetition improves their vocabulary, sequencing, and memory skills. Research shows that preschoolers often ask as many questions (and sometimes the same questions) after a dozen readings of the same book, because they are learning language in increments not all at once. Each reading often brings an inch or two of meaning to the story."
According to Schleper (1995a), deaf readers elaborate on the text extensively the first time they read a story, but then each successive reading of the same text has less and less elaboration. The signing comes closer and closer to the actual text. What occurs is a continuum, moving from a great deal of signed elaboration toward a more direct translation of the English text into American Sign Language.
The same process is used by teachers in a process known as shared reading, where the same story is read and re-read in the classroom to help emerging readers learn about stories (Schleper, 1995b). One can logically conclude that deaf readers use less elaboration in subsequent readings of the same text because they have already built the background knowledge the child needs during the initial readings of the story.
Deaf readers follow the child's lead
Deaf readers let children take the lead during read aloud sessions (Ewoldt, 1994; Maxwell, 1984; Van der Lem & Timmerman, 1990). This can be as simple as allowing the deaf child to select the book to be read, permitting the child to turn the pages, and waiting for the child to examine the pictures and text in a book and then look up prior to reading the story.
Following the child's lead also involves adjusting the reading style to fit the child's developmental level. With young children, or children who have had limited exposure to books, this may mean initially focusing on what is happening in the pictures. As children grow older and their attention spans increase, deaf adults tend to read more complete versions of the texts. This can be illustrated by observing a deaf father while reading to his deaf children, a daughter, 3, and a son, 6 (Schleper, 1995a).
The father initially read Little Red Riding Hood by William Wegman to his young daughter. This book has lots of text that accompanies photos of dogs dressed up as characters in the story. As the father read the story, his daughter turned the pages. She was clearly interested in the pictures. Following his daughter's lead, the father allowed her lots of time to examine each picture; when she looked back at him, he signed what was happening. During this reading, the father essentially ignored the printed text and instead retold the familiar tale.
In contrast, when he read to his 6-year-old son, the father followed the text, carefully translating into ASL. The son also held the book and turned the pages. The father traced his finger along the text before signing each page, and occasionally paused to allow his son to fill in the next part of text. Because the son was already beginning to read on his own, the father was again following his child's lead.
Although deaf parents consistently follow their children's lead, classroom teachers seem to struggle with this concept. Ewoldt (1994) observed parents and teachers in booksharing sessions over a four-year period and noted that parents were more likely to follow the children's lead, while teachers were more inclined to establish their own agenda and struggle to get children to fit into this agenda.
Deaf readers make what is implied explicit
When deaf readers sign a story, they tend to add information to emphasize ideas in a story that are not directly stated in the text, but are clearly implied. For example, when a deaf father read Little Red Riding Hood to his daughter, he explained how the wolf donned Red Riding Hood's grandmother's clothing. Then the father added, "He is trying to fool the girl." The text never stated directly the reason behind the action, but the deaf reader wanted to make the reason obvious for his daughter. The addition of information to make the meaning of the story explicit, or to clearly state the main idea or moral of a story, appears to be a common technique used by deaf readers.
This principle can be further illustrated by examining how deaf readers interpret the story, The Dancing Fly, by Joy Cowley. This is a predictable story about a pesky fly that buzzes around a store and annoys a storekeeper, who tries unsuccessfully to swat the fly with a fly swatter. The first couple of lines of the text are: "There was a little fly, and it flew into the store. It danced on the window, and it danced on the door." Schleper observed 10 different deaf readers sign the story. Inevitably, each reader began the story in a similar manner. First he or she introduced the fly, then added a sign for "arrogant" or "big-headed." Although the text never mentions the fly's personality, this characteristic is implied throughout the story through the struggle between the storekeeper and the fly.
Like most of the principles observed with deaf parents and deaf teachers, this technique appears to be intuitive and unconscious on the part of the deaf readers. However, one can surmise that such a practice directly impacts the deaf children's reading achievement. By modeling the comprehension process and reading between the lines, deaf readers are showing how a story has meaning that goes beyond the printed text.
Deaf readers adjust sign placement to fit the story
A common strategy used by deaf adults reading to deaf children is to adjust the placement of signs to maintain interest and variety (Akamatsu & Andrews, 1993; Lartz & Lestina, 1995; Van der Lem & Timmerman, 1990). Occasionally, the reader will place a sign directly on a child, such as making the sign for "cat" directly on the child's face. Other times, the reader will make the sign on the book or an illustration. For example, a deaf parent might use the classifier for a vehicle, place the sign on an illustration of a car, and then move the sign along the picture of the road in a book, as if the car is driving along the street.
In one situation, a father who was reading to his daughter came to the last picture in a book about Little Red Riding Hood. In the picture, Red Riding Hood and her grandmother were eating cake with the woodsman. The father asked, "Are you hungry?" When his daughter nodded, the father mimed taking a piece of cake from the picture and offered it to his daughter. His use of sign placement helped his daughter interact with the story.
At other times, deaf parents make the signs in the usual place. It appears that variation in placement of the signs, from on the child, to on the text, to the regular place, helps deaf children connect to the stories being read.
Deaf readers adjust signing style to fit the story
Critical aspects of speech are tone, intensity, and pitch of voice. Skilled readers to hearing children vary their intonation and volume to give life to the characters in the story. They vary their pitch to illustrate the high pitched voice of the baby bear or the booming voice of the papa bear in Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
In a similar way, deaf readers adjust their signing style to bring characters to life. A skilled deaf reader will adopt a more rigid, stilted signing style to portray an uptight person, sign using miniature signs and small signing space to depict someone who is timid, or use big exaggerated signs to show a "loud" character.
Research on deaf parents shows that they use extensive variation in how they make their signs to make the stories interesting for their deaf children (Lartz & Lestina, 1995; Mather, 1989; Stewart, Bonkowski, & Bennett, 1990; Van der Lem & Timmerman, 1990).
