Tracking aids are low tech solutions that increase a student’s ability to visually focus on one line of text at a time. These solutions include bookmarks, rulers, reading windows, reading strips and highlighted bar magnifiers.
Something as simple as a bookmark or straight edge can be used as a tracking aid to help guide a student’s reading to keep him/her from jumping to another line of text and thus unable to comprehend what he/she is reading.
EZC Readers (Really Good Stuff) are basically bookmarks with colored acetate along one of the long edges. This helps by adding a color that visually enhances some student’s ability to ‘see’ the text better. These can be in a variety of colors.
Reading windows are typically constructed of cardboard or heavy stock paper and can be laminated for durability. A ‘frame’ the size of a standard line of text is cut in the cardboard. The student then moves the reading window down the lines of text, one line at a time, helping the student visually focus or track across the current row of text.
Additionally, colored transparent acetate inserted in the opening of a reading window is beneficial for students who benefit from the background of the text being another color that the usual white paper background. At the same time, the window blocks out other information that may be distracting to the student. Additionally, colored transparent acetate inserted in the opening of a reading window is beneficial for students who benefit from the background of the text being another color that the usual white paper background. At the same time, the window blocks out other information that may be distracting to the student.
Bar magnifiers (Independent Living Aids) can also be used as tracking aids as they generally have a central area that not only magnifies the text but also often has yellow highlighting to help the student hold the magnifier on one line of text. These come in 6” and 9” lengths.
These low technology solutions are beneficial to students who have difficulty tracking the lines of print displayed on a page.
