Parent Guide

StepsWeb is a NZ-developed online literacy and language programme

Key info StepsWeb is suitable for all ages from 6 – adult (some activities fine for 5-year olds). There’s a home version as well, which other members of the family can use. See the website for details: www.stepsweb.com

Technical Stuff You can access StepsWeb from any device (iPad, Chromebook, Android tablet, PC, laptop) You need Chrome or Safari (and internet access, of course!)

Background Steps (software programme) and StepsWeb (online) are produced by The Learning Staircase Ltd, an award- winning Christchurch company. Steps and StepsWeb are now being used by over 11,000 users in NZ and internationally.

What parents say about StepsWeb “My daughter uses your product at school and couldn’t wait to use it at home last night. Your product is a fantastic learning tool and it works very effectively.” Paula Eliott See loads more testimonials on the website.

What teachers say: “I highly recommend the programme and all its supporting resources. As well as measurable improvements in academic learning, all students have shown huge increases in their self-esteem, confidence, ability to focus and concentrate on their learning.” Helen Heggie, Specialist Tutor See loads of case studies and testimonials on the website.

Educational info Every aspect is research-based – even the games. StepsWeb is suitable for all learners, including dyslexic learners. Those who need extra support may be using the associated workbooks at school.

Educational info There is an extensive range of printable resources available through StepsWeb or the software programme, Steps. This includes worksheets, teaching activities and games. You can print these off to provide extra activities or games.

Educational info As well as reading and spelling skills, StepsWeb provides activities which develop key skills such as phonological awareness, memory and word recognition skills. These are really important for literacy. StepsWeb also develops comprehension, vocabulary and verbal reasoning.

What you need to know Your child can have an individual login through the school. This means that your child’s teacher can see results and set work. Your child needs to know their username and password – the school can tell you these.

Courses Your child may be on the Courses option. Everyone on the Courses option follows the same progression. However, every child can work at his/her own level and speed. The programme will analyse your child’s progress and notify the teacher of any difficulties. StepsWeb also analyses errors and provides automatic individualized revision for each learner.

This is what your child will see when he or she logs in This is what your child will see when he or she logs in. You can see their records by clicking on the blue button.

Wordlists StepsWeb has hundreds of wordlists to reinforce high frequency words, word families or phonic patterns. You can even create your own lists just for your child. The school might create lists for a whole class. You can do this in English or Māori.

Wordlist section

Medals Your child will get a bronze, silver or gold medal for completing an activity.

What you can do If the activity is not completed successfully, your child will not be able to progress – you or the teacher need to identify what’s going wrong. If your child is on Courses, it is useful to go back over previous units and upgrade medals. You can’t re-do a gold medal.

What you can do You can look through your child’s work and pick out some words which are causing problems. Make a list of these words (no more than 6-8 at a time) and your child can then do the activities. You can also do this for topic or subject words.

What you can do If you do this several times, you will land up with a personal revision bank, which your child can go back to for further practice. A particularly difficult word could be put into several lists for extra practice.

General advice (Unless otherwise advised by your child’s teacher!) Aim for 3-4 short sessions per week (10-15 mins). If your child wants or needs more practice, don’t go too far ahead in Courses. Ask the teacher for additional lists which would be appropriate.

General advice Holidays are for relaxation and fun, but consider doing a bit of extra practice, particularly over the summer break. Many children lose up to a term’s progress over the summer holiday. You can prevent this by doing 3-4 short sessions a week on StepsWeb.

Reading StepsWeb is a highly effective literacy programme, but it should never replace reading.

Reading If your child is struggling with reading or just reluctant, choose books which they’re interested in and read to them. Libraries also have a great range of audio books. This is just as important as reading, for vocabulary, language development and comprehension!

How to get help The best place for educational advice is your child’s teachers – they know your child! However, if you do need extra help – educational or technical – have a look at our support website (you’ll see a link from the StepsWeb log-in page). This will give you more information and guidance.

Have fun!