Deaf readers connect concepts in the story to the real world
Skillful deaf readers constantly relate experiences of their own to the characters and events in the stories they are reading (Akamatsu & Andrews, 1993; Andrews & Taylor, 1987; Lartz & Lestina, 1995; Stewart, Bonkowski, & Bennett, 1990; Whitesell, 1991). Deaf readers help children build this skill by regularly making connections between the story and the lives of the children they are reading to. As one deaf mother read a story about a cat which lapped up some milk, she added, "You know, the same as Sparky (their dog) drinks his water." The child laughed and nodded, clearly making the connection of their shared experience.
A father who read Whales, the Gentle Giants to his children paused periodically to help them connect the story to their own experiences. The children had chosen the book because it reminded them of the movie Free Willy. After the father read a section of the text about a blue whale, he turned to his 3-year-old daughter and asked, "Are whales big or small?" "Big," the girl replied. "Really big!" the father agreed. Then his 6-year-old son walked over to the far wall of the family room to show his sister how big a blue whale really is. "That big," he said.
His father told him that a blue whale is much bigger, but they remained skeptical. Then the father tried to help the children relate the whale's size to objects in their own lives. He said, "It's huge. It's the same as when you see a football field. It's big, right? This whale is bigger!"
Deaf readers use attention maintenance strategies
It is perfectly natural for deaf children to look away or down at the book sometimes while an adult is reading a story. Although this can be frustrating, experienced deaf readers find appropriate ways to respond (Akamatsu & Andrews, 1993; Andrews & Taylor, 1987; Lartz & Lestina, 1995; Van der Lem & Timmerman, 1990). Usually, deaf readers wait patiently until the child looks up again, then continue to read. Deaf readers also use a variety of strategies to keep their deaf children's attention.
Most commonly, a parent will lightly tap the child on the shoulder or leg to get attention. If the parent is sitting alongside the child, the parent will often gently nudge the child, or shift the book to first draw the child's attention back to the text, and then to the waiting parent. The deaf parent also uses facial expression to maintain attention, and eye contact appears to be central in holding the child's interest. One behavior noticed with hearing parents and teachers, but absent with deaf parents, is grabbing the child by the chin and forcibly pulling the child's face to attention.
While young children sometimes do this with their parents, it is not an acceptable practice to model for the children. Deaf readers also recognize the power of peripheral vision. They note that deaf children pick up a lot even when they are not looking directly at the reader's signs. And, since the deaf reader will often read the same story over and over again, the child will have plenty of opportunities to get any information missed during any one reading.
Deaf readers use eye gaze to elicit participation
Eye contact is clearly an important consideration when reading to deaf children. Mather (1989) researched the importance of eye gaze when reading to deaf children. She found readers used two types of eye gaze during reading sessions: individual and group gaze. One deaf teacher used group gaze effectively to involve all of the students in the reading and individual gaze to direct questions or comments to particular children.
Mather noticed that hearing teachers sometimes used inappropriate eye gaze with deaf students, leading to miscommunication during reading sessions. One teacher, for example, commented to her class, "Some of you don't know this story." Instead of including the whole group, her gaze was focused on just one student. The child being singled out replied defensively, "I know! I know!" It is clear that eye gaze plays a key role in maintaining attention and eliciting responses during read aloud sessions.
Deaf readers engage in role play to extend concepts
Several researchers point out that deaf readers often act out parts of a story to help clarify meaning (Ewoldt, 1984; Mather, 1989; Rogers, 1989). A deaf teacher who was reading The Three Little Kittens to a group of preschool deaf children noticed that the children were not following the story. Quickly, the teacher mimed the kittens tracking mud into the house. Then she brought the children into the role play by becoming the mother cat and scolding the kittens. The children's grins demonstrated their renewed understanding and involvement.
A mother and her 4-year-old deaf son also used role play during a session with the book Roll Over! A Counting Song by Merle Peek. This story is about a boy who shares his bed with nine animals. Each time they roll over, one animal falls out of bed. During the booksharing session, the deaf mother and her son were sitting on the bed as the mother read, "Ten in the bed and the little one said, 'Roll over! Roll over!' They all rolled over and one fell out."
When she finished the section, her son stood up and fell dramatically off his bed, landing exactly in the same spot as the monkey in the book. He climbed back into bed, and as his mother went on reading, he continued to role play the animals, each time falling happily out of bed.
Deaf readers use ASL variations to sign repetitive English phrases
Many predictable books for young children have phrases that are repeated over and over again. For example, "He huffed and he puffed and he blew the house in," from The Three Little Pigs, or "Fee! Fie! Fo! Fum! I smell the blood of an Englishman!" from Jack and the Beanstalk. When deaf readers read these repetitive phrases, they don't always sign them the exact same way. In fact, evidence suggests that deaf readers vary the way they sign repetitive English phrases. In these situations, the children see the English text remain constant in the book, while also being exposed to various ways to sign the concepts.
Sometimes these sign variations are used to maintain interest in the story. For example, in the story Roll Over! A Counting Song by Merle Peek, the chant, "Roll over! Roll over!" is repeated 10 times as each character in turn rolls off the bed. When a deaf mother read this book to her son, she pointed to the English text (which was the same each time), but then signed the text in various ways. Sometimes she used a classifier to show the animals rolling together. Other times, she used a different sign for "roll." Sometimes she used other variations.
The variety of ways she used to express the concept seemed to hold her son's interest in the story. Other times the use of sign variations helped to convey increased intensity or "volume," such as when each successive troll crosses over the bridge in The Three Billy Goats Gruff. While the English words remained the same, the deaf adult used different ASL translations each time the English phrase was repeated. Perhaps the readers were subconsciously demonstrating that there is no direct word-to-sign correspondence between English and ASL, and that, in fact, there are multiple ways to convey the English meaning in American Sign Language. In the process, the deaf readers are also developing the children's signed vocabulary, and, one can assume, promoting the children's ability to make meaning from the English text.
