Sub-Text takes reading to a new level!

Submitted 7 years ago

Community Review for Subtext

Stephen Z.
Stephen Z.
My Rating
Pedagogy
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My Take

Subtext is a great way to keep the students engaged while helping them in ELA. I think this tool is extremely useful in every classroom because this tool allows you to customize to fit your lesson. As a social studies teacher we use this with our primary and secondary texts. Subtext is align to standards to ensure the students are learning what is necessary to ensure their educational success.

How I Use It

I use subtext on primary and secondary texts in my social studies classroom. Recently we completed a lesson on the 5 themes of geography. During those classes we completed a close reading assignment with subtext on the themes. I used the app to embed close reading questions. I also used videos to help explain the themes. Many of my students do not enjoy reading however they really enjoyed this application. This app worked well with modeling, guided practice, small group, and individual group usage. The digital text keeps the students engaged and on task.

More community reviews for Subtext

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Andy T.
Andy T.
January 28, 2015

Interactive book club/literature circle app that allows for in-class and at-home collaboration

Subtext is a useful teaching tool and is a great way to make book club/literature circle activities a viable homework option, since students can interact and collaborate from home (as long as they have wi-fi). I have had several technical glitches with Subtext, but their tech support has been pretty responsive in fixing them. Students sometimes have had issues seeing other students' notes and questions, but as long as teachers help students set up settings and preferences at the beginning of the project, there aren't too many issues. One thing that would significantly improve Subtext would be to allow for flat PDFs to be annotated with questions and comments. Currently, teachers can only annotate using books or articles from websites; if you use a flat PDF, students can read it but cannot use many of the interactive functions. UPDATE: Over the past couple of years, I have had several glitches suing Subtext for whole-class novels. Subtext tech support has been responsive, but it is frustrating to have a book malfunction.
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Lisa G.
Lisa G. Area 3 Writing Project Teacher Consultant Marina Village Middle School El Dorado Hills, CA
November 14, 2014

Engage Students through Digital Text and Tools

Subtext is a great tool to use to deepen comprehension and light a spark with student readers. With Subtext, students digitally read, cite evidence, and show what they know. They offer a host of questions and lessons and texts. Some free, some available for purchase. I can customize the lesson and/or text. The opportunities for student achievement are great; I appreciate the power to synthesize with other articles/websites/videos. Subtext's questions are CCSS aligned. Teacher's can also see student responses immediately. There is a learning curve - worth it. I have read that it will no longer be free as of 7/15, which will be a hinderance for many teachers and students - especially those already in love with the efficacy and engagement it grants.
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Krista B.
Krista B.
November 13, 2014

Works best with the paid version.

I like everything this app has to offer and think it can one of the best tools out there for close reading, annotating, and writing about a text. Unfortunately, the free features just aren't that great. The individual license is also very expensive, so I'm not sure how many schools will be able to afford buying this app for students.
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