Auto-Differentiated, Choice-Based Instruction
That Raises Reading Levels Fast
Zinc’s science-of-reading aligned programs and tools teach the four conscious-reading skills all advanced readers use naturally.
The Starting Point Is Zinc’s Reading Ignition
Recover And Grow Reading Skills
Secondary ELA instructors are expected to teach high-level concepts like irony, theme, and writer’s purpose. But few students arrive in middle and high school equipped with the tools to navigate longer and more complex texts. To improve students’ comprehension, focus, stamina, and joy in reading, Ignition teaches four discrete, easy-to-apply reading skills:
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The easiest way into a text is to start with the words and phrases you can see, smell, touch, hear, or taste in your head: “Swimming in a pond in the rain.”
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More challenging abstract words only make sense when we think of relevant examples: “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
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When students miss a “this” or an “it,” they get lost and bored. Connecting pronouns to their antecedents keeps them following the text.
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Transition words and punctuation marks guide us through the layers of meaning in any text.
After spending just one to two hours on Zinc Ignition, 30% of readers grow by at least one reading level (that’s 1.5 grade levels of growth).
Next, Put Skills Into Practice With Lift Off
Grow Independent Reading Habits
Without buy-in, even the best instruction falls flat. Lift Off’s AI-powered data gathering fuels a four-week journey that engages students with articles and book excerpts on the topics they care about — all delivered at the right level.
Lift Off is:
Auto-differentiated, accommodating reading levels from 4th grade through college
Choice-driven, empowering students to explore topics and themes that matter
Customizable, allowing teachers to create four-week learning journeys that fit individual student and full-class goals
Self-scoring, providing meaningful data and saving teachers valuable time
Lift Off nurtures a love of reading driven by student choice—enhancing close reading skills and building vocabulary as they engage with authentic, meaningful texts.
Enrich Your Curriculum With Flight
Methodology And Tools To Engage Students At All Levels And Interests
Teachers can use Zinc’s multi-week reading programs or pick and choose individual elements to meet their classrooms’ needs.
Take Flight with Zinc’s:
Guided close reading experiences
Gamified vocabulary instruction and practice
Authentic leveled texts and standards-aligned quizzes
Professional learning to enhance literacy instruction and implementation
Bring your curriculum to life with Zinc and get every student’s hand in the air.
Close Reading Experiences
Video teachers who walk students through questions and explanations in an interactive format
Sentence-by-sentence and word-by-word guidance on how to navigate secondary-level texts using close reading skills
A diverse bank of texts from upper-elementary through college-level, including novels, plays, speeches, poetry and informational texts
Vocabulary Instruction And Practice
Nearly 10,000 words, from which teachers can create customized sets
Four modes of gameplay: image, sentence, definition and synonym
In-context vocabulary to support commonly taught texts as well as stand-alone practice sets to support prep for assessments including MAP, STAAR, SBAC, SAT, and ACT
Leveled Articles And Quizzes
Hundreds of authentic texts curated from diverse sources around the web, as well as poetry and novel excerpts
Articles at a range of reading levels from 4th grade through college
Standards- and skills-aligned quizzes for targeting practice and monitoring progress
Get Actionable Data in Real Time
Target Instruction And Track Progress With Comprehensive Reports
Zinc’s multi-modal reports offer:
Details on where students land on our Level Placement; Level Placements can be assigned up to three times per year to track growth over time
Question-by-question information on performance and progress through all Zinc activities
Drill-down details on student- and class-level mastery of state standards and reading skills
Topic and choice reporting for insight into the themes and genres students connect to most
“With Zinc, students are able to examine, articulate, and reflect on their strengths and weaknesses as critical readers, which allows them to personalize their goals and outcomes. It’s incredible to watch!”
— Rebecca Wenrich, High School English Teacher