Deaf readers provide a positive and reinforcing environment
Reading is supposed to be fun. It is also supposed to involve the construction of meaning through reciprocal interaction between readers and text. Unfortunately, in many classrooms with deaf children, the teacher controls both the interactions and the interpretation of the text. Ewoldt (1994) observed extensive control on the part of teachers during booksharing. The teachers she observed used a variety of correction responses to children's comments. Those responses ranged from simply telling a child, "You're wrong," to ignoring the child's answer, providing a different answer, changing the meaning of a child's message to fit the teacher's version of the story, or restating the teacher's own interpretation.
In contrast, research with deaf parents shows they provided a positive, interactive environment (Akamatsu & Andrews, 1993; Andrews & Taylor, 1987; Ewoldt, 1994; Rogers, 1989). They did not seek "correct" answers from the children during reading. Rather, they set up a mutually rewarding atmosphere that encouraged the creative interpretation of text. In one reading session (Schleper, 1995a), a deaf father was reading Little Red Riding Hood to his daughter. His daughter tapped his knee, then turned back to the previous page and pointed. "Look at the teeth!" she said. "Yeah, the teeth are sharp! Like fangs," the father said, reinforcing the child's observation. "They have blood on them," the daughter pointed out. The father questioned this, pointing to the illustration. "Where?" he asked. They examined the picture together. "Maybe you re right. They do have blood!" the father said.
Instead of ignoring his daughter, or telling her she was wrong, the father let her make her point. His positive, reinforcing response helped make booksharing enjoyable. And when the read aloud sessions are enjoyable, it is more likely that the child will retain fond, positive associations with books and reading.
Deaf readers expect the child to become literate
A final principle that seems to underlie the read aloud sessions between deaf adults and deaf children is the positive belief in the children's abilities. Whitesell (1991) observed a deaf teacher with a reputation for producing good, enthusiastic readers, hoping to determine which of her teaching strategies and practices seemed most critical. After observing for an extended period of time, Whitesell discovered the key: "The teacher expected them to become literate."
Most deaf parents do not read to their children in order to teach them English or to instruct them in the reading process. They want to share their own love of books. While they may expect some academic benefit for the children, that is clearly secondary. When Schleper (1995a) asked deaf parents if they thought their children would become literate in English, they all replied, "Of course!" There was never any doubt.
Reprinted with permission from the Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center at Gallaudet University. For more information, visit the Clerc website.
I am a teacher for children with hearing impairment.
Found the content super helpful and simplified .
A really clear and well informed page, with tips that actually make sense as they are from deaf parents teaching children to read. Child centred learning wins again!
Great to see the 15 principles for reading to deaf children on here! Please note that this is from David R. Schleper.


Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a rapidly evolving field of computer science that involves teaching machines to understand and interpret human language.
In recent years, there have been significant advances in Natural Language Processing (NLP), particularly with the development of large-scale language models such as ChatGPT by OpenAI.
ChatGPT is a machine-learning model that can generate human-like text responses to a wide range of natural language queries and prompts.
This article is a definitive guide to ChatGPT, covering what it is, how it works, its applications, and how to use it effectively. We’ll also look at some of the alternatives to ChatGPT and explore some of the limitations and challenges of using this technology.
Everything you need to know about ChatGPT:
Table of Contents
What is a Chatbot and how does it work?
A Chatbot is software that simulates a real conversation with another person. It uses an interface and some interactions that allow you to build words to maintain a conversation.
The number of Chatbots that exist today is enormous, from those that are only capable of generating a few very simple words or phrases, to those that already build more sophisticated results.
This means that what we are doing when we find a Chatbot is interacting with a tool that is capable of carrying on a more or less fluid conversation and that will guide us toward the desired action.
Chatbots use several language principles to understand the human who is writing to them :
- Natural Language Processing (NLP): is used to get the meaning of the words a person types by first doing a series of spell checks before determining what the meaning of each word is.
- Natural Language Understanding (CLN): it is the part in which the Chatbot tries to understand the meaning of what the person wants, relying on algorithms, rules, databases, and internal themes, which will indicate the correct way to answer.
- Natural Language Generation (GNL): offering an answer depends on this part where the data repositories are consulted to offer an adequate answer.
What is ChatGPT and OpenAI
ChatGPT is a deep neural network-based language model developed by OpenAI. It is part of a family of Generative Pretrained transformer (GPT) models that use unsupervised learning to generate human-like text responses to natural language inputs.
ChatGPT is a powerful tool for a wide range of NLP tasks, including text generation, summarization, and question-answering.
How does ChatGPT work?
ChatGPT was released in 2019, and it was based on the GPT-2 architecture. The model was trained on a large corpus of text data, including books, articles, and websites, to learn the patterns and relationships between words and phrases. The data used to train ChatGPT was carefully selected to ensure that it represented a diverse range of topics, styles, and perspectives.
ChatGPT uses a deep neural network architecture that is similar to other language models such as BERT and Transformer. The model consists of multiple layers of transformer blocks, which process the input text and generate output responses.
The input to ChatGPT is a natural language prompt or query, and the model generates a response that is intended to be coherent, relevant, and grammatically correct. The output from ChatGPT is generated one word at a time, with each word being conditioned on the previous words in the sequence.
ChatGPT uses a technique called autoregressive language modeling to generate text. In this approach, the model is trained to predict the next word in a sequence based on the previous words. The model is trained to maximize the likelihood of generating the correct next word in the sequence, given the context of the previous words.
Everything you can do with ChatGPT
In this case, we will set the limit ourselves and our needs, since everything will depend on what we want to use it for, knowing that it has thousands of functions and possibilities.
We can ask him to explain something to us, to provide us with a definition, or to compare two elements of any section, since he has all kinds of information.
