Back close

Amrita Learning Customizable K-5 Family Literacy

Our newest project, in production now, is a customizable K-5 Family Literacy website with the navigation and feel of an app. This website will have materials appropriate for all ages of family members, and has scaffolded curriculum from the alphabetic level through grade 5. The core materials for the website will come initially from our existing android app, Amrita Learning App, which is currently available at the Google Play Store (search on all 3 words to get the U.S. edition). We will also be adding music and other features to make the learning more accessible to all learners. The website will be customizable to schools and nations that want to provide image files and sound files to create alphabet lessons and other primary lessons where the alphabetic system is different than English.

We are actively seeking partners to expedite the production, distribution and development of both domestic and international versions of the website. This website will make the learning available to people across all kinds of devices – phones, tablets, laptops/Macbooks and desktop computers.If you are interested in partnering with us, or would like more information, please contact us at amritalearningapp@gmail.com

XPRIZE Communities Competition

Block Image

Awards

The Amrita Learning App is built by AmritaCREATE at Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham. Amrita is an established leader in technology enhanced education, winning awards such as:

  • UNESCO – NLM Award for Adult Education from the former President of India (2008)
  • Digital India Award from the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) Government of India (2015)
  • One of five Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE Finalists (2018)
  • In 2019, Amrita CREATE was awarded as a Center of Excellence by the Government of India, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, for Digital Inclusion.
  • One of four Finalists selected for the Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE Communities Competition for exceeding the minimum benchmark improvement in all learners (2019)
Block Image

Tools for Teachers and Communities

Videos & Printable Resources for Amrita Learning App (Updated regularly). We can customize printable resources for your community. Contact us at AmritaAppHelp@gmail.com

Sign Up for Free Reports

If you are not an XPRIZE community competitor, but interested in using the app for your learners,
we are happy to create a community code for you.

About the App

Amrita Learning App – Made for Adult Learners

Amrita Learning App is designed for low-literate adults and supports family literacy. It can be used by Adult Education organizations, libraries, schools, prisons, and businesses. It can also supplement Special Education for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

We hope your users enjoy learning while improving their skills with Amrita. The award-winning Amrita Learning App is offered free of cost for learners, even beyond the Barbara Bush Foundation Adult Literacy XPRIZE competition!

The Critical Role of Voice Audio in Accelerating and Scaffolding Student Achievement in Reading.

All spoken language is a continuous stream of sound, with the perceptible beginning and endings of the words only truly clear with the first sound uttered at the beginning of speech and the last uttered after the entire sentence or phrase is completed.

For this reason, it is imperative to over-emphasize the beginnings and endings of words within sentences, at least in a subtle way, for beginning readers and second language learners to be able to hear individual words within a sentence. It follows that this is also needed for students to track text with their eyes while listening to audio.

Why is audio so important in accelerating and scaffolding student achievement in reading?

Actually, if the student listens to the audio first, without tracking the text of the passage, then the comprehension of the passage may occur to the same extent as if she had read the passage silently with full comprehension.

Afterwards, if the student returns to the text and tracks it with her eyes as she listens, she can relax and more easily process the symbol-sound correspondences she is witnessing receptively. If she then reads the passage a third time, decoding the words herself without audio, the process of decoding more difficult words is greatly reduced or erased altogether.

The symbol-sound-meaning integration occurred to such a great extent in the first 2 readings that the student has truly imbibed the reading on the 3rd round. A 4th round of reading aloud can put the student 10 steps further toward complete mastery of the words and the syntax patterns of the text, permanently. Repeated reading with Audio support is a powerful way to accelerate student achievement in reading.

All of the stories and passages on Amrita Learning App feature optional full voice audio at a slow-medium pace. Each word is spoken clearly and very gently emphasizes the beginning and ending of each word while modeling the natural English cadence of speech. This way, the English Language Learner may follow the written words while imbibing the natural sound of spoken English.

Different story series provide choice…

Amrita Learning App for Adult Learners is made to accelerate the learning of all learners while using stories and articles to model the soft skills needed to survive in the workplace. The app currently supports levels from non-reader to our expanding 6-8 grade Popular Science series. Our Serena and Leo – Family and Friends series (grade 3-6) features abundant Spanish support including vocabulary and phrases with audio. Our Life Styles USA stories (grade 3-6) feature stories based on current issues in the lives of small town, rural and city dwellers. Useful skills for navigating everyday life are integrated in the story lines. Values of kindness, caring and having an open mind are also woven into the stories.

All stories include vocabulary lessons, vocabulary bingo games with lesson vocabulary, and assessments.

New series on the app and still expanding are the Jazz Series, featuring Cam, a young jazz drummer; and the Popular Science series, which makes key science concepts accessible and teaches real vocabulary needed to pass High School equivalency exams.

Abundant support for English Language Learners.
  • Oral modeling on all voice audio: In Amrita Learning app, the voice audio very gently emphasizes the beginning and ending of each word while modeling the natural English cadence of speech. This way, the English Language Learner may follow the written words while imbibing the natural sound of spoken English.
  • Picture Dictionary: Over 350 beautiful photos of important practical vocabulary, presented in English and Spanish with audio for both.
  • Fry’s first 500 Words in Lesson Format: Fry’s first 500 Sight Words are broken into 25 word lessons, presented in English and Spanish with audio for both. Learners practice the words using the Bingo game which contains only the 25 words learned in the lesson.
  • Story Lesson Vocabulary: The Serena story series has all vocabulary translated into Spanish with audio. Within the stories, students may also touch any underlined word or phrase to see the Spanish translation and hear the Spanish audio.
  • Audio: Spanish audio support is available on instructions for: 1) the pre-assessment; 2) the underlined words and phrases in the Serena story series; bilingual articles and stories in the reading library; Fry’s sight word lessons (500 words); and the Picture Dictionary (350+ words). Spanish support will continue to expand with future updates.
  • Picture Support in Pre-Assessment: Each question on the Pre-Assessment is accompanied by a color photo, to ensure that the learner understands what is being asked.
  • ELL and Spanish Support will Continue to Expand: in future updates.
Teaching Technique to use with Voice Audio Passages.

All of our stories and passages feature optional full voice audio at a slow-medium pace. Each word spoken clearly and in the normal English cadence, so learners can easily follow the reading, and imbibe natural modeling of spoken English.

For this reason, it is imperative to over-emphasize the beginnings and endings of words within sentences, at least in a subtle way, for beginning readers and second language learners to be able to hear individual words within a sentence. It follows that this is also needed for students to track text with their eyes while listening to audio.

Audio is the great equalizer and ultimate scaffold for readers. Students can make triple the progress in reading if they listen only to the audio first; then read the story with audio while tracking the text with their eyes; then reading the story silently with their eyes a third time; and reading the story out loud a fourth and fifth time.

This technique will foster mastery of reading and greatly accelerate student success. The use of story “series” scaffolds success doubly, as the student already knows how to pronounce the name, and inferential comprehension is easily developed when the student knows the idiosyncratic behavior of each individual character over time.

Contact Us

Amrita Learning App Support Team

Email: AmritaAppHelp@gmail.com

Admissions Apply Now