What is it?
Immersive Reader is a Microsoft reading support that provides customizable tools for accessing and understanding digital text. Available within many Microsoft products and integrated into some other learning platforms, it can read text aloud while highlighting words, adjust text size and spacing, change background and display settings, separate words into syllables, identify parts of speech, and provide picture or translation supports.
How to use it?
Open compatible digital text in Immersive Reader and allow learners to select the features that support their reading needs. A learner might listen to text while words are highlighted, increase spacing, reduce the number of lines visible at once, view syllable breaks, translate unfamiliar words, or use picture supports for vocabulary. Teach learners what the different features do and encourage them to choose tools strategically rather than automatically turning on every available support.
Why use it?
Immersive Reader brings multiple reading-access features together in one customizable environment. It can reduce barriers related to decoding, visual presentation, language, attention, and print processing while allowing learners to work with the same underlying text as their peers. Because features can be turned on or off as needed, learners can develop greater awareness of which supports help them access and understand different kinds of text.