It can be used to explain how we can perform any task, a cooking recipe or plugging in, for example.
For students it will be very valid, since it has information of all kinds, from an author, how certain mathematical problems are solved, historical facts or something related to literature, to give you several examples.
It could even be used to translate texts, write scripts, and jokes, play trivia, or make lists.
Applications of ChatGPT
Chatbots and Virtual Assistants
One of the most popular applications of ChatGPT is the development of chatbots and virtual assistants. These tools use ChatGPT to generate human-like responses to customer inquiries, product questions, and other types of requests.
Chatbots and virtual assistants can help businesses to reduce their customer service costs, improve response times, and provide a more personalized service to their customers.
ChatGPT can be used to generate high-quality content such as news articles, product descriptions, and social media posts. This can be particularly useful for companies and organizations that need to produce large volumes of content on a regular basis.
The use of ChatGPT for content creation can help to reduce the workload on content creators, improve the quality and consistency of content, and save time and resources.
ChatGPT can be used to build language translation systems, allowing users to translate text between different languages. Developers can train the model on pairs of languages, and then use the model to translate text between those languages. This can be a useful tool for businesses and organizations operating in multiple countries and languages.
ChatGPT can be used to build text summarization systems, allowing users to summarize long documents or articles into shorter, more digestible formats. Developers can train the model on large datasets of text data, and then use the model to generate summaries of new text data. This can be a useful tool for news aggregation, research, and information retrieval.
Question Answering Systems
ChatGPT can be used to build question-answering systems, allowing users to ask questions and receive accurate and relevant responses. Developers can train the model on large datasets of question-answer pairs, and then use the model to generate responses to new questions. This can be a useful tool for customer support, education, and research.
ChatGPT can also be used to perform sentiment analysis on text data, allowing businesses and organizations to understand the sentiment of their customers and stakeholders. Developers can train the model on labeled datasets of text, and then use the model to classify new text data as positive, negative, or neutral. This can be a valuable tool for customer service, marketing, and reputation management.
What are the advantages of Chatgpt?
There are several advantages of Chat GPT that make it a powerful tool for natural language processing and machine learning:
- Natural Language Processing: ChatGPT is a powerful tool for natural language processing, allowing developers to build chatbots and virtual assistants that can understand and respond to human language in a natural and intuitive way.
- Versatility: ChatGPT is a highly versatile tool that can be used for a wide range of natural language processing tasks, including content generation, language translation, sentiment analysis, question answering, and text summarization.
- Large Dataset: ChatGPT is trained on a massive dataset of text data, allowing it to generate highly accurate and relevant responses to user queries.
- Contextual Understanding: ChatGPT has a strong contextual understanding of human language, allowing it to generate responses that take into account the broader context of a conversation or query.
- Flexibility: ChatGPT is highly flexible, allowing developers to fine-tune the model to suit their specific needs and applications.
- Cost-Effective: Compared to building natural language processing systems from scratch, using ChatGPT can be a highly cost-effective approach, as it requires less time and resources to develop a functional system.
- Continuous Learning: ChatGPT is designed to learn and improve over time, allowing it to continually improve its accuracy and relevance in responding to user queries.
- On-demand support: There are many potential benefits of using artificial intelligence (AI) in education. As an AI-powered conversational agent, ChatGPT can provide a range of benefits for students. ChatGPT is available 24/7, so students can get help and support whenever they need it, regardless of the time of day or their physical location.
Overall, Chat GPT offers a powerful and flexible platform for natural language processing and machine learning, with a wide range of applications and advantages that make it a valuable tool for developers and businesses alike.
How to use ChatGPT in Web Browser
To be able to use Chat GPT you will only have to go directly to the web https://chat.openai.com from the browser you want on your computer.
The first thing you have to do is create an OpenIA account, so you have to click where it says Sign Up.
Now you can choose if you want to register with an email or use a Microsoft or Google account already created.
Once you have completed the registration, you will be asked for your first name and last name.
At that time it will request that we put in a phone number, once we enter it, they will send us a code that we must put in the next window that appears.
Now we will be inside ChatGPT and we will be able to start interacting.
From here we only have to write at the bottom and when we have finished, hit the Enter key on the computer or press the icon of a paper airplane on the right side of the writing area.
Remember that everything you write stays in ChatGPT’s memory, so it will be visible to the OpenIA development team’s reviews, so don’t enter sensitive information, or ask for anything that could be considered illegal.
How to use ChatGPT with OpenAI API key
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use ChatGPT at OpenAI:
Sign up for an OpenAI API key: To use ChatGPT, you’ll need to sign up for an OpenAI API key. You can do this by visiting the OpenAI website (openai.com), navigating to the API page, and clicking the “Get API Key” button. You’ll need to provide some basic information about yourself and your intended use of the API, and then wait for OpenAI to approve your request.
Install the OpenAI API client: Once you have an API key, you’ll need to install the OpenAI API client on your computer. The API client is a Python library that allows you to interact with the OpenAI API using Python code. You can install the API client using pip, the Python package manager, by running the following command in your terminal or command prompt:
Write your code: Now that you have the API client installed, you can start writing code to interact with the OpenAI API. The simplest way to do this is to use the
openai.Completion.create() method to generate text from ChatGPT. This method takes a prompt, which is a piece of text that provides context for the generated text, as well as some additional parameters that control how the text is generated.
Here’s an example code snippet that generates text using ChatGPT:
Interpret the response: Once you’ve generated text from Chat GPT, you’ll need to interpret the response to determine what Chat GPT has generated.
The response object returned by
openai.Completion.create() contains a list of
Choice objects, each of which represents a possible generated text. The text itself is stored in the
text attribute of the
Choice object. You’ll also want to check the
model attribute of the response to ensure that ChatGPT is using the engine you intended it to use.
Refine your prompt: ChatGPT is only as good as the prompt you give it, so if you’re not getting the results you want, you may need to refine your prompt. Try experimenting with different prompts to see how ChatGPT responds, and adjust the parameters of the
openai.Completion.create() method to get the best results.
That’s a basic step-by-step guide on how to use ChatGPT at OpenAI. Good luck, and have fun generating text!
Is ChatGPT free?
ChatGPT is a powerful AI language model that is available for free to anyone with an internet connection. Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT uses advanced machine learning algorithms to generate human-like responses to natural language inputs. This means that Chat GPT can carry out a wide range of tasks, from answering questions to generating creative writing, and much more.
Unlike other AI products and services, which may require a subscription or a purchase to access, ChatGPT is accessible to anyone with an internet connection. This makes it an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone else who needs quick access to high-quality language processing tools.
Of course, there may be other costs associated with using Chat GPT, depending on the context in which it is used. For example, if you access Chat-GPT through a third-party service or platform, that service or platform may charge fees or require a subscription. Additionally, if you need to use large amounts of computing power to process text, there may be associated costs for that as well.
Overall, however, ChatGPT is an excellent resource for anyone who needs to work with natural language, and its availability for free makes it an even more attractive option.
Top 5 Alternatives of ChatGPT
Like everything in life, there is not only an advanced AI system. There are several alternatives to Chat GPT that we are going to know now. Let’s see those that can be considered the closest to OpenIA.
Here are some of the best alternatives to ChatGPT:
The technology behind ChatGPT (GPT-3) is the same one that powers Chatsonic.
Chatsonic is not a copy of ChatGPT but has its own abilities. For example, it is better implemented in events that occurred after 2023, one of the limitations that Open IA has. You can access the Internet and pull information from Google’s Knowledge Graph to create enhanced answers that are up-to-date and more consistent with recent events.
Another substantial difference from ChatGPT is that you can create digital art from prompts. Use the Stable Diffusion and DALL-E APIs to generate awesome AI art.
Another advantage of ChatSonic is that you can use voice commands and, if necessary, also get answers via voice, just like you would with Siri and Google Assistant.
There was already GPT-3 Playground before ChatGPT came out, but unfortunately, it didn’t create as much of a buzz as it has an overly technical user interface.
GPT-3 is one of the most powerful AI languages models out there, being able to do what ChatGPT does and a lot more. There are more options and settings to customize the AI model to behave the way we want.
There are also some differences such as that GPT-3 Playground will not normally refuse to answer questions on sensitive topics.
Previously known as Jarvis, Jasper is an exceptional AI writing tool that is designed to help companies generate high-quality content quickly and efficiently. It is especially useful for businesses that need to produce content on a regular basis, such as in marketing or sales.
Jasper Chat, an AI-powered chat interface based on GPT 3.5 technology, comes with more than 50 templates that can be customized to create content for various types of media, such as blogs, social media, AIDA, PSA, and more.
Unlike Chat-GPT, which is accessible to anyone, Jasper is tailored to the specific needs of businesses and industries. Overall, Jasper is a versatile and reliable AI writing tool that can save businesses time and effort in generating high-quality content.
DeepL, a German-based company that is renowned for its AI language translation services, has developed a new beta product called DeepL Write.
As an AI-powered writing assistant, DeepL Write has numerous advanced features that help users enhance the accuracy and quality of their writing. One of its key features is its ability to generate accurate and fluent paraphrased text. The application’s advanced linguistic processing algorithms analyze the input text and create a paraphrased version that retains the style and meaning of the original text.
This feature makes DeepL Write an excellent tool for creating original content and avoiding plagiarism. Students, researchers, and content creators can utilize DeepL Write to generate high-quality, original content quickly and easily.
RepliKa is a highly developed AI system that already has 10 million active users since it is paid and different from ChatGPT in several ways.
It is extremely advanced, it is not for nothing that it can recognize visual elements and use them to maintain the conversation.
Replika is like having a friend that the moment you talk to him he responds instantly. You can talk about life issues, romance, and other topics that we could discuss with your friends and family.
With Replika we can chat about anything, make video calls to talk to our replica, get coaching support and we can even give our replica a marital status.
Limitations and Challenges of ChatGPT
While ChatGPT is a powerful tool for NLP, there are several limitations and challenges to consider when using this technology. Here are some of the main limitations and challenges of ChatGPT:
Bias and Inaccuracy: ChatGPT, like any other machine learning model, can be biased and inaccurate. This is particularly true when the model is trained on a biased or limited dataset. For example, if the model is trained on text data that contains a disproportionate amount of one type of language or content, the model may produce biased results. It is important to be aware of these limitations and to take steps to mitigate bias and inaccuracies in your ChatGPT model.
Lack of Context: ChatGPT does not always have access to the full context of a conversation or text document. This can make it challenging for the model to generate coherent and relevant responses, particularly in complex or ambiguous situations. For example, if a user asks a question that requires specific knowledge or understanding of a particular topic, the model may not be able to provide an accurate response.
Limited Domain Expertise: ChatGPT does not have the same level of domain expertise as a human expert in a particular field. This means that the model may not be able to provide accurate or detailed responses to questions or queries that require specialized knowledge. For example, if a user asks a question about a specific medical condition, the model may not have the necessary medical knowledge to provide an accurate response.
Difficulty in Training: Training a ChatGPT model can be a complex and time-consuming process. The quality of the data used for training, as well as the choice of hyperparameters, can have a significant impact on the performance of the model. Additionally, large amounts of computing power are required to train complex models, which can be expensive.
Limited Multilingual Support: While ChatGPT is capable of generating text in multiple languages, its performance is generally best in English. The model may struggle to generate coherent and accurate responses in other languages, particularly if it has not been specifically trained on text data in those languages.
Privacy and Security Concerns: ChatGPT models may be vulnerable to attacks or abuse, particularly if they are deployed in a public-facing context. For example, malicious actors could use the model to generate fraudulent content or impersonate individuals. Additionally, the use of chatbots and other conversational interfaces raises privacy concerns, as user data may be collected and used without their knowledge or consent.
ChatGPT is a powerful tool for NLP that has many practical applications in a wide range of industries and domains. From chatbots and virtual assistants to content generation and creative writing, the possibilities for ChatGPT are vast and varied. However, as with any technology, there are limitations and challenges to consider when using ChatGPT. It is important to be aware of these limitations and to take steps to mitigate bias, inaccuracies, and privacy concerns. As ChatGPT continues to evolve and improve, it is likely to become an even more valuable tool for businesses, organizations, and individuals looking to unlock the power of natural language processing.


A key concept that’s important for students to learn is the importance of engaging with the text — not just being a passive reader.
There are obviously many effective instructional strategies to help them practice that lesson. One pretty explicit way is for them to have access to reading “choose your own adventure” stories where they are periodically given choices of what they want characters to do, and then participate in the construction of the story itself. The Goosebumps series of books is a well-known example of genre. In the world of English Language Learner teaching, these kinds of stories are also called “Action Mazes.”
There are many other examples of “Choose Your Own Adventure” stories on the Web that are accessible to English Language Learners, and “The Best…” list will links to them. My students have always enjoyed reading these online versions.
In addition, writing these kinds of stories has the potential of being a fun and educational group writing activity for English Language Learners and other students. There are several free online tools out there now (and I them in post), though I haven’t been able to find an ideal one for use in class. I’ll also be what — at point — is the best way that I’ve come-up with to create one, and I’m also very interested in hearing about better ideas. I’m planning on experimenting with creating them during my ESL class during summer school.
The list is divided into two sections. The first one links to accessible online Choose Your Adventure stories for students to read (some also include animation with the text). The second ways teachers can work with students to write their own.
Also, check out THE DANGERS OF “CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE” GENRE FOR REAL & PAINFUL STORIES and A Marine’s Reaction to a Children’s Book Prompts an Apology From the Publisher.
Also see: THE DANGERS – & POSITIVE POSSIBILITIES – OF HISTORY SIMULATIONS
How to — and How Not to — Teach Role Plays is from the Zinn Education Project.
Here are my picks for The Best Places To Read & Write “Choose Your Own Adventure” Stories:
STORIES TO READ:
Castaway is both entertaining and accessible to Early Intermediate English Language Learners. You are stuck on a deserted island and have to get off.
Over The Top is an exceptional online game from the Canadian War Museum that puts you in the role of a soldier in the trenches. It’s like a “choose your own adventure” game. It’s particularly accessible to English Language Learners because it provides audio support to the text.
If you’ve ever wanted to be a dragon, Choice of the Dragon is the game for you. You get to be one — as nice or as mean as you want!
A. Pintura: Art Detective lets you try to identify who was the artist of a painting.
Mission US is a brand new site that will be providing interactive games to help students learn about United States history. It’s funded by the Corporation For Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment For The Humanities. Right now, it just has a couple of interactives online. It’s main one, For Crown Or Colony, is a very well designed “choose your own adventure” game (you have to register in order to play). The site also has a lot of supporting materials for teachers.
Broken Co-Worker is an interesting “Choose Your Own Adventure” game where players are in the role of a bullied worker. It appears to be classroom appropriate, but I did not explore all the alternatives available.
Spent is a “choose your own adventure” type game where you play the role of a very low-income person.
Quandary is a neat online game/choose your own adventure story that is can work well as a tool for English language development ) and/or as a way to deal with ethical questions (the site itself has lot of teaching ideas). You can play as a guest or register.
Depression Quest is an interactive text fiction game (or choose your own adventure) where the player plays the part of someone who is suffering from depression. I learned about it at Richard Byrne’s blog.
Lifesaver is an online video game designed to help you learn CPR through the “choose your own adventure” game genre.
The refugee challenge: can you break into Fortress Europe? – interactive is from The Guardian. It’s done in the mode of a “Choose Your Own Adventure” game.
Here are several simple ones from Scratch.
Rootbook has lots of stories.
Here’s an interesting one using Vine. You can read more about it here.
Play The Oregon Trail (but, if you have students play it, be aware of its racist stereotypes and discuss them)
Someone built a “Choose Your Own Adventure” game out of Twitter accounts, and it’s surprisingly cool is from Quartz.
Here are two that have recently been created and, even though I suspect students won’t be enthralled by them, nevertheless provide models for teachers to show for student assignments:
Play this game to see what it’s like to be John Boehner is from Vox.
How To Win An Oscar is from The Los Angeles Times.
Syrian Journey: Choose your own route is a new BBC interactive where online users simulate — in an obviously detached way — the decisions a Syrian refugee has to make. It uses the framework of old-style “choose your own adventure” simulations.
Decisions That Matter is a “choose your own adventure” interactive designed by college students to teach others about the dangers of sexual assault.
Mission US Unveils New Immigration Game – Is It A Winner Or A Loser?
The New York Times has created a great learning “game” to help people understand the difficulties many face when they want to vote in the United States. Check out “The Voter Suppression Trail,” done in the style of the classic Oregon Trail game.
“Payback” Is A “Choose Your Own Adventure” Tool To Help Students Envision College Costs
Sesame Street Book Builder is a simple “Choose Your Own Adventure” interactive accessible to ELLs.
“Be George Washington” In This New Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Activity
Choose Your Own Adventure games often have to be careful balancing respecting the experiences of those who are being simulated and portraying it sensitively with a social conscious. The Waiting Game, produced by ProPublica, works hard at doing the latter in simulating the experience faced by those seeking asylum in the United States.
The New York Times has published Think Military Strikes Could Stop North Korea? Try It and See, which is probably the most frightening choose your own adventure “game” anyone will every “play.”
It’s all too real….
“TOTAL DARKNESS” IS THE NEWEST ONLINE GAME FROM THE SCIENCE MUSEUM IN LONDON
The New York Times just updated their Angry Uncle Chat Bot to practice at Chat Bot: How to Talk About Impeachment Without Ruining the Holidays. It’s like a “choose your own adventure” game that gives you expert feedback every time you choose a response.
“HARMONY SQUARE” IS AN ONLINE GAME DESIGNED TO TEACH TEENS ABOUT DISINFORMATION
This is pretty “niche,” but interesting: A choose your own adventure game where you play the role of someone trying to found a tech start-up business.
The Climate Game is designed by the Financial Times to challenge players to mitigate climate change.
“Enter The Story” Is A Cool Tool For Introducing Classic Books Via “Choose Your Own Adventure”
ArcaneLand could be a fun, though complicated, choose your own adventure game for ELLs.
Infinite Adversaries is another complicated choose your own adventure game.
The Spring Thing Festival of Interactive Fiction is probably only accessible to advanced ELLs. Be aware that I haven’t checked all the stories to see if they are classroom appropriate.
WRITING “CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE STORIES”:
After students have had an opportunity to try-out some of the stories in the first section, an obvious next step is to have them try writing their own.
Here are the options I know of right now that don’t necessarily put the work on a teacher to put it all together. However, they all have some drawbacks, including potential technical challenges to ELL’s:
The Writing.com site is one choice for having students write more complex Choose Your Own Adventure Stories. You can’t add graphics, and it’s a pretty cluttered site filled with ads, but it does seem pretty simple to use and it’s set-up to write these kinds of stories.
You can make your own stories by using the Quandary software program. Of course, it’s a bit problematic to download software to school computers, and I don’t think (but I may be wrong) you add graphics.
Here are some instructions from Microsoft on how to use PowerPoint to create “Choose Your Own Adventure” stories. It’s not accessible to ELL’s, but teachers can use it as a guide.
Check out my post A Creative Concept For A TV Show & How To Implement It In The Classroom for another idea.
Here are several links that describe how you can use Google Forms to create a Choose Your Own Adventure story:
Google Forms As A Choose Your Own Adventure Tool is from Bionic Teaching.
Page Navigation In Google Forms is from Google.
Using Google forms for a “Choose your own adventure” style story is by David Wees.
You can download a simple outline students can use to plan a choose your own adventure story here.
PowerPoint – Choose Your Own Adventure provides helpful advice on developing “choose your own adventure” stories.
Google Slides: Choose Your Own Adventure is from Alice Keeler.
‘Choose your own’ adventure stories using Google Slides. is a nice “how-to” post and video from Ed Tech For Beginners.
How we created an interactive choose your own adventure book. https://t.co/KK3F83L854 by @CampbellMira #ipaded #edtech #bookcreator pic.twitter.com/MlHtBS3NMs
— Book Creator Team (@BookCreatorApp) January 1, 2018
Kevin Hodgson has a nice tutorial on how to use Google Slides to create Choose Your Own Adventure stories,
Popped lets you write a screenplay, story or choose your own adventure in a way that’s similar to texting. It’s a bit confusing to me, but I’ll still add it
How to Use Google Slides to Create Choose Your Own Adventure Stories is from Richard Byrne.
How to Use Keynote to Create Choose Your Own Adventure Stories is from Richard Byrne.
I, and I suspect many other teachers, really like having students read them, but can be intimidated by feeling that having students write them and/or create interactive videos is just too complicated for us to organize and for them to complete it successfully. Happily, I have recently found an excellent short video that shows clearly how easy it is to create one of these kinds of videos online. In addition, and, I think, more importantly, several times in the video they show a super-simple diagram that can be used by just about anybody to write one of these kinds of choose-your-own-adventure stories. The diagram is much clearer than others I’ve seen and used, and is remarkably effective and simple.
Be forewarned, the video itself shows countless unsuccessful attempts at humor, but it’s worth watching til the end:
I don’t think I recommend the Choose Your Own Adventure video discussed in blog post titled The zombie apocalypse and its role in the ELT classroom, but it does give some excellent ideas on how to use these kinds of videos with English Language Learners.
Lou Lahana has created a very nice tutorial for his students on how to create an online Choose Your Own Adventure game with Google Forms.
Twine is an online software for creating Choose Your Own Adventure stories. It does seem a bit more complicated than other tools I’ve already mentioned.
Here’s a Webinar on using Google Slides to create these kinds of stories.
Here are two interesting posts about “interactive fiction” (text-based “choose your adventure” stories): Interactive Fiction in the Classroom is from Edutopia; TEL: Constructive Gamification in the classroom is from DHSB Teaching.
Netstory is a new tool for creating and reading interactive fiction (choose-your-own-adventure stories). They bill it as super simple to use but, for the life of my, I couldn’t figure out how to write a story once I got into its editor. And they have no tutorial or explanation anywhere visible on its website. I’m tentatively going to be put it on this list and assume that someone will figure it out and explain it to me.
Fablement is a new free tool for writing, and reading, “choose-your-own-adventure” stories.
YouTube has made some changes to the tool that lets you create “Choose Your Own Adventure” videos. Richard Byrne has written two very good posts explaining what you can do instead.
New Tools for Interactive Fiction and Engaged Writing is from Edutopia.
Here are two Pinterest Boards on these types of stories.
Netflix has begun creating online video “Choose Your Own Adventure” stories. Unfortunately, they only work on a touch screen for now, not within the browser of a computer.
This Would Be Great For ELLs: Play – Or Create – A “Listening & Speaking” Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Story
Google published a series of instructional videos about using Google Slides to create these kinds of stories online:
“ActiveLit” Lets Students Play & Create Choose Your Own Adventure Games In Virtual Classrooms
American Revolution: Choose Your Own Adventure looks interesting.
Oxford Bookworms Adventures are free Choose Your Own Adventure stories designed for ELLs – you play them through Alexa.
Amazon’s Audible brings Choose Your Own Adventure stories to Alexa devices is from TechCrunch. If you had an Alexa at school, this could be a great tool for listening practice.
A unique way to create choose your own adventure games via Twitter was invented this week.
Here’s a Google Docs template for creating CYOA stories.
Choice stories in Google Slides: How to + ideas for class is from Ditch That Textbook.
Creating Interactive Stories With Twine is from TESOL.
Written Realms is a site where you can write and read text-based choose your own adventure games.
How to Hyperlink PowerPoint Slides for Choose-Your-Own Adventure Stories is from Richard Byrne.
“INWORLD” LOOKS LIKE A TERRIFIC SITE FOR TEACHERS & STUDENTS TO CREATE CHATBOTS FOR LEARNING
VIDEO CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURES:
NOTE: Google is Removing Annotations from YouTube Videos is from Richard Byrne’s blog. This means “curtains” for many, though not all, “choose-your-own-adventure” videos I previously shared here.
THESE INTERACTIVE VIDEOS COULD BE GREAT FOR ELLS
Hidden Door wants to turn fiction into immersive roleplaying experiences is from TechCrunch.
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Wow–what timing. The Language Arts and Social studies teacher are planning a choose your own adventure story unit involving explorers. I’ll let you know how it goes 🙂
Twine is a Windows freeware program for writing “choose your own adventure program” stories. It reminds me of using sticky notes. It automatically links each choice together and lets you know if there are problems. You can also add graphics and there are excellent video tutorials as well.
I used Twine this year with my grade 4 students and it was the first time that kids that age actually produced a choose-your-own-adventure stories that made sense and wasn’t frustratingly difficult to write. Most kids downloaded the program at home and kept sending me their pther stories they were writing on their own time. Definitely worth checking out!
Here’s the link for Twine: http://gimcrackd.com/etc/src/
Wow Larry! I didn’t know you (and other teachers/sites) had already done so much work in this area – I should have known you’d already be onto this, shouldn’t I?
Still, World Adventure Kids! probably differs from most of these applications in terms of leveling considerations, narrative quality, illustration quality, and global issues/values curriculum – so I guess it’s still worth going ahead with…
Here is a choose your own adventure story done with videos on YouTube. A great project for a group of students.
Warning: Content is related to gang violence.
Thank you so much for these fantastic ideas. I am sure my students will love making their own adventure together on the Smartboard.
Thanks for these links. I love using stories like these in my teaching (7-11 year olds).
At the end of last year my class of 11 year olds worked in groups to write collaborative choose your own adventure stories. Used hyperlinking to create each page as a slide within a presentation. Really motivating.
Found an interactive game online. May not be appropriate for younger kids and it is a marketing ploy for Range Rover but still thought it was interesting. Good that it also has subtitles
Middle school students at our school use Google Sites to create “Choose Your Own Adventure” stories. Of course you have to be a Google school to use this, but it works quite well.
If you can share links to any of the ones they created, I’d love to them.
Fantastic list of resources Larry – thank you very much. One small point – I’m pretty sure the Caves of Mull game was written by kids at Perth Academy in Scotland rather than Australia. Might be worth checking out.
Holy moly! What awesome list. I made a little unit on creating CYOA games using Google Forms http://bit.ly/M6rX5J and I’ll definitely be linking to this page for kids to reference. Many thanks!
Your tutorials are great. I’ll be adding your page to the post. Do you have links to the games your students have created?
Thanks for the compliment Larry! Your blog is *inspiring*
As far as the CYOA games go, this mini unit is for Sept. so nothing yet 🙁 But I’d LOVE for you to check out some student work from past lessons:
Wow, that’s a pretty comprehensive list. However, you left out the *original* chose your own adventures, which are rather conveniently known (and if I may sheepishly point out, copyrighted) as “Choose Your Own Adventure”. 😉
Those can be found at http://www.cyoa.com
I have been working over the past year to adapt that original series into ESL/EFL graded readers, which are being released right now from McGraw-Hill Education. There will soon be a website devoted to them at http://www.mhe-cyoa.com, but the site will not up until next month, I believe.
Great! I’ll be looking forward to seeing the website when it goes live… If you have a chance, it would be great if you left another comment when it was online…
For anyone interested in the Choose Your Own Adventure books who may be in London this November, an interactive documentary show about the books & readers is coming to London Southbank for five nights, 6th-10th Nov 2012. Full details at http://bit.ly/PAnDuV
Wow thats a really huge collection of links there. Thanks for taking time and aggregating them.
I’ve seen a couple of the sites you’ve posted here, but the idea of video choose your own adventures is quite foreign to me. Looks like I won’t be sleeping tonight, again. Any, thanks for collecting those sites, and kudos!
A bit late to the post / comments, I realize, but I’ll add (and, Larry, ask if you can add as well) my CYOA-based series to the list. I wrote interactive versions of the three primary ancient epics, Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid, called the Follow Your Fates series (published by Bolchazy-Carducci Press). Here’s the website: http://followyourfates.weebly.com, and I’d be happy to answer any questions. Thanks.
I don’t know if this CYOA-style game will make it, but the writer’s very good. The first installment is apparently Lovecraftian.
On http://www.rootbook.com are also some good coya stories!
for example http://www.rootbook.com/The-Little-Bear-gamebook-5393
http://www.rootbook.com is really cool. should be more visible in your list
Amazing list! The biggest CYOA resource on a single page I’ve ever seen.
Would love it if you’d add us to your list! We’re Ultimate Ending Books – a new series of bigger, badder, and beefier Choose Your Own Adventure inspired stories that just launched with seven titles:
Thanks so much!
Wow, that is one comprehensive list! If you’d care to add one more entry, here’s my CYOA game playable on Facebook Messenger:
That was an amazing list! It was nice to look at